Vadsø (; sme, Čáhcesuolu; fkv, Vesisaari) 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 ...

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; sme, Romsa ja Finnmárku ; fkv, Tromssa ja Finmarkku; fi, Tromssa ja Finnmark, lit. Troms and Finnmark in English), is a county in northern Norway that was established on 1 January 2020 as the result of a regional reform. ...

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 ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vadsø, which was the administrative centre of the former

Finnmark Finnmark (; se, Finnmárku ; fkv, Finmarku; fi, Ruija ; russian: Финнмарк) was a county in the northern part of Norway, and it is scheduled to become a county again in 2024. On 1 January 2020, Finnmark was merged with the neighbouri ...

county. Other settlements in Vadsø include

Ekkerøy Ekkerøy (also: ''Store Ekkerøy'' or sme, Ihkkot) is one of the oldest fishing villages on the Varangerfjorden in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in Vadsø Municipality about east of the town of Vadsø which is the administra ...

, Kiby,

Krampenes Krampenes is a village in Vadsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Varangerfjorden on the eastern shore of the Varanger Peninsula. It lies along the European route E75 highway, about no ...

, Skallelv, Valen, and

Vestre Jakobselv Vestre Jakobselv ( sme, Ánnejohka; fkv, Annijoki) is a village in Vadsø Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, in extreme northeastern Norway. The village lies along the European route E75 highway about west of the town of Vadsø and the s ...

. The municipality is the 83rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vadsø is the 170th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,568. 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 9.1% over the previous 10-year period. Economy: the

service industries Service industries are those not directly concerned with the production of physical goods (such as agriculture and manufacturing). Some service industries, including transportation, wholesale trade and retail trade are part of the supply chain de ...

have more impact on employment than the total of farming, fishing and the

manufacturing industy Manufacturing is the creation or Production (economics), production of goods with the help of equipment, Work (human activity), labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary secto ...

. The city has suppliers to the regional construction industries, including a

concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

works. One

bookstore Bookselling is the commercial trading of books which is the retail and distribution end of the publishing process. People who engage in bookselling are called booksellers, bookdealers, bookpeople, bookmen, or bookwomen. The founding of librar ...

exists.

General information

The village of Vadsø was granted town status in 1833. In 1838, the town of Vadsø and the entire rural district surrounding the

Varangerfjord The Varangerfjord ( en, Varanger Fjord; russian: Варангер-фьорд, Варяжский залив; fi, Varanginvuono; sme, Várjavuonna) is the easternmost fjord in Norway, north of Finland. The fjord is located in Troms og Finnmark co ...

en were established as the new municipality of Vadsø (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The law required that all towns should be separated from their rural districts, but because of a low population and very few voters, this was impossible to carry out for the municipality of Vadsø in 1838. (This was also true in the towns of

Hammerfest Hammerfest (; sme, Hámmerfeasta ) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. Hammerfest is the northernmost town in the world with more than 10,000 inhabitants. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hammerf ...

and

Vardø ( fi, Vuoreija, fkv, Vuorea, se, Várggát) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county in the extreme northeastern part of Norway. Vardø is the easternmost town in Norway, more to the east than Saint Petersburg or Istanbul. The administr ...

.) In 1839, the western district (population: 598) was separated to become the new municipality of

Nesseby or (also unofficially ''Uuniemi'' in Kven) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Varangerbotn. Other villages in Nesseby include Gandvik, Karlebotn, Nesseby ...

. This left Vadsø with 388 residents. In 1858, Vadsø municipality changed again:

Nesseby Municipality or (also unofficially ''Uuniemi'' in Kven language, Kven) is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms og Finnmark Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Varangerbotn ...

(population: 706) was merged back into Vadsø and the district of Vadsø located south of the

Varangerfjorden The Varangerfjord ( en, Varanger Fjord; russian: Варангер-фьорд, Варяжский залив; fi, Varanginvuono; sme, Várjavuonna) is the easternmost fjord in Norway, north of Finland. The fjord is located in Troms og Finnmark co ...

