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Ballangen ( sme, Bálák) is a former 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. The municipality existed from 1925 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was part of the traditional district of
Ofoten Ofoten is a traditional district in Nordland county in Northern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Tysfjord, Ballangen, Evenes, Tjeldsund, Narvik, and Lødingen. It is named after the main fjord, Ofotfjorden, which is at the center o ...
. 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 was the village of Ballangen. Other villages in the municipality included Bjørkåsen,
Kjeldebotn or is a village in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located on the southern shore of the Ofotfjorden Ofotfjord ( or ) is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. It is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, located about nort ...
,
Kobbvika Kobbvika is a village in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located near the mouth of the Efjorden, about northwest of the Efjord Bridges, and about west of the village of Ballangen. The island of Barøya Barøya ...
, and Skarstad. The municipality bordered Narvik Municipality to the east and
Tysfjord Municipality Tysfjord ( smj, Divtasvuodna) is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1869 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of ...
to the south, and had a short border with
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
to the southeast. Ballangen was situated on the southern shore of Ofotfjorden. Ballangen also included the long and narrow
Efjorden or is a fjord in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is an arm off of the main Ofotfjorden, stretching about to the south. The Efjord Bridges on the European route E06 highway cross the fjord heading east on the way to the to ...
, just south of the much larger Ofotfjorden. Its immediate surroundings were dominated by fjords, mountains, and forests. Ballangen relied on the nearby town of Narvik as its economic base. Prior to its dissolution, the municipality was the 119th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Ballangen was the 290th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,522. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 4.9% over the previous decade.


General information

The municipality of Ballangen was established on 1 July 1925 when it was separated from the large
Evenes Municipality Evenes ( sme, Evenášši) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bogen. Other villages in Evenes include Liland, Tå ...
. The new municipality encompassed all of Evenes located south of the Ofotfjorden. Initially, Ballangen had 3,270 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, the southern part of
Lødingen Municipality Lødingen ( sme, Lodegat) is a municipality in Nordland county in Norway. Lødingen is located on the southeastern corner of the island of Hinnøya, and is part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of the municipalit ...
(the island of
Barøya Barøya is an uninhabited island in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The island is located in the Ofotfjorden near the entrance to the Efjorden. The village of Lødingen lies north of the island. Barøy Lighthouse is located on ...
and the area surrounding the
Efjorden or is a fjord in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is an arm off of the main Ofotfjorden, stretching about to the south. The Efjord Bridges on the European route E06 highway cross the fjord heading east on the way to the to ...
; population: 433) was transferred from Lødingen to Ballangen. On 1 January 2020, the municipality was merged with the neighboring Narvik Municipality and the eastern half of
Tysfjord Municipality Tysfjord ( smj, Divtasvuodna) is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1869 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of ...
to form a new, larger municipality of
Narvik ( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest municipality in Nordland county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Ankenesstranda, Ball ...
. This decision had been reached in 2017 after national and local discussions involving municipal mergers.


Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 18 July 1980. The arms show a gold
hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as w ...
on a green background. It was chosen as a symbol to represent the mining in the municipality. There used to be copper mines in the municipality. The green background symbolizes agriculture.


Name

The Old Norse form of the name was ''Bagangr''. The meaning of the first element is not known and the last element is ''angr'', which means " 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 ...
had one parish () within the municipality of Ballangen. It was part of the
Ofoten prosti Ofoten is a traditional district in Nordland county in Northern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Tysfjord, Ballangen, Evenes, Tjeldsund, Narvik, and Lødingen. It is named after the main fjord, Ofotfjorden, which is at the cente ...
(
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

The first person living in Ballangen was Lodve Lange (''Lodve the long''), who is mentioned in Heimskringla as being one of King Olav Tryggvason's most trusted warriors, and being placed near the king in the famous ship Ormen Lange ''(long serpent)''. Lodve probably participated in the Battle of Svolder in the year 1000, and might have been killed there. He lived at Saltvik, which is near the fjord, east of today's village of Ballangen. There is a long history of mining in Ballangen, starting from the 17th century. Over the years as many as 36 mines have been operated in Ballangen, including minerals like copper, nickel and iron, zinc, manganese, and lead, but the most serious mining started in 1911 with Bjørkåsen Gruver mining mostly pyrite. Mining for nickel and olivine continued until 2002. There is also a
dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...
quarry in Ballangen. Ballangen is the main agricultural municipality in the Ofoten region. The
Ballangen Museum The Ballangen Museum is a unit of Museum Nord Museum Nord is a Norwegian museum consortium for the northern part of Nordland county, including the districts of Lofoten, Vesterålen, and Ofoten. The museum is set up as a foundation and was ...
is located in the village of Bjørkåsen in the municipality and presents the local mining history. Ballangen has the dubious distinction of having Norway's highest rate of sick leave from work, probably due to the high number of people who worked in the mines there, and related environmental effects.


