Harstad (; ) is the second-most populated municipality in

Troms Troms (; ; ; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is mostly located on the large island of

Hinnøya Hinnøya ( Norwegian; ) is the fourth-largest island in Norway, and the largest outside the Svalbard archipelago. The lies just off the western coast of Northern Norway. The island sits on the border of Nordland and Troms counties. The western ...

. The municipal center is the town of Harstad, which is the most populous town in

Central Hålogaland Central Hålogaland () is a district of Northern Norway constituting the traditional districts of Ofoten, Lofoten, Vesterålen, and southern Troms. It has a population of 117,000, with the largest towns being Harstad (23,000) and Narvik (18,000) ...

and the third-largest in all of

Northern Norway Northern Norway (, , ; ) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the three northernmost counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in Northern Norway (from south to no ...

. The town was incorporated in 1904. Villages in the municipality include Elgsnes,

Fauskevåg Fauskevåg is a village in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located on the island of Hinnøya, along the Vågsfjorden, about south of the town of Harstad. The population (2001) of Fauskevåg is 341. The village has an elem ...

Gausvika Gausvika or Gausvik is a village in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is in the northeastern part of the large island of Hinnøya, along the Tjeldsundet Strait, about south of the town of Harstad. The European route E10 highway p ...

Grøtavær Grøtavær is a coastal fishing village in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located on the western part of the island of Grytøya, along the Andfjorden or is a fjord on the border of Nordland and Troms counties in Norway. ...

, Kasfjord,

Lundenes Lundenes is a village in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Ja ...

Nergården Nergården is a village in the northern part of Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Bjarkøya. The historic Bjarkøy Church is located in the village. The village was the administrati ...

and

Sørvika Sørvika is a village in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located along the Vågsfjorden on the island of Hinnøya about south of the town of Harstad Its population (2001) is about 451. The village includes the ''Sørvik ...

. The municipality is the 225th largest by area out of Norway's 357 municipalities and the 49th most populous, with a population of 25,056. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

is and the population has increased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period.

Geography

The municipality is located on many islands in southern Troms county. Most of the municipality is located on the large island of

, which is Norway's largest coastal island (three islands in the

Svalbard Svalbard ( , ), previously known as Spitsbergen or Spitzbergen, is a Norway, Norwegian archipelago that lies at the convergence of the Arctic Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. North of continental Europe, mainland Europe, it lies about midway be ...

archipelago are larger). The northern part of the municipality is located on the smaller islands of

Grytøya or is an island in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The island lies just north of the large island of Hinnøya and south of the island of Bjarkøya. It is surrounded by the Vågsfjorden in the east and the Andfjorden in the west ...

Bjarkøya Bjarkøya is an island in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The island is located north of the island of Grytøya and northwest of the island of Sandsøya. The Andfjorden lies to the northwest and the Vågsfjorden lies to the south ...

, Sandsøya, Helløya, Flatøya and

Krøttøya Krøttøya is an island in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The island is the northernmost inhabited island in the Andfjorden. It is located in the Meløyvær archipelago, consisting of 365 small islands, with over 20 white-sand bea ...

and many even smaller islands between the

Andfjorden or is a fjord on the border of Nordland and Troms counties in Norway. It is located in Andøy Municipality, Senja Municipality, Harstad Municipality, and Kvæfjord Municipality. The fjord primarily flows between the large islands of Andøya ...

(to the west) and the Vågsfjorden (to the east). The municipality contains several small islands, including Arnøya,

Gressholman or is an island in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is part of a small archipelago of several islets just outside the town of Harstad along the Vågsfjorden, at the northern end of the Tjeldsundet strait. The village of Faus ...

