Reine Audio Guide

Reine: what does the audio guide cover?

1. 01

   Welcome to Reine

   Welcome to Reine, a fishing village in Moskenes in the Lofoten Islands of northern Norway. Reine is a whole village rather than a single monument, so this guide tells the story of the village and the fishing world around it. It does not follow one particular building or spot. Picture it the way visitors are usually introduced to it: dramatic mountains rising steeply out of the sea and small red and white fishing houses at their feet. Around 311 people lived here in 2020, which makes it a very small place for such a famous view. Over the next few minutes we will look at how Reine began as a trading place, how its village center was shaped in its best years, what the Second World War did to it, and how fjord and mountain still draw people in today.

2. 02

   A Trading Place Since 1743

   Reine has been a trading place since 1743. That date places the village within the long story of the Lofoten fishery, in which fishing villages grew up along the coast from the end of the Middle Ages. The wider story of Lofoten is one of dried fish and trade. Historians think merchants in Bergen and Trondheim took an early interest in trade with this part of northern Norway. The Black Death and the collapse of the inland trading system are one explanation. Another is the growing power of the king, who acquired land in Lofoten, including fishing villages, and wanted the greatest possible control over the trade. That is the story of the region as a whole. Reine itself belongs to that world of fishing villages and merchants. So when you look at the harbor, remember that you are standing in a place built for the sea. Its reason for existing was fish, boats and trade.

3. 03

   Life in the Fishing Season

   Imagine the Lofoten fishery in the old days, across the islands. Fishermen from many districts gathered in the fishing villages and stayed in rorbuer, the traditional fishermen's cabins. Each community had its own fishing villages, and within them the cabins were often grouped by home district. The day began at first gray light, when the boats went out to the fishing grounds. There were no lighthouses or markers in the early days. Experienced fishermen listened for waves breaking on the skerries to know where they were, and they usually headed back before full darkness. On days when the weather kept the boats ashore, there was time for stories. Tales passed from cabin to cabin and village to village, and the best storytellers had plenty of time to perform. When the men went home, they carried new stories, gossip and news with them. In this way the fishery bound the region together and gave the fishermen a shared identity.

4. 04

   Church, War and Rebuilding

   In the center of the village stands a traditional white wooden church that dates from Reine's heyday in the 1800s. It is a good reminder that this was once a busy and prosperous place. In 1941, during the Second World War, much of Reine's historic architecture was destroyed by German bombing. The bombing was retribution for a British raid on the Lofoten Islands, and many buildings had to be rebuilt afterwards. Today, culture has found a home here too. The old Reine school opened as a cultural center in 2007.

5. 05

   Before You Head Off

   Reine is also a starting point. Boat trips leave from here into one of Norway's most beautiful fjords, where steep mountains plunge straight into the sea. From Reinefjorden you can walk over the mountain to the huge beach at Bunes, which many people consider a hidden paradise. Nearby is Hamnøy, where red fishermen's cabins sit between fjord and mountains in one of the most photographed spots in Lofoten. Farther along is the museum in Å, which tells the story of local culture in these fishing villages. Before you move on, take a slow look at how the little houses sit against the mountains and see if you can imagine a boat heading out at first light. The village rewards a second look.