(population: 1,171) was separated to form the new municipality of

Sør-Varanger Sør-Varanger ( sme, Máttá-Várjjat, fkv, Etelä-Varenki, fi, Etelä-Varanki, russian: Сёр-Вара́нгер/Syor-Varánger) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town ...

. This change resulted in a population of 2,050 in Vadsø municipality. In 1864, the western district of

(population: 866) was separated into a separate municipality once again, leaving Vadsø with 1,367 residents. On 1 January 1894, the rest of the rural district (population: 1,296) surrounding the town of Vadsø was separated to form the new municipality of

Nord-Varanger Nord-Varanger is a former municipality in Finnmark county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1894 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in the present-day Vadsø Municipality on the southern half of the Varanger Peninsula, east o ...

. This left just the town of Vadsø remaining in the municipality of Vadsø which now had 1,114 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

(population: 1,587) was merged with the town of Vadsø (population: 3,353) to form the present-day

Vadsø Municipality Vadsø (; sme, Čáhcesuolu; fkv, Vesisaari) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark County, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vadsø, which was the administrative centre of the former Finnmark county. Oth ...

. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed

county. Previously, it had been part of the old

county.

Name

The municipality is named after the town of Vadsø. The name of the town comes from the island Vadsøya, since that was the original townsite. The

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 ...

form of the name would be ''*Vazøy'', ''*Vatsøy'', ''*Vassøy''; the eldest references to the town show the forms ''Vasthøen'' (1520) and ''Vaadsøenn'' (1567). The first element is the genitive case of ''vatn'' which means "

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

" and the last element is ''øy'' which means "

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 ...

". Therefore, the meaning of the name is "the island with drinking water".

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 on 20 February 1976. The arms show the head of a

reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 sub ...

stag in silver on a red background. The reindeer is the main domestic animal in the municipality and thus of great economic importance.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Vadsø. It is part of the Varanger prosti ( deanery) 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 Trom ...

History

In the 16th century, the settlement of Vadsø consisted of a

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

and the old Vadsø Church, located on the island of Vadsøya. The settlement later moved to the mainland.

Pomor trade Pomor trade (from rus, Поморье, r=pomorje, p=pɐˈmorʲjɪ; ''po'' «by» and ''more'' «ocean»; «area by the ocean», the same word is the basis for Pomerania), is the trade carried out between the Pomors of Northwest Russia and the ...

led Vadsø to be a major trading centre in this part of Norway. Township privilege was granted in 1833, and soon settlers came from

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and the northern part of Sweden, which suffered from

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

was rapidly becoming the language of the majority, and this continued for decades. As of 2016,

is still spoken in some households. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

, Vadsø suffered several air raids from the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

, which bombed German troops. However, there are, unlike most places in Finnmark, a number of 19th century wooden houses preserved close to the city centre, notably the house of Esbensen, built by a Norwegian, and the house of Tuomainen, built by a Finn. On the island of Vadsøya is the airship mast used by

Umberto Nobile Umberto Nobile (; 21 January 1885 – 30 July 1978) was an Italian aviator, aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships in the years between the two World Wars. He is primarily remembe ...

and

Roald Amundsen Roald Engelbregt Gravning Amundsen (, ; ; 16 July 1872 – ) was a Norwegian explorer of polar regions. He was a key figure of the period known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. Born in Borge, Østfold, Norway, Amundsen beg ...

for their expedition over the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

with the airship ''Norge'' in 1926, and used again on Nobile's flight with the airship ''Italia'' in 1928.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Vadsø, 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

Øst-Finnmark District Court Øst-Finnmark District Court ( no, Øst-Finnmark tingrett) was a district court located in the town of Vadsø in Finnmark county, Norway. The court served the eastern part of the county which includes the municipalities of Berlevåg, Båtsfjor ...

