Bodø Municipality
Bodø is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bodø. Some of the notable villages in Bodø include Misvær, Skjerstad, Saltstraumen, Løding, Løpsmarka, Kjerringøy, Sørvær, and Fenes.
The municipality is the 66th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Bodø Municipality is the 19th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 53,712. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 8% over the previous 10-year period. The municipality of Bodø is located just north of the Arctic Circle and the town of Bodø, is the largest urban area and town in Nordland county, and the second largest town in North Norway.
Bodø was named one of the European Capitals of Culture for 2024. It is also home to football club Bodø/Glimt, the northernmost club to win a European national league competition.
History
The municipality is named after the old Bodøgård farm, since the town was built on its ground. The first element might be boði which means "sunken rock" or "skerry" and the last element is which means "meadow" or "pasture". The last element may have been misunderstood as which means "island".Coat of arms
The coat of arms was first approved in 1889. It showed a midnight sun above a boat on the sea in front of a mountain range. The current version which is a simplified, modern version of the old arms was granted on 24 July 1959. The official blazon is "Gules, a sun Or". This means the arms have a red field and the charge is a sun. The sun has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The sun was chosen since Bodø was the first town in Northern Norway, and it experiences the midnight sun every year. The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg.Geography
The municipality lies just north of the Arctic Circle where the midnight sun is visible from 1 June to 13 July. Due to atmospheric refraction, there is no true polar night in Bodø, but because of the mountains south of Bodø, the sun is not visible in parts of the municipality from early December to early January. The average number of sun-hours in Bodø is highest in June with a daily average of 22.1 hours.Bodø Municipality is located along the Skjerstadfjorden, south of Steigen Municipality, west of Sørfold Municipality and Fauske Municipality, northwest of Saltdal Municipality, and northeast of Beiarn Municipality and Gildeskål Municipality. There are two island municipalities located to the west of Bodø Municipality: Røst Municipality and Værøy Municipality.
Amongst the strongest tidal currents in the world, with water speeds reaching, is Saltstraumen, situated about southeast of Bodø. The village of Kjerringøy is a well preserved old trading village on the coast about north of the town of Bodø. With its scenic setting and authentic buildings, several movies have been shot at this little port, including Benoni og Rosa, I am Dina, and Telegrafisten.
The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Lurfjelltinden, on the border of Beiarn Municipality. The Skjerstad Fjord, in the eastern part of Bodø, passes through the Saltstraumen into the Saltfjorden. The Saltfjorden then flows west into the Vestfjorden. Lakes in the region include Fjærvatnet, Gjømmervatnet, Heggmovatnet, Soløyvatnet, Valnesvatnet, and Vatnvatnet.
There are also several islands and island groups in Bodø. The islands of Straumøya and Knaplundsøya are in the Saltfjorden. Several bridges connect these islands to the mainland: Åselistraumen Bridge, Indre Sunnan Bridge, and Saltstraumen Bridge. The islands of Landegode, Helligvær, Bliksvær, and Karlsøyvær all lie in the Vestfjorden. Several lighthouses are also located out in the Vestfjorden: Bjørnøy Lighthouse, Grytøy Lighthouse, Landegode Lighthouse, Nyholmen Lighthouse, and Tennholmen Lighthouse.
Nature
Besides Saltstraumen, the municipality of Bodø has much wilderness for hikers. About north of the town of Bodø lies the popular recreation area Geitvågen. The area is inhabited by a large number of white-tailed eagles. Sjunkhatten National Park is partly located in Bodø municipality, and there are also 17 nature reserves. Sundstraumlian nature reserve has undisturbed mixed forest with marble bedrock, Skånland with coastal pine forest, Børvatnet protecting a birch forest with many orchids, and Bliksvær nature reserve with well-preserved coastal nature of many types and a rich bird life, making it a Ramsar site as well.Climate
Bodø features a humid continental climate or, if the original Köppen winter threshold is used, an oceanic climate in the 1991-2020 base period. Winters are fairly cold and summers are cool. The "midnight sun" is above the horizon from 1 June to 14 July, and the period with continuous daylight lasts a bit longer.The all-time low was recorded in February 1966. The all-time high was set in July 2019. The warmest night recorded was June 29, 1972 with overnight low. The average date for the first overnight freeze in autumn is October 12. The driest month on record was January 2014 with no precipitation at all, while the wettest was September 2009 with 293 mm.
