Einstødingen Island is a small, uninhabited island situated in the North Atlantic Ocean. The island is privately owned and has been designated as a nature reserve. The reserve is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, including breeding populations of seabirds and seals. Einstødingen is also known for its geological features, which include an active volcano and a geothermal area.
Contents
All About Of Einstødingen Island
Einstødingen Island has been known to the residents of Oslo since at least AD 988. It is located about 120 km northeast from Bergen and is separated by Bredalsvatnet, a small water body which empties into Dvergsvennen as well as another smaller lake Flaknesjøen. Einstøldingen was named “Demmings Land” in honor of Magnus Erlingsson . The island was important during World War II. From the 1940s until 1951, a Soviet submarine base operated on Einstødingen.
Administrative and political status
Einstøldingen is today privately owned and administered by Olav Aalberg as resource producer for Nordisk Hydro ASA, but it remains part of Norway under national law (Statens institutt for rasjonaliseringsforskning). It is therefore not a political territorial division and cannot negotiate international agreements.
The island, together with its surroundings is protected as the nature reserve “Einstødingen Nature Reserve”. The Einstørdingen Protection Area Committee was formed in 1977 to ensure the long-term protection of this valuable piece of national land.
“Bjarte Krustad – Personal file” ¤·
Climate
The latitude of the island, at 70.40°N, is within a climate zone with strong maritime influence in winter and mild summers because due to its high elevation: average temperature during May–August is 5.5 °C (42 °F) which declines to 4.4 °C (39 °F) in January–February; precipitation averages 635 millimeters across most years but decreases significantly northwestwards into western Spitsbergen and southwards into the sound. Instead, mean snowfall amounts average 108 centimeters annually; in some years as little as a 20-day snow accumulation occurs at many of the steepest locations (e.g., on Helbyøya).
Tourism
Though there is no specifically organized coastal tourist infrastructure on Einstødingen and so not a particularly large number of overnight tourists, it does serve as base for the journey to nearby Sommarøy (considered by many locals simply an extension), with the ocean in direct view from its houses.
According to “Visitor center at Flaknes” (“Flaknevise”), there are more than 5000 summer visitors per year, most of whom stay for a few days only. The number in Sommarøy, on the other hand, can reach up to 10-20 thousand people per summer due to its proximity: overflight of an aircraft more than 30 minutes (far beyond fixed length limits) from Flaknes provides easy access and atmosphere similar to cruising trips in places like Iceland or Greenland.
Transport
In some routes, the crossing of Einstødingen may take around 90 minutes; in others, it would be worthwhile to arrange a separate tour for this (or another) reason. Note: As per March 2003 regulations concerning craft approaching and leading over Svalbard’s airports requires licenses with “icelandic” hold permission to all commercial ships passing between April 1st and September 30th each year.
“Royal Norwegian Air Force Boeing 737 -800 takes off from Dybvasfjord – runway S3 at the Norwegian Air Base Bodo in September”
Departing Flaknes Airport, private aircraft can be utilized on Einstødingen’s single runway should a cruise tour adviser board and authorise such travel. All small coastal craft (e.g., RIBs) seem to make it safely through Spitsbergen’s numerous lakes; obviously though , it is not advisable to operate adventurous sailing across these waterways during the summer months. The following are neither recommended nor strictly required for environmental reasons.
Day by day Einstødingen Sightseeing (all year around) Apart from the landing strips, there is no regular air-traffic in this area during daytime. Therefore , any kind of shuttle or sightseeing tour flights weren’t available until recently and were only being operated through cruise leaders’ arrangements with local pilots and travel agencies: 2 companies exlained below had been
Wildlife
The wildlife in Einstødingen is diverse and interesting. From polar bears, whales and pinguins to arctic foxes, reindeers grazing on land or the abundance of birds seen along a trip here will delight even those with an avid interest for bird watching .
Sea life
There isn’t much sea life around Flaknes but still , marine mammals such as ringed seal are present only 1 – 2 days during certain periods each summer, giving a chance to see these magnificent creatures up close.
Vermilion Bay and Birds — A favourite area on Spitsbergen is the harbor at Vermilion bay , roughly located 70 km north-east of Flaknes town center . Pilot whales are present all year around in this small settlement. Seabirds such as puffins, guillemots and kittiwakes make camping overnights very enjoyable. Enjoy the spectacular sunsets with a view of mountain right below and ice-covered Nansenfjord through one of your french windows, while sipping on some nice drink 🙂
Reindeer walking in sunlight to eating grass ! View from Eglise Valley Reen Dane’s Resort — A small American owned and operated hotel was recently opened near Flaknes allegedly to attract cruise ships because they cannot dock at Spitsberg en town. Even though there is no reason for this, it does offer a luxurious stay at reasonable rates and you will enjoy evening meals from its onsite restaurant as well . It is also a good place to stop before travelling back down south in summer so that the liftsides to your ship depart punctually.
Conclusion
The Einstødingen Island is a small island in the municipality of Tromsø in Norway. It is located about 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) south of the city centre Tromsø, about 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) northeast of the island of Tromsøya, and about 4.5 kilometers (3.0 mi) northeast of the island of Vesterøya.
Leave a Reply