( sma, Nåavmesjenjaelmie) is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. 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 town of Namsos. Some of the villages in the municipality include

Bangsund Bangsund is a village in the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. It lies along the Løgnin arm of the Namsenfjorden, about south of the town of Namsos. The villages of Klinga and Sævik lie to the northeast along the Norwegi ...

, Klinga, Ramsvika,

Skomsvoll Skomsvoll is a village on the island of Otterøya in the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located on the south side of the island, along the Namsenfjorden. The village of Statland (in neighboring Flatanger municipality ...

Spillum Spillum is a village in the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located along the south side of the Namsen river about directly south of the centre of the town of Namsos and about north of the village of Klinga. ...

Sævik Sævik or Sævig is a small village in the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village was the site of the old Sævik Church until the mid-1800s. The village is located about half-way between the villages of Klinga and Sp ...

, Dun,

Salsnes Salsnes is a village in the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located on the mainland of Fosnes on a small isthmus of land between the Foldafjord and the lake Salsvatnet. Salen Chapel Salen Chapel ( no, Salen kapell) is ...

, Nufsfjord,

Lund Lund (, , ) is a city in the southern Swedish provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, across the Øresund, Öresund strait from Copenhagen. The town had 91,940 inhabitants out of a municipal total of 121,510 . It is the seat of Lund Municipali ...

Namdalseid Namdalseid is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it joined Namsos Municipality. It was part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipal ...

Sjøåsen Sjøåsen is a village in the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located at the mouth of the river Årgårdselva at the end of the Løgnin arm of the Namsenfjorden. It is located along Norwegian County Road 17 at the inte ...

Statland Statland is a village in the northern part of the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village lies along the Namsenfjorden, about north of the village of Tøttdalen. The village has a school and Statland Church. The island ...

, Tøttdalen, and

Sverkmoen Sverkmoen is a farming area in the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is west of the village of Namdalseid, between the lake Øyungen and the river Sverka which flows through a flat landscape covered with forest A ...

. The municipality is the 30th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Namsos is the 80th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 15,001. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 2.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Name

The first part of the name comes from the local river Namsen. The last element is ''os'', which means the " mouth of a river".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted to the town of Namsos on 5 May 1961. They were re-granted on 21 October 1966 when the town was merged into the municipality of Namsos. The arms show a golden moose head on a red background. The moose was chosen as a symbol for the municipality, since Namsos is the capital of the forest-rich Namdalen region, and the moose is the "king of the forest".

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 seven parishes () within the municipality of Namsos. It is part of the

Namdal prosti This list of churches in Nidaros is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Nidaros which covers all of Trøndelag county in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each deanery in the diocese. Administrat ...

(

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 Nidaros Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Trøndelag county in Central Norway and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. Since 10 September 2017, the Bishop of Nidaros is Herborg ...

History

On 1 January 1838, the parish of

Vemundvik Vemundvik is a village in Namsos municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located along the shore, about north of the Namsos (town), town of Namsos and about east of the village of Ramsvika, Trøndelag, Ramsvika. Vemundvik Ch ...

was established as a municipality (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). In 1846, the village of Namsos in Vemundvik was established as a ladested. Namsos was located at the mouth of the Namsen river in the

area of Vemundvik. The new ladested (town) was established as its own municipality, with 591 inhabitants. This left Vemundvik with 908 residents. In 1865, the town of Namsos also became a parish in the

. It had been decided to build a church in the city in March 1859; the construction was finished in November. In May 1865, the parish was created, with the sub-parishes of Sævik and Vemundvik, formerly within Overhalla parish, was incorporated into Namsos' parish limits. Areas of Vemundvik lying adjacent to the town of Namsos were later incorporated within the city limits on numerous occasions. On 1 January 1882, an area with 109 inhabitants was moved to the town; on 1 July 1921 an area with 927 inhabitants; and on 1 July 1957, another area with a population of 6. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the size of Namsos was significantly increased as the neighboring municipalities of

(population: 2,040) and Klinga (population: 2,482) were incorporated into the town of Namsos (population: 5,224). On the same date, the northern part of the neighboring municipality of

Otterøy Otterøy is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in the what is now the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county. The former municip ...

