Vestvågøy Municipality
Vestvågøy kommune
View of Ballstad in Vestvågøy
View of Ballstad in Vestvågøy
Nordland within Norway
Nordland within Norway
Vestvågøy within Nordland
Vestvågøy within Nordland
Coordinates: 68°13′17″N 13°47′04″E / 68.22139°N 13.78444°E / 68.22139; 13.78444
CountryNorway
CountyNordland
DistrictLofoten
Established1 Jan 1963
  Preceded byBorge, Buksnes, Hol, and Valberg
Administrative centreLeknes
Government
  Mayor (2023)Jonny Finstad (H)
Area
  Total424.29 km2 (163.82 sq mi)
  Land406.99 km2 (157.14 sq mi)
  Water17.30 km2 (6.68 sq mi)  4.1%
  Rank#232 in Norway
Population
 (2023)
  Total11,551
  Rank#99 in Norway
  Density28.4/km2 (74/sq mi)
  Change (10 years)
Increase +6.3%
DemonymVestvågøyværing[1]
Official language
  Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1860[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

Vestvågøy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Leknes. Some of the villages in the municipality include Ballstad, Borg, Bøstad, Gravdal, Knutstad, Stamsund, and Tangstad. With over 11,300 inhabitants, Vestvågøy is the most populous municipality in all of the Lofoten and Vesterålen regions in Nordland county.

The Lofotr museum in Borg shows a reconstructed Iron Age Viking chieftain's residence, with a house measuring 80 metres (262 ft), built of stone and turf.

The 424-square-kilometre (164 sq mi) municipality is the 232nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vestvågøy is the 99th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,551. The municipality's population density is 28.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (74/sq mi) and its population has increased by 6.3% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]

General information

The municipality of Vestvågøy was created on 1 January 1963 when the four municipalities on the island of Vestvågøya were merged into one municipality for the whole island. The old municipalities on the island were Borge (population: 4,056), Buksnes (population: 4,416), Hol (population: 3,154), and Valberg (population: 662). Initially, Vestvågøy had 12,288 residents. The borders have not changed since.[6]

Name

The municipality is named after the island of Vestvågøya. The Old Norse name of the island was Lófót (see Lofoten), but when Lofoten became the name of the whole archipelago, the island became known as Vestvågøy. The first element of the name is the prefix vest which means "west". The middle element derives from the word vágr which means "bay" or "inlet". The last element is the definite form of the word øy which means "the island". Thus it means "the west bay island".[7]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 7 September 1984. The official blazon is "Azure, two stockfish addorsed" (Norwegian: I blått to opprette og motstilte sølv tørrfisker). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is two dried codfish (also known as stockfish. The fish have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This was chosen since the municipality is one of the main Norwegian exporters of (dried) cod or stockfish and has been since the Middle Ages. The arms were designed by Kjell Kvivesen.[8][9][10]

Churches

The Church of Norway has five parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Vestvågøy. It is part of the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Churches in Vestvågøy
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
BorgeBorge ChurchBøstad1986
Knutstad ChapelKnutstad1915
BuksnesBuksnes ChurchGravdal1905
HolHol ChurchLeknes1806
StamsundStamsund ChurchStamsund1937
ValbergValberg ChurchValberg1889

Geography

Uttakleiv beach.

Vestvågøy municipality is among the most scenic in Norway. It encompassed the whole island of Vestvågøya with the Norwegian Sea to the north and the Vestfjorden to the south. The island has rugged cliffs and peaks facing the southeastern coast. Towards the northwest, however, the land is flat, with extensive farmlands. Most people are found in the town of Leknes and in its "twin town" Gravdal, where Nordland Hospital is located. Along the southeastern coast, one finds picturesque fishing villages like Ballstad and Stamsund, where the Hurtigruten (coastal ferry) stops.

The coastline is dominated by high mountains, such as the 671-metre (2,201 ft) tall Skottinden, and on the west coast also sandy white beaches. Uttakleiv the most romantic beach in Europe, according to the British newspaper The Times, and the neighbouring Hauklandsstranden is ranked by the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet as the best beach in Norway.

In Leknes, the sun (midnight sun) is above the horizon from May 26 until July 17, and in winter the sun does not rise from December 9 until January 4. The midnight sun is best viewed from the western beaches, such as Uttakleiv and Eggum.

Climate

There is an official weather station at Leknes Airport. Autumn and winter is much wetter than spring and summer. The driest month (July) get less than one fift of the precipitation in the wettest month (December).

