Malangen ( sme, Málatvuotna or fkv, Malankivuono) is a
former municipality in
Troms county in
Norway. The municipality existed from 1871 until its dissolution in 1964. The old municipality surrounded the
Malangen fjord and today that area is divided between the municipalities of
Balsfjord,
Lenvik,
Tromsø, and
Målselv. 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 ...
was the village of
Mortenhals
Mortenhals or Mortenshals is a village in Balsfjord Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located along the Malangen fjord, across the fjord from Rossfjordstraumen. The village of Mestervik is located about to the sou ...
where the main church for the municipality,
Malangen Church, is located.
History
The
Saga of Haakon Haakonarson mentions that in 1242 the king allowed refugees from
Bjarmaland (since they were attacked by the
Tatars - ) to settle in the area of Malangen.
The municipality of Malangen was established on 1 January 1871 when the northern district of
Balsfjord Municipality and a small peninsula in the Malangen fjord that belonged to
Lenvik Municipality
Lenvik ( sme, Leaŋgáviika) is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was partly situated on the mainland and partly on the i ...
were separated to form the new municipality of Malangen. The initial population of Malangen was 1,425. On 1 January 1873, an area of northern Malangen (population: 287) was transferred to the neighboring
Tromsøysund
Tromsøysund is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality encompassed most of what is now Tromsø Municipality including areas on the island of Kvaløya ...
municipality. In 1891, a small part around the village of
Målsnes in
Målselv Municipality (population: 30) was transferred to Malangen.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the
Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Malangen ceased to exist. The peninsula including the Navaren and Målsnes areas (population: 118) were transferred to neighboring
Målselv Municipality. The remaining areas of Malangen (population: 1,940) were transferred back into
Balsfjord Municipality.
Name
The municipality was named after the local
Malangen fjord. The name Malangen is probably derived from the
Old Norse word ''mál'' which means "
bag" and it may refer to the baggy shape of the fjord. The same word ''mál'' is probably also the origin of the name of the
Målselva, the big river that enters the fjord from the
Målselvdalen and
Bardu valleys (the neighboring
Målselv Municipality has a similar etymology). The second element of the name ''angr'' which means "inlet" or "fjord".
Government
Municipal council
The
municipal council of Malangen was made up of 19 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The
party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
Media gallery
Malangen church balsfjord.JPG, Malangen Church
Stabben siedi balsfjord.JPG, Rambergkirka: A stone located at Sand
Malangen IMG 4934 malangen.JPG, The Mortenhals area (foreground), looking northwest
See also
*
List of former municipalities of Norway
This is a list of former municipalities of Norway, i.e. municipalities that no longer exist.
When the local council system was introduced in Norway in 1837-38, the country had 392 municipalities. In 1958 the number had grown to a total of 744 rur ...
References
External links
Weather information for Malangen
{{use dmy dates, date=May 2022
Balsfjord
Målselv
Former municipalities of Norway
1871 establishments in Norway
1964 disestablishments in Norway