Svolver is the most famous and largest city in the Lofoten archipelago. The area of the city is 2.97 square kilometers. The city was first mentioned in historical manuscripts in the year 1576, and therefore it is a relatively modern city compared to other Norwegian cities and towns in Lofoten. The city's name is translated from the Old Norse language to "cold fishing village", which indicates the reason for its settlement, as it was the largest settlement for fishing in the centuries between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, and it is still until today one of the most important fishing cities in Norway.