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 Vadsø is made up of 21 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:

Mayors

The mayors of Vadsø (incomplete list): *2019–present: Wenche Pederson ( Ap) *2015-2019: Hans-Jacob Bønå ( H) *2014-2015: Rolf Arne Hanssen ( SV) *2007-2013: Svein Dragnes (Ap) *2003-2007: Hauk Henrik Johnsen (Ap) *1995-2003: Anne Strifeldt (Ap)

Geography

The municipality of Vadsø forms the southern coast of the

Varanger Peninsula The Varanger Peninsula ( no, Varangerhalvøya; sme, Várnjárga; fkv, Varenkinniemi) is a peninsula in Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the northeasternmost part of Norway, along the Barents Sea. The peninsula has the Tanafjorden to ...

. The treeline lies at 100 m - 200 m ASL, highest at sheltered areas into the fjord away from the sea. There is no conifer forest in the municipality, the treeline is made up of birch forest, and willow shrubs are also common. The

lies along the southern coast of the municipality and the river Jakobselva runs along the western border of Vadsø. The small islands of Lille Ekkerøy and Vadsøya lie in the Varangerfjorden. The Varangerhalvøya National Park lies in a large part of the interior parts of the municipality. The "

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, ...

" is above the horizon from 17 May to 28 July (73 days), and the period with continuous daylight lasts a bit longer,

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 ...

from 25 November to 17 January (54 days).

Climate

Vadsø town has a subarctic climate, with long winters and a cool short summer. Part of the municipality is upland at the Varanger peninsula with alpine tundra climate above the treeline.

Wildlife

Birdlife

Situated on the shores of the

the municipality of Vadsø is known for its interesting birdlife. Many of its coastal localities like Store Ekkerøy are internationally known for its rich and interesting birdlife. The

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

at Vadsø can produce all three species of

eider Eiders () are large seaducks in the genus ''Somateria''. The three extant species all breed in the cooler latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The down feathers of eider ducks, and some other ducks and geese, are used to fill pillows and quil ...

, including the small and stunning

Steller's eider Steller's eider (''Polysticta stelleri'') is a migrating Arctic diving duck that breeds along the coastlines of eastern Russia and Alaska. It is the rarest, smallest, and fastest flying of the eider species. Amongst the Inupiat, Steller's eider is ...

River fishing

Fishing permits (for salmon fishing) are sold for use on specific rivers, including Komag-elva. E75-Nord-Varangerfjord-2012-07-08-12-00-013

Transportation

Vadsø Airport is located in Kiby, just to the east of the town. The town is also a port of call for the

Hurtigruten ''Hurtigruten'' (), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes"), is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports no ...

coastal express boats. Vadsø is located along the

European route E75 European route E 75 is part of the International E-road network, which is a series of main roads in Europe. The E 75 starts at the town of Vardø in Norway by the Barents Sea and it runs south through Finland, Poland, Czech Republic, ...

highway.

Notable residents

Mathias Bonsach Krogh Mathias Bonsach Krogh (4 October 1754 – 2 September 1828) was a Norwegian clergyman who served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Hålogaland. Krogh was also a member of the first ordinary Parliament of Norway. Biography Krogh was ...

(1754 in Vadsø – 1828) a clergyman, first Bishop of Hålogaland * Sigurd Kloumann (1879 in Vadsø – 1953) a Norwegian engineer and hydropower developer *

Terje Wold Terje Wold (23 August 1899 – 6 September 1972) was a Norwegian judge and politician for the Labour Party. Terje Wold was born in Evenes. He graduated as cand.jur. in 1921. He worked as a jurist, becoming a Supreme Court Justice of Norway in ...

(1899 – 1972) Mayor of Vadsø in the 1930s & the 15th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court 1958 to 1969 *

Anders John Aune Anders John Aune (1 May 1923 – 13 November 2011) was a Norwegian politician. He was the county governor of Finnmark from 1974-1989. He was also a member of the Norwegian Parliament. Personal life Anders Aune was born on 1 May 1923 in Stjørn ...

(1923 – 2011) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Vadsø in the 1950s * Einar Niemi (born 1943 in Nord-Varanger) historian of the cultural heritage of Northern Norway *

Harald Norvik Harald Norvik (born 21 June 1946 in Vadsø) is a former chairman, president, and chief executive of Norwegian oil firm Statoil, a former chairman of telecommunications company Telenor and a director of ConocoPhillips. Norvik received his Master o ...

