This was an important area during WW2 since the Nazis needed that good Swedish iron ore from just over the Norgwegian border to keep building tanks and ships. They shipped the ore by rail from Sweden over the mountains to the nearby Norse port of Narvik. (A major reason the Nazis siezed Norway early in the war.) Narvik is still a tourist attraction today.
Trondenes was an important centre of power in the Viking and
Medieval Ages. According to the sagas, the renowned chieftain's
family on the island of Bjarkøy, and on the peninsula of Trondenes
on Hinnøy Island, sacrificed to Norse gods and held great feasts
here. They ruled over an entire kingdom in the districts of
Southern Troms and Vesterålen.
Trondenes played an important part during the Christianization of
Northern Norway. The local chieftains had to be pacified before
the kings could unify the country and bloody battles were fought.
The largest stone church north of Trondheim was erected at
Trondenes after the chieftains had lost the battle against the
unification of Norway. Trondenes Church remains the most forceful
symbol of the Christianization of Northern Norway. The church
became a bastion against Russia. Parts of the wall which were to
protect against attacks from Russians and Karelians can still be
seen.
Guess any of these guys could have left a battle axe behind!