Located at the end of the Herjangsfjorden, Bjerkvik is a small village where the roads connecting Harstad, Narvik and Tromsø meet. It was largely destroyed by Allied gunfire during World War II, with several plane casualties from the battle now at the bottom of Hartvikvatnet.
At the southern end of the village stands the Bjerkvik Kirke, a whitewashed church designed by Per Solemslie in collaboration with Arnstein Arneberg, once of the architects behind the Oslo Town Hall. Gaze up at its soaring, square tower and enjoy the church’s magnificent views across the Vestfjorden.
A short drive east of Bjerkvik is Hartvikvatnet, a scenic lake that is home to the Elvegårdsmoen military camp. It was occupied by German forces in April 1940 and was quickly recaptured by the French Foreign Legion during the Battles of Narvik. Several Junkers JU-52s delivering supplies to the Germans were sunk here and offer fascinating wreck dive sites.
Getting there
Bjerkvik is around 40 minutes’ drive from Harstad-Narvik Airport, which has seasonal flights to destinations across Europe. By road, Tromsø is just over three hours away. Regular buses connect from Narvik to Bjerkvik and the village is small enough to explore on foot.