Island of Røst
Røst is a municipality and island group at the southernmost tip of the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county, northern Norway. The main island of Røstlandet — low, marshy, and only 11 metres above sea level at its highest point — lies within the Arctic Circle and is home to a small community of approximately 500 inhabitants whose livelihood has centred on fishing for centuries. The surrounding skerries and sea stacks shelter one of Europe’s largest seabird colonies, and the island’s dramatic oceanic landscape has drawn naturalists, artists, and travellers since the 19th century.
At a glance
- Type
- Island municipality and archipelago
- Period
- Inhabited since the Viking Age; fishing settlement documented from the medieval period
- Style
- Arctic island landscape; vernacular Norwegian fishing village architecture
- Location
- Røst Municipality, Nordland county, Norway
- Coordinates
- 67.5166° N, 12.1055° E
Overview
Røst is an island in Røst Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 3.6-square-kilometre main island makes up the majority of the municipality’s land area and is home to most of its residents. The island is very low and marshy, with the highest point reaching only 11 metres above sea level, and contains many small lakes and wetland areas, some of which are protected as nature reserves. The surrounding archipelago, consisting of hundreds of skerries, islets, and sea stacks, is one of the most important seabird habitats in northern Europe.
History
Røst has been inhabited since at least the Viking Age, when its position at the convergence of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Norwegian Sea made it a waypoint for Norse seafarers. The island’s economy was built on the winter cod fishery of the Lofoten Wall — the great underwater ridge that makes Lofoten one of the world’s most productive fishing grounds — and on the production of stockfish (tørrfisk), which was traded across northern Europe from the Middle Ages onward. The Italian merchant Pietro Querini was shipwrecked on Røst in 1432, leaving one of the earliest and most vivid written accounts of life in a Norwegian fishing community.
What you see
The island offers a spare and elemental landscape: flat, wind-scoured terrain meeting an ever-changing North Atlantic sky, with traditional red-painted wooden rorbu (fishermen’s cabins) clustered near the harbour. The surrounding skerries are home to enormous seabird colonies including puffins, razorbills, guillemots, and northern gannets, making Røst a major destination for wildlife enthusiasts. In summer, the midnight sun bathes the landscape in continuous golden light; in winter, northern lights are frequently visible above the dark ocean.
Cultural significance
Røst’s connection to the Italian cultural world goes back to Pietro Querini’s 1432 shipwreck, which he described in a memoir that introduced northern Norwegian stockfish to Italian consciousness — a fish that remains deeply embedded in the cuisines of Veneto and other Italian regions today. The island is part of the broader Lofoten cultural landscape, which Norway has proposed for UNESCO World Heritage listing as an outstanding example of a living Arctic fishing culture.
Practical information
- Location
- Røst Municipality, Nordland county, Norway
- Access
- Ferry from Bodø (4–5 hours) operated by Torghatten Nord; express boat from Bodø (2.5 hours) in summer; small airport with connections to Bodø
- Season
- Open year-round; seabird season peaks May–August; northern lights October–February
Getting there
Bodø is the main gateway, reachable by SAS and Norwegian Air from Oslo, Bergen, and Tromsø. From Bodø, Hurtigruten coastal ferries and Torghatten Nord express boats serve Røst regularly. A small airstrip on the island is served by Widerøe regional flights. Accommodation is limited; booking well in advance is essential, especially in the summer season.