or 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 ...

located in Nordland

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 ...

. It is part of the traditional district of

Salten Salten is a traditional district in Nordland county, Norway. It includes the municipalities of Meløy, Gildeskål, Bodø, Beiarn, Saltdal, Fauske, Sørfold, Steigen, and Hamarøy. Salten covers an area of about and has a population (2016) ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Fauske. Some of the villages in Fauske include Nystad, Venset, Straumsnes, and

Sulitjelma , , or is a village in the municipality of Fauske in Nordland county, Norway. Sulitjelma is situated in a lush inland valley at an elevation of above sea level. It is located on the shore of Langvatnet lake, about southeast of the town of Fa ...

. The municipality borders Sweden in the east and the municipalities of

Sørfold Sørfold is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Straumen. Other villages in the municipality include Leirfjordgården, ...

to the north, Bodø to the west, and

Saltdal Saltdal ( sme, Sálát) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rognan. Other villages in Saltdal include Røkland and Løn ...

to the southeast. The town is located on the northern shore of

Skjerstad Fjord Skjerstad FjordWelle-Strand, Erling. 1988. ''2500 Miles on the Coastal Steamer''. Narvik: Notrabooks, p. 31. ( no, Skjerstadfjorden) is a fjord in the municipalities of Bodø, Fauske, and Saltdal in Nordland county, Norway. It is a long arm off ...

. The municipality is the 90th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Fauske is the 117th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 9,603. 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 0.9% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality was established on 1 January 1905 when the municipality of Skjerstad was divided into Skjerstad (population: 1,709) in the west and Fauske (population: 4,646) in the east. The municipal borders haven't changed since that time. In 1998, the municipality declared

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

for its administrative centre.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

) is named after the old ''Fauske'' farm (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

: ''Fauskar''), since the first Fauske Church was built there (in 1867). The name is the plural form of ''fauskr'' which means "old and rotten tree".

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was granted in 1988. The arms show a red

reef knot The reef knot, or square knot, is an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object. It is sometimes also referred to as a Hercules knot. The knot is formed by tying a left-handed overhand knot between two ends, ...

on a gray background. It was chosen to represent Fauske as a center of

commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...

and

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...

for the region.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes () within the municipality of Fauske. It is part of the Salten prosti ( deanery) in the

Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland Sør-Hålogaland is a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covers the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within Nordland county in Norway. The diocese is headquartered in the town of Bodø at Bodø Cathedral, the seat of the ...

Economy

Manufacturing, mining and working in

quarries A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

employs 9% of the work force (as of 2021). Several

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

are located in the municipality. The marble is exported to many countries, where it can be observed in many monumental buildings, among them the

United Nations Headquarters zh, 联合国总部大楼french: Siège des Nations uniesrussian: Штаб-квартира Организации Объединённых Наций es, Sede de las Naciones Unidas , image = Midtown Manhattan Skyline 004.jpg , im ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. There are also

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 ...

quarries in Fauske, as well as some

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

. Case work for permission for renewed mining in

, has been going on since the early 2010s; mining there was discontinued in 1991. Salten Kraftsamband and Fauske Lysverk are important employers in Fauske. The town is a commercial centre for parts of the inland areas of

, and has hotel and

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more na ...

facilities. FK Fauske/Sprint is the local soccer team. Historically,

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

was very important.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Fauske, 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 Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

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 In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

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

Salten District Court Salten District Court ( no, Salten tingrett) was a district court in Nordland county, Norway. The court was based in the town of Bodø. The court existed until 2021. It served the Salten area which included the municipalities of Beiarn, Bodø, ...

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

() of Fauske is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

breakdown of the council is as follows: Fauske marble

Mayor

The mayors of Fauske (incomplete list): *2019–present: Marlen Rendall Berg ( Sp) *2015-2019: Jørn Stene ( LL) *2011-2015: Siv Anita Johnsen Brekke ( Ap) *2007-2011: Odd Henriksen ( H) *2000-2007: Kjell Eilertsen (Ap) *1991-1999: Anne Stenhammer ( SV) *1984-1991: Andreas Johan Moan (Ap) *1968-1983: Erling Johan Storjord (Ap) *1960-1968: Kåre Klette (Ap) *1946-1959: Joakim Ingemann Pedersen Kosmo (Ap) *1945: Hans Meyer Trondsen (Ap) *1941-1945: Alfred Ingelaus Olsen Engan ( NS) *1926-1941: Hans Meyer Trondsen (Ap)

Transportation

The

Nordland Line The Nordland Line ( no, Nordlandsbanen, ) is a railway line between Trondheim and Bodø, Norway. It is the longest in Norway and lacks electrification. The route runs through the counties of Trøndelag (formerly Sør-Trøndelag and Nord-Trøndel ...