(population: 1,013), and the Finnanger area of

Fosnes Fosnes is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Namsos Municipality. It was part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the muni ...

municipality (population: 116) were also incorporated into Namsos. Namsos, which previously had a population of 5,224, had its size increased to 10,875 inhabitants. Consisting mostly of wooden houses, it has been burned down to the ground on three occasions during its relatively short history. The first fire was in 1872, caused by two boys playing with matches. The second fire was in 1897, from an unknown cause. The third time was during World War II when the town was bombed by German airplanes on 20 April 1940. The location by the river and the large forests nearby made the town ideal for sawmills. There were eleven mills in their heyday, but only one remains: Moelven Van Severen. In addition, the

Norwegian Sawmill Museum The Norwegian Sawmill Museum ( no, Norsk Sagbruksmuseum) is a museum located in the village of Spillum in Namsos Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The town of Namsos lies just to the north, across the river Namsen. The museum opened in ...

is located at

just south of the town. The museum is located at the now closed and restored Spillum Dampsag & Hovleri sawmill from 1884. The town has a swimming pool,

Oasen Oasen Storsenter is a shopping centre in Norheim in Karmøy, Norway. In 2014 it had a turnover of 688 million Norwegian kroner. It has 65 stores in 33,000 m2 of building space (18,500 m2 of commercial space). In addition to this there ar ...

, built inside a mountain. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old

Nord-Trøndelag Nord-Trøndelag (; "North Trøndelag") was a county constituting the northern part of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. The county was established in 1804 when the old Trondhjems amt was divided into two: Nordre Trondhjems amt and S ...

county to the new Trøndelag county. On 1 January 2020, the three neighboring municipalities of

, Namsos, and

merged to form a new, larger Namsos municipality. This occurred because on 16 June 2016 the three municipalities voted to merge as part of a large municipal reform across Norway.

Geography

The town is located on a small bay, about from the sea, near the head of Namsenfjorden and at the mouth of the river Namsen, one of the richest salmon rivers in Europe. The municipality also includes the islands of

Otterøya Otterøya is an island in the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. The island is the largest island in the northern part of Trøndelag county. Otterøya sits just to the northwest of the town of Namsos on the north side of the ...

and

Hoddøya Hoddøya is an island in the municipality of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. It lies in the Namsenfjorden, about west of the town of Namsos. The island is located between the island of Otterøya (to the north and east) and the mainland of ...

as well as the southwestern half of

Elvalandet Elvalandet is an island in Trøndelag county, Norway. The island is located in the municipalities of Namsos and Fosnes. It is located in the Lauvøyfjorden, just south of the island of Jøa, east of the island of Otterøya, and west of the mainl ...

island. The main part of the town is built on a small, low-lying

promontory A promontory is a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland or a body of water (in which case it is a peninsula). Most promontories either are formed from a hard ridge of rock that has resisted the erosive forces that have removed the so ...

which extends into the bay. To the north, low forested hills rise fairly steeply to over . There is a viewpoint from the hills above the city which is called Klompen with a height of with a road for cars up to the top that is open each summer. To the east extends the wide Namdalen valley. To the south over the bay and mouth of the river Namsen are hills that reach .

Climate

Namsos has a humid continental climate or

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

, depending on the winter threshold used (0C or -3C). The weather station is near the small airport, situated about inland from Namsos along the river. Monthly average daily high temperature range from in the coldest months (January and February) to in July. The all-time high is recorded on July 27, 2019. The warmest month on record at the airport was July 2014 with average daily high and monthly mean . Namsos Airport recorded on May 31, 2013, which is the record high for May for the Trøndelag region. The record low was recorded January 2010. Autumn and winter are the wettest seasons, while late spring is the driest.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Namsos, 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 tenth 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 Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Namsos is made up of 41 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Namsos (incomplete list): *2015–present: Arnhild Holstad ( Ap) *2007-2015: Morten Stene (Ap) *2003-2007: Kåre Aalberg ( SV) *1992-2003: Snorre Ness (Ap) *1976-1991:

Gunnar Solum Gunnar Solum (1929 – 11 June 2008) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He started his career in journalism. He was editor-in-chief of ''Brønnøysunds Avis'', then became a journalist in ''Namdalsavisa'' in 1961. He was promoted to ...

(Ap)

Transportation

Namsos Airport Namsos Airport ( no, Namsos lufthavn; ), referred locally as Høknesøra Airport, is a regional airport located along the Namsen river, just outside the town of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is served with Dash 8 aircraft from ...

is located just outside the town of Namsos, around 3 km from the city, with direct flights to Oslo, Trondheim, Rørvik, Mosjøen, Bodø. Norwegian County Road 17 runs through part of the municipality. The closed Namsos Line runs from Namsos to Grong. The island of

is connected to the mainland via the

Lokkaren Bridge The Lokkaren Bridge ( no, Lokkarbrua or Lokkaren bru) is a suspension bridge in Namsos municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The bridge crosses the Lokkarsundet strait that runs between the mainland of Namsos and the island of Otterøya ...

