Brønnøy is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

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 A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 ...

. It is part of the Helgeland

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

. 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 ...

and commercial centre of the municipality is the town of

Brønnøysund Brønnøysund () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town and the administrative centre of Brønnøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is also a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality within Nordland county. ...

A secondary centre is the village of

Hommelstø Hommelstø is a village in the municipality of Brønnøy in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located on the shore of an arm of the Velfjorden about southeast of the town of Brønnøysund and about north of the village of Lande. The v ...

. Other villages include Tosbotn, Lande,

Trælnes Trælnes is a village in the municipality of Brønnøy in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located along the Norwegian County Road 17 and along the Torgfjorden, just north of the village of Berg, Nordland, Berg (in neighboring Sømna Munic ...

, and Indreskomo. The Brønnøysund Register Centre is an important employer in Brønnøy. Also, one of the largest

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

mines in

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

is located in the municipality. Brønnøysund Airport, Brønnøy is located near the town of Brønnøysund. The municipality is the 107th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Brønnøy is the 132nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,777. The municipality's

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 ...

is and its population has increased by 0% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Brønnøy 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 ...

law). On 1 October 1875 the eastern district (population: 1,162) was separated to become the new municipality of

Velfjord Velfjord is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1875 until its dissolution in 1964. Velfjord municipality was centered around the Velfjorden in what is now Brønnøy Municipality. Most of the muni ...

. This left Brønnøy with 4,156 residents. Then on 1 January 1901, the southwestern district (population: 2,731) was separated to become the new municipality of

Vik Vik (Old Norse: vík) means wick or bay in Norwegian and Swedish (''vig'' in Danish), and it may refer to the following: Places Iceland *Vík í Mýrdal, a village in southern Iceland Iran *Vik, Iran, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran Norway *V ...

(which later changed its name to Sømna). Brønnøy was then left with 3,440 inhabitants. On 1 January 1923 the large village of

(population: 948) was separated from Brønnøy to become a town ('' ladested''). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. On 1 January 1964, a major municipal merger took place. The following areas were merged to form a new, larger Brønnøy municipality. *the town of

(population: 2,064) *the municipality of

Sømna Sømna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative center of Sømna is the village of Vik i Helgeland. Other villages in the municipality include Dalbotn, Sund, Vennesund, an ...

(population: 2,347) *the municipality of Brønnøy (population: 2,635) *the municipality of

(population: 1,380) *the part of

Bindal Bindal is a municipality in the Helgeland region in the extreme southwest part of Nordland county, Norway. The administrative centre is the village of Terråk. Other villages include Bindalseidet, Holm, Vassås, Horsfjord and Åbygda. The m ...

municipality located Lande- Tosbotn area around the inner

Bindalsfjorden Bindalsfjorden is a fjord in the southern part of Nordland county, Norway. Location The fjord is mostly located in the municipality of Bindal with a small part in neighboring Sømna municipality. Geography The long fjord begins near the vil ...

(population: 296) Just thirteen years later on 1 January 1977, most of the former municipality of

was separated from Brønnøy once again to become its own municipality. The Hongset area of the old Sømna municipality remained in Brønnøy.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

) is named after the small island Brønnøya ( non, Brunnøy), since the first church was built there. The first element is ''brunnr'' which means "

well A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The ...

" and the last element is ''øy'' which means "

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

". Islands with freshwater wells were important for seafarers.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was granted on 20 May 1988. The arms have a yellow background with a black cataphote used in the

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

to guide the ships. It symbolizes the importance of the harbor for the municipality.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

has two parishes () within the municipality of Brønnøy. It is part of the

Sør-Helgeland prosti Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. It is bordered in the north by the Saltfjellet mountains and Svart ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

) in the

Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland Sør-Hålogaland is a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covers the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within Nordland county in Norway. The diocese is headquartered in the town of Bodø at Bodø Cathedral, the seat of the ...

Geography

The municipality has great scenic variety with numerous

islet An islet is a very small, often unnamed island. Most definitions are not precise, but some suggest that an islet has little or no vegetation and cannot support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/or hard coral; may be permanent ...

s, lakes (such as

Eidevatnet Eidvatnet or Eidevatnet is a lake that is located in Bindal Municipality in Nordland county, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the wes ...

Sausvatnet Sausvatnet is a lake that is located in Brønnøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and no ...

, and

Fjellvatnet Fjellvatnet is a lake that is located in Nordland county, Norway. The lake lies mostly in Bindal Municipality, but the far eastern part of the lake extends into the neighboring Brønnøy Municipality where it is known as ''Storvatnet''. It fl ...

mountains A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...

, and some fertile agricultural areas. Torget island is connected to the mainland via the

Brønnøysund Bridge The Brønnøysund Bridge ( no, Brønnøysundbrua) is a cantilever bridge, cantilevered road bridge near the town of Brønnøysund in Brønnøy municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The bridge was constructed in 1979 and it connects the small i ...

. Brønnøy borders the municipalities of

Vega Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, an ...

and

Vevelstad Vevelstad is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Forvika. The municipality is the 199th largest by area out of the 356 m ...

to the north,

Vefsn Vefsn ( sma, Vaapste) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mosjøen (population: 9,843). Some of the notable villages in Vefsn i ...

and Grane to the east, and

and

to the south. The large fjord

Velfjorden Velfjorden is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. The fjord is located mostly in Brønnøy Municipality Brønnøy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland region. The administrative centre and commercial ce ...

runs into the heart of the municipality.

Nature

In the southwest is the island of Torget, with the mountain

Torghatten Torghatten is a granite dome on the island of Torget, Nordland, Torget in Brønnøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is known for its characteristic hole, or natural tunnel, through its center. It is possible to walk up to the tunnel ...

