Setermoen is 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 ...

Bardu Municipality Bardu ( sme, Bearddu suohkan, fkv, Perttulan komuuni) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Setermoen, the largest urban area in the municipality. The municipa ...

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English language, English), is a Counties of Norway, county in Northern Norway, northern Norway that was established ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The village is located along the

Barduelva or ( en, Bardu River) is a river in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The long river is located in the municipalities of Bardu and Målselv. The river flows from the lake Altevatnet northwest to the town of Setermoen, then north to the munic ...

river, about east of the village of

Sjøvegan Sjøvegan is the administrative centre of Salangen Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located at the end of the Sagfjorden, a branch of the Salangen fjord. The river Salangselva empties into the fjord at Sjøvegan. T ...

and about south of

Bardufoss Bardufoss is a town and commercial centre in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The three villages of Andselv, Andslimoen, and Heggelia together form the Bardufoss area. Bardufoss is located in the Målselvdalen valley n ...

. The local council proclaimed

city status City status is a symbolic and legal designation given by a national or subnational government. A municipality may receive city status because it already has the qualities of a city, or because it has some special purpose. Historically, city status ...

for Setermoen in 1999, but this was rejected by the government of Norway since the municipality has less than 5,000 inhabitants. The village has a population (2017) of 2,464 which gives the village a

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 ...

of .

Location

Setermoen is located along the river Barduelva, and on the shores of Sætervatnet lake in the middle of the Bardudalen valley. It is about south of

Andselv Andselv is a village in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village lies along the Andselva river in the urban area called Bardufoss. Andselv is located just north of Bardufoss Airport along the European route E6 high ...

Bardufoss Airport Bardufoss Airport ( no, Bardufoss lufthavn; ) is a primary airport situated at Bardufoss in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The airport, which is the civilian sector of the Royal Norwegian Air Force's (RNoAF) Bardufoss A ...

and about east of the town of Harstad. 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 right through the center of Setermoen. Both the

Bardu Church Bardu Church ( no, Bardu kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Bardu Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Setermoen. It is the main church for the Bardu parish which is part of the Senja ...

and the Setermoen military camp are located in Setermoen. Setermoen panorama

Setermoen Camp

Military education was established at Setermoen in 1898 because of its strategic location in the midst of the mountains, and is one of the oldest army camps in Norway today. In many ways, the

Norwegian Armed Forces The Norwegian Armed Forces ( no, Forsvaret, , The Defence) is the military organization responsible for the defence of Norway. It consists of five branches, the Norwegian Army, the Royal Norwegian Navy, which includes the Coast Guard, the Royal ...

has shaped Setermoen and the community through its presence. Altogether, about 1,000 soldiers and 500 officers are stationed here, making it the largest

garrison A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

in Norway. Stationed at Setermoen are the following battalions, which are part of

Brigade Nord Brigade Nord (Brig. N.; Northern Brigade) is the major combat formation and only brigade of the Norwegian Army. The Brigade will raise 1 new Armoured Battalion in 2026-32. 2nd Battalion are converting to Armoured Battalion from 2020. It is mostly b ...

: *''

Artilleribataljonen The Artillery Battalion ( no, Artilleribataljonen) is the Norwegian army's Brigade Nords artillery battalion. The unit numbers some 550 soldiers and officers. The battalion's main weapons are K9 Thunder self-propelled howitzers and NASAMS III ai ...

'' (artillery battalion) *''

Panserbataljonen The Armoured Battalion ( no, Panserbataljonen) is the first battalion and an infantry unit of the Norwegian Army. Although it is categorised as an armoured unit, the battalion (strictly a battlegroup) primarily serves in the mechanised infantry ...

'' (armoured battalion) *'' Sanitetsbataljonen'' (medical battalion) *'' Etteretningsbataljonen'' (intelligence battalion) In 2007, the government began a massive renovation program at Setermoen. Most of the main buildings and barracks were torn down and new ones built. Costs of the project were nearly (about US$155 million). The reason for the project was the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

and the reorganization of the

Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army ( no, Hæren) is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway ...

from a mere mobilization force into a modern professional force, as this requires a lot more follow-up to the troops and better standards to attract more volunteers.

References

{{authority control Villages in Troms Populated places of Arctic Norway Bardu