Ørnes is the

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality of Meløy in

Nordland Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, N ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The old village is mentioned in documents dating from 1610 when a tenant farmer lived here. It is located along Norwegian County Road 17, about south of the village of

Reipå Reipå is a village in the municipality of Meløy in Nordland county, Norway. It is located along Norwegian County Road 17 about north of the village of Ørnes. The lakes Lysvatnet and Markavatnet both lie to the east of the village. Fore Chu ...

and about north of the village of

Eidbukta Eidbukta is a village in the municipality of Meløy in Nordland county, Norway. It is located along Norwegian County Road 17, about south of the municipal centre of Ørnes. The village lies at the entrance to the Glomfjorden. The village has ...

. The island of

Mesøya Mesøya or Mesøy is an island in the municipality of Meløy in Nordland county, Norway. The island is located just southwest of the village of Ørnes on the mainland and east of the island of Meløya. The island sits at the mouth of the Glomfj ...

lies just west of the village. Ørnes is a port of call along the Hurtigruten ferry route between Nesna and

Bodø Bodø (; smj, Bådåddjo, sv, Bodö) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bodø (which is also the capital of Nordland count ...

. The newspapers ''

Framtia ''Framtia'' (The Future) is a local weekly Norwegian newspaper, published on Wednesdays in Ørnes in Nordland county. It covers events in the municipalities of Meløy and Gildeskål Gildeskål is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is ...

'' and ''

Meløyavisa ''Meløyavisa'' (The Meløy Gazette) is a local Norwegian newspaper published in Nordland county. ''Meløyavisa'' was established in 1986. The newspaper is published twice a week in Ørnes in the municipality of Meløy, and it covers news in the ...

'' are published in Ørnes. The village has a population (2018) of 1,624 and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of .

Ørnes Church Ørnes is the administrative centre of the municipality of Meløy in Nordland county, Norway. The old village is mentioned in documents dating from 1610 when a tenant farmer lived here. It is located along Norwegian County Road 17, about sout ...

is located in the village, serving central Meløy. In this part of

Northern Norway Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical Regions of Norway, region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainlan ...

, temperatures can drop down quite low in the winter and the summers can be slightly mild. The lakes Lysvatnet and Markavatnet both lie to the northeast of the village.

History

The village can be traced back hundreds of years, but the year 1794 is recognized as the beginning of Ørnes, when Elling Pedersen, a member of the noble Benkestok family from Meløya was allowed to set up an inn and trading post at the place. He lived at Meløya but when he died in 1802, his widow moved to Ørnes and continued trading. The business changed owners within the Benkestok family but was continued by others when the old family died out. These would typically combine trading with shipping. The settlement was ravaged by fire several times, but some of the original buildings from approx. 1800 remain intact; several dwellings, fishermen's cabins, boathouses, barns and a forge are kept in good condition and several are listed and protected.

References

Meløy Villages in Nordland Populated places of Arctic Norway {{nordland-geo-stub