Hammerfest, Norway

I don't see many 1961 Ford Galaxy 500's in the U.S., so why is there one in Hammerfest,  Norway?

It did not have the regular Norway license plate, so I do not know from where it hails. 

Polar bear pelts used to be shipped from Hammerfest, so the town has polar bears as their mascot. There's a gateway in town with 2 silver colored polar bears 

The Polar Bear Society has a headquarters in town too.

People often think that polar bears live here, but that is not the case...their pelts were tanned and sold here only. Of course that was a long time ago, as polar bears are an endangered species. 

Hammerfest is the largest city in the region with 11,000 people. None of us could figure out why you would want to live in the city. It's cold, isolated, and not all that pretty. 

It was completely burned down in 1945. Every building but one, a small structure in the town cemetery survived. Since then it has been completely rebuilt. The first big building completed was the Lutheran church in 1961.

Of course it is a modern design...which is sleek but cold. 

The Catholic Church at the other end of the street is also modern. The outside is decorated with a modern mosaic of St.George and the Dragon and a traditional statue of Mary. 

Inside, it's cold and modern too. None of the warmth from those old cathedrals seems to have 

been translated into the new design. 

This cute gazebo celebrates the 200th anniversary of the town.