The Jekt Trade Museum is a stop on a new European cultural route
Via Querinissima is officially certified as a Cultural Route of the Council of Europe. This means that The Jekt Trade Museum in Bodø is now part of a European cultural network that stretches from Venice to Northern Norway.
From Venice to Røst — and to Bodø
The certification was adopted by the Council of Europe's governing bodies in Luxembourg on 5-7 May 2026. Via Querinissima is built around the story of the Venetian merchant Pietro Querini, who was rescued by fishermen on Røst after a dramatic shipwreck in 1432. The experiences he brought home laid the foundation for one of the most important sources of northern Norwegian cultural history from the Middle Ages.
The route today connects European cultural institutions, municipalities, universities and museums from Italy to Northern Norway, and promotes dialogue about shared cultural heritage, hospitality and historical cooperation across borders.
— This is a historic moment for Via Querinissima and for all those who have believed in this project from the beginning. It is the result of a joint effort that brings together territories, expertise and visions under the banner of European culture, says Roberto Ciambetti, president of the Via Querinissima association.
Stockfish is more than food.
Stockfish is more than food. It is a symbol of human ingenuity and cultural connection across Europe.
Pietro Querini's account provides the first detailed description of this way of preserving fish, dried naturally by Arctic winds in Lofoten. The production method has not changed for centuries.
Within Via Querinissima, stockfish is a concrete cultural heritage that connects landscapes, societies and traditions from Norway to Italy, Portugal, Greece and Spain.
Photo: Klaudia Borowiec
The Jekt Trade Museum as a hub
The Jekt Trade Museum in Bodø is one of the stops on the route. Here visitors can learn about the northern Norwegian coastal trade that connected the region to the rest of Europe for centuries, through the history of the jetty and the Anna Karoline, the world's only preserved original Nordland jetty. Querini's account from Røst and Nordland is one of the earliest written sources documenting this coastal trade from a European perspective.
In June, the Hospitality Symposium is held at Røst and in Bodø , where The Jekt Trade Museum is an active participant. The museum contributes with professional communication about the role of jet shipping in the meeting between Northern Norway and Europe.
Read more about Via Querinissima at viaquerinissima.net and about the Hospitality Symposium at gjestfrihetsymposiet.no .
