Hamarøy ( smj, Hábmer) 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 traditional district of Salten. 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 is the village of

Oppeid Oppeid or Oppeide is the administrative centre of Hamarøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located about southwest of the town of Narvik. It is located right next to the village of Presteid on a small isthmus of land b ...

. Other villages include Drag, Innhavet,

Karlsøy Karlsøy ( sme, Gálssa suohkan) is an island municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hansnes. Other villages include Dåfjord, Hessfjord, Karlsøya, Torsvåg, Vannvå ...

Korsnes or is a village in the municipality of Hamarøy in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located about north of Bognes, along the western shore of the Tysfjorden or or Storrusten, Erling. 1998. ''Hurtigruten: The World's Most Beautiful Se ...

Presteid Presteid is a village in the municipality of Hamarøy in Nordland county, Norway. It is located immediately east of the village of Oppeid, along the Presteidfjorden. Presteid is part of the Oppeid urban area which has a population (2018) of 551. ...

Skutvika Skutvika or Skutvik is a small village in the municipality of Hamarøy in Nordland county, Norway. The village is situated at the southwestern extreme of the Hamarøya peninsula, about north of the Bodø (town), town of Bodø, southwest of the ...

Tømmerneset Tømmerneset is a village in the municipality of Hamarøy in Nordland county, Norway. It's located on the eastern shore of the lake Rotvatnet, about south of the municipal centre, Oppeid. Tømmerneset is the site of Tømmernes Church. The vill ...

Tranøy Tranøy is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality is situated on the southern coast of the large island of Senja. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was me ...

, and Ulvsvåg. The municipality is the 36th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Hamarøy is the 242nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,708. 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 decreased by 3.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Hamarøy 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). 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, the part of Hamarøy located on the south side of the Sagfjorden and west of the Veggfjellan mountain (population: 77) was transferred to neighboring

Steigen Municipality Steigen ('stejgen) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Leinesfjord. Other villages include Bogen, Leines, Nordfold, ...

. On the same date, the Tysnes and Molvik farms (population: 33) was transferred from Hamarøy to the neighboring

Tysfjord Municipality Tysfjord ( smj, Divtasvuodna) is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1869 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of ...

. On 1 January 2020, the western part of

was merged into Hamarøy. This occurred because in 2017, it was decided by the

Parliament of Norway The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...

that the neighboring

would be divided along the

Tysfjorden or or Storrusten, Erling. 1998. ''Hurtigruten: The World's Most Beautiful Sea Voyage''. Narvik: Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab, p. 69. is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. The fjord is the border between Narvik Municipality and Ham ...

with the eastern half being merged with the neighboring municipalities of

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 ...

and Ballangen to form a new, larger Narvik Municipality and the remaining western half will be merged with the municipality of Hamarøy on the same date.

Name

The municipality is named after the former

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 ...

(now

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

) Hamarøya (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

: ''Hamarøy''), since the first

Hamarøy Church Hamarøy Church ( no, Hamarøy kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Hamarøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Presteid. It is the church for the Hamarøy parish which is part of the Ofoten p ...

was built there. The first element is the

genitive case In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...

of ''Hǫm'', the former uncompounded name of the island. The last element is ''øy'' which means "island". The former name of the island is probably identical with the word ''hǫm'' which means "

thigh In human anatomy, the thigh is the area between the hip (pelvis) and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb. The single bone in the thigh is called the femur. This bone is very thick and strong (due to the high proportion of bone ...

/ leg (of an

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

)" because the island (or a part of it) was shaped in the form of an animal's leg. Historically, the municipality name was spelled ''Hammerø''.

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 adopted in 2019 for use starting in 2020 after a municipal merger. The new arms are blue with the outline of two

swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

s as depicted in an ancient rock carving seen at Dyreberget in Leiknes. These arms replace the arms that were granted on 19 February 1982. Those arms showed a white

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

on a blue background. Lynx are common in the area it was chosen for the arms as a symbol for the rich wildlife in the forests of the municipality. Coat of arms of NO 1875 Hamarøy 2020.svg, Current arms since 2020 Hamarøy komm.svg, Arms (1982-2019)

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 Hamarøy. It is part of the

Ofoten prosti Ofoten is a traditional district in Nordland county in Northern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Tysfjord, Ballangen, Evenes, Tjeldsund, Narvik, and Lødingen. It is named after the main fjord, Ofotfjorden, which is at the cente ...

