Målselv ( sme, Málatvuomi suohkan) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. 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 Moen. The main commercial centre of the municipality is the Bardufoss area (including Andselv, Andslimoen, and Heggelia). Other villages in the municipality include

Alappmoen Alappmoen or Alapmoen is a small farming village in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located about south of the Målselva river and about southeast of the urban area of Bardufoss, and about southwest of ...

Fossmoen Fossmoen is a small village in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the Bardufoss area, about southeast of Bardufoss Airport and the village of Andselv. The village is named after the nearby ''Bardufossen'' ...

, Holmen, and Skjold. Besides bordering

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 east and the ocean (

Malangen Malangen ( sme, Málatvuotna or fkv, Malankivuono) is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1871 until its dissolution in 1964. The old municipality surrounded the Malangen fjord and today that area ...

fjord) to the northwest, it borders the municipalities of Balsfjord,

Storfjord Storfjord ( se, Omasvuotna ; fkv, Omasvuono) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hatteng. Other villages in Storfjord include Elvevoll, Oteren, and Skibotn. T ...

, Bardu,

Sørreisa Sørreisa ( sme, Ráisavuona suohkan) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sørreisa. Other villages include Grunnreisa, Skøelva, and Smørsgård. The municip ...

, and Lenvik. The municipality is the 11th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Målselv is the 149th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,599. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 0% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of ''Maalselven'' was established in 1848 when it was separated from the large Lenviken Municipality. The initial population of Maalselven was 2,616. In 1891, some parts of the Maalsnes area (population: 30) were transferred to neighboring

municipality. On 1 January 1904, an area with 5 inhabitants was transferred from Balsfjord Municipality to Maalselven. The spelling of the name was changed to Målselv in 1918. On 1 July 1925, the eastern district of the municipality was separated from Målselv to form the new

Øverbygd Øverbygd is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1925 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in what is now the eastern part of Målselv Municipality, stretching from the border with Sweden in ...

municipality. This left Målselv with 3,531 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of

(population: 1,232), the municipality of Målselv (population: 5,584), the Naveren and Målsnes areas of

(population: 118), and the "Skogli ved Heia" farm in Balsfjord (population: 2) were all merged to form a new, larger municipality of Målselv with a new population of 6,936. On 1 January 1966, the Sørelvmo/ Aursfjordbotn area (population: 131) was transferred from Balsfjord to Målselv. Then on 1 January 1972, the "Blomli i Fagerfjell" area of Målselv (population: 63) was transferred to

Lenvik Municipality Lenvik ( sme, Leaŋgáviika) is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020. The municipality was partly situated on the mainland and partly on the isla ...

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

Name

The municipality is named after the river Målselva. 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 the old uncompounded name of the Malangen fjord: and the last element is the finite form of ''elv'' which means " river". The old name of the fjord is identical with the Old Norse word which means "bag" or "sack" (referring to the shape of the fjord). Prior to 1918, the name was written ''"Maalselven"''.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 1 February 1985. The arms show a white river on a green background. They are a canting that represent the Målselva river which runs through the municipality.

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 two parishes () within the municipality of Målselv. It is part of the

Indre Troms prosti Indre (; oc, Endre) is a landlocked department in central France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are known as the ''Indriens'' (masculine; ) and ''Indriennes'' (feminine; ). Indre is part of the current administ ...

(

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 Nord-Hålogaland Nord-Hålogaland ( no, Nord-Hålogaland bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers the Church of Norway churches in Troms og Finnmark county as well as in the territory of Svalbard. The diocese is seated in the city of Tromsø ...

Geography

Målselv was settled by farmers from southern Norway, especially Østerdalen from 1788 and onwards. They were attracted by the vast forests and areas of fertile land in the broad Målselvdalen. The valley and municipality take their name from the river Målselva. The river is well known for its salmon, and forms the Målselv waterfall ( no, Målselvfossen), which has been selected as Norway's national waterfall. The Målselva empties into the Malangen fjord north of Olsborg. There are several mountains in the municipality: Njunis () is the highest and Istind is popular among hikers. There are many lakes such as Andsvatnet, Finnfjordvatnet,

Rostojávri , , or is a lake on the border between Norway and Sweden. The Norwegian side of the lake is located in Målselv Municipality in Troms county and the Swedish side of the lake is located in Kiruna Municipality in Norrbotten County. The Norwegian p ...

Lille Rostavatn or is a lake in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is part of the Rostaelva river system which empties into the great Målselva river. It is located about east of the village of Skjold, Troms, Skjold. See also *List ...