Notable people

Public service

Jørgen Johannes Havig Jørgen Johannes Havig (July 31, 1808 – January 19, 1883) was a Norwegian bailiff (''lensmann''), farm owner, and politician. He is regarded as a driving force behind the founding of Namsos, which was established as a " small seaport" ( no, ...

(1808–1883) bailiff ( lensmann), farmer and politician; helped found Namsos *

Christian Møinichen Havig Christian Møinichen Havig (April 4, 1825 – April 10, 1912) was a Norwegian bailiff (''lensmann'') and Storting representative for Nordland from 1871 to 1888. Family Havig was born at the Havika farm in Overhalla in the Namdalen district, n ...

(1825 in Overhalla – 1912) a Norwegian bailiff, ( lensmann) *

Fredrik Havig Christian Fredrik Nergaard Havig (October 13, 1855 – August 30, 1927) was a Norwegian judge, mayor, and Storting representative. Havig was born in 1855 in Namdalen, where his father, Christian Møinichen Havig, served as bailiff (''lensmann ...

(1855 in Namdalen – 1927) a Norwegian judge, Mayor and politician * Osborne J. P. Widtsoe (1877 in Namsos – 1920) principal of the

Latter-day Saints University Ensign College (formerly LDS Business College) is a private college in Salt Lake City, Utah. The college is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and operates under its Church Educational System. It also includes ...

in Salt Lake City *

Olav Heggstad Olav Heggstad (March 5, 1877 – May 2, 1954) was a Norwegian civil engineer and professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology. Heggstad was born in Namsos,''Norges tekniske høiskole: Beretning om virksomheten 1910–1920''. 1920. Trondheim ...

(1877 in Namsos – 1954) a civil engineer and professor at the

Norwegian Institute of Technology The Norwegian Institute of Technology (Norwegian: ''Norges tekniske høgskole'', NTH) was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 58 years, after which it was m ...

Otto Christian Dahl Otto Christian Dahl (July 15, 1903 – November 11, 1995) was a Norwegian missionary in Madagascar, linguist, and government scholar. Dahl was born in Namsos. He enrolled in theology studies in 1924, graduated in 1927, and was ordained the same y ...

(1903 in Namsos – 1995) a missionary in Madagascar, linguist and

government scholar Government scholar (Norwegian, ''statsstipendiat'') is a position awarded by the Parliament of Norway upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Research and funded directly over the State budget of Nor ...

Knut Løfsnes Knut Ingolf Løfsnes (22 December 1918 – 5 January 1996) was a Norwegian resistance member, politician and lawyer. He was a central leader of the clandestine organization XU during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany, leading the mid-No ...

(1918 in Namsos – 1996) a

Norwegian resistance 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, ...

member, politician and lawyer *

Live Marié Strømmen Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music * Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of album ...

(2001 Namsos - present day) a breakdancer and saleswoman *

Guttorm Hansen Guttorm Hansen (3 November 1920 – 2 April 2009) was a Norwegian writer and politician for the Labour Party. He started his career as a mechanic, but after 1945 he was a journalist and editor of magazines and newspapers. Via local politics in hi ...

(1920 in Namsos – 2009) a writer and politician; President of the Storting 1973-1981 and a prolific book writer *

(1929–2008) a Norwegian politician, four time Mayor of Namsos *

Anne Alvik Anne Alvik (born 7 May 1937) is a Norwegian physician and civil servant. She was born in Namsos. She graduated with the cand.med. degree from the University of Oslo in 1962, and with a Master of Science degree in community medicine at the London ...

(born 1937) a Norwegian physician and civil servant. * Harald Tveit Alvestrand (born 1959 Namsos) a Norwegian computer scientist

The Arts

* Olav Duun (1876 on Jøa – 1939) a noteworthy author of Norwegian fiction *

Arne Svendsen Arne Svendsen (11 December 1884 – 20 November 1958) was a Norwegian songwriter, actor and revue writer. Career Svendsen was born in Fosnes in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway. In 1910, he left home and settled in Fredrikstad, where he first wor ...

(1884 in Fosnes – 1958) a songwriter, folk poet, actor and revue writer IMDb Database
retrieved 28 August 2020 * Simon Flem Devold (1929 in Namsos – 2015) an author, journalist and jazz clarinetist *

Åge Aleksandersen Åge Aleksandersen (born 21 March 1949 in Namsos, Norway) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is one of his country's best known singer/songwriters and musicians. Some of his most well known songs are "''Lys og varme''" (''Light ...