, Helløya, Kjeøya, Kjøtta, Kjøttakalven, Flatøya, Meløyvær, Måga, Rogla, Lille Rogla and Åkerøya. Harstad is bordered by

Kvæfjord Municipality Kvæfjord () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Central Hålogaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the v ...

to the west. To the south and east, the

Tjeldsund Bridge The Tjeldsund Bridge () is a suspension road bridge that crosses the Tjeldsundet strait between the mainland and the island of Hinnøya in Troms county, Norway. The bridge is long, the main span is , and the maximum clearance to the sea is . The ...

connects Hinnøya with

Tjeldsund Municipality or is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The southwestern part of the municipality is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Ofoten and the rest of the municipality is ...

and the mainland across

Tjeldsundet Tjeldsundet ( Norwegian; ) is a strait in Northern Norway. The long strait is located between the island of Hinnøya and mainland Norway in its northern part and between Hinnøya and the island of Tjeldøya in its southern part. Tjeldsundet has ...

, and to the northeast is the Vågsfjorden, where Harstad shares a water border with

Ibestad Municipality Ibestad () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Central Hålogaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the vil ...

. The city of Harstad itself is located on the northeastern part of Hinnøya; it is the only city on the island, and is popularly known as ''Vågsfjordens perle'' (The pearl of Vågsfjorden). The highest point in Harstad Municipality is Sætertinden, which is above sea level. It is located near the village of

Sandtorg Sandtorg is a village in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located on the eastern shore of the large island of Hinnøya, on the shore of the Tjeldsundet. The village is located along the European route E10 highway in the southe ...

in southern Harstad. The tall mountain,

Nupen Nupen is a small mountain in Troms county, Norway. The tall mountain lies on the border of Kvæfjord Municipality and Harstad Municipality, about west of the Harstad (town), town of Harstad. The peak of the mountain is in Harstad, but the moun ...

, is located in the northwestern part of the municipality on the border with Kvæfjord.

Climate and light

Despite being located north of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...

, Harstad features either a dry-summer

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a continental climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

: Dsc), or (barely, by only half a degree C) the rare

cold-summer mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate ( ), also called a dry summer climate, described by Köppen and Trewartha as ''Cs'', is a temperate climate type that occurs in the lower mid-latitudes (normally 30 to 44 north and south latitude). Such climates typica ...

(

: Csc), depending on if the or the isotherm is used. Harstad features relatively mild, wet winters and cool, dry summers. Harstad does not have the brutal winters most locations north of the Arctic Circle experience, and is sheltered from Atlantic gales by mountains in the west, and has the main part of the

Scandinavian Mountains The Scandinavian Mountains or the Scandes is a mountain range that runs through the Scandinavian Peninsula. The western sides of the mountains drop precipitously into the North Sea and Norwegian Sea, forming the fjords of Norway, whereas to th ...

to the east. The city experiences warmer winters than major cities located 25 degrees farther south in latitude such as

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Summers in Harstad are cool, with average high temperatures seldom breaking the mark. Since the weather station opened August 2002, July 2014 was the warmest month with mean , average daily high and all-time high on 10 July. The record low of was recorded in February 2010. The coldest month recorded was January 2003 with mean and average daily low . On 9. September 2024 Harstad recorded high , the warmest temperature in September recorded in Troms. The municipality enjoys the

midnight sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...

during the summer months, from 22 May to 18 July. There is also a period from early May to early August with twilight for a few hours each night as the sun just dips below the horizon, so there is no darkness. The

polar night Polar night is a phenomenon that occurs in the polar regions of Earth, northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth when the Sun remains below the horizon for more than 24 hours. This only occurs inside the polar circles. The opposite phen ...

, when the sun is always below the horizon, lasts from 30 November to 12 January. At this time, there are 3–4 hours of dawn and dusk around noon, sometimes with colourful skies towards the south. From late January, the period of daylight rapidly increases, reaching 12 hours by March and 18 hours in April. Harstad is located in the midst of the

aurora borealis An aurora ( aurorae or auroras), also commonly known as the northern lights (aurora borealis) or southern lights (aurora australis), is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly observed in high-latitude regions (around the Arc ...

( ''the northern lights'') zone, and the aurora can often be seen on clear nights, but not in summer due to the continuous daylight.

