Why was the visitor center and the road built on the "Fake Nordkapp" that is not actually the northernmost cape in Europe?

Which of those capes is actually Nordkapp? If the one where the infrastructure is, why did they name it Nordkapp when the other one on the north-west is actually further north?

by wigglepizza

19 comments

  3. Because the other one doesn’t have a road leading up to it

  5. Because the North Cape plateau is both easier to access and more impressive. But you can walk out to Knivskjellodden yourself.

  6. Knivskjelloden is the northernmost point.
    Why nordkapp?

    Historically bad cartography. That’s it.

  7. The actual northernmost point is called Knivskjellodden. You can go there by foot. As to your question, there’s only one Nordkapp. It’s a cape, it’s far north, and its name is Nordkapp. Not sure how it came to be perceived as the northernmost point of Europe, though.

  8. because one has a surveillance station close by; so the infrastructure is already there.

    why would they build down nature for a road to nowhere only so that some German pensioners in their campervan can say ‘they have been to the northernmost point of mainland Europe’

  9. Kinnarodden is the northern most point on the mainland. Knivskjellodden/North Cape is on an island.

  11. Nordkapp is actually not special at all, and neither is Knivskjellodden although its the northernmost point of Magerøya-island. Norways northernmost mainland point is Kinnarodden in Lebesby Kommune on the Nordkinn-peninsula. Norways northernmost point is the Rossøya island on Svalbard. Knivskjellodden is only Norways northernmost point if you count mainland Norway WITH islands, and at that point, why not include the Svalbard islands? The reason Nordkapp is so famous is because there is a road going there, whereas visiting Kinnarodden requires an 8 hour sporty walk in godforesaken terrain. And Nordkapp has been promoted very well to tourists.

  12. Nordkapp is on an imposing cliff with large, wide, fairly flat terrain above, good for buildings and roads. The tip next to it would be unsuitable for such infrastructure.

    Nordkapp is the northernmost point in Europe that can be reached by a regular road. Nothing else.

  13. Because a long time ago we fucked up and now we don’t really feel like fixing it because that shit is in bumfuck nowhere.

    The “real” northernmost point you see there is also not really the northernmost point by most measures. It is not the northernmost point of mainland Europe, because it is an Island and because Finnoscandia is separated from mainland Europe by the Karelian Canal so it too is an artificial island. It is also not the northernmost point of Europe Proper as the Svalbard archipelago is part of Europe. It is only the northernmost point in Europe accessible by foot from mainland Europe, whereas Nordkapp is the northernmost point of Europe accessible by road.

  14. English sailors in the 15th century called it North Cape. In this setting a cape is a notable coastal formation.

    So it’s a notable coastal formation in the north used for navigation before GPS.

    It DOESN’T mean “the northernmost point”, and thus isn’t fake at all.

  16. Remember that my highschool teacher told us about this. Knivskjellodden is the Northernmost point at the Norwegian mainland. The reason for picking a different location would probably be because of easier access.

  17. Nordkapp platået e jo 100 ganga mer rått en Knivsjellodden, det e jo bare et nes som forsvinn I havet, mens platået e flere hundre meter høyt å stupbratte.

  18. Some years ago we did rotate Norway by some degrees too catch more of the sun

  19. They do it in Scotland too. Everyone visits John O’Groats but the most northerly part of the mainland is Dunnet Head. Similar reason too – there’s a proper road right to Groats.

Comments are closed.