, is famous for a cavity that goes straight through the structure. Lomsdal–Visten National Park is located in the northeastern part of Brønnøy. The world's most northerly naturally occurring

small-leaved lime ''Tilia cordata'', the small-leaved lime or small-leaved linden, is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to much of Europe. Other common names include little-leaf or littleleaf linden, or traditionally in South East England, pry or p ...

(linden) forests grows in Brønnøy, and there are patches of boreal rainforests in Grønlidalen nature reserve and Storhaugen nature reserve. Strompdalen nature reserve and Horsvær nature reserve, a nesting place for a rich variety of

seabird Seabirds (also known as marine birds) are birds that are adapted to life within the marine environment. While seabirds vary greatly in lifestyle, behaviour and physiology, they often exhibit striking convergent evolution, as the same enviro ...

s, are also located in the municipality.

Climate

Brønnøy has a temperate

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

with mild winters with all monthly mean temperatures above freezing (Koppen ''Cfb''). The growing season is also long for the latitude. There is a lot of precipitation, with significant precipitation in all months. Autumn and early winter is the wettest season and October the wettest month. The driest season is spring and early summer with May as the driest month. There have been weather stations in Brønnøy since 1873. 9 of the 12 monthly all-time lows are from 1940 or older; 3 from before 1900. The all-time low was recorded in February 1966, and the all-time high was set on 27 July 2019. Inland areas of the municipality will have colder winters.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Brønnøy, 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 ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect 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 ...

. The municipality falls under the

Brønnøy District Court Brønnøy District Court ( no, Brønnøy tingrett) was a district court (Norway), district court in Nordland county, Norway. The court was based in the Brønnøysund, town of Brønnøysund. The court existed from 1919 until 2021. It served the mun ...

and the

Hålogaland Court of Appeal The Hålogaland Court of Appeal ( no, Hålogaland lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Tromsø. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark as ...

Municipal council

The

() of Brønnøy is made up of 27 representatives that are 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 council is as follows:

Notable people

Hans Rosing Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

(1625 at Brønnøy – 1699) a clergyman, Bishop of the

Diocese of Oslo Oslo bishopric is the Church of Norway's bishopric for the municipalities of Oslo, Asker and Bærum. It is one of Norway's five traditional bishoprics and was founded around the year 1070. History Oslo was established as a diocese in 1068. It ...

1664-1699 * Skule Storheill (1907 in Brønnøysund – 1992) a prominent Norwegian naval officer *

Kristine Andersen Vesterfjell Kristine Andersen Vesterfjell (sometimes written Westerfjell; 1910–1987) was a Norwegian, Southern Sámi people, Sami reindeer herder and an important advocate for Sámi shamanism and culture. She was from Lomsdalen, in Brønnøy List of municipa ...

(1910 in Lomsdalen – 1987) a South Sami reindeer herder and cultural advocate *

Kåre Rodahl Kåre Rodahl (17 August 1917 – 10 July 2008) was a Norwegian physician and physiologist, a research fellow in Arctic physiology and medicine in the United States, and a professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. Personal life Rod ...

(1917 in Brønnøysund – 2008) a physician, physiologist, a research fellow in Arctic physiology and medicine and professor at the

Norwegian School of Sport Sciences The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences ( no, Norges idrettshøgskole, NIH) is a public university located at Sognsvann in Oslo, Norway. It has the national responsibility for education and research related within sport sciences. It provides educ ...

* Odd Grønmo (1922 in Brønnøy - 2012) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Bodin & Nordland *

Ørjar Øyen Ørjar Øyen (19 February 1927 – 2 March 2024) was a Norwegian sociologist. Øyen was born in Brønnøy to schoolteacher Torvald Øyen and Helga Karijord. He was married to sociologist Else Øyen from 1957 to 1988, and to professor Bente Gu ...

(born 1927 in Brønnøy) a Norwegian sociologist and academic *

Dag Skogheim Dag Skogheim (17 May 1928 – 4 December 2015) was a Norwegian teacher, poet, novelist, short story writer, biographer and non-fiction writer. Biography He was born in Sømna and grew up in Brønnøysund. His parents were Halvdan Marius Pette ...

(1928–2015) a teacher, poet, novelist, biographer and non-fiction writer; grew up in Brønnøysund *

Halle Jørn Hanssen Halle Jørn Hanssen (born 18 February 1937) is a Norwegian television correspondent, development aid administrator and politician. He was born in Brønnøy, and worked as a teacher in Vinje, Sør-Trøndelag before enrolling at the University of ...

(born 1937 in Brønnøy) a TV correspondent, development aid administrator and politician *

Rawdna Carita Eira Rawdna Carita Eira (born 6 October 1970 in Elverum) is a Norwegian and Sámi playwright and author. She grew up in Brønnøysund in Nordland county in Norway and trained to be a teacher. She has worked as a reindeer herder, stage manager and playw ...

(born 1970) a Norwegian and Sámi playwright, author, teacher, reindeer herder and stage manager; grew up in Brønnøysund * Pål Arne Johansen (born 1977 in Brønnøy) a retired football midfielder and manager. *

Ulrik Saltnes Ulrik Saltnes (born 10 November 1992) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bodø/Glimt. Club career Saltnes was born in Brønnøysund. He made his senior debut for Bodø/Glimt on 15 April 2012 against Alta; Bo ...

(born 1992 in Brønnøysund) a Norwegian footballer with almost 200 club caps

References

External links

bronnoysund.com - Local portal for Brønnøysund and Brønnøy
(in Norwegian)
Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every yea ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bronnoy Municipalities of Nordland 1838 establishments in Norway