History

The town of Harstad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1904 when it was separated from the large

Trondenes Municipality Trondenes is a former municipality in Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located along the western shore of the Vågsfjorden in what is now Harstad Municipality. Trondenes included th ...

because it had just been declared a ladested (small seaport). The initial population of the town of Harstad was 1,246. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee () was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. On 1 January 1964, the town of Harstad (population: 3,808) was merged with neighboring

Sandtorg Municipality Sandtorg is a former municipality in Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1926 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality included the southern part of what is now Harstad Municipality on the eastern coast of the island of H ...

(population: 7,512) and

(population: 6,567) to form a new, larger Harstad Municipality with a population of 17,882. Prior to the merger, the town of Harstad had 3,808 residents. On 1 January 2013, the neighboring

Bjarkøy Municipality Bjarkøy is a former municipality in Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until it was merged with Harstad Municipality on 1 January 2013. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Nergården on the ...

(to the north) was merged with Harstad, forming a new, larger Harstad Municipality. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the new

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; ; ; ) was a county in northern Norway that existed from 2020 to 2023. The county was established on 1 January 2020 as the result of a regional reform. It was the largest county by area in Norway, encompassing about , and w ...

county which replaced the old Troms county. On 1 January 2024, the

county was divided and the municipality once again became part of

county. In recent years, a 3000-year-old bronze axe and a 2600-year-old bronze collar have been found at the Trondenes peninsula, just north of the city center. These, together with the burial

cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...

s built close to the sea, are indications of a well-developed

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

culture in the Harstad area. There is also substantial archeological evidence of a well-developed

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

culture in the area, around 200 AD.

Trondenes Trondenes is a neighborhood and parish in the town of Harstad in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The area is located on the northern end of the town, on a peninsula in the Vågsfjorden. The village is notable for the Trondenes F ...

is mentioned in the

Heimskringla () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland. While authorship of ''Heimskringla'' is nowhere attributed, some scholars assume it is written by the Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson (117 ...

as a power centre in the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

and a place to meet and discuss important issues (''Trondarting''). In 2020 archeologist concluded that

, located along the Tjeldsundet strait, south of the town of Harstad, was the location of the only known

trading place in Northern Norway. The Tjeldsundet strait was very likely an important ship lane back then as it still is today.

Trondenes Church Trondenes Church () is the northernmost medieval stone church of Norway and the world's northernmost surviving medieval building. It is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located on the n ...

, the world's northernmost medieval church, which dates back to the 13th–15th century, is situated just outside the town. Adjacent to the church is the Trondenes Historical Center and nearby is the Adolf Gun, an enormous land-based cannon from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and the last of four cannons originally constructed by the

Nazis Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

. Harstad is one of the few towns in this part of Norway which were left largely undamaged by World War II. Beach at Sandtorg, Harstad municipality, Hinnøya island, Norway. The sea is part of Tjeldsundet strait, between Hinnøya and the mainland.jpg,

, where a trading place from the Viking age was located File:Harstad kulturhus.jpg, Harstad Kulturhus (culture house) File:Richard Kaarbø - Byste.jpg,

Rikard Kaarbø Rikard Olai Kaarbø (22 May 1850 – 3 March 1901) was a Norwegian businessperson and politician. Personal life Rikard Olai Wilhelmsen Kaarbø was born in the parish of Trondenes in Troms, Norway to Wilhelm Olssøn Kaarbø (1811–1876) a ...

was the founder of Harstad. File:Harstad Kirche von Trondenes.jpg,

at Trondenes. File:Harstad at night seen from Gangsåstoppen.jpg, Northern part of Harstad at night, early August. View towards north-west from Gangsåstoppen

Origin of the name

The municipality (and

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

) is named after the old ''Harstad'' farm (), since the town is built where the farm once was located. The first element is (probably) 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 ca ...

of the male name . The last element is which means "

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (building), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Nguni homestead, a cluster of houses inhabited by a single extended family, typically with a kraal ...

