Botnhamn
Encyclopedia
Botnhamn is a small place in Northern Norway, located more than 300 kilometres (186.4 mi) north of the Arctic Circle
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the five major circles of latitude that mark maps of the Earth. For Epoch 2011, it is the parallel of latitude that runs north of the Equator....

 on the northern part of the island of Senja
Senja
Senja is the second largest island in Norway . It is located along the Troms county coastline with Finnsnes as the closest town. Senja is connected to the mainland by the Gisund Bridge. The municipalities located on Senja are Lenvik , Berg, Torsken, and Tranøy...

. The place is spread out along the west side of the fjord of Stønnesbotn and is part of Lenvik
Lenvik
Lenvik is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The municipality is partly situated on the mainland, partly on the island of Senja. The administrative center is the town of Finnsnes, where the Gisund Bridge connects Senja to the mainland by road. Other settlements include Aglapsvik, Gibostad,...

 municipality in Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...

 county. The population (2001) is 308. Botnhamn experiences warm summers and long, dark winters. Botnhamn is located about 28 kilometres (17.4 mi) northwest of Gibostad
Gibostad
Gibostad is a village on Senja island in the municipality of Lenvik in Troms county, Norway. Its population is 348. Gibostad is a former trading centre, located about north of the Gisund Bridge. Many of the buildings in the harbour area are about 200 years old...

 and 52 kilometres (32.3 mi) northwest of Finnsnes
Finnsnes
is a small town located in the municipality of Lenvik on the mainland near the island of Senja, in Troms county, Norway. The population is 4,185. The municipality is well provided with kindergartens and a decentralized school system on both primary and secondary level...

.

Botnhamn is an old farmyard mentioned in historical writings around 1370 under the name Stufunes. There are several archaeological discoveries from the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...

, Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...

, and Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 and the most known is The Silver Treasure of Botnhamn from approximately 1000 AD. The farmyard has probably been part of a chiefdom located on both sides of the outer Malangen Sound. In the 17th century, Botn was a bailiff estate in Balstad jurisdiction. Through the establishment of trading activity at the end of the 19th century, Botnhamn grew to become a center in Hillesøy
Hillesøy
Hillesøy is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. It is located in the present-day municipalities of Tromsø and Lenvik and both sides of the Malangen fjord...

 municipality.

Botnhamn is today a vigorous village with the ferry service Malangenforbindelsen connecting Senja with the island of Kvaløya. It makes the journey between Senja and Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...

shorter with a crossing time of 45 minutes and driving time of 50 minutes.

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