Bardu ( sme, Bearddu suohkan, fkv, Perttulan komuuni) 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 ...

in Troms og Finnmark 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 the ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Setermoen, the largest urban area in the municipality. The municipality is the 18th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Bardu is the 202nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,993. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

is and its population has increased by 3% over the previous 10-year period. Norway's largest

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

garrison is located at Setermoen. The military is the municipality's largest employer and more than 1,000 young soldiers perform their duty service here each year. The world's most northern zoo, Polar Park, is located in the southern part of the municipality.

General information

The municipality of ''Bardodalen'' was established in 1854 when the eastern part of the old Ibestad Municipality was separated to form the new municipality. The initial population of the new municipality was 757. The municipal borders have not changed since then, although the name was later changed to ''Bardu''. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Troms county.

Name

''Bardu'' is a Norwegianized form of the

Sámi The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, Ru ...

name ''Beardu''. The meaning of the Sámi name is probably "long and steep mountain side". Prior to 1889, the municipality was called ''"Bardodalen"'' which meant "the valley/dale of Bardo". From 1889 until 1908, the name was written ''"Bardo"''. Since 1909, it has been spelled ''"Bardu"''.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 6 June 1980. The arms show a black wolverine on a gold background. It was chosen as a symbol for the large forests and the rich wildlife in the municipality. The rock speedwell (''

Veronica fruticans ''Veronica fruticans'', the rock speedwell (a name it shares with other members of its genus) or woodystem speedwell (a common name that is hardly in common use), is a species of flowering plant in the family Plantaginaceae. It is native to nearl ...

'') is the municipal flower.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Bardu. It is part of the Indre Troms prosti ( deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Bardu, are responsible for primary education (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 and other social services,

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, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council 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 ...

. The municipality falls under the Senja District Court 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 municipal council of Bardu is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Geography

Bardu borders the municipalities of

Lavangen Lavangen ( se, Loabák) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tennevoll. Other villages in Lavangen include Fossbakken and Spansdalen (in the inland areas) and ...

and Salangen to the west,

Målselv Målselv ( sme, Málatvuomi suohkan) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moen. The main commercial centre of the municipality is the Bardufoss area (including And ...

to the north, Narvik (in Nordland county) to the south, and Sweden to the east. The Barduelva river runs through the municipality from south to north along the Bardudalen valley. The

Salangsdalen Salangsdalen is a river valley in Bardu Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The river Salangselva flows north through the valley. The valley ends in the middle of Bardu, near the town of Setermoen. The European route E6 highway run ...

valley is located along the western part of the municipality. The largest lake in the county, Altevatnet, is located in the eastern part of the municipality, near the smaller lakes Geavdnjajávri and Leinavatn. These lakes lie in and near

Rohkunborri National Park Rohkunborri National Park ( no, Rohkunborri nasjonalpark, sme, Rohkunborri álbmotmeahcci) is a national park in Troms county, Norway, that was established in 2011. The park consists of a protected area, and is located in Bardu Municipality alo ...

Climate

Bardu, although not far from the coast, is known for its cold winters compared to the coastal areas. This is caused by mountains usually blocking the milder, coastal air from reaching the Bardu valley. In summer, however, it is usually warmer than the coastal areas.

Notable residents

* Alfred Henningsen (1918–2012) a military officer, spy and politician; Mayor of Bardu for over nine years, lived in Setermoen *

Sissel Solbjørg Bjugn Sissel Solbjørg Bjugn (28 October 1947 – 14 July 2011) was a Norwegian poet and children's writer. She was born in Bardu. She made her literary début in 1978 with the book ''Den første avisa på Lofotveggen'', for which she was awarded the Ta ...

(1947 in Bardu – 2011) a Norwegian poet and children's writer * Regina Alexandrova (born 1967) a Norwegian politician, Bardu municipal councillor from 2007 to 2015

Sport

Ole Hegge Ole Hegge (September 3, 1898 – June 2, 1994) was a Norwegian cross-country skier and ski jumper who competed in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Hegge was born in Bardu. His best-known finish was a silver medal in the 18 km event at the ...

(1898 in Bardu – 1994) a cross-country skier and ski jumper, silver medallist at the

1928 Winter Olympics The 1928 Winter Olympics, officially known as the II Olympic Winter Games (french: IIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; german: II. Olympische Winterspiele; it, II Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, II Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. M ...

Fred Børre Lundberg Fred Børre Lundberg (born 25 December 1969 in Hammerfest and raised in Bardufoss) is a former Nordic combined skier from Bardu, Norway. He dominated the sport in the 1990s, winning both at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships and at the Win ...

(born 1969) a Nordic combined performer, won two team silver medals and one team gold medal at the 1992, 1994 and 1998 Winter Olympics and an individual gold at the

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fro ...

, raised in Bardufoss * Kristian Hammer (born 1976) a Norwegian Nordic combined skier, grew up in Setermoen

Gallery

Bardu kirke (2).jpg, Bardu Church Bardu.jpg, The Bardu valley and river seen from Istind in the direction of Setermoen Lynx lynx-Male+female-Polar Park Norway.jpg, Lynx at the Polar Park in Bardu.

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway * *http://www.polarzoo.no {{Use dmy dates, date=March 2017 Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark Populated places of Arctic Norway 1854 establishments in Norway