The archipelago at the farthest point out to the open sea became the first Norwegian cultural landscape to achieve such status. World Heritage status was granted to a landscape of islands along an extremely weather-hardened coast. But why?

The UNESCO World Heritage Committee writes in its justification: “Vegaøyan shows how generations of fishermen and farmers over the past 1,500 years have maintained a sustainable way of life in a harsh area near the Arctic Circle, based on the now unique tradition of eiderdown traditions . The status is also a tribute to women's contributions to the down process.”

In other words, the reason for Vegaøyan's place on the prestigious list is the unique cultural landscape in the area, which is the result of the interaction between man and nature over a long period of time. Particular emphasis has been placed on the unique eider and pigeon tradition. While the man was fishing, the women looked after the eider ducks that were incubating in the nests and houses the families out on Vegaøyan had made for them.

during the spring. The women also cleaned the duna, which then became a unique and expensive export item from Norway to Europe.

The world heritage is therefore the traces of the life and work of the islanders over many centuries. It is all the buildings that tell the story of the life of the fishing and farming families. It is a cultural landscape shaped over centuries of grazing and traditional haymaking The World Heritage is the story of the eider, which is still kept as a pet because the birdtenders can harvest soft eider down and make the world's best bedding.

Our legacy to the world's future generations is also the wild nature, the rich bird life and the biodiversity. Parts of the main island of Vega are covered by World Heritage status. The remains of Norway's oldest house are probably located at one of the many Stone Age settlements at the foot of the mountains and show the long lines of history.