Richard With (1846 – 1930), founder of Hurtigruten. Born in Tromsø, he started the shipping company
Vesteraalske Dampskibsselskab in 1881. Ten years later, he proposed establishing a year-round
passenger route along the coast of Norway, which was met with some scepticism (maps of the Norwegian
coast were rather rudimentary at the time!). However, he persisted, and in 1893 a contract was
signed with the Norwegian government, and the Hurtigruten (which means “rapid route”) service began
with weekly sailings and nine ports of call between Trondheim and Hammerfest in the summer, and
Tromsø in the winter. The Hurtigruten “coastal express” soon proved to be a lifeline for the
communities along the route. Today, there are daily sailings with 12 ships, from Bergen to Kirkenes
and back, calling at 34 ports, on the “world’s most beautiful voyage”.
This image was taken at the Hurtigruten museum in Stokmarknes.