(

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 pres ...

Geography

The municipality of Hamarøy borders the municipalities of

to the north,

Steigen Steigen ('stejgen) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Leinesfjord. Other villages include Bogen, Leines, Nordfold, N ...

to the west,

Sørfold Sørfold is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straumen. Other villages in the municipality include Leirfjordgården, ...

to the south, the

Vestfjorden Vestfjorden is a long fjord or oceanic sea in Nordland county, Norway. The name literally means "the west fjord", although it is called a fjord, it could best be described as a firth or an open bight of sea. The "fjord" lies between the Lofote ...

to the northwest, and the country of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

to the southeast. The large island of Finnøya is located between the Sagfjorden and the Kaldvågfjorden. Lakes in the municipality include

Fjerdvatnet or is a lake in the municipality of Hamarøy in Nordland county, Norway. The European route E6 highway runs along the eastern shore of the lake. The lake lies about southeast of the village of Tømmerneset Tømmerneset is a village in the ...

, Forsanvatnet, Forsvatnet, Kaldvågvatnet,

Kilvatnet or is a lake in Hamarøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The lake is located about east of the village of Ulvsvåg. See also *List of lakes of Norway This is a list of lakes and reservoirs in Norway, sorted by county. For the ...

, Livsejávrre, Makkvatnet, Reinoksvatnet, Rekvatnet,

Rotvatnet or is a lake in the municipality of Hamarøy in Nordland county, Norway. The lake lies just west of the village of Tømmerneset. The European route E6 highway runs along the eastern shore of the lake. The lake Strindvatnet lies to the south o ...

Sandnesvatnet or is a lake in the municipality of Hamarøy in Nordland county, Norway. The European route E6 highway runs along the eastern and northern shores of the lake. The lake lies about southeast of the village of Tømmerneset. The lake Strindva ...

, Skilvatnet, Šluŋkkajávri, and

Strindvatnet or is a lake in the municipality of Hamarøy in Nordland county, Norway. The lake lies about south of the village of Tømmerneset. The European route E06 highway runs along the eastern shore of the lake. The lake Sandnesvatnet lies to the so ...

Nature

Hamarøy is dominated by small

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Ice ...

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accep ...

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains 30 ...

, and

aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the ''Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China ...

woodland A woodland () is, in the broad sense, land covered with trees, or in a narrow sense, synonymous with wood (or in the U.S., the ''plurale tantum'' woods), a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade (see ...

and forest, and coastal

mountain 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 (topography), summit area, and ...

s. There are several

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s, such as Trollpollen nature reserve dominated by pine and birch located a few kilometers north of Innhavet, Lilandsvatnet

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

area, Steinslandsosen

estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

, and Kvannskogen with old

trees with rich

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship.phallic symbol ''(Se
picture 1
and
picture 2
''.

Climate

Hamarøy has an oceanic or boreal climate, depending on winter threshold used ( or ). The wettest season is autumn and early winter, while April - June is the driest, indicating an oceanic climate. The record high is recorded 18 July 2018 at Drag.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Hamarøy, 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 Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

, senior citizen 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

Ofoten District Court Ofoten District Court ( no, Ofoten tingrett) was a district court in Nordland county (and a small part of Troms) in Norway. The court was based in the town of Narvik. The court existed until 2021. The court served the northeastern part of the N ...

and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Hamarøy is made up of 17 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:

Mayor

The mayors of Hamarøy (incomplete list): *2019–present: Britt Kristoffersen ( Sp) *2015-2019: Jan-Folke Sandnes ( H) *2007-2015: Rolf Steffensen ( Ap) *2003-2007: Jan-Folke Sandnes (H) *1995-2003: May Valle ( V) *1991-1995: Sverre Harald Eriksen (Sp) *1983-1991: Ingvald Sørensen (Ap) *1967-1983: Olav Elsbak, Jr. (H) *1959-1967: Ulrik Normann (H)

