Kvæfjord () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Troms Troms (; ; ; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is part of the

traditional region A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

of Central Hålogaland. The

administrative centre An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the village of Borkenes. Other villages include

Hundstad Hundstad is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Jim Hundstad (born 1941), American politician * Turid Hundstad (born 1945), Norwegian civil servant {{Short pages monitor Norwegian-language surnames ...

, Langvassbukta, and Revsnes. Together with the neighboring

Harstad Municipality Harstad (; ) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the Harstad (town), town of Harstad, which is the most populous town in Central Håloga ...

, the two municipalities cover a large part of the island of

Hinnøya Hinnøya ( Norwegian; ) 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 counties. The western ...

in the southern part of the Troms county. Kvæfjord consists mostly of mountains and fjords. The municipality centers on the Kvæfjorden and

Gullesfjorden or is a fjord that cuts into the island of Hinnøya in Troms 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 Nordland county. The i ...

. Kvæfjord is also where the Norwegian national cake,

Kvæfjord cake Kvæfjord may refer to: Places *Kvæfjord Municipality, a municipality in Troms county, Norway * Kvæfjorden, a fjord in Troms and Nordland counties in Norway *Kvæfjord Church Kvæfjord Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Kv� ...

, originally comes from. The municipality is the 207th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Kvæfjord is the 237th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,845. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

is and its population has decreased by 8.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Kvæfjord was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

law). On 25 October 1956, a part of Kvæfjord Municipality (population: 32) was transferred to neighboring

Trondenes Municipality Trondenes is a former municipality in Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located along the western shore of the Vågsfjorden in what is now Harstad Municipality. Trondenes included th ...

. On 1 January 2000, the part of Kvæfjord Municipality that surrounded the Godfjorden (population: 102) was transferred from Kvæfjord to

Sortland Municipality or is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Sortland (town ...

(in neighboring

Nordland Nordland (; , , , ) is one of the three northernmost Counties of Norway, counties in Norway in the Northern Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to t ...

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

Troms og Finnmark Troms og Finnmark (; ; ; ) was a county in northern Norway that existed from 2020 to 2023. The county was established on 1 January 2020 as the result of a regional reform. It was the largest county by area in Norway, encompassing about , and w ...

county. Previously, it had been part of the old

county. On 1 January 2024, the

county was divided and the municipality once again became part of

county.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

) is named after local

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

known as the Kvæfjorden () since the first

Kvæfjord Church Kvæfjord Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Kvæfjord Municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is located in the village of Borkenes on the island of Hinnøya. It is the main church for the Kvæfjord parish which is part of ...

was built along the shore of the fjord. 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 ca ...

of the name of the

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

(now known as Kveøya) which lies in the fjord. The name of the island might be derived from the word which means "belly" or "

stomach The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of Human, humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical t ...

". The last element of the name is which means "

". Prior to 1889, the name was spelled ''Kvædfjord''.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 4 April 1986. The official

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"

Vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme versio ...

, a strawberry plant Or"'' (). This means the arms have a green

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

(background) and the

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is a

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit ...

plant. The strawberry plant has a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The green color in the field symbolizes the importance of

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

in the municipality, along with fertility, growth, and renewal. The strawberry was chosen since it is the northernmost municipality in Norway where strawberries are produced commercially. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

has one parish () within Kvæfjord Municipality. It is part of the Trondenes prosti (

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Economy

The municipality is known for

and farming. The quality of the

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus ''Fragaria'', the strawberries, is in the rose family, Rosaceae. The fruit is appreciated f ...

is famous. The long hours of daylight, combined with relatively low summer temperatures, make the strawberries more tasteful than berries grown in warmer climates. A large institution for the mentally handicapped was once located in Kvæfjord. It employed a large number of health workers.

Geography

The municipality is located on

island and it is split by three smaller branches of the large

Andfjorden or is a fjord on the border of Nordland and Troms counties in Norway. It is located in Andøy Municipality, Senja Municipality, Harstad Municipality, and Kvæfjord Municipality. The fjord primarily flows between the large islands of Andøya ...

, Kvæfjorden, and Godfjorden. The island of Kveøya is located in the middle of the Kvæfjorden, across from Borkenes. The landscape of today was largely formed during the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...

. When the ice retreated, the terrain rose by . It is in this belt of old seabed that today's best farm land is located. There are four county roads connecting the municipality: two to the north and one each to the east and south. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Tverrelvtindan. The tall mountain

Nupen Nupen is a small mountain in Troms county, Norway. The tall mountain lies on the border of Kvæfjord Municipality and Harstad Municipality, about west of the Harstad (town), town of Harstad. The peak of the mountain is in Harstad, but the moun ...

is located in the northern part of the municipality on the border with Harstad.

