Alstahaug is a municipality in

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, Norway. It is part of the

Helgeland Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. It is bordered in the north by the Saltfjellet mountains and Svartise ...

region. 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 town of

Sandnessjøen Sandnessjøen is a town and the administrative centre of Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Sandnessjøen was granted special trading privileges in the late 1600s and it received town status in 1999. Sandnessjøen is located on ...

. Some of the villages in Alstahaug include Søvika and

Tjøtta Tjøtta is a village in Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Tjøtta, which is located south of the large island of Alsta. The village is located on an island, but it does have a ...

Most residents of Alstahaug live in the town of

which is situated on the island of

Alsta Alsta (historically, ''Alsten'' or ''Alstein'') is an island in the municipalities of Alstahaug and Leirfjord in Nordland county, Norway. The island is surrounded by the Vefsnfjorden to the east, the Leirfjorden to the north, and the Alstenfjo ...

. The characteristic Seven Sisters mountain range is found on the eastern part of the island. Local legend has made this chain of peaks into seven sisters, two adjacent peaks representing twin sisters. The island is connected to the mainland via the large

Helgeland Bridge The Helgeland Bridge ( no, Helgelandsbrua) is a cable-stayed bridge that crosses the Leirfjorden between the mainland (in Leirfjord Municipality) and the island of Alsta (in Alstahaug Municipality) in Nordland county, Norway. The town of Sandnes ...

along Norwegian County Road 17. The Sandnessjøen Airport, Stokka is located 10 km south of

. The municipality is the 307th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Alstahaug is the 136th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,333. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 0.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The large municipality of Alstahaug 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). In 1862, the southern district (population: 2,781) was separated to become the new municipality of

(

Vevelstad Municipality Vevelstad is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Forvika. The municipality is the 199th largest by area out of the 356 m ...

was later separated from Tjøtta). This left Alstahaug with about 3,280 residents. Just two years later, in 1864, the western island district (population: 2,438) was separated to become the new municipality of Herøy. Then on 1 July 1899, the northern district (population: 2,673) was separated to form the new municipality of Stamnes (

Leirfjord Municipality Leirfjord is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Leland. Other villages in Leirfjord include Bardalssjøen and Sundøy. Th ...

was later separated from Stamnes). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, several major municipal changes took place. First, the

Husvær Husvær is an island group in the municipality of Herøy in Nordland county, Norway. The islands are located about southwest of the municipal center of Silvalen and just southwest of the island of Tenna. The Sandværet islands lie about we ...

island area of Alstahaug (population: 461) was transferred from Alstahaug to Herøy Municipality. On the same day, the following areas were merged to form the new, larger municipality of Alstahaug: *most of the municipality of

, except the Skogsholmen area (population: 1,477) *the municipality of

(population: 3,856) *the municipality of Alstahaug (population: 970) On 1 January 1971, the Skålvær islands (population: 32) were transferred from

Vega Municipality Vega is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Gladstad. Other villages include Holand and Ylvingen. The municipality comprises ...

to Alstahaug. On 1 January 1995, the mainland areas of Alstahaug (population: 70) were transferred to

Vefsn Municipality Vefsn ( sma, Vaapste) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mosjøen (population: 9,843). Some of the notable villages in Vefsn i ...

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old ''Alstahaug'' farm ( non, Alastarhaugr), since the first Alstahaug Church 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 the name of the island ''Alöst'' (now

) and the last element is ''haugr'' which means " hill" or " mound".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 8 August 1986. The arms show the Seven Sisters ( no, De syv søstre), a row of mountains in the area, mirrored in the clear waters of the fjord.

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 three parishes () within the municipality of Alstahaug. It is part of the Nord-Helgeland prosti (

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.

History

At Alstahaug, on the southern end of the island of

, lies the medieval Alstahaug Church, where the poet and minister

Petter Dass Petter Pettersen Dass (c. 1647 – 17 August 1707) was a Lutheran priest and the foremost Norwegian poet of his generation, writing both baroque hymns and topographical poetry. Biography He was born at Northern Herøy (Dønna), Nordland, No ...

worked around 1700.

, an island south of Alsta, is the place where the famous Viking Hårek resided in the 11th century.

Nature

Birdlife

Lying just south of the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

in an area that is known as Outer

, Alstahaug offers the visiting

bird watcher Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...

a chance to do some birding in spectacular scenery, be it coastal or inland where

The Seven Sisters ''The Seven Sisters'' is an accessory for the 2nd edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, published in 1995. ''The Seven Sisters'' details the fictional characters known as the Seven Sisters of the Forgotten R ...

mountain chain marks the boundary between the habitats. One of the better areas to birdwatch is

. Here you will find the small nature reserve Ostjønna.