" or "

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

". On 6 February 2017, the municipality of Harstad adopted a co-equal

Sami language Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ne ...

name for the municipality: Hárstták. The Sami language name spelling changes depending on how it is used. It is called when it is spelled alone, but it is when using the Sami language equivalent to "Harstad municipality".

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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 24 April 1953. The official

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"

Azure Azure may refer to: Color * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 * ...

, two bars wavy

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

"'' (). This means the arms have a blue

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

(background) and the

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is two wavy bars. The bars have a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue color in the field symbolizes the importance of sea and the wavy bars were chosen to represent the waves in the sea. Since the town of Harstad is located in the municipality, a

mural crown A mural crown () is a Crown (headgear), crown or headpiece representing city walls, fortified tower, towers, or fortresses. In classical antiquity, it was an emblem of tutelary deities who watched over a city, and among the ancient Rome, Romans ...

is typically shown above the

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

. The arms were designed by Jardar Lunde in cooperation with Hallvard Træteberg.

Government

Harstad Municipality is responsible for

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

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

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. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

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

economic development In economics, economic development (or 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 object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. 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, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the

Midtre Hålogaland District Court Midtre Hålogaland District Court () is a district court located in Troms and Nordland, Norway. This court is based at three different courthouses which are located in Harstad, Narvik, and Sortland. The court is subordinate to the Hålogaland Cou ...

and the

Hålogaland Court of Appeal The Hålogaland Court of Appeal () 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 well as the island territor ...

Municipal council

The

of Harstad is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, 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 oft ...

Mayors

The

() of Harstad is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position: *1904–1906: Hans Buck ( H) *1914–1916: Karl Eystein Kvam ( V) *1929–1932: Israel Wulff ( Ap) *1932–1935: Nils J. Hunstad ( H) *1935–1938: Hans Stordahl ( Ap) *1938–1940: Nils J. Hunstad ( H) *1941–1945: Hans Methi ( NS) *1945–1945: Odd Gangnæs ( NS) *1945–1945: Alf Haaland ( V) *1945–1945: Nils J. Hunstad ( H) *1946–1947:

Sigurd Simensen Sigurd Simensen (19 February 1888 – 27 April 1969) was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Labour and Communist parties. He was born in Vestfossen. He started his career as an iron and metalworker, working at Thunes Mekaniske ...

( NKP) *1948–1952: Sigurd Torgersen ( Ap) *1952–1964: Leif Bothner ( H) *1964–1968:

Bjarne Berg-Sæther Bjarne Berg-Sæther (14 April 1919 – 5 August 2009) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. Early life He was born in Tjeldsund Municipality as the son of coastal pilot Berg Sæther (1876–1948) and wife Magna Toresen (1881–1952 ...

( Ap) *1968–1969:

Leif Arne Heløe Leif Arne Heløe (born 8 August 1932) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. He was the Norwegian Minister of Social Affairs from 1981-1986. He also served as the County Governor of Troms county from 1991 until 2000. Accessed o ...

( H) *1970–1977: Arnljot Norwich ( H) *1978–1987: Johan Nordvik ( H) *1987–1993: Kjell Joachimsen ( H) *1993–1995: Britt S. Nordlund ( H) *1995–1998: Helge Aune ( Ap) *1998–2007: Halvar Hansen ( Ap) *2007–2011: Helge Eriksen ( H) *2011–2019: Marianne Bremnes ( Ap) *2019–present:

Kari-Anne Opsal Kari-Anne Opsal (born 10 May 1967) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. She was State Secretary in the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs from 2006 to 2007, and mayor of Harstad from 2019 to 2025. She was elected party secret ...

( Ap)

Economy

The oil industry of North Norway is centered in Harstad; including

Statoil Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger, Norway. It is primarily a petroleum company operating in 36 countries with additional investments in renewable energy. In th ...

