Svolvær is the administrative centre of Vågan Municipality (9,200 inhabitants) in Nordland County, Norway. It is located on the island of Austvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago.
The first town formation known in North Norway, Vågar, was situated around the narrow, natural harbor near Kabelvåg, just west of Svolvær. Vågar is mentioned in the book Heimskringla, and might have been established as early as the year 800.
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