Norway · NO

Drakkar Leviathan

Drakkar Leviathan is a monumental wooden sculpture that rises from a bare rock at the wild northern tip of Vardøya, the small island that holds Norway's easternmost town. Resembling a Viking longship's figurehead fused with the spine of a whale, the towering piece is part sea monster, part sentinel, and part tribute to the Arctic's seafaring peoples. Built in the summer of 2016 by the Russian timber-craft collective Taibola Assemble, it has become Vardø's defiant, unforgettable landmark at the edge of the Barents Sea. It is free to see and open around the clock, reached by an easy walk from town or a short drive and park-up on the rocks. For travellers who have come to this far corner of Europe, the Leviathan is the single most striking object on the island—and a natural anchor for a day that can also take in the world's northernmost fortress, a renowned witch-trial memorial and one of the planet's great seabird cliffs.