's main office for a new operational area for Northern Norway, the DNV office for Northern Norway, as well as other regional offices including

TotalEnergies TotalEnergies SE is a French multinational integrated energy and petroleum company founded in 1924 and is one of the seven supermajor oil companies. Its businesses cover the entire oil and gas chain, from crude oil and natural gas explorati ...

, Det Norske Oljeselskap ASA and

Aibel Aibel AS is a service company within the oil, gas and offshore wind industries. The company provides engineering, construction, modifications and maintenance through a project's life cycle. About Aibel Aibel has more than 4000 employees wh ...

. Harstad also has shipyards and other industries that are important for the economy. Harstad and the surrounding area have traditionally been among the most productive agricultural regions in Northern Norway,. The old seabed, now dry land due to

isostatic rebound Post-glacial rebound (also called isostatic rebound or crustal rebound) is the rise of land masses after the removal of the huge weight of ice sheets during the last glacial period, which had caused isostatic depression. Post-glacial rebound ...

(up to above sea level), creating fertile soil that is well-suited for farming.

Institutions and culture

The city hosts the annual week-long ''

Festival of North Norway The Arctic Arts Festival () is a festival based in Harstad, Norway. It was first held in 1965, and consists of music, theatre and art performances. The festival lasts one week and is held in June. The Arctic Arts Festival is active throughout the ...

'' in June. It is also the home of the Arctic Moving Image and Film Festival, held in October each year.

Harstad University College Harstad University College ( or ) was a høgskole, a Norwegian state institution of higher education, in the city of Harstad which is located in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It was originally established on 28 October 1983 bu ...

, with approximately 1,100 students, has a thriving foreign exchange program with students from all over the world. The hospital in Harstad is part of the

University Hospital of North Norway The University Hospital of North Norway () or UNN is a hospital and health trust. UNN is a university hospital for the region which includes the counties of Nordland, Troms and Finnmark. It is part of the Northern Norway Regional Health Autho ...

. The most successful local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team is Harstad Idrettslag (a.k.a. HIL), and the most successful

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team is the

Harstad Vikings Harstad Vikings was a Norway, Norwegian basketball team. The Vikings played their matches in Harstadhallen. They used to wear blue and white kits. Harstad won the BLNO championship in 2006, and made a total of 5 final appearances. External linksHa ...

. Harstad is home port for the '' Anna Rogde'', the world's oldest sailing

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

, also known as ''the sailing queen of Norway''. Harstad Camping is a campsite located in the municipality.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

has five parishes () within Harstad Municipality. It is part of the

Trondenes prosti Trondenes is a neighborhood and parish in the town of Harstad in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The area is located on the northern end of the town, on a peninsula in the Vågsfjorden. The village is notable for the Trondenes Fo ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland Nord-Hålogaland () is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers the Church of Norway churches in Troms and Finnmark counties as well as in the territory of Svalbard. The diocese is seated in the city of Tromsø at the Tromsø Cathedral, t ...

Military connections

Harstad traditionally has strong ties with the Norwegian Armed Forces.

Kystjegerkommandoen ''Kystjegerkommandoen'' (, or ''KJK'') is a unit in the Royal Norwegian Navy. KJK is a marine commando unit trained to operate in littoral combat theatres, filling the role of marines and coastal artillery. The unit consists of coastal rangers an ...

(Coastal Ranger Command) has its home base at

, just north of the town of Harstad.

Marinejegerkommandoen ''Marinejegerkommandoen'' (MJK) () is the maritime/naval special warfare unit of the Norwegian Armed Forces and was established in 1953. The MJK is under the command of the Norwegian Special Operations Command (NORSOCOM) together with the '' ...

is based in Ramsund, a village in neighboring

on the mainland south of Harstad. General

Carl Gustav Fleischer Carl Gustav Fleischer (28 December 1883 – 19 December 1942Fleischer 1947, p. 216) was a Norwegian general and the first land commander to win a major victory against the Germans in the Second World War. Having followed the Norwegian governm ...

led the field operations of the Norwegian Armed Forces in

, among them the 7,500 soldiers which from the north pushed the Nazi Germans back to