Climate data for Leknes Airport 1991–2020
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 1
(34)
1
(34)
2
(36)
6
(43)
10
(50)
12
(54)
16
(61)
15
(59)
12
(54)
8
(46)
4
(39)
3
(37)
8
(46)
Daily mean °C (°F) 0
(32)
−0.6
(30.9)
0
(32)
2.8
(37.0)
6.5
(43.7)
9.9
(49.8)
12.8
(55.0)
12.2
(54.0)
9.4
(48.9)
5.2
(41.4)
2.6
(36.7)
1
(34)
5.2
(41.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −2
(28)
−2
(28)
−2
(28)
1
(34)
4
(39)
8
(46)
11
(52)
10
(50)
7
(45)
4
(39)
2
(36)
0
(32)
3
(38)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 203
(8.0)
174
(6.9)
161
(6.3)
93
(3.7)
74
(2.9)
45
(1.8)
38
(1.5)
78
(3.1)
123
(4.8)
161
(6.3)
173
(6.8)
223
(8.8)
1,546
(60.9)
Source: Weatheronline climate robot (avg highs/lows) [11]
Climate data for Kvalnes, on northern Vestvågøya 1961-90
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 1.8
(35.2)
1.4
(34.5)
2.1
(35.8)
4.4
(39.9)
8.6
(47.5)
12.2
(54.0)
14.1
(57.4)
14.0
(57.2)
10.8
(51.4)
7.3
(45.1)
4.2
(39.6)
2.5
(36.5)
7.0
(44.6)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.2
(31.6)
−0.3
(31.5)
0.4
(32.7)
2.6
(36.7)
6.5
(43.7)
9.5
(49.1)
11.5
(52.7)
11.9
(53.4)
8.9
(48.0)
5.7
(42.3)
2.5
(36.5)
0.5
(32.9)
5.0
(41.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −2.5
(27.5)
−2.8
(27.0)
−2.0
(28.4)
0.2
(32.4)
3.8
(38.8)
7.2
(45.0)
9.5
(49.1)
9.7
(49.5)
6.9
(44.4)
3.5
(38.3)
0.3
(32.5)
−1.8
(28.8)
2.7
(36.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 117
(4.6)
93
(3.7)
89
(3.5)
70
(2.8)
48
(1.9)
50
(2.0)
71
(2.8)
68
(2.7)
111
(4.4)
153
(6.0)
126
(5.0)
139
(5.5)
1,135
(44.7)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 16.2 14.2 15.1 11.7 8.9 9.9 11.5 11.0 15.8 18.0 18.2 17.7 168.2
Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[12]
Borg in Vestvågøy

Government

All municipalities in Norway are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[13] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Salten og Lofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vestvågøy is made up of 33 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Vestvågøy kommunestyre 20232027 [14]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 8
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Norway Democrats (Norgesdemokratene) 1
  Red Party (Rødt) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:33
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 20192023 [15]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 5
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Red Party (Rødt) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 10
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
Total number of members:33
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 20152019 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:33
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 20112015 [17]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:35
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 20072011 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 4
  Coastal Party (Kystpartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
 Vestvågøy list (Vestvågøylista)1
Total number of members:35
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 20032007 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 4
  Coastal Party (Kystpartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 4
  Joint list of the Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) and the Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) 1
 Vestvågøy list (Vestvågøylista)3
Total number of members:35
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 19992003 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 6
  Coastal Party (Kystpartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Joint list of the Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) and the Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) 1
 Vestvågøy list (Vestvågøylista)3
Total number of members:35
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 19951999 [18]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 6
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 11
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
 Vestvågøy list (Vestvågoylista)4
Total number of members:35
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 19911995 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 5
  Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 12
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 4
 Hol and Valberg district list (Hol og Valberg Distriktliste)3
Total number of members:43
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 19871991 [20]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 13
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 9
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 6
  Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
 Hol and Valberg district list (Hol og Valberg distriktsliste)5
Total number of members:43
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 19831987 [21]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 15
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 For the referendum (For Folkeavstemning)1
 Hol and Valberg district list (Hol og Valberg distriktslista)4
Total number of members:43
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 19791983 [22]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 15
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 Hol and Valberg district list (Hol og Valberg distriktsliste)3
Total number of members:43
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 19751979 [23]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 16
  Anders Lange's Party (Anders Langes parti) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 8
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:43
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 19711975 [24]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 18
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 6
Total number of members:43
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 19671971 [25]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 17
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 5
Total number of members:43
Vestvågøy kommunestyre 19631967 [26]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 24
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 2
Total number of members:53

Mayors

The mayors of Vestvågøy:[27]

Transportation

Main street of Leknes by night

Leknes is the municipal and administrative centre and is situated in the geographical middle of Lofoten, approximately 68 kilometres (42 mi) west of Svolvær and 65 kilometres (40 mi) east of Å. Leknes is the trading and shopping centre of Lofoten, only rivaled by Svolvær. Leknes Airport is for smaller aircraft, with 7 daily scheduled flights to Bodø and some daily flights to Svolvær and Røst with Widerøe airlines. There is a small bus terminal which serves as a hub with bus links to the rest of Lofoten. The Leknes Havn (harbor) is one of Norway's most important and visited harbors for cruise ships. Hurtigruten has been an important means of communication for a century. It docks in Stamsund twice every night, one heading south towards Bodø the other heading north towards Svolvær.

The European route E10 highway crosses the municipality (and island) with the Sundklakkstraumen Bridge connecting to Vågan in the north and the Nappstraumen Tunnel connecting to Flakstad in the south.

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Vestvågøy is twinned with:

Notable people

Edvarda Lie, 1935

References

  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  7. Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (1 June 2023). "Vestvågøy". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  8. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  9. "Vestvågøy, Nordland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  10. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 23 November 1984. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  11. "Weatheronline climate robot Leknes Airport". Weather online. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
  12. "eKlima Web Portal". Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Archived from the original on 14 June 2004.
  13. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  14. "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  15. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  17. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  22. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  23. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  24. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  25. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  26. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  27. Hope, Johannes, ed. (1993). Vestvågøy kommune... - gjennom 30 år (in Norwegian). Vestvågøy Kommune. pp. 30 & 48.
  28. "Twin municipalities Norway-Iceland" (in Norwegian). Norwegian government. Retrieved 24 April 2012.

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