, and Takvatnet. One of the rarest orchids in Europe,

Lysiella oligantha The genus ''Platanthera'' belongs to the subfamily Orchidoideae of the family Orchidaceae, and comprises about 150 species of orchids. The members of this genus, known as the butterfly orchids or fringed orchids, were previously included in the ...

( no, Sibirnattfiol), is found in Målselv. Øvre Dividal National Park () is located in the easternmost part of Målselv, near the border with Sweden.

Media gallery

File:Målselv kirke (3).jpg, Målselv kirke Målselva river(2).jpg, Målselv river and valley 2 norwegian Leopard tanks in the snow.jpg, The Norwegian Armed Forces has a long history in Målselv Heggelia.jpg, Heggelia in Målselv Målselv kirke (2).jpg, Memorial for those killed during WW2 in Målselv Dividal.jpg, Øvre Dividal national park Blåtindan in Målselv.jpg, Blåtindan mountain

Climate

Målselv has a

boreal climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

( Köppen climate classification: Dfc) with cold winters, and with spring and early summer as the driest season. Målselv is fairly sheltered from the coastal weather, and has a somewhat inland climate. The all-time high is from July 2018, while the warmest month on record at Bardufoss Airport is July 2014 with average daily high and mean . The all-time low was recorded December 1978. The coldest month recorded is February 1966 with mean and average daily low . Mean annual precipitation is at Bardufoss and only in the Divi valley, which sits at above sea level. There is on average 93 days each winter with daily low or colder, and 28 days with low or colder. The winter season sees on average 68 days with at least snow cover on the ground, 126 days with at least snow cover, and 179 days with at least snow cover. In the warm season there is on average 116 days each year when the daily average high reaches or warmer and 22 days with daily average high above . Precipitation is fairly moderate, there is on average 75 days per year with at least precipitation and 15 days per year with at least precipitation. This is based on data from Met.no with 1971–2000 as base period. The average date for first overnight freeze (below ) in autumn is 4 September (1981-2010 average).

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Målselv, 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

Senja District Court Senja District Court ( no, Senja tingrett) was a district court located in the town of Finnsnes in Troms county, Norway. The court served the central and southeastern part of the county which included the municipalities of Bardu, Berg, Dyrøy, L ...

and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Målselv is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors

The mayors of Målselv (incomplete list): *2019–present: Bengt-Magne Luneng ( Sp) *2015-2019: Nils Foshaug ( Ap) *2011-2015: Helene Rognli ( H) *2003-2011: Viggo Fossum (Ap) *1995-2003: Lars Nymo (Sp) *1993-1995: Helge Paulsen (Ap) *1990-1993: Vidkunn Haugli ( V)

Economy

A local newspaper,

Nye Troms ''Nye Troms'' is a local newspaper published in Målselv, 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 Scan ...

, covering Målselv, Bardu, and Balsfjord, has its main office in the Olsborg/Moen area. The municipality administration is located at Moen, about east of Olsborg. Further south along

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 ...

is the Bardufoss region, which encompasses the local communities Andselv, Andslimoen, and Heggelia, the latter including the Norwegian army's 6th division. Near Andselv is the Bardufoss Airport and the

Bardufoss Air Station Bardufoss Air Station ( no, Bardufoss flystasjon) is a military air station located at Bardufoss in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county in Northern Norway. It is the location of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) 139 Air Wing and ...

of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, including the 337th and 339th Air Force helicopter squadrons. Målselv municipality, together with neighbouring Bardu, has the largest concentration of army bases in the country. Moving further up the valley, another local community is Rundhaug, and moving eastwards, closer to Øvre Dividal National Park, is the community of Øverbygd, housing two more sub-communities Skjold and Holt. The former also houses the Skjold base for mechanized infantry and combat engineers. Tourism is a growing industry in Målselv, with the opening of Målselv Fjellandsby, an alpine ski destination. Målselv is also home to Målselvfossen, Norway's national waterfall and a mecca for salmon fishermen.

Bardufoss concentration camp The Bardufoss concentration camp was located in Northern Norway in the municipality of Målselv. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, the Nazi authorities established a "concentration camp in the town of Bardufoss," as an annex to the ...

was located here during World War II.

Arne Berggren Arne Berggren (born 26 October 1960) is a Norwegian novelist, children's writer, songwriter and rock musician. He made his literary debut in 1991. In 1992 he published ''Stillemannen'', which was awarded the Critics Prize for the year's best chil ...

established a film production hub, Shuuto Arctic, at FilmCamp Nord, a former military base in Målselv. Shuuto Arctic's first production was ''The River'' (2017) and was followed by ''

Outlier In statistics, an outlier is a data point that differs significantly from other observations. An outlier may be due to a variability in the measurement, an indication of novel data, or it may be the result of experimental error; the latter are ...