Narvik () is the third-largest List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Narvik (town), town of Narvik. Some of the notable villag ...

and participated in retaking Narvik on 28 May 1940. A street in Harstad is named ''Gen. Fleischers Gate'' in his honour. Operation Judgement took place on 4 May 1945, when the

Fleet Air Arm The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is the naval aviation component of the United Kingdom's Royal Navy (RN). The FAA is one of five :Fighting Arms of the Royal Navy, RN fighting arms. it is a primarily helicopter force, though also operating the Lockhee ...

of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

attacked a U-boat base at

Kilbotn Kilbotn is a village in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The village is located about south of the center of the town of Harstad, along the Vågsfjorden on the east side of Hinnøya island. The villages of Fauskevåg and Sørvik ...

, a village in the Harstad district, sinking two ships and a U-boat. Harstad is also the hometown of the Norwegian army band "Forsvarets Musikkorps Nord Norge" with professional musicians.

Transportation

The local airport is

Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes Harstad-Narvik Airport (; ) is an international airport located in Evenes Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The airport serves the towns of Harstad (town), Harstad and Narvik (town), Narvik. It is co-located with Evenes Air Station of t ...

, located on the mainland in neighboring

Evenes Municipality or is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bogen, ...

. It is by road from the town center. The airport offers daily flights to

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

, Bodø,

Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...

and

Andenes or is the administrative centre of Andøy Municipality which is located in the Vesterålen district of Nordland county, Norway. The village of Andenes is the northernmost settlement of the island of Andøya (and in Nordland county). To the ...

. Every morning a northbound and a southbound

Hurtigruten ''Hurtigruten'' (), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes"), is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally, and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports ...

ship stop in Harstad.

High-speed craft A high-speed craft (HSC) is a high-speed water vessel for civilian use, also called a fastcraft or fast ferry. The first high-speed craft were often hydrofoils or hovercraft, but in the 1990s catamaran and monohull designs become more popu ...

regularly go between Harstad and

Finnsnes is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town that is the administrative centre of Senja Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The town is located on the mainland part of Norway, just across the Gisundet strait from the Senja (island), island of ...

Senja or is an island in Senja Municipality in Troms county, Norway in northern Europe. With an area of , it is the second largest island in Norway (outside of the Svalbard archipelago). It has a wild, mountainous outer (western) side facing the A ...

and other places. There are several ferries and buses in the district, and in Harstad there are local buses. The leading

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

company in Northern Norway, Heli-Team, is located in Harstad.

Local areas

;Villages north/west of the city Alvestad, Aune, Elgsnes, Ervik,

, Hagan, Kasfjord, Kilhus, Kjøtta,

, Mustaparta,

, Røkenes,

Steinnes Steinnes () is a rock point on the southeast shore of Prydz Bay, about 4 nautical miles (7 km) east-northeast of Larsemann Hills. First mapped from air photographs by the Lars Christensen Expedition Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian ...

, Stornes, Storvassbotn, Sørlia, Tennvassåsen, Tømmeråsen, Undlandet, Vika, and Årnes. ;City neighbourhoods Bergseng, Blåbærhaugen, Breivika,

City Center A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms that exist in ...

, Eineberget, Gangsås, Grønnebakkan, Harstadbotn, Harstadåsen,

Heggen Heggen is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Almar Heggen (1933–2014), Norwegian opera singer *Belinda Heggen, Australian journalist * Joan Heggen, American mayor * Tamara Heggen (born 1976), Australian figure skater *Thomas He ...

, Holtet,

Kanebogen Kanebogen is a neighborhood within the town of Harstad which is located in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located about south of the city center. Kanebogen borders the neighborhoods of Gansås to the north, Stangnes to the ...

, Medkila, Ruggevika, Sama, Seljestad, Skaret,

Stangnes or is a neighborhood within the town of Harstad which is located in Harstad Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located on a small peninsula southeast of the city center, on the south and east sides of the ''Gansåsen'' hill. The neigh ...

