Hamarøy


or is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppeid. Other villages include Drag, Innhavet, Karlsøy, Korsnes, Presteid, Skutvika, Tømmerneset, Tranøy, and Ulvsvåg.
The municipality is the 36th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Hamarøy is the 241st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,766. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 4.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Hamarøy was established on 1 January 1838. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the part of Hamarøy located on the south side of the Sagfjorden and west of the Veggfjellan mountain was transferred to neighboring Steigen Municipality. On the same date, the Tysnes and Molvik farms was transferred from Hamarøy to the neighboring Tysfjord Municipality.
On 1 January 2020, the western part of Tysfjord Municipality was merged into Hamarøy. This occurred because in 2017, it was decided by the Parliament of Norway that the neighboring Tysfjord Municipality would be divided along the Tysfjorden with the eastern half being merged with the neighboring municipalities of Narvik and Ballangen to form a new, larger Narvik Municipality and the remaining western half will be merged with the municipality of Hamarøy on the same date.

Name

The municipality is named after the former island Hamarøya, since the first Hamarøy Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of Hǫm, the former uncompounded name of the island. The last element is øy which means "island". The former name of the island is probably identical with the word hǫm which means "thigh/leg " because the island was shaped in the form of an animal's leg. Historically, the municipality name was spelled Hammerø.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was adopted in 2019 for use starting in 2020 after a municipal merger. The new arms are blue with the outline of two swans as depicted in an ancient rock carving seen at Dyreberget in Leiknes.
These arms replace the arms that were granted on 19 February 1982. Those arms showed a white lynx on a blue background. Lynx are common in the area it was chosen for the arms as a symbol for the rich wildlife in the forests of the municipality.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes within the municipality of Hamarøy. It is part of the Ofoten prosti in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
Parish Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
HamarøyHamarøy ChurchPresteid1974
SagfjordSagfjord ChurchKarlsøy1770
SagfjordTømmernes ChurchTømmerneset1952

Geography

The municipality of Hamarøy borders the municipalities of Narvik to the north, Steigen to the west, Sørfold to the south, the Vestfjorden to the northwest, and the country of Sweden to the southeast. The large island of Finnøya is located between the Sagfjorden and the Kaldvågfjorden.
Lakes in the municipality include Fjerdvatnet, Forsanvatnet, Forsvatnet, Kaldvågvatnet, Kilvatnet, Livsejávrre, Makkvatnet, Reinoksvatnet, Rekvatnet, Rotvatnet, Sandnesvatnet, Skilvatnet, Šluŋkkajávri, and Strindvatnet.

Nature

Hamarøy is dominated by small fjords, pine, birch, and aspen woodland and forest, and coastal mountains. There are several nature reserves, such as Trollpollen nature reserve dominated by pine and birch located a few kilometers north of Innhavet, Lilandsvatnet wetland area, Steinslandsosen estuary, and Kvannskogen with old aspen trees with rich lichen flora. The mountain Hamarøyskaftet has long been regarded as nature's own phallic symbol .

Climate

The warmest temperature ever recorded in Nordland county was on 3 July 1972 on the island of Finnøya in Hamarøy. However, in June 2011 this record was surpassed by the municipality of Saltdal with a temperature of.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Hamarøy, are responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, 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 Ofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Hamarøy is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Hamarøy :
While Hamarøy has a low population density, it sees some traffic during the summer months as the main road connection to Svolvær and the Lofoten islands runs through Hamarøy and its administrative centre, Oppeid. The ferry ride to Skrova and Svolvær is approximately 2 hours and departs from Skutvika at regular intervals. In 2008, the ferry schedule was considerably reduced due to the new Lofoten Mainland Connection road. The European route E6 highway runs north and south through the municipality on its way to Narvik. Bus service by Stoklands Bilruter is available between certain villages in Hamarøy.

Economy

The municipal administration and other public services are located in Oppeid. There is a hotel in the municipality, as well as the scenic Tranøy Lighthouse which can be rented.
Skutvik is a small residential and marina area concentrated around the ferry dock. In the high season the number of cars and motor homes in line for the ferry can be significant. There are a few sights to see in Skutvik, as well as a small bar/cafe and a Statoil gas station.

Knut Hamsun

The writer Knut Hamsun, winner of the 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature, grew up in Hamarøy. The Knut Hamsun Centre, a museum and educational center dedicated to Knut Hamsun's life and work, finished building in 2009 and opened for the public in June 2010. Knut Hamsun's childhood home is also open for visitors in summer. The Hamsun literature festival was founded in 1982 and takes place in Hamarøy during the first week of August every second year.