WWII's most contested Arctic port — iron ore, the Battles of Narvik, and the Ofoten railway into Sweden
Narvik is an ice-free Arctic port at 68°N whose strategic importance — as the only year-round export terminal for Swedish iron ore — made it the most fiercely contested target in the 1940 Norwegian campaign. The two Battles of Narvik (April–June 1940) were the first Allied naval and land victories against Germany in WWII, but Norway was ultimately lost. The WWII Museum in the town square is excellent, and the Ofoten Railway linking Narvik to Kiruna in Sweden through spectacular mountain scenery is considered one of the world's great rail journeys. Ski season is October–May at the Narvikfjelle…
Narvik was founded in 1902 specifically as the export terminal for the vast iron ore deposits of Kiruna, Sweden — connected by the Ofoten Railway completed that year. The town's strategic importance meant Germany could not allow Allied forces to control it: the two Battles of Narvik in 1940 involved two destroyer engagements, the sinking of 10 German destroyers, and three months of mountain warfare before Germany ultimately prevailed. Post-war, Narvik rebuilt rapidly and continues to export iron ore via the LKAB ore loading terminal — one of the world's most efficient bulk facilities.