passes through the municipality, reaching Bodø west of Fauske. Travellers going further north usually leave the train in Fauske, and travel by express bus to Narvik or further, using European route E6 which goes through the center of Fauske. The E6 from

Mo i Rana Mo i Rana () is a city, and the administrative centre of the municipality of Rana, in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the Helgeland region of Nordland, just south of the Arctic Circle. Some of the city's suburbs include Båsmoen and Yt ...

north to Fauske crosses over the

Saltfjellet Saltfjellet is a mountain area in Nordland county, Norway that separates the two regions of Helgeland and Salten. It is also a cultural border between the Southern and Central parts of Sápmi. Geography and environment The Saltfjell is one of the ...

mountains, and the E6 further north to Narvik also goes through very rugged terrain; these are among the most scenic drives in Norway, although there are many tunnels in the

area. The

Norwegian national road Norwegian national roads (Norwegian: Riksvei/Riksveg abbr. Rv; literally: road of the rike/realm), are roads thus categorized by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) which also maintains them. In 2007 there were of this cl ...

Rv 80 to Bodø, about to the west, departs from E6 in the centre of Fauske. The Norwegian County Road 830 runs from the town of Fauske to the east to the village of

. The road passes through several tunnels:

Grønnlifjell Tunnel The Grønnlifjell Tunnel ( no, Grønnlifjelltunnelen) is a road tunnel that is part of Norwegian County Road 830 in the municipality of Fauske in Nordland county, Norway. It is located between Finneid in the town of Fauske and the village of Su ...

Hårskolten Tunnel The Hårskolten Tunnel ( no, Hårskolttunnelen) is a road tunnel that is part of Norwegian County Road 830 in the municipality of Fauske in Nordland county, Norway. It is located between Finneid in the town of Fauske and the village of Sulitjelm ...

Sjønståfjell Tunnel The Sjønståfjell Tunnel ( no, Sjønståfjelltunnelen) is a road tunnel that is part of Norwegian County Road 830 in the municipality of Fauske in Nordland county, Norway. It is located between Finneid in the town of Fauske and the village of S ...

, and

Stokkviknakken Tunnel The Stokkviknakken Tunnel ( no, Stokkviknakkentunnelen) is a road tunnel that is part of Norwegian County Road 830 in the municipality of Fauske in Nordland county, Norway. It is located between Finneid in the town of Fauske and the village of S ...

. The road follows the old Sulitjelma Line railroad.

Nature

Blåmannsisen seen from the ridge up Vardetoppen in Sulitjelma

There are two large

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such as ...

s in Fauske:

Blåmannsisen or ( en, Blåmann Glacier) is the fifth-largest glacier in mainland Norway. It is located on the border of the municipalities of Fauske and Sørfold in Nordland county, Norway—just west of the border with Sweden. Its highest point is ...

and the Sulitjelma Glacier; covering about 14% of the municipality. The highest

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually highe ...

is Suliskongen at above sea level. There are many lakes in the municipality, such as Blåmannsisvatnet, Kjelvatnet, Låmivatnet, Langvatnet, Muorkkejávrre, Nedrevatnet, Øvrevatnet, and Vuolep Sårjåsjávrre.

Junkerdal National Park Junkerdal National Park ( no, Junkerdal nasjonalpark) is a national park in the municipalities of Saltdal and Fauske in Nordland county, Norway, along its border with Sweden. The park opened in 2004. It borders the Junkerdalsura nature reserv ...

and

Sjunkhatten National Park Sjunkhatten National Park ( no, Sjunkhatten nasjonalpark) was established in 2010 in Nordland county, Norway. The park consists of a continuously protected area, including sea area in the municipalities of Bodø, Fauske, and Sørfold. The p ...

are partly located in Fauske.

, located by road east of Fauske, is a good starting point for

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

in the mountains and hikes to the glaciers. There are several DNT lodges in this area. There are many

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s in the municipality, such as Veten nature reserve with

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

and a rich

understory In forestry and ecology, understory (American English), or understorey (Commonwealth English), also known as underbrush or undergrowth, includes plant life growing beneath the forest canopy without penetrating it to any great extent, but abo ...

and Fauskeeidet wetland area with rich bird life and

observation tower An observation tower is a structure used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, an ...

. There are several

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s in the municipality. The fairly easy accessible ''Svarthamarhola'' (Svarthamar cave) is one of the largest caves in northern Europe, also hosting one of the world's most northerly

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most ...

colonies.