(born 1946 in Vadsø) former CEO of Statoil, Telenor & ConocoPhillips * Bodil Niska (born 1954 in Vadsø) a Norwegian jazz musician, plays the saxophone *

Harald Devold Harald Devold (13 May 1964 – 19 February 2016) was a Norwegian jazz musician ( alto saxophone, soprano saxophone and flute) from Vadsø, Finnmark. He is also known as a big band organizer, music producer and music political activist. He was ...

(1964–2016) a Norwegian jazz musician, lived in Vadsø from 1995 * Stig Henrik Hoff (born 1965 in Vadsø) a Norwegian actor IMDb Database
retrieved 30 September 2020 *

Ingvild Aleksandersen Ingvild Aleksandersen (born 1968) is a Norwegian lawyer who was serving as County Governor of Finnmark county from 2016 to 2018. Personal life Aleksandersen was born in 1968, in Vadsø, the administrative centre of Finnmark, the country's north ...

(born 1968 in Vadsø) a Norwegian lawyer; County Governor of Finnmark county 2016 to 2018 Morten Gamst Pedersen vs England May 2012 (cropped)

Sport

Aage Steen Aage Torstein Wetterland Steen (January 15, 1900 – February 28, 1982) was a Norwegian boxer who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. At the Olympics he was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the welterweight class after losing his fight t ...

(1900 in Vadsø – 1982) a boxer who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics *

Lars Bohinen Lars Roar Bohinen (born 8 September 1969) is a Norwegian football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a midfielder from 1986 until 2005, notably playing in the Premier League for Nottingham Forest, Blackburn Rovers a ...

(born 1969 in Vadsø) a former professional footballer with 355 club caps and 49 for

Sigurd Rushfeldt Sigurd Rushfeldt (born 11 December 1972) is a Norwegian football coach and former player who works as an assistant coach for Tromsø. During his playing career, he played for Tromsø, Birmingham City, Rosenborg, Racing de Santander, and Austria ...

(born 1972 in Vadsø) a football coach and former player with 485 club caps and 38 for

Morten Gamst Pedersen Morten Gamst Pedersen (born 8 September 1981) is a Norwegian professional footballer who last played as a midfielder for Åsane. Pedersen began his career with Tromsø, then played for English side Blackburn Rovers between 2004 and 2013. He the ...

(born 1981 in Vadsø) a professional footballer with over 500 club caps and 83 for

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

Vadsø is twinned with the following cities: * –

Holstebro Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 36,489 (1 January 2022).Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

* –

Karkkila Karkkila (; sv, Högfors) is a town and a municipality of Finland. Neighboring municipalities are Lohja, Loppi, Tammela and Vihti. Geography Karkkila is located in the Uusimaa region. The municipality has a population of () and it covers an ar ...

* –

Kemijärvi Kemijärvi ( se, Giemajávri, smn, Kiemâjävri, sms, Ǩeeʹmmjäuʹrr) is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the province of Lapland. History The first permanent settler inhabitant of Kemijärvi was Paavali Ollinpoika H ...

, Finland * –

Murmansk Murmansk (Russian: ''Мурманск'' lit. "Norwegian coast"; Finnish: ''Murmansk'', sometimes ''Muurmanski'', previously ''Muurmanni''; Norwegian: ''Norskekysten;'' Northern Sámi: ''Murmánska;'' Kildin Sámi: ''Мурман ланнҍ'') ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

* –

Oxelösund Oxelösund is a locality and the seat of Oxelösund Municipality in Södermanland County, Sweden with 11,488 inhabitants in 2018. It is located less than south from the city centre of its larger neighbour Nyköping, with the two urban areas formi ...

, Sweden

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway
Varanger.com
tourist information about Varanger area

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vadso Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark Populated places established in 1838 Populated places of Arctic Norway 1838 establishments in Norway