Hemnesberget – charm and creativity by the fjord
Fabrice Milochau
Just a 15-minute drive from the E6, where Ranfjorden meets Sørfjorden, you’ll find Hemnesberget – a cosy fjord village with interesting shops, inviting cafés, local markets, and lively festivals.
Hemnesberget is a village between Mosjøen and Mo i Rana, just a 15-minute drive from the E6.
The village has a good guest harbour and excellent facilities for travellers with motorhomes or caravans.
Art, craftsmanship, and creative spirit
Back when the sea was the main route along the coast, Hemnesberget was a key meeting point in the middle of Ranfjorden, at the mouth of Sørfjorden. It was both a church site and a trading hub, and it has a long and rich tradition of boatbuilding.
You can still see traces of that creative drive today in events like Våryr Saturday, Hemnesjazz, and Christmas at the Berget, as well as in the local craftsmanship and design found in shops such as goldsmith Merethe Mattson and the clothing store Kråkeslottet.
Lapphella and the boatbuilding heritage
After browsing the shops – and perhaps enjoying a meal and a coffee – we recommend heading to Lapphella. This is a charming spot down by the marina, home to Hemnesberget’s oldest buildings, including several restored wharf houses and boathouses now used as private homes. You’ll also find a small cultural venue here, and during the Hemnesjazz festival there are often concerts and a café at Lapphella.
In the marina, just below Lapphella, you can see several traditional boats built locally, including the large “åttring” Hemnes and the fishing vessel Remi Ketil. Hemnesberget and its surrounding farms have a long and proud boatbuilding history. For many farms, building small wooden boats was a common sideline, and well into the 1900s there were also shipyards producing larger fishing vessels. The traces of this history are still visible in Hemnesberget’s marina today.
Read more about the boatbuilding history and Remi Ketil at visitokstindan.no