Geography

Alstahaug is a municipality consisting entirely of islands. Most residents live on the main islands of

and

, and Alstahaug stretches from the Skålvær island group in the west, to the

Vefsnfjorden The Vefsnfjord or Vefsnfjorden is a fjord in the Helgeland traditional district of Nordland county, Norway. It is about long, reaching a maximum depth of about below sea level. The fjord flows through the municipalities of Alstahaug, Leirfj ...

in the east, and to

Mindlandet Mindlandet is an island in Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The island lies at the mouth of the Vefsnfjorden, just south of the islands of Tjøtta and Rødøya. The island is fairly flat, and has a lot of very good agricultur ...

island to the south. The municipalities of Leirfjord, Vefsn, and

Vevelstad Vevelstad is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Forvika. The municipality is the 199th largest by area out of the 356 m ...

lie to the east and Dønna, Herøy, and Vega lie to the north, west, and south, respectively.

Climate

The official weather station is located at Sandnessjøen Airport Stokka, on Alsten island. Alstahaug has a temperate

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(marine west coast climate). The record high was recorded July 2019, and the all-time low was recorded February 2010. The warmest high recorded in the municipality is recorded July 2019 at Tjøtta island. The November record high set 6 November 2003 is warmest November temperature recorded in Nordland.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Alstahaug, 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 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, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the

Alstahaug District Court Alstahaug District Court ( no, Alstahaug tingrett) was a district court in Nordland county, Norway. The court was based in the town of Sandnessjøen. The court existed from 1859 until 2021. It served the municipalities of Alstahaug, Dønna, Gra ...

and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Alstahaug is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors

The mayors of Alstahaug (incomplete list): *2019–present: Peder Talseth ( Sp) *2011-2019: Bård Anders Langø ( Ap) *2007-2011: Stig Sørra ( H) *2004-2007: Magne Greger (Ap) *2003-2004: Håkon Mørk (Sp) *1999-2003: Bjarne Myhre (H) *1993-1999: Bill Rønning (Ap) *1984-1993:

Gunnar Breimo Gunnar Breimo (born 23 May 1939 in Alstahaug) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party (Norway), Labour Party. He was elected to the Storting, Norwegian Parliament from Nordland in 1993, and was re-elected on one occasion. Breimo was a memb ...

(Ap) *1968-1974: Torvald Kibsgaard (Ap)

Notable people

* Peder Krabbe Gaarder (1814 in Alstahaug – 1883) a Norwegian jurist and political theorist *

Adam Arndtsen Adam Frederik Oluf Arndtsen (15 December 1829 – 7 August 1919) was a Norwegian professor and physicist. Biography Arndtsen was born at Alstahaug in Nordland, Norway. He was the son of Ole Arndtsen (1786-1846) and Wilhelmina Castberg (1788-1853). ...

(1829 in Alstahaug – 1919) a Norwegian professor and physicist * Torolf Prytz (1858 in Alstahaug – 1938) a Norwegian architect, goldsmith and politician * Einar Hole Moxnes (1921 in Alstahaug – 2006) a politician, Mayor of Åfjord, 1955 to 1966 *

Tone Thiis Schjetne Tone Thiis Schjetne (19 July 1928 – 2 September 2015) was a Norwegian sculptor. She is represented in the National Gallery of Norway and other galleries, contributed several works to the Nidaros Cathedral, and made decorations to Vadsø ...

(1928–2015) a Norwegian sculptor, lived in Sandnessjøen *

(born 1939 in Alstahaug) a politician and Mayor of Alstahaug, 1983 to 1993 *

Odd Eriksen Odd means unpaired, occasional, strange or unusual, or a person who is viewed as eccentric. Odd may also refer to: Acronym * ODD (Text Encoding Initiative) ("One Document Does it all"), an abstracted literate-programming format for describing X ...

(born 1955 in Sandnessjøen) a politician; stopped a plane hijacking in 2004 *

Arve Moen Bergset Arve Moen Bergset (born 13 March 1972) is a Norwegian traditional folk singer, hardanger fiddler, and classical violinist. He is known both for his solo works as well as for his works with Bukkene Bruse. Life and career He was born in Sandne ...

(born 1972 in Sandnessjøen) a traditional folk singer, hardanger fiddler, and classical violinist *

Stian Theting Stian Lyngheim Theting (born 21 October 1976) is a Norwegian football defender/midfielder who plays for Sandnessjøen. He joined FK Bodø/Glimt Fotballklubben Bodø/Glimt () is a Norwegian professional football club from the town of Bodø ...

(born 1976 in Sandnessjøen) a Norwegian footballer with over 500 club caps *

Rebekka Karijord Rebekka Karijord, born 1976 in Sandnessjøen, is a Norwegian born, Stockholm, Sweden-based musician and composer. After creating music for over 30 films theatre and dance performances, Karijord recorded ''The Noble Art of Letting Go'' in 200 ...

(born 1976 in Sandnessjøen) a Stockholm-based musician and composer IMDb Database
retrieved 29 December 2020 * Sander Rølvåg (born 1990 in Sandnessjøen) a Norwegian curler

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 ...

sandnessjoen.com - Local portal for Sandnessjøen and Alstahaug
(in Norwegian) *
Skeilia nature reserve
{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2013 Municipalities of Nordland 1838 establishments in Norway