, and

Åsby Åsby is a locality situated in Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the we ...

. ;Villages south of the city Brokvik,

, Gausvik, Halsebø, Haukebø, Melvik, Nordvik,

, and

. File:Harstad fra Eineberget.jpg, Northeastern part of Harstad seen from Eineberget; 4 May 2008 File:Andørja sett fra Harstad.jpg, View from Harstad towards the Vågsfjord and Andørja island; May 2008 File:Hogskolen i Harstad pano.jpg, Harstad university college

Notable people

Public Service

Andrew V. Stoltenberg Andrew Vincent Stoltenberg (January 26, 1865 – December 25, 1921) was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Philippine–American War. Biography Andrew Vincent Stoltenberg was born in Aarnes ...

(1865 in Aarnes – 1921), a US Navy recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

Hans Egede Hans Poulsen Egede (31 January 1686 – 5 November 1758) was a Denmark–Norway, Danish-Norwegian Lutheran missionary priest who launched mission efforts to Greenland, which led him to be styled the Apostle of Greenland. He established a succes ...

(1686–1758), a Dano-Norwegian Lutheran missionary known as the ''Apostle of Greenland'' * Anders Holte (1849 in Oldra – 1937), a sea captain and navigator *

(1850–1901), a businessman and politician who established the town of Harstad * John Bernhard Rekstad (1852 in Trondenes – 1934), a geologist and amateur photographer *

Erland Frisvold Erland Frisvold (May 13, 1877 – August 22, 1971) was a Norwegian colonel, civil engineer, and mayor of Harstad. Frisvold was born at the farm Kjæstad in Lom, Norway, the eldest child of Pål Erlandsson Frisvold (1846–1912) and Anne Rolvsdo ...

(1877–1971), a Norwegian colonel, civil engineer, and Mayor of Harstad * Paal Frisvold (1908–1997), a Norwegian general who was head of the Norwegian Army 1961 to 1966 *

Sverre Holm Sverre Holm Gundersen (24 July 1931 – 17 March 2005) was a Norwegian stage and film actor. Gundersen was best known for playing Benny in the Olsenbanden-movies (1969–1999), and as station master O. Tidemann in the Norwegian children's progr ...

(1910–1996), a librarian, novelist, resistance member, and sociologist *

(1919–2009), a Norwegian politician who was Mayor of Harstad 1963 to 1967 & county mayor * Hanna Kvanmo (1926–2005), a controversial Norwegian politician who was convicted for treason after WWII and later a member of the

Norwegian Nobel Committee The Norwegian Nobel Committee () selects the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize each year on behalf of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel's estate, based on instructions of Nobel's will. Five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. ...

* Ola Heide (born 1931 in Trondenes), a botanist *

(born 1932), a Norwegian politician & former Minister of Social Affairs *

Pål Spilling Pål Spilling (29 October 1934 – 16 January 2018) was a Norwegian Internet pioneer and professor at the University of Oslo and the UNIK Graduate Center at Kjeller in Norway. He obtained his Candidatus realium, cand.real. degree in physics from t ...

(1934–2018), an internet pioneer and academic * Ola M. Steinholt (1934–2009), a bishop of the

Unni Wikan Unni Wikan (born 18 November 1944) is professor of social anthropology at the University of Oslo, Norway. She has served as visiting professor at the University of Chicago (2011); Harvard University (1999–2000); Goethe University, Frankfurt (20 ...

(born 1944), a professor of social

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

* Gerd Kristiansen (born 1955), a licensed practical nurse and leader of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions from 2013 to 2017 *

Kristin Clemet Kristin Clemet (born 20 April 1957, in Harstad) is a Norwegian politician for Høyre, Norway's Conservative Party. She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Oslo in 1989, but was not re-elected in 1993. She had previously served as a depu ...

