Lødingen ( sme, Lodegat) 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 in Norway. Lødingen is located on the southeastern corner of the island of

Hinnøya Hinnøya is the fourth-largest island in Norway, and the largest outside the Svalbard archipelago. The lies just off the western coast of Northern Norway. The island sits on the border of Nordland and Troms og Finnmark counties. The western pa ...

, and is 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 is the village of Lødingen. The other main part of the municipality is Vestbygda. Lødingen has the nickname "Biketown" because it hosts several annual bicycle races, including "Lofoten Insomnia" and Vestbygd-rittet. The municipality is by area the 202nd largest out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lødingen is the 282nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,976. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 9.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Lødingen 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). On 1 January 1869, the southern district of Lødingen surrounding the

Tysfjorden or or Storrusten, Erling. 1998. ''Hurtigruten: The World's Most Beautiful Sea Voyage''. Narvik: Ofotens og Vesteraalens Dampskibsselskab, p. 69. is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. The fjord is the border between Narvik Municipality and Ham ...

on the mainland (population: 1,402) was separated to form the new

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 ...

. This left 2,064 residents in Lødingen. Then on 1 January 1909, the northeastern district of Lødingen (population: 1,404) was separated to form the new

Tjeldsund Municipality Tjeldsund ( sme, Dielddanuorri) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The southwestern part of the municipality is part of the traditional district of Ofoten and the rest of the municipality is part of Central Hålogaland. The ...

. This left 3,034 residents in Lødingen. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, the southern mainland part of Lødingen 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 ...

and 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 ...

(population: 433) were transferred to

Ballangen Municipality Ballangen ( sme, Bálák) is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1925 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of th ...

. Then on 1 January 1964, the eastern part of Lødingen on the island of

Tjeldøya or is an island in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The island is located entirely in Tjeldsund Municipality. North and west of the island lies the Tjeldsundet strait which separates it from the large island of Hinnøya; south of the island i ...

(population: 297) was transferred to Tjeldsund Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old ''Lødingen'' farm ( Old Norse: ''Lǫðueng''), since the first

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

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 ''laða'' which means "

grain A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit (caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legum ...

/ hay barn" and the last element is ''eng'' which means " meadow".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 May 1984. The arms show a gold-colored woollen

thread Thread may refer to: Objects * Thread (yarn), a kind of thin yarn used for sewing ** Thread (unit of measurement), a cotton yarn measure * Screw thread, a helical ridge on a cylindrical fastener Arts and entertainment * ''Thread'' (film), 2016 ...

that is folded as a flower with five leaves on a red background. The municipality is at the junction of road, shipping, and ferry routes to five areas: Lofoten,

, Salten, Vesterålen, and Southern Troms. It is also located between five fjords:

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 Lofote ...

, Ofotfjorden,

, Tjeldsundet, and

Gullesfjorden Gullesfjorden is a fjord that cuts into the island of Hinnøya in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located mostly within Kvæfjord Municipality, although a small part in the northwestern part of the fjord lies in Sortland Municipality in ...

. The symbol is also an ancient symbol for good

fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

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 one parish () within the municipality of Lødingen. It is 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.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Lødingen, 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

Ofoten District Court Ofoten District Court ( no, Ofoten tingrett) was a district court in Nordland county (and a small part of Troms) in Norway. The court was based in the town of Narvik. The court existed until 2021. The court served the northeastern part of the N ...

and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Lødingen is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Lødingen (incomplete list): *2019–present: Hugo Bongard Jacobsen ( Ap) *2015-2019: Atle Andersen (Ap) *2011-2015: Anita Marthinussen ( H) *2007-2011: Vibeke Tveit (Ap) *2003-2007: Kurt Olsen ( SV) *1999-2003: Eirik Eriksen (Ap)

Geography

The municipality encompasses the southern part of the island of

. The terrain is mountainous, with several small islands and fjords. The

of the municipality is the village of Lødingen, located at the inner part of the

at the southern entrance of the Tjeldsundet strait. The nearest airport is Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes, about away by road. Lødingen is an important

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...

harbor, the car ferry to/from

Bognes Bognes is a ferry port in Hamarøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the outer part of the Tysfjorden on the western side of the fjord. The port is located about south of the village of Korsnes and about north of the vil ...

in Tysfjord leaves 12 times per day and takes 60 minutes. Møysalen National Park is located in the northern part of the municipality. It's named after the mountain

Møysalen Møysalen is a mountain in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the border of the municipalities of Sortland and Lødingen. At tall, it is the highest mountain on the island of Hinnøya and the second highest mountain on any island in Nor ...

on the municipal border between Lødingen and Sortland. The

Rotvær Lighthouse Rotvær Lighthouse ( no, Rotvær fyr) is a coastal lighthouse in Lødingen Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The lighthouse sits at the east end of the island of Fugløya, part of dangerous reef at the entrance to the Ofotfjorden, about ...

is located in Lødingen.

Climate

Attractions

* Eye in Stone (''Øye i stein''), part of

Artscape Nordland Artscape Nordland (''Skulpturlandskap Nordland'') is an international art project that aims to bring art to people where they live, art museums being few and far apart in the sparsely populated county of Nordland. The project currently includes 33 ...

(''Skulpturlandskap Nordland'') * Norwegian Telecom Museum, telegraphy * Pilotage Service Museum *

Notable people

Christopher Nyrop Christopher Nyrop (29 March 1680–29 March 1733) was a Norwegian theologian and priest. He served as a bishop of the Diocese of Christianssand from 1720 until his death in 1733. Personal life Christopher Nyrop was born on 29 March 1680 ...

(1680–1733) a theologian and Bishop of Christianssand *

Dagfinn Bakke Dagfinn Bakke (16 August 1933 – 1 January 2019) was a Norwegian painter, illustrator and printmaker. Career Bakke was born in Lødingen, and settled in Svolvær. From 1952 he worked as illustrator for the magazine '' Magasinet For Alle''. From ...

(1933–2019) a painter, illustrator and printmaker *

Dagfinn Henrik Olsen Dagfinn Henrik Olsen (born 29 June 1966) is a Norwegian politician for the Progress Party. He served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Nordland during the terms 1997–2001, 2013–2017 and 2017–2021. When regular rep ...

(born 1966) a Norwegian politician

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 ...

*
Skulpturlandskap Nordland

Norwegian Telecom Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lodingen Municipalities of Nordland Populated places of Arctic Norway 1838 establishments in Norway