'' (2020). Karen Anette Anti sametingsrepresentant 2017

Notable people

Meyer Foshaug Meyer Nilssen Foshaug (15 June 1868 – 6 June 1955) was a Norwegian farmer and politician for the Labour and Social Democratic Labour parties. He served ten terms in the Parliament of Norway. Career He was born at Foshaug in Målselv as a so ...

(1868 in Foshaug – 1955) a Norwegian farmer and politician *

Johannes Martens Johannes Martens (9 July 1870 – 6 March 1938) was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Conservative Party. Personal life He was born in Målselv as a son of dean Nikolai Martens (1836–1890) and Eleonora Henrikke Clodius Giæver. ...

(1870 in Målselv – 1938) a Norwegian newspaper editor *

Erling Mossige Erling Mossige (16 April 1907 – 3 January 1997) was a Norway, Norwegian jurist and banker. He was born at Målselv in Troms, Norway. He was a son of district physician Rasmus Mossige (1865–1954) and Aagot Koller. In 1936 he married Hanne ...

(1907 in Målselv – 1997) a Norwegian jurist and banker *

Aase Nordmo Løvberg Aase Nordmo Løvberg (10 June 192325 January 2013) was a Norwegian opera soprano. ''Dagbladet'' called her "one of Norway's greatest opera singers." For many years she sang with Jussi Björling at the Royal Opera in Stockholm, and she also sang ...

(1923 in Målselv – 2013) a Norwegian opera soprano IMDb Database
retrieved 18 August 2020 * William Engseth (born 1933 in Målselv) a Norwegian politician, President of the Norwegian Olympic Committee *

Viggo Fossum Viggo Fossum (4 December 1949 – 23 April 2019) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of Norway from Troms during the term 2009–2013. In total he met during 23 days of parl ...

(1949–2019) was a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Målselv from 2003 to 2011 *

Svein Nymo Svein Nymo (10 June 1953 – 15 August 2014) was a Norwegians, Norwegian violinist and composer from Målselv in Troms, and the son of the traditional Norwegian folk musician Johan Nymo. Biography Nymo participated on many recordings with vari ...

(1953 in Målselv – 2014) a Norwegian violinist and composer *

Geir Pollen Geir Pollen (born 4 April 1953 in Målselv) is a Norwegian poet, novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists ...

(born 1953 in Målselv) a Norwegian poet, novelist and translator *

Karen Anette Anti Karen Anette Anti (born 1972) is a Norwegian Sami politician. From 2017, she has been a member of the Sámi Parliament of Norway. She was elected to the Norwegian Sami National Assembly from the Gáisi constituency as the first Norwegian Sámi As ...

(born 1972), Norwegian Sami politician *

Ragnhild Furebotten Ragnhild Furebotten (born 10 March 1979 in Saltdal, Norway) is a Norwegian fiddler, folk musician and composer, and former member of the traditional folk band Majorstuen and present member and founder of Hekla Stålstrenga. Career Furebotten p ...

(born 1979) a Norwegian fiddler, folk musician and composer; lives in Målselv

Sport

Jostein Nordmoe Jostein Nordmoe (23 January 1895 – 1965) was a Canadian skier. He competed in the Nordic combined event at the 1932 Winter Olympics The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Lake ...

(1895 in Målselv – 1965) a Canadian skier, competed at the

1932 Winter Olympics The 1932 Winter Olympics, officially known as the III Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Lake Placid 1932, were a winter multi-sport event in the United States, held in Lake Placid, New York, United States. The games opened on February ...

Sverre Stenersen Sverre Stenersen (18 June 1926 – 17 December 2005) was a Norwegian Nordic combined skier who dominated the event throughout the 1950s. His biggest triumphs were winning individual gold medals at the 1954 World Championships and 1956 Olympics. H ...

(1926 in Målselv – 2005) a Norwegian Nordic combined skier, bronze medallist at the

1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 6. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 6. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 195 ...

and gold medallist at the

1956 Winter Olympics The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games ( it, VII Giochi Olimpici invernali) and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( lld, Anpezo 1956 or ), was a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from ...

Odd Brandsegg Odd Arne Brandsegg (born 19 July 1948 in Målselv) is a Swedish former ski jumper who represented Njurunda IK. He took part in the German-Austrian Jumping Tournament from 1974 to 1977, and came joint 25th in 1975/76. His best single result was ...

(born 1948 in Målselv) a Swedish former ski jumper * Erik Valnes (born 1996) a Norwegian cross-country skier

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 ...

* * *
Picture and information regarding Bardufoss Airport from Avinor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maalselv Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark Populated places of Arctic Norway 1848 establishments in Norway