(born 1949 in Namsos) a Norwegian singer, songwriter and guitarist *

Terje Tysland Terje Tysland (born 14 April 1951) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, guitarist and accordion player. Tysland was born in Namsos. From 1969 to 1976 he was member of the rock group ''Prudence'', led by Åge Aleksandersen. His first solo album was ' ...

(born 1951 in Namsos) a singer, songwriter, guitarist and accordion player *

Idar Lind Idar Lind (born 23 September 1954) is a Norwegian novelist, crime fiction writer, songwriter and playwright. Biography Lind was born on the island of Otterøya (now part of Namsos) in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. He made his literary debut in ...

(born 1954 on Otterøya) novelist, crime fiction writer, songwriter and playwright *

Carl Frode Tiller Carl Frode Tiller (born 4 January 1970 in Namsos) is a Norwegian author, historian and musician. His works are in Nynorsk (lit. "New Norwegian"), one of the two official Norwegian standard languages. Tiller made his literary debut in 2001 with t ...

(born 1970 in Namsos) a Nynorsk author, historian and musician *

Frode Saugestad Frode Saugestad (born 2. April 1974 in Namsos) is a Norwegian literary scholar, publisher and adventurer. He lives in London and Cambridge Massachusetts, United States. Previously he was Pr/Marketing Manager for Diesel Jeans in Norway, and in 1999 ...

(born 1974 in Namsos) a literary scholar, publisher and adventurer *

Jostein Gulbrandsen Jostein Gulbrandsen (born 19 October 1976 in Namsos, Norway) is a New York based Norwegian guitarist and composer. Biography Gulbrandsen was attracted to music from an early age, and he picked up the guitar at 9. After enrolling in the perform ...

(born 1976 in Namsos) a New York-based guitarist and composer *

Jon Rune Strøm Jon Rune Strøm (born 29 January 1985 in Namsos, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (Double bass, upright bass, bass guitar). Biography Strøm was raised on an island in north-western coast of Norway, and was early influenced by musicians li ...

(born 1985 in Namsos) a Jazz musician, plays Upright bass & Bass guitar * D.D.E. a pop/rock group founded in Namsos in 1992

Sport

Per Joar Hansen - Norway national under-21 football team (03)

Anton Dahl Anton Dahl (19 December 1882 – 3 November 1952) was a Norwegian sports shooter. He competed in the 300m military rifle event at the 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympisch ...

(1882 in Bangsund – 1952) a sports shooter, competed at the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

Tone Haugen Tone Haugen (born 6 February 1964) is a former Norwegian professional footballer who played as a midfielder. With the Norway women's national team, Haugen won the 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup and an Olympic bronze medal in 1996. At club level ...

(born 1964 in Namsos) a former footballer with 90 appearances with the Norway women's national football team and team bronze medallist at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Per Joar Hansen Per Joar Hansen (born 17 August 1965) is a Norwegian football coach. He grew up in the small community of Trofors in Nordland. He played for and managed Rosenborg BK, and he has managed GIF Sundsvall, Aalesunds FK, Ranheim and the Norwegian unde ...

(born 1965 in Namsos) a Norwegian football coach * twins Nina Solheim &

Mona Solheim Mona Solheim (born 4 August 1979) is a Norwegian taekwondo practitioner. Biography Solheim competed at the 1999, 2007, 2009 and 2011 World Taekwondo Championships. She won a bronze medal in lightweight at the 2007 World Taekwondo Championships ...

(born 1979) Norwegian taekwondo practitioners *

Gunhild Følstad Gunhild Bentzen Følstad (born 3 November 1981) is a Norwegian former football defender from Overhalla near Namsos. The daughter of a football trainer, she played for Trondheims-Ørn and the Norway women's national football team, making 76 app ...

(born 1981 in Overhalla) a former footballer, made 76 appearances for the Norway women's national football team *

Kjell Rune Sellin Kjell Rune Sellin (born 1 June 1989) is a former Norwegian footballer. He came to Rosenborg BK from Norwegian Second Division team Byåsen IL in August 2008. He made his debut for Rosenborg as a substitute in the 4-0 loss against Tromsø IL the ...

(born 1989 in Namsos) a footballer with over 300 club caps

Media gallery

File:Namsos fraa fjorden.jpg, View of the town from the fjord File:Luftfoto2SpillumDampsag.jpg, Sawmill Museum File:Bangsund1.jpg, View of Bangsund File:3. Kart.tif, Map of the area File:Namsos sentrum fra byfjellet klompen ca 1935.jpg, View of the town in 1935 File:Ruinsofnamsos.jpg, View of the town in 1940 after the German bombing

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 ...

Oasen Swimming Pool

Avinor: Picture showing Namsos Airport and Namsos
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Trøndelag 1846 establishments in Norway