Ankenes is a former municipality 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 municipality existed from 1884 until 1974. It encompassed most of the present-day

Narvik Municipality ( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest municipality in Nordland county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Ankenesstranda, Ba ...

, surrounding of the town of Narvik which was once its own municipality. 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 Ankenes was the village of

Ankenesstrand Ankenesstranda or Ankenesstrand (sometimes simply called "Ankenes") is a village in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located just west of the town of Narvik and just east of the village of Håkvik. The village lie ...

, situated along the west side of the Beisfjorden, where the

Ankenes Church Ankenes Church ( no, Ankenes kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Ankenesstranda. It is the main church for the Ankenes parish which is part of the ...

is located. Today, the name Ankenes is often used to refer to the suburban

area, just outside the town of Narvik. The European route E6 highway is the main thoroughfare through Ankenes and it follows the shoreline of the

Ofotfjorden Ofotfjord ( or ) is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. It is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The long Ofotfjord is Norway's 12th longest fjord and it is also the 18th deepest, with a maximum depth of . ...

and Beisfjorden and it then crosses the fjord over the long

Beisfjord Bridge The Beisfjord Bridge ( no, Beisfjordbrua) is a girder bridge in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (ceme ...

where it then reaches the town of Narvik.

History

The old municipality of Ofoten was established on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January ...

). Ofoten Municipality included all of the land surrounding the inner part of the

, including the Ankenes area. On 1 January 1884, Ofoten Municipality was dissolved and split into two municipalities: Ankenes (population: 1,734) and Evindnæs (population: 2,397). In 1901, the

Narvik ( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest municipality in Nordland county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Ankenesstranda, Ball ...

(population: 3,705) received town status as a

kjøpstad A (historically: ''kjøbstad'', ''kjöbstad'', or ''kaupstad'') is an old Scandinavian term for a "market town" that was used in the Kingdom of Denmark-Norway for several hundred years. The name comes from the on, kaupstaðr. Kjøpstads were ...

. Soon after, on 1 January 1902, the new town of Narvik was separated from Ankenes to form a separate municipality. The split left Ankenes with a population of 3,023. On 1 January 1974, the municipality of Ankenes was merged with the town of Narvik to form a new, larger

. Prior to the merger, Ankenes had 7,022 inhabitants and Narvik had 12,758.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Ankenes, are responsible for

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (human activity), w ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

representatives, which in turn elects a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Municipal council

The

of Ankenes was made up of 25 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Notable residents

Gunnar Emil Garfors Gunnar Emil Garfors (1900–1979) was a Norway, Norwegian poet from Ankenes near Narvik, but born in Skjomen."Under høg himmel" was published posthumously in 1980. Garfors was awarded the Norwegian King's Service Medal in Silver for his work with ...

(1900–1979), a Norwegian poet * Ola Teigen (1937–1970), a politician for the

Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party ( nb, Arbeiderpartiet; nn, Arbeidarpartiet; A/Ap; se, Bargiidbellodat), formerly The Norwegian Labour Party ( no, Det norske Arbeiderparti, DNA), is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is positioned on the centr ...

Toralv Kollin Markussen Toralv Kollin Markussen (23 February 1895 – 17 December 1973) was a Norwegian politician for the Communist Party. Biography Toralv Kollin Markussen was born in Ankenes on 23 February 1895. He held various positions in Narvik city council ...

(1895–1973), a politician for the

Norwegian Communist Party The Communist Party of Norway ( no, Norges Kommunistiske Parti, NKP) is a communist party in Norway. The NKP was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. It was Stalinist from its establishment and, as such, supported the ...

References

{{authority control Narvik Former municipalities of Norway 1884 establishments in Norway 1974 disestablishments in Norway