Government

The municipal council () of Ballangen was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:


Geography

The village of Ballangen lies along the southern shore of the Ofotfjorden along 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. The highway crosses the
Efjord Bridges The Efjord Bridges ( no, Efjordbruene) are a series of three bridges that cross the wide Efjorden in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The bridges are a part of the European route E6 highway and they were opened in 1969. The three b ...
on its way to Ballangen and then on again to the town of
Narvik ( se, Áhkanjárga) is the third-largest municipality in Nordland county, Norway, by population. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Ankenesstranda, Ball ...
. The
Efjorden or is a fjord in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is an arm off of the main Ofotfjorden, stretching about to the south. The Efjord Bridges on the European route E06 highway cross the fjord heading east on the way to the to ...
area is dominated by large slopes of bare rock with a narrow green area of vegetation near the fjord. The obelisk-like mountain,
Stetind or is a mountain in the municipality of Narvik in Nordland county, Norway. It is located about northeast of the village of Kjøpsvik. The mountain has very smooth sides reaching all the way to the fjord. Stetind has an obelisk-shape which g ...
, nearby is dominated by the same, dark blue-grey rock, which contrasts with the clear water in the fjord where the sand banks can be seen just below the surface. Climbers and hikers are often tempted to test their skills on the rocky slopes. The large Frostisen glacier is located in the southeastern part of the municipality. In the east, Ballangen borders on lake
Siiddašjávri or or is a lake on the border between Norway and Sweden. The lake covers an area of , with of the lake in Norway (Narvik Municipality in Nordland county) and in Sweden (Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County). The name of the lake com ...
which it shares with
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. Siiddašjávri is the 14th largest lake which lies in or partially in Norway. Other lakes in the municipality include
Børsvatnet or is a lake in the municipality of Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The lake is located about southwest of the village of Ballangen. See also *List of lakes in Norway This is a list of lakes and reservoirs in Norway, so ...
, Geitvatnet,
Hjertvatnet or is a lake in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The lake is located between the lake Børsvatnet and the lake Melkevatnet. See also *List of lakes in Norway References

Ballangen Lakes of Nordland {{Nordland-geo-stub ...
, Kjelvatnet, Langvatnet,
Melkevatnet Melkevatnet is a lake in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The lake is located between the Efjorden and the lake Hjertvatnet. See also *List of lakes in Norway References

Ballangen Lakes of Nordland {{Nordland-geo-stub ...
,
Røvatnet Røvatnet is a lake in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Røvatnet lake is located at an elevation of above sea level and it is part of the river system that drains the lakes: Røvatnet, Sennvatnet, Skårvatnet, Hjertvatnet, Melkev ...
,
Søre Bukkevatnet Søre Bukkevatnet or Søndre Bukkevatnet is a lake in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Søre Bukkevannet is joined together with Nordre Bukkevatnet via a natural canal. The lake Geitvatnet Geitvatnet is a lake in Narvik Municipa ...
, and Storvatnet. The island of
Barøya Barøya is an uninhabited island in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The island is located in the Ofotfjorden near the entrance to the Efjorden. The village of Lødingen lies north of the island. Barøy Lighthouse is located on ...
sits near the entrances to the
Efjorden or is a fjord in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is an arm off of the main Ofotfjorden, stretching about to the south. The Efjord Bridges on the European route E06 highway cross the fjord heading east on the way to the to ...
from the Ofotfjorden. The
Barøy Lighthouse Barøy Lighthouse ( no, Barøy fyr) is a coastal lighthouse in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The lighthouse is located on the northwestern shore of the island of Barøya. It marks the entrance to the Ofotfjorden, which leads to ...
sits on the northern edge of the island.


Notable residents

* Anni-Frid Lyngstad, singer in the group ABBA, was born in Ballangen * Geir Bratland, of
Apoptygma Berzerk Apoptygma Berzerk (; commonly abbreviated to APB or APOP) is a Norwegian musical group. They have achieved success with a brand of synth-pop, and ballads backed with electronic rhythms, commonly known within the scene and referring to themselve ...
, Dimmu Borgir, God Seed, The Kovenant and
Satyricon (band) Satyricon is a Norwegian black metal band formed in Oslo in 1991. Satyr and Frost have been the band's core members since 1993. The band's first three albums typify the Norwegian black metal style. Since its fourth album in 1999, the band has ...
was born and raised in Ballangen


Sister cities

* Tosno,
Leningrad Oblast Leningrad Oblast ( rus, Ленинградская область, Leningradskaya oblast’, lʲɪnʲɪnˈgratskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ, , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). It was established on 1 August 1927, a ...
, Russia


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


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 ...

(when the world's largest computer-center came to town(.) Ballangen was promised 3000 jobs - by trading-off a gigantic property. Four years later, large sums had found their way to private hands, and the municipality was stuck with a million-sized bill. What went wrong)
22 May 2021 *



{{authority control Narvik Former municipalities of Norway 1925 establishments in Norway 2020 disestablishments in Norway Populated places disestablished in 2020