Places with a story
Anda fyr
Anda fyr is a square concrete lighthouse on a small seabird island outside Stø in Øksnes. Its history links maritime safety with today’s scientific monitoring, while the island’s nature protection makes it a place to understand without assuming ordinary visitor access.
The place1
The lighthouse station was built in 1932 and was the last staffed lighthouse station constructed in Norway. A sixteen-metre concrete tower stands beside a wooden house for lighthouse staff. The exposed location led to a system of staff working in rotation, rather than a station designed for a permanently resident family.
History and local connections1
Anda was supplied with electricity from diesel generators from its first day of operation. It became automated and unstaffed in 1987, and the station was protected in 1999. The buildings later became a field base for seabird monitoring, continuing their use in a different form.
What to look for2
The island has a major puffin colony, with turf penetrated by nesting burrows and steep rock rising from the sea. It has been a SEAPOP monitoring locality since 2005, particularly for puffins and kittiwakes. The lighthouse’s conspicuous tower belongs within this living bird habitat, not an independent attraction separated from it.
Planning a visit12
Norsk Fyrforening lists Anda as neither a visitor lighthouse nor an overnight destination. SEAPOP explains the nature reserve and seasonal landing restrictions protecting nesting birds. Check current information with the relevant authorities or an authorised boat operator; do not plan an independent landing or expect tower entry. The historical and scientific information can enrich a view from the surrounding sea.
Sources
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