Kibyfjæra

Finnish-speaking immigrants came in waves to the Vadsø and Varanger areas during the 18th and 19th centuries. They came from Northern Finland, Northern Sweden and Russia. Today, their descendants are the Kven/Norwegian Finn peoples. Kvens were granted official minority status in Norway in 1998, and the Kven language was recognised as a distinct language in Norway in 2005. The Kvens were farmers and came both because of droughts in Finland, but also because of rich fish reserves in the Arctic Ocean in the north. They brought with them their culture and traditions, including baking traditions, crafts, building customs and sauna culture. The first thing they built when they came to Varanger was the sauna. The sauna culture has been uninterrupted in Vadsø, largely due to the Public Health Associations’ focus on the health benefits of taking a sauna. They were also a driving force in getting saunas built in the Varanger area. After the Second World War and the proliferation of ready-made reconstruction houses, parts of the sauna culture disappeared as these houses were given running water and their own bathrooms. However, several communal saunas existed in Vadsø and can still be found today. The sauna stone is placed on top of the stove to create a heat reservoir. When water is thrown on the stone, the steam spreads into the sauna room. Since ancient times, these stones have been sourced from tidal stones on shores and beaches. One of the places where stone was obtained was the village of Kiby, which islocated three km outside the city of Vadsø, and it was here that the stone Vadsø delivered was sourced.

www.varangermuseum.no
https://www.varangermuseum.no/fagomrader/kvener-norskfinner/
https://www.varangermuseum.no/badstubyen-vadso/
https://www.vadso.kommune.no/fokusnyhet/badstustein-fra-vadso-til-regjeringskvartalet.11572.aspx