Outsider Environments Europe: Collective of inhabitants, Minibyen / Mini Village

December 01, 2023

Collective of inhabitants, Minibyen / Mini Village

this image and the next one from Google Maps

In the far north of Norway, near the small community of Kasfjord, the sign above points to a Minibyen, which is Norwegian for a miniature village.

And indeed, following the directions one will soon reach an art environment with an extensive ensemble of miniature constructions.

this picture and the next five from the weblog of Sophie Lepetit

An art environment created by residents

It is a special art environment, because it was created by residents of the small community of Kasfjord with 269 inhabitants, which is part of the municipality of Harstad, a small town of about 25,000 inhabitants, located 12 km southwest.

The creation, started around 2015, has been largely made from recycled materials. Residents of Kasfjord can participate, for example by contributing a built item themselves. The rule for the houses and other structures that fill the site is 1:10 scale. Articles on the internet about this site talk about a mayor of the miniature village who makes streets and traffic signs himself. This person probably fulfils the role of coordinator who takes care of the general layout of the site.

The miniature city has a lively atmosphere and feels realistic. For example, painters are working in front of the house above left, giving the house a new coat of paint; the painting company's car is in front of the house.

Also there are scenes of sporting events are depicted, where it has been ensured that there is a viewing public.

The ensemble of miniature constructions has grown considerably in size since its inception in 2015. In its current state, which is beautifully documented in the videos in the documentation, it attracts numerous tourists.

There is an account on Facebook, Kasfjord City Minibyen, dedicated to the miniature village. The site contains many photos of the creation and also various stories about the background of scenes that play in or around the buildings that form part of the art environment.

For example, there is a backstory about a scene of a fight outside a café, which is depicted in the miniature village and it is also explained what happened when a cat was rescued from a roof, not with the ladder of a fire truck, because that ladder was too short, but with a helicopter.....

It seems that all these stories are truthful and so this Facebook account might fulfil the function of the local newspaper of Minibyen.