Few know where the oldest school in Henningsvær was founded. Yet, it is known that the first primary school was built in 1877 at Engøya, a small island next to Henningsvær. It was given the name Gammelskola (the old school).
In the summer of 1900 Gammelskola was disassembled, rowed to Henningsvær and rebuilt next to the existing church. School students from the outskirts got a far more demanding way to school as they had to row from the mainland, in all kinds of weather.
Even though the old school was expanded to accommodate the increasing population in Henningsvær, it eventually became too small. Consequently, it was decided to make a new school in Henningsvær. In 1965 it was completed.
Side by side with the new school, Gammelskola was in use until 2017. However, one year later it was time to retire the nostalgic building. A building that had enabled education for more than 100 years.
In 2018 Gammelskola was transformed into eight rental apartments. The rebuilding process was completed by a local contractor with focus on preserving its true heritage. Old elements from the original classrooms have been used in the furnishing of the apartments.
