Båtsfjord komm.svg

Båtsfjord ( sme, Báhcavuotna) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Båtsfjord (which is the only settlement remaining in the municipality). Båtsfjord Airport is a new, modern airport, located just outside Båtsfjord village. The Hurtigruten coastal express ferry also has regularly-scheduled stops in Båtsfjord village.

The municipality is the 60th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Båtsfjord is the 269th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,165. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 3.6% over the previous 10-year period.

Historically, there were many other villages in the municipality, but they have been abandoned over the years. Some of these villages include Hamningberg (abandoned in 1964), Makkaur (abandoned in the 1950s), Sandfjord/Ytre Syltefjord (abandoned in 1946), Hamna (abandoned around 1950), and Nordfjord (abandoned in 1989).

General information

Vardø Municipality was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law), encompassing the northeastern part of the Varanger Peninsula. In 1839, to comply with the ''formannskapsdistrikt'' law, the rural parts of the municipality, outside of the island/town of Vardø, were separated to form the new municipality of ''Vardø landdistrikt''. Initially, Vardø landdistrikt had a population of 245. The new municipality was too small to be an official self-governing municipality, and it was not until 22 May 1868 when a royal resolution was passed that officially declared it a self-governing municipality. On 1 January 1874, a small part of Vardø landdistrikt (population: 48) was transferred to the town of Vardø. On 1 January 1955, the name was changed to ''Båtsfjord''. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the eastern fourth of Båtsfjord (population: 621) was transferred to the neighboring Vardø Municipality.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county.

Name

The name was originally ''Vardø landdistrikt'' (or ''Vardø landsogn'') which both mean "the rural district of Vardø", since it surrounded the town of Vardø. On 1 January 1955, the name was changed to ''Båtsfjord'' since the village of Båtsfjord is the main population centre of the municipality. The Old Norse form of the name is ''Botnsfjǫrðr''. The first element is the genitive case of ''botn'' which means "the innermost part of a fjord" and the second part is the Old Norse spelling for "fjord". The village is located at the innermost part of a fjord, so the name has a very straightforward meaning.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 19 April 1985. The arms show a silver fish hook on a blue background. It was chosen as a symbol for the great economic importance of fishing and fish processing in the municipality. The shape of the hook was derived from ancient Stone Age hooks found in the municipality.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Båtsfjord, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient Health care, health services, old age, senior citizen services, unemployment and other Social work, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a Municipal council (Norway), municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Øst-Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The Municipal council (Norway), municipal council of Båtsfjord is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The Political party, party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors

The mayors of Båtsfjord (incomplete list):
*2019–present: Ronald Wærnes (Centre Party (Norway), Sp)
*2011-2019: Geir Knutsen (Norwegian Labour Party, Ap)
*2009-2011: Gunn Marit Nilsen (Conservative Party (Norway), H)
*2007-2009: Frank Bakke-Jensen (H)
*2003-2007: Geir Knutsen (Ap)
*1999-2003: Just Hjalmar Johansen (H)
*1992-1999: Leif Arne Viken (Ap)

Geography

The municipality covers an area of including Finnmark's highest mountain pass over Ordofjell at above sea level. It is situated on the northeastern coast of the Varanger Peninsula, on the rocky coastline of the Barents Sea. There are no native trees due to the climate. The Varangerhalvøya National Park lies in the southern part of the municipality. Makkaur Lighthouse lies along the shoreline, near the mouth of the Båtsfjorden, northeast of the village of Båtsfjord.

Previously, there were several villages along this barren coast, but today everyone lives in the village of Båtsfjord, with a sheltered harbor at the end of the Båtsfjorden inlet. Among the now-abandoned fishing villages is Hamningberg on the outer coast, which has many well-preserved 19th century wooden houses. Now, it is only used for summer vacation stays. The world's northernmost northern gannet, gannet colony to be found on the stack at Syltefjordstauran, along the Syltefjorden (Finnmark), Syltefjorden, north of the now-abandoned village of Nordfjord. Two pairs were discovered in 1961, but the colony has now grown to well over 300 pairs.

Buildings and structures

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Båtsfjord. It is part of the Varanger prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland. The main church is Båtsfjord Church. There are two other small chapels, but they are only used for special occasions since they are located in uninhabited areas that are only used for summer cottages.

Mast for broadcasting

* high guyed mast for FM-/TV-broadcasting. See List of tallest structures in Norway.

Commerce

Fishing permits (for salmon fishing) are sold for use on specific rivers, including Sandfjord-elva, Syltefjord-elva and Komag-elva. A crab factory was started in 2015; 20 - 30 million Norwegian kroner was the cost of investment—then employing 28.

Notable people

* Geir Knutsen (born 1959) a Norwegian politician
* Frank Bakke-Jensen (born 1965), politician, Mayor of Båtsfjord from 2007, and Minister of Defence (Norway), Minister of Defence since 2017
Dagsavisen, December 2016
* Gjert Ingebrigtsen (born 1966) a Norwegian sports coach
* :no:Jan Thore Grefstad, Jan Thore Grefstad, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1978), rock singer and songwriter

References

External links

*
Pictures of Wild life and nature in Båtsfjord

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baatsfjord
Båtsfjord,
Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark
1839 establishments in Norway
Populated places of Arctic Norway
Barents Sea