Flakstad 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 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 the

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

group

Lofoten Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolv� ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ramberg. Other villages include Fredvang, Napp,

Nusfjord Nusfjord is a fishing village in Flakstad Municipality in Lofoten in Nordland county, Norway. The village lies on the southern shore of the island of Flakstadøya, along the Vestfjorden. In 2017, Uwe Rosenberg designed and published a board ...

, and Vareid. The municipality is located in the

Lofoten Islands Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvæ ...

and comprises the entire island of

Flakstadøya Flakstadøya is an island in the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. The entire island lies within Flakstad Municipality with the Vestfjorden on the east side of the island and the Norwegian Sea on the west side of the island. Geog ...

and the northern part of the island of

Moskenesøya Moskenesøya (lit. ''Moskenes Island'') is an island at the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. The island is shared between Moskenes Municipality and Flakstad Municipality. The tidal whirlpool system known as M ...

. The

European route E10 European route E10 is the second shortest Class A road which is part of the International E-road network. It begins in Å, Norway and ends in Luleå, Sweden. The road is about 850 km (530 mi) in length. The Norwegian part of the ...

highway runs across the whole municipality. The municipality is the 311th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Flakstad is the 317th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,216. 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 decreased by 12.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Flakstad was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 July 1916, the southern part of the municipality (population: 1,306) was separated to form the new

Moskenes Municipality Moskenes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality comprises the southern part of the island of Moskenesøya in the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Reine. Oth ...

. This left Flakstad with 1,667 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Flakstad (population: 2,067) was merged into the neighboring municipality of Moskenes (population: 2,001), creating a new, larger municipality of Moskenes. This merger, however, only lasted for twelve years. On 1 January 1976, the merger was undone with Moskenes (population: 1,705) and Flakstad (population: 2,007) becoming separate municipalities once again.

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 ''Flakstad'' farm ( Norse ''Flakstaðir''), since the first

Flakstad Church Flakstad Church ( no, Flakstad kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Flakstad Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Flakstad. It is the church for the Flakstad parish which is part of the Lofote ...

was built there. Historically, the name was spelled ''"Flagstad"''. The first element could be a Norse nickname (''flak'' meaning "reckless") or it could come from the word ''flag'' meaning "rock wall", possibly referring to the large cliff near the church site. The last element is ''staðir'' which means "homestead" or "farm".

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 ...

is from modern times (1989). The arms show a white fastening device used on boats on a blue background. The fastening device was chosen as a symbol for the community's seafaring history.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Flakstad. It is part of the

Lofoten prosti Lofoten () is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches and untouched lands. There are two towns, Svolvæ ...

( 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

The municipality's economy is dominated by

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

. The fishing fleet mainly consists of small boats. There are also several fish farm in Flakstad. There is 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 ...

in Flakstad, but mostly cattle and sheep farming rather than growing crops.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Flakstad, 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

Lofoten District Court Lofoten District Court ( no, Lofoten tingrett) was a district court in Nordland county, Norway. The court was based in the town of Svolvær. The court existed until 2021. It served the municipalities of Flakstad, Moskenes, Vestvågøy, and V� ...

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 Flakstad is made up of 11 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:

Mayor

The mayors of Flakstad (incomplete list): *2019–present: Trond Kroken ( Sp) *2015-2019: Hans Fredrik Sørdal ( Ap) *2007-2015: Stein Iversen (Sp) *2005-2007: Ann-Helen Fjeldstad Jusnes (Ap) *2003-2005:

Alf Ivar Samuelsen Alf Ivar Samuelsen (28 February 1942 – 16 September 2014) was a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. He was born in Flakstad as a son of smallholder and fisher Ingleiv Samuelsen (1908–1964) and housewife Amy Pedersen (1906–2002). He r ...

(Ap) *1986-1987:

(Ap)

Geography

Located near the southern end of the

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Arc ...

, Flakstad comprises all of the island of

and the northern part of the island of

. The islands are connected by the

Fredvang Bridges The Fredvang Bridges ( no, Fredvangbruene) are two cantilever bridges that connect the fishing village of Fredvang on the island of Moskenesøya with the neighboring island of Flakstadøya. The bridges are located in Flakstad Municipality in No ...

and the

Kåkern Bridge The Kåkern Bridge ( no, Kåkern bru) is a cantilever road bridge that crosses the Kåkernsundet strait between the islands of Flakstadøya and Moskenesøya in the municipality of Flakstad in Nordland county, Norway. The long Kåkern Bridge ...

. The large lake Solbjørnvatnet lies on the northern part of Moskenesøya in Flakstad.

Vestvågøy Municipality Vestvågøy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Leknes. Some of the villages in the municipality include Ballstad, Borg, ...

lies to the northeast on the island of

Vestvågøya Vestvågøya or Vest-Vågøy is an island in the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. The island is located within Vestvågøy Municipality. The island lies between the islands of Austvågøya and Gimsøya to the northeast and Flak ...

, the

Vestfjorden Vestfjorden is a long fjord or oceanic sea in Nordland county, Norway. The name literally means "the west fjord", although it is called a fjord, it could best be described as a firth or an open bight of sea. The "fjord" lies between the Lofo ...

lies to the southeast, the

lies to the southwest on the island of

, and the

Norwegian Sea The Norwegian Sea ( no, Norskehavet; is, Noregshaf; fo, Norskahavið) is a marginal sea, grouped with either the Atlantic Ocean or the Arctic Ocean, northwest of Norway between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea, adjoining the Barents Sea to ...

lies to the northwest.

Climate

Notable people

* Fredrik Arentz Krog (1844 in Flakstad – 1923) a Norwegian barrister * Gina Krog (1847 in Flakstad – 1916) a Norwegian suffragist, teacher, liberal politician and editor *

Birger Eriksen Birger Kristian Eriksen (17 November 1875 – 16 July 1958) was a Norwegian officer (with the rank of Oberst) who was instrumental in stopping the first wave of ''Gruppe 5'' of the German invasion force outside Oslo. Eriksen was the comman ...

(1875 in Flakstad – 1958) a Norwegian officer, commander of

Oscarsborg Fortress Oscarsborg Fortress ( no, Oscarsborg festning) is a coastal fortress in the Oslofjord, close to the small town of Drøbak in Viken county, Norway. The best known part is situated on two small islets. The main artillery batteries are on the island ...

in WWII *

Sigurd Lund Hamran Sigurd Lund Hamran (24 January 1902 – 4 November 1977) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Flakstad. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Nordland in 1954, and was re-elected on three occasions. He h ...

(1902 in Flakstad – 1977) a politician, Mayor and deputy Mayor of Moskenes between 1937 & 1961 *

(1942 in Flakstad – 2014) a Norwegian politician and Mayor of in Flakstad

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway * {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Lofoten Municipalities of Nordland Populated places of Arctic Norway 1838 establishments in Norway 1964 disestablishments in Norway 1976 establishments in Norway