Grense Jakobselv


Grense Jakobselv is a small village in Sør-Varanger Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the shore of the Barents Sea at the mouth of the Jakobselva river. It lies about by road east of the town of Kirkenes. The area was settled by Norwegians in 1851.

Border with Russia

The Jakobselva river forms the border with Russia, on the east side of Grense Jakobselv. Here, there is a small post of the Garrison of Sør-Varanger of the Norwegian Army, from where soldiers patrol the border. In this area, however, there is no public border crossing.

King Oscar II Chapel

In the village, there is a stone chapel built in 1869 called King Oscar II Chapel. The church was built to reinforce Norway's territorial claim to the area, and was named after King Oscar II of Sweden and Norway at a visit he made in 1873.

Distance from Oslo

Grense Jakobselv is the point in mainland Norway farthest by road from Norway's capital Oslo. It is by a route entirely within Norway. If international routes are included, the distance is approximately , travelling through the neighboring countries of Sweden and Finland. In this scenario, Gamvik would be the farthest place from Oslo.