Climate

Kvæfjord has a subpolar oceanic climate, and is mild for the high latitude. The wettest season is September - January, and the driest season is April - August.

Government

Kvæfjord Municipality is responsible for

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

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. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or 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 object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. 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, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Midtre Hålogaland District Court and the

Hålogaland Court of Appeal The Hålogaland Court of Appeal () 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 well as the island territor ...

Municipal council

The

of Kvæfjord is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, 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 oft ...

Mayors

The

() of Kvæfjord is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position: *1838–1839: Lorents R. Normann *1840–1841: Christian Ernst Qvale *1842-1842: Christian Tomassen *1843–1845: August Torvald Deinboll *1846-1846: Anders Fochsen *1847–1848: Peder Olsen Svanem *1849–1852: Tellef Martin Bang *1853–1854: Peder Elias Wulff *1855–1856: Tellef Martin Bang *1857–1860: Peder Elias Wulff *1861–1862: Christian Tomassen *1863–1866: Peder Elias Wulff *1867–1870: Jesper Jespersen *1871–1872: Peder Elias Wulff *1873–1874: Edias Fochsen *1875–1894: L. B. Drevland *1895–1907: Bendiks E. Vik *1908–1922: Jørg. Pedersen *1923–1928: Matias Johan Torheim ( Bp) *1929–1941: Ole Olsen *1945–1947: Ivar Størkersen *1948–1957: Vidar Pleym *1958–1959: Jac. Norman *1960–1963: Halfdan D. Johansen *1964–1971: Christian Høyersten *1972–1979: Rasmus Torheim *1980–1981: Christian Høyersten *1982–1985: Asbjørn Hessen ( V) *1986–1995:

Bendiks H. Arnesen Bendiks Harald Arnesen (9 June 1951 – 12 November 2024) was a Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party, Labour Party. Life and career Arnesen was elected to the Storting, Norwegian Parliament from Troms in 1997, and has been re-elect ...

( Ap) *1995–2003: Asbjørn Olafson ( Ap) *2003–2011: Lillian Hessen ( V) *2011–2023: Torbjørn Larsen ( Ap) *2023-present: Birger Holand ( Sp)

Notable people

Johanne Nielsdatter Johanne Nielsdatter or Johanne Nilsdatter (died 1695), was a Norwegian woman who was executed for witchcraft. Her execution is the last confirmed execution for witchcraft in Norway. Life She was from Kvæfjord in present-day Troms county. Almo ...

(born in Kvæfjord, died 1695), the last Norwegian woman to be executed for witchcraft * Mikkel Røg (ca. 1679 in Kvæfjord – ca. 1737), a Danish-Norwegian medal engraver to the French

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word ''court'' may also be app ...

1720 to 1737 * Birger Bergersen (1891 in Kvæfjord – 1977), an anatomist, politician, academic professor, rector, diplomat and chairman of the

International Whaling Commission The International Whaling Commission (IWC) is a specialised regional fishery management organisation, established under the terms of the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW) to "provide for the proper conservation ...

* Fritz Aagesen (1935 in Kvæfjord – 1998), an author of two books of ghost stories *

Karl Erik Harr Karl Erik Harr (born 8 May 1940) is a Norway, Norwegian painter, illustrator, graphic artist and author, best known for his representations of Northern-Norwegian scenery and coastal history. From 1972 to 1975, Erik was married to Turi Widerøe, ...

(born 1940 in Kvæfjord), a painter, illustrator, graphic artist, and author *

(born 1951 in Kvæfjord), a Norwegian politician who was Mayor of Kvæfjord from 1986 to 1995 *

Ivar Andreas Forn Ivar Andreas Forn (born 24 June 1983) is a retired Norwegian football goalkeeper. Personal and Professional life UiT- The Arctic University of Norway Master i rettsvitenskap, Jus (2012 - 2019) Grad: Cand.jur. Handelshøgskolen i Bod� ...

(born 1983 in Kvæfjord), a retired football goalkeeper with over 100 club caps

Media gallery

Langvassbukt Chapel 2013.jpg, Langvassbukt Chapel Ferry Flesnes IMG 9745 copy.jpg, Ferry, Flesnes Kvæfjord, Norway - panoramio (1).jpg, Kvæfjord, Norway

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, 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 year on its web site. All rele ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kvaefjord Municipalities of Troms 1838 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1838