"I was visiting Henningsvær with some friends from Bergen for a climbing holiday in 2014, and we were very lucky with the weather. Though we had travelled around the world, we found this to be one of the most beautiful places of all! So, when a local told us about the old, run down factory that was for sale, we just jumped on the crazy idea, collected all our savings, and asked our families for help to buy it," says Mats Alfsen.

What they the friends didn't account for, was the millions of NOK, and thousands of working hours, it would take to put it the building into shape. Often working in thermo suits, since the temperatures in the old building often didn't exceed 8 degrees Celsius.

"A great deal of the work has been done as a dugnad, as volunteer work in the Norwegian spirit of helping each other out, which is a very generous collective mindset that is still very present in the local community of Henningsvær up until this day, " says Alfsen.

Preserving the tradition

Established in the 1940s, Trevarefabrikken in Lofoten has formerly housed a lumber yard and a cod liver oil factory. Since the friends purchased the property, the building has slowly been transformed into a place with a vibrant cultural scene, local food and drinks, ocean sauna, and cosy, rustic rooms that reflect the building's past.

"They got the factory for a good price, but I am very happy about it. They developed it and have taken care of it very well. They inspired a lot of young people to come and live here," former owner and Henningsvær local Alf Per Johansen tells us over a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

The latter is very important in an area that for many years was in steep decline. As the population was decreasing at a fast pace, the younger generations preferred to move to more centralised areas, fishing declined, and work outside the fishing industry was scarce.

Caviar and modern art

A few stockfish racks further down the road from Trevarefabrikken, art collecting couple Rolf and Vencke Hoff paved the street and transformed the village's former Kaviar factory into a unique world class contemporary art centre several years earlier. It showcases pieces from the couple's extensive collection, as well at temporary art shows featuring work by stars in the international and Norwegian art scenes, including names like Ai Weiwei, Marina Abramovic, Cindy Sherman, and Bjarne Melgaard, to name a few.

"I bought it in 2006, just to save the building, and we worked very hard to transform it into what it is today," says Vencke Hoff.

The building won the Northern Norwegian Architecture Award in 2020.

You can also see some of Norway's coolest street art in the building and outside in the village - in some of the strangest places - made by two of the most renowned street artists in Norway, Dolk and Pøbel, with whom Hoff has cooperated.

Take the gallery round

She has also carefully restored another old house which houses a permanent exhibition of the works of author and art photographer Rune Johansen, from Northern Norway.

For an introduction to famous painters from Lofoten and the North, and other Norwegian painters, check out the comprehensive exhibition at Galleri Lofoten.

A new beginning

In many ways, the Trevarefabrikken and Kaviarfabrikken stories are a microcosm of the history of the fishing village itself.

Stretching over a handful of small islands, Henningsvær, went from being a mostly sleepy and very remote place to becoming one of the most vibrant and buzzing villages in the region, thanks to a broad mix of adventurous people, artists, art collectors, artisans, chefs and climbers that found a haven here, transforming the whole community, the old fish oil refineries, fisherman's cabins and wharfs, into a very unique and lively place, filled with cosy eateries, galleries and small shops.

The traditional picturesque, multicoloured buildings and vibrant coastal culture in the harbour are today listed as a Norwegian Kulturminne, a cultural heritage site.