Nordkapphallen (Nordkapphallen, the North Cape Visitor Centre)
Description
Nordkapp, Honningsvåg
The North Cape is a mountain plateau with steep rock faces straight down into the Barents Sea some 300m below. It is very close to being the northernmost point in Europe.
The first visitor centre opened in the late 1950s. This was a rectangular building clad with stone quarried on the plateau and windows covering the entire width of northern wall facing the midnight sun and overlooking the ocean. As tourism increased during the 1980s the existing visitor centre could not adequately provide the desired level of service for its guests. It was closed for some time whilst the existing building was extended in and a new circular restaurant block was added. The restaurant has a conical roof crowned with a white spherical telecommunications installation.
Below the restaurant is a large space built down into the rock with a circular cinema, repeating the restaurant's footprint, where the special North Cape Film is shown on a high definition panoramic screen. Onwards from the cinema a tunnel leads to another large grotto with a bar and a huge window in the rock face. In the tunnel there are three large niches with displays by the Norwegian artist, puppeteer and filmmaker Ivo Caprino depicting scenes from the history of tourism to the North Cape. There is also a small ecumenical chapel dedicated to St. John off the tunnel.
The first visitor centre opened in the late 1950s. This was a rectangular building clad with stone quarried on the plateau and windows covering the entire width of northern wall facing the midnight sun and overlooking the ocean. As tourism increased during the 1980s the existing visitor centre could not adequately provide the desired level of service for its guests. It was closed for some time whilst the existing building was extended in and a new circular restaurant block was added. The restaurant has a conical roof crowned with a white spherical telecommunications installation.
Below the restaurant is a large space built down into the rock with a circular cinema, repeating the restaurant's footprint, where the special North Cape Film is shown on a high definition panoramic screen. Onwards from the cinema a tunnel leads to another large grotto with a bar and a huge window in the rock face. In the tunnel there are three large niches with displays by the Norwegian artist, puppeteer and filmmaker Ivo Caprino depicting scenes from the history of tourism to the North Cape. There is also a small ecumenical chapel dedicated to St. John off the tunnel.
Year of construction
1958-1990
Architect
Paul Cappelen and Torbjørn Rodah (1958)
Arnstein Arnebergs arkitektkontor (1990)
Client
Nordkapps Vel A/S (1958)
Prosjekt Nordkapp (1990)
Building Type
Visitor centre
restaurant
cinema
shop
Construction System / Materials
Concrete
stone
slate
wood
Literature
Cappelen Paul og Torbjørn Rohdal: ”Nordkapphallen”, Byggekunst 6/1959, pp. 5-10.
Grønvold, Ulf: ”Kapell og kommers. Verdens ende er også et sted for meditasjon”, Byggekunst 8/1990, pp. 445-448
Grønvold, Ulf: ”Kapell og kommers. Verdens ende er også et sted for meditasjon”, Byggekunst 8/1990, pp. 445-448
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