Transportation

While Hamarøy has a low

, it sees some traffic during the summer months as the main road connection to Svolvær and the

Lofoten Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvær ...

islands runs through Hamarøy and its administrative centre,

. The

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

ride to

Skrova Skrova is a small island group and village area in Vågan Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Village The fishing village of Skrova lies on the northern part of the island group. It exists mostly on the island of ''Heimskrova'', but also i ...

and Svolvær is approximately 2 hours and departs from

(approximately 15 minutes from Oppeid) at regular intervals. In 2008, the ferry schedule was considerably reduced due to the new

Lofoten Mainland Connection Lofoten Mainland Connection ( no, Lofotens fastlandsforbindelse) or Lofast is a part of European route E10 that connects the Norwegian archipelago of Lofoten to the mainland, giving direct access to Lofoten from the surrounding municipalities. The c ...

road. The

European route E6 European route E6 ( no, Europavei 6, sv, Europaväg 6, or simply E6) is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and t ...

highway runs north and south through the municipality on its way to

. Bus service by

Stoklands Bilruter Stocklands Bilruter AS was a bus company operating in the municipality of Hamarøy in Nordland county, Norway. It operated on a contract with the Nordland county municipality. The company was founded in 1924 by Ludvig Stokland that started operat ...

is available between certain villages in Hamarøy.

Economy

The municipal administration and other public services are located in

. There is a hotel in the municipality, as well as the scenic Tranøy Lighthouse which can be rented. Skutvik is a small residential and marina area concentrated around the ferry dock. In the high season the number of cars and motor homes in line for the ferry can be significant. There are a few sights to see in Skutvik, as well as a small bar/cafe and a

Statoil Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian state owned enterprise, state-owned multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger. It is primarily a petroleum company, petroleum company, operating in 36 countries with ad ...

gas station.

Knut Hamsun

The writer

Knut Hamsun Knut Hamsun (4 August 1859 – 19 February 1952) was a Norwegian writer who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920. Hamsun's work spans more than 70 years and shows variation with regard to consciousness, subject, perspective a ...

, winner of the 1920

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

, grew up in Hamarøy. The Knut Hamsun Centre, a museum and educational center dedicated to Knut Hamsun's life and work, finished building in 2009 and opened for the public in June 2010. Knut Hamsun's childhood home is also open for visitors in summer. The Hamsun literature festival was founded in 1982 and takes place in Hamarøy during the first week of August every second year.

Notable people

(1859–1952) a Norwegian writer, winner of the

in 1920, brought up in Hamarøy *

Sigurd Johan Normann Sigurd Johan Normann (1879—1939) was a Norwegian theologian and bishop of the Church of Norway. He was the Bishop for the Diocese of Hålogaland from 1937 until his death in 1939. Normann was born in 1879 in Hamarøy, Norway. He received ...

(1879 in Hamarøy — 1939) a Norwegian theologian, Bishop for the

Diocese of Hålogaland The Diocese of Hålogaland ( no, Hålogaland bispedømme, historically: ) was a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covered the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within all of Northern Norway (including Nordland, Troms, and F ...

in Tromsø, 1937 to 1939. *

Tore Hamsun Tore Hamsun (6 March 1912 – 10 January 1995) was a Norwegian painter, writer, and publisher born in Hamarøy. He was the son of the Nobel Prize winning novelist Knut Hamsun and actress Marie Hamsun. At the age of five, his family moved fr ...

(1912 in Hamarøy – 1995) a Norwegian painter, writer and publisher *

Horst Tappert Horst Tappert (26 May 1923 – 13 December 2008) was a German film and television actor best known for the role of Inspector Stephan Derrick in the television drama ''Derrick''. Biography Horst Tappert was born on 26 May 1923 in Elberfeld ...

(1923–2008) a German movie and TV actor, had a summer holiday cabin in Hamarøy IMDb Database
retrieved 01 September 2020 * Jack Berntsen (1940–2010) a Norwegian philologist, songwriter and folk singer, grew up in Hamarøy

References

External links

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 ...

*
The Knut Hamsun Centre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamaroy Municipalities of Nordland 1838 establishments in Norway Populated places of Arctic Norway Sámi-language municipalities