Government
Bodø Municipality is responsible for primary education, 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. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Salten og Lofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.Municipal council
The municipal council of Bodø Municipality is made up of 39 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.Mayors
The mayor of Bodø Municipality 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:- 1838–1841: Severin Frederich Holmer
- 1842–1842: Melchior Koch
- 1843–1843: Mads Mortensen
- 1844–1844: Johan Tønnessen
- 1844–1845: Mads Mortensen
- 1846–1846: Jakob Lorentz Bar Tohrsen
- 1846–1847: Joachim Andreas Koht
- 1847–1850: Jakob Lorentz Bar Tohrsen
- 1850–1851: Severin Frederich Holmer
- 1851–1852: Melchior Koch
- 1852–1853: Berent Pettersen
- 1853–1854: Lorentz Wittrup Lied
- 1854–1854: Stig Othard Arntzen
- 1855–1855: Jens Width
- 1856–1857: Ole M. Groth
- 1857–1858: Stig Othard Arntzen
- 1858–1859: Jens Cornelius Koch
- 1859–1860: Ole M. Groth
- 1860–1861: Jens Cornelius Koch
- 1861–1862: Vilhelm Bernhard Jentoft
- 1862–1863: Carl Jakhelln
- 1863–1864: Hans H. Koch
- 1864–1865: Stig Othard Arntzen
- 1865–1866: Ole M. Groth
- 1866–1867: Christian Albrigt Jakhelln
- 1867–1868: Ole M. Groth
- 1868–1868: Christian Albrigt Jakhelln
- 1869–1870: Jens Cornelius Koch
- 1871–1871: Carl Jakhelln
- 1871–1872: Vilhelm Bernhard Jentoft
- 1872–1872: Ole M. Groth
- 1872–1875: Christian H. Mathiesen
- 1875–1877: Rasmus Theisen
- 1878–1879: Jens Cornelius Koch
- 1879–1879: Rasmus Theisen
- 1880–1881: Jens Cornelius Koch
- 1881–1882: Reinholdt Gram Breien
- 1883–1884: Otto Koch
- 1884–1885: Reinholdt Gram Breien
- 1885–1886: Otto Koch
- 1886–1887: Jakob Hansen
- 1887–1887: Jacob Olsen Vig
- 1887–1889: Rasmus Schjølberg
- 1890–1891: Thor Grøner
- 1891–1892: Christian Albrigt Jakhelln
- 1892–1893: Rasmus Schjølberg
- 1893–1894: Otto Koch
- 1894–1895: Rasmus Schjølberg
- 1895–1895: Otto Koch
- 1895–1896: Bertrand Gundersen
- 1896–1897: Rasmus Schjølberg
- 1897–1898: Bertrand Gundersen
- 1898–1899: Rasmus Schjølberg
- 1899–1900: Christian Jakhelln
- 1901–1902: Haakon Evjenth
- 1902–1903: Christian Jakhelln
- 1903–1903: Rasmus Schjølberg
- 1903–1904: Oskar Thue
- 1905–1907: Arnt Angell
- 1908–1910: Christian Jakhelln
- 1911–1912: Johan Lund
- 1913–1913: Martin Christoffersen
- 1914–1915: Ole Kristian Pedersen Bakken
- 1916–1917: Haakon Evjenth
- 1917–1918: Christian Jakhelln
- 1918–1919: Ole Kristian Pedersen Bakken
- 1919–1922: Christian Jakhelln
- 1923–1925: Ove Christian O. Owe
- 1926–1928: Haakon Evjenth
- 1929–1931: Johannes Høyer
- 1932–1934: Haakon Koch
- 1935–1937: Magnus Fische
- 1938–1940: Haakon Koch
- 1941–1943: Peder Johannes Seglem
- 1943–1945: Hans Kristensen
- 1945–1945: Haakon Koch
- 1946–1948: Leif Aune
- 1948–1949: Morten Olsen
- 1950–1961: Birger Hals
- 1962–1967: Olav Hagen
- 1968–1969: Birger Hals
- 1970–1971: Henry Forsaa
- 1972–1975: Olav Hagen
- 1976–1978: Gunhild Støver
- 1978–1983: Roar Nøstvik
- 1984–1995: Per Pettersen
- 1995–1999: Oddleif Olavsen
- 1999–2011: Odd-Tore Fygle
- 2011–2015: Ole-Henrik Hjartøy
- 2015–2023: Ida Maria Pinnerød
- 2023–present: Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen
Military
Bodin Leir located near the air station was an RNoAF recruit school including Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile System personnel and a national response unit. The base was central during the Cold War due to its strategic location and proximity to the Soviet Union. It would have been vital in the build-up of NATO air and land forces to defend Norway, and thus the entire northern flank of NATO, in a war with the Warsaw Pact. It could also have been used as a forward base for American bombers. Now Bodin Leir is a camp to house military personnel for The Norwegian Joint Headquarters and Bodø Main Air Station.
Bodø has a street named General Fleischer's Gate in honour of Carl Gustav Fleischer.
Bodø received international attention during the U-2 Crisis in May 1960, when it became known that the American U-2 pilot Gary Powers had been shot down over the Soviet Union on his way from Pakistan to Bodø.