(born 1957), a Norwegian politician & former Minister of Education *

Elisabeth Aspaker Elisabeth Vik Aspaker (born 16 October 1962) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party and she is the current county governor of Troms og Finnmark county. She was also the Minister of European Affairs from 2015 to 2016 and Minister ...

(born 1962), a Norwegian politician & former Minister of Fisheries *

Jon Lech Johansen Jon Lech Johansen (born November 18, 1983, in Harstad, Norway), also known as DVD Jon, is a Norwegian programmer who has worked on reverse engineering data formats. He wrote the DeCSS software, which decodes the Content Scramble System used fo ...

(born 1983), also known as ''DVD Jon'', a computer programmer * Silje Lundberg (born 1988), an environmentalist who grew up in Harstad Ragnhild Kaarbo

The Arts

Ragnhild Kaarbø Ragnhild Kaarbø (26 December 1889 – 20 August 1949) was a Norwegian painter. Influenced by Fauvism, she painted expressionistic portraits. She was also influenced by Cubism, but as her cubistic paintings were criticized by the press, she e ...

(1889–1949), a painter * Knut Andersen (1931–2019), a film director * Reidar Thomassen (born 1936), a writer and javelin thrower *

Jan Høiland Jan Høiland (6 February 1939, Stavanger, Norway – 7 June 2017, Sweden) was a Norwegian singer, who lived for many years in Harstad. The song " Tiotusen röda rosor" by Thore Skogman was Høiland's biggest hit. He scored several chart successes ...

(1939–2017), a pop singer who lived in Harstad for many years *

Odd Børre Odd Børre Sørensen (9 August 1939 – 28 January 2023) was a Norwegian pop singer. Internationally, he is best known for the song "Stress (Odd Børre song), Stress" that he performed in the Eurovision Song Contest of 1968. He sang in the Kjell ...

(born 1939), a former pop singer who sang at the

1968 Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest 1968 was the 13th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in London, United Kingdom, following the country's first victory at the with the song " Puppet on a String" by Sandie Shaw. Despite having won ...

* Leif Erik Forberg (born 1950) a television and radio presenter *

Kine Hellebust Kine Hellebust (born 15 December 1954 in Harstad) is a Norwegian singer, actress, children's writer, non-fiction writer and playwright. Career Born in Harstad on 15 December 1954, Hellebust studied drama at Sund folk high school, and studied wri ...

(born 1954), a singer, actress, children's writer, and playwright *

Ketil Stokkan Ketil Stokkan (born 29 April 1956) is a Norwegian pop artist who has performed as solo artist as well as the singer in the Norwegian band Zoo. Stokkan was born in Harstad. In 1983 he participated in the Norwegian qualifying heat for Eurovisio ...

(born 1956), a pop singer who sang at the

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

and the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, 1990 Eurovision Song Contest * Iren Reppen (born 1965), an actress * Bodil Arnesen (born 1967), a operatic soprano * Kari Innerå (born 1982), a gourmet chef * Iselin Steiro (born 1985), a model * :no:Sophie Elise, Sophie Elise, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1994), a blogger and singer * Ruben (singer), Ruben Markussen (born 1995), a singer and songwriter who grew up in Bjarkøy * :no:Thea Floer Kulseng, Thea Floer Kulseng, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 2003),the winner of Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2015

Sport

* Trygve Bornø (born 1942), a retired footballer with 419 club caps and 43 for Norway national football team, Norway * Knut Frostad (born 1967), a yachtsman, competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics, 1988 & 1992 Summer Olympics * Marianne Paulsen (born 1980), a Norwegian football defender * Tom Høgli (born 1984), a former football defender with 300 club caps and 49 for Norway national football team, Norway * Eirik Lamøy (born 1984), a Norwegian football striker with 300 club caps

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

The Town twinning, twin towns of Harstad are: * Elsinore in Denmark * Barnstaple in United Kingdom * Umeå in Sweden * Vaasa in Finland Harstad used to be a sister city to Kirovsk, Murmansk Oblast, Kirovsk, but this agreement was ended in November 2022, due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.