Malangen ( sme, Málatvuotna or fkv, Malankivuono) is a
former municipality in
Troms
Troms (; se, Romsa; fkv, Tromssa; fi, Tromssa) is a former county in northern Norway. On 1 January 2020 it was merged with the neighboring Finnmark county to create the new Troms og Finnmark county. This merger is expected to be reversed by t ...
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 ...
in
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 municipality existed from 1871 until its dissolution in 1964. The old municipality surrounded the
Malangen fjord and today that area is divided between the municipalities of
Balsfjord
Balsfjord ( sme, Báhccavuotna ; fkv, Paatsivuono) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storsteinnes. Other villages include Mestervik, Mortenhals, and Nordkj ...
,
Lenvik
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 ...
,
Tromsø
Tromsø (, , ; se, Romsa ; fkv, Tromssa; sv, Tromsö) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.
Tromsø lies in Northern Norway. The municipality is the ...
, and
Målselv
Målselv ( sme, Málatvuomi suohkan) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moen. The main commercial centre of the municipality is the Bardufoss area (including And ...
. The
administrative centre was the village of
Mortenhals where the main church for the municipality,
Malangen Church
Malangen Church ( no, Malangen kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Balsfjord Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Mortenhals. It is the church for the Malangen parish which is part of t ...
, is located.
History
The
Saga of Haakon Haakonarson mentions that in 1242 the king allowed refugees from
Bjarmaland
Bjarmaland (also spelt ''Bjarmland'' and ''Bjarmia''; Latin: ''Biarmia''; Old English: ''Beormaland,'' Komi: Биармия ''Biarmia,'' Old Permic: 𐍑𐍙𐍐𐍒𐍜𐍙𐍐) was a territory mentioned in Norse sagas since the Vikin ...
(since they were attacked by the
Tatars
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different - ) to settle in the area of Malangen.
The municipality of Malangen was established on 1 January 1871 when the northern district of
Balsfjord Municipality
Balsfjord ( sme, Báhccavuotna ; fkv, Paatsivuono) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storsteinnes. Other villages include Mestervik, Mortenhals, and Nord ...
and a small peninsula in the Malangen fjord that belonged 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 ...
were separated to form the new municipality of Malangen. The initial population of Malangen was 1,425. On 1 January 1873, an area of northern Malangen (population: 287) was transferred to the neighboring
Tromsøysund municipality. In 1891, a small part around the village of
Målsnes in
Målselv Municipality
Målselv ( sme, Málatvuomi suohkan) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moen. The main commercial centre of the municipality is the Bardufoss area (including And ...
(population: 30) was transferred to Malangen.
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 Malangen ceased to exist. The peninsula including the Navaren and Målsnes areas (population: 118) were transferred to neighboring
Målselv Municipality
Målselv ( sme, Málatvuomi suohkan) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moen. The main commercial centre of the municipality is the Bardufoss area (including And ...
. The remaining areas of Malangen (population: 1,940) were transferred back into
Balsfjord Municipality
Balsfjord ( sme, Báhccavuotna ; fkv, Paatsivuono) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storsteinnes. Other villages include Mestervik, Mortenhals, and Nord ...
.
Name
The municipality was named after the local
Malangen fjord. The name Malangen is probably derived from 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 ...
word ''mál'' which means "
bag" and it may refer to the baggy shape of the fjord. The same word ''mál'' is probably also the origin of the name of the
Målselva
The Målselva is a river in Målselv Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The long river flows through the Målselvdalen valley and then empties into the Målselvfjorden, an arm of the Malangen fjord. The municipality and the val ...
, the big river that enters the fjord from the
Målselvdalen
Målselvdalen is the largest valley in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The river Målselva runs through the valley, ending at the Målselvfjorden (an arm off the main Malangen fjord). The long valley runs to the north, along with the river, ...
and
Bardu
Bardu ( sme, Bearddu suohkan, fkv, Perttulan komuuni) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Setermoen, the largest urban area in the municipality.
The munici ...
valleys (the neighboring
Målselv Municipality
Målselv ( sme, Málatvuomi suohkan) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moen. The main commercial centre of the municipality is the Bardufoss area (including And ...
has a similar etymology). The second element of the name ''angr'' which means "inlet" or "fjord".
Government
Municipal council
The
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 Malangen was made up of 19 representatives that were 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 final municipal council was as follows:
Media gallery
Malangen church balsfjord.JPG, Malangen Church
Malangen Church ( no, Malangen kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Balsfjord Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located in the village of Mortenhals. It is the church for the Malangen parish which is part of t ...
Stabben siedi balsfjord.JPG, Rambergkirka: A stone located at Sand
Malangen IMG 4934 malangen.JPG, The Mortenhals area (foreground), looking northwest
See also
*
List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links
Weather information for Malangen
{{use dmy dates, date=May 2022
Balsfjord
Målselv
Former municipalities of Norway
1871 establishments in Norway
1964 disestablishments in Norway