Kabelvåg torg (Kabelvåg Town Square)
Description
Torget, Kabelvåg
The Kabelvåg Town Square has an old history rich in tradition in one of the oldest towns in Northern Norway. Already in the town development plan for 1887, the town square was clearly defined with direct access to the harbour and surrounded by streets in a grid-work pattern. However throughout the 20th century, Kabelvåg lost its significance as the main harbour providing profits for the town Svolvær. The town lost its markets, and the town square, which had been a life nerve, was used as a car park. A once lively town was left deserted and abandoned, with its back facing the town and a lone music pavilion in the eastern corner.
As a result of large fires that occurred in 1991 and 1992, a large, voluntary communal work project went underway in Kabelvåg. In this process of revitalisation, where the citizens of Kabelvåg took an active part, there were set conditions for the new development of the town. Firstly, it was stipulated that the town square be reverted back to a place for gathering. Secondly, the cars were to be removed and replaced with boats. Thirdly, the old pavilion was to mark the town square as a place for people and culture.
In order to reinstate this central community in Lofoten with boating activity and the sound of lapping waves, a re-dredged canal was opened. This idea had already been proposed in an architecture competition in 1984, won by the Tromsø architects John Kristoffersen, Petter Bakke and Lars Krane, all civil architects MNAL. At this opening, the town square now had an axis from the harbour leading in to the town.
As a result of large fires that occurred in 1991 and 1992, a large, voluntary communal work project went underway in Kabelvåg. In this process of revitalisation, where the citizens of Kabelvåg took an active part, there were set conditions for the new development of the town. Firstly, it was stipulated that the town square be reverted back to a place for gathering. Secondly, the cars were to be removed and replaced with boats. Thirdly, the old pavilion was to mark the town square as a place for people and culture.
In order to reinstate this central community in Lofoten with boating activity and the sound of lapping waves, a re-dredged canal was opened. This idea had already been proposed in an architecture competition in 1984, won by the Tromsø architects John Kristoffersen, Petter Bakke and Lars Krane, all civil architects MNAL. At this opening, the town square now had an axis from the harbour leading in to the town.
Year of construction
The music pavilion is from 1927, the town square was renovated in 1999-2000
Architect
Arkitektgruppen Cubus AS
Arne Sælen, landscape architect MNLA
Thor Erdahl, painter
Client
Vågan Municipality
Building Type
Town square
music pavilion
Construction System / Materials
Stone
granite
slate
Prizes / Recognition
Northern Norway Architecture Prize 2000
European Landscape Architecture Prize, 2nd place
Keywords
stone
granite
slate
square
music pavilion
Literature
Byggekunst no. 5, 2004, p. 32.
Norske arkitektkonkurranser 1985, no. 257.
Sundvall, Helen N.: Musikkpaviljongene i Nord-Norge - ikke bare for musikk, Tromsø 2005.
Sømme, Axel Nitter and Aarskog, Kristin: Bølgene brytes. Breaking the waves. Fortellingen om Kabelvåg torg, Bergen 2001.
Norske arkitektkonkurranser 1985, no. 257.
Sundvall, Helen N.: Musikkpaviljongene i Nord-Norge - ikke bare for musikk, Tromsø 2005.
Sømme, Axel Nitter and Aarskog, Kristin: Bølgene brytes. Breaking the waves. Fortellingen om Kabelvåg torg, Bergen 2001.
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