Climate

Fauske is located inside the Arctic circle and has 24 hours of daylight from early May to the beginning of August, with

midnight sun The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When the midnight sun is seen in the Arctic, ...

from the beginning of June to the second week of July. The area nearly has

polar night The polar night is a phenomenon where the nighttime lasts for more than 24 hours that occurs in the northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth. This occurs only inside the polar circles. The opposite phenomenon, the polar day, or midni ...

for part of December because it has sunrise at 11 am and sunset before noon. Average 24-hour temperatures in Fauske is below freezing from mid-November to the last part of March, but the ice-free

moderates winter temperatures. Summer starts in June with moderate summer temperatures lasting until early September. Precipitation is heaviest from September to December (usually as

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

in December); average annual precipitation is . Daytime temperatures are usually significantly warmer than the 24-hr average from March to September, while there is very little

diurnal temperature variation In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day. Temperature lag Temperature lag is an important factor in diurnal temperature variation: peak da ...

from November to early February as the sun is very low or below the horizon all day. However, temperatures varies considerably with the weather; there might be cool westerly winds with temperatures of and rain both night and day in July, and the next day might be sunny with daytime temperature reaching . Southwesterly winds can bring thaws anytime in winter, but not in the mountains, which usually get large amounts of snow in winter—the main reason for the large glaciers and the hydropower in the area.

Notable residents

* Mons Andreas Petersen (1829 in Lakså – 1886) a Norwegian Sami farmer, discovered ore deposits in Sulitjelma in 1858 which became the Sulitjelma Mines *

Peter Vogelius Deinboll Peter Vogelius Deinboll (8 January 1783 Copenhagen – 13 May 1874 Aker, Norway) was a Danish-Norwegian priest, parliamentary representative and entomologist. He was the son of Christian Deinboll and Karen Christiane Holm, and lived most of his ...

DSO, MC (1915 in Sulitjelma – 1944) an engineer, and

Norwegian resistance member The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...

during WWII *

Jacob Jervell Jacob Stephan Jervell (21 May 1925 – 2 March 2014) was a Norwegian theologian, professor emeritus, author and priest. Biography Jervell was born at Fauske in Nordland county, Norway. He was the son of Sverre Jervell (1882-1955) and Thora Mejdell ( ...

(1925 in Fauske – 2014) a theologian, professor emeritus, author and priest * Eystein Husebye (born 1937 in Sulitjelma) a Norwegian seismologist and academic *

Ivar Antonsen Ivar Antonsen (born April 16, 1946, in Fauske, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer and had his debut at the Oslo jazz scene in 1967 together with Jan Garbarek, Palle Mikkelborg, Arild Andersen, and Espen Rud. Career Antonsen st ...

(born 1946 in Fauske) a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer *

Jørgen Kosmo Jørgen Hårek Kosmo (5 December 1947 – 24 July 2017) was a Norwegian politician. From 2005 to 2013 he was Auditor General of Norway, after representing the Labour Party in the Storting (parliament) for 20 years, of which the final 4 years we ...

(1947 Fauske – 2017) a Norwegian politician,

Auditor General of Norway The Office of the Auditor General of Norway ( no, Riksrevisjonen) is the state auditor of the Government of Norway and directly subordinate of the Parliament of Norway. It is responsible for auditing, monitoring and advising all state economic act ...

2005-2013 &

President of the Storting The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...

* Trine Angelsen, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1965 in Fauske) a Norwegian author *

Frode Nymo Frode Nymo (born 27 November 1975), is a Norwegian jazz musician ( alto Saxophone), and older brother of the tenor sax. player Atle Nymo. Career Nymo was born in Egersund and brought up in Valnesfjord, near Fauske. Early in his career, he ...

(born 1975) a jazz musician, plays alto saxophone; brought up in Valnesfjord * Atle Nymo (born 1977 in Valnesfjord) a jazz musician, plays tenor saxophone and bass clarinet *

Christel Alsos Christel Alsos Monsen (born 20 December 1984) is a Norwegian singer originating from Fauske. After high school with graduation in 2003 she moved to Gjøvik to study music at Viken Folkehøgskole. In 2004 she moved to Oslo. Having appeared on T ...

(born 1984 in Fauske) a Norwegian singer

Sport

Simon Slåttvik Simon Kaurin Slåttvik (24 July 1917 – 7 May 2001) was a Norwegian skier. He competed at the 1952 Winter Olympics in the Nordic combined and 18 km cross-country skiing and won the gold medal in the former event. Earlier he won a Nordic com ...

(1917 in Valnesfjord – 2001) a Norwegian skier, gold medallist at the 1952 Winter Olympics * Alexander Os (born 1980 in Fauske) a former Norwegian

biathlete The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not time ...

, competed at the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gret ...

* Ruben Imingen (born 1986 in Fauske) a former Norwegian footballer with 164 club caps

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway *
Weather forecast and statistics for Fauske in english
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Nordland Populated places of Arctic Norway 1905 establishments in Norway