Mosjøen


or is a town in Vefsn Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Mosjøen is the oldest town in the Helgeland region, with only the town of Bodø being older within Nordland county. The town is also the administrative centre of Vefsn Municipality. The old village of Mosjøen was declared a ladested in 1875. It was also a town-municipality from 1875 until 1961 when it was merged into Vefsn Municipality, losing its status as a town. It is also a former garrison town and customs place. After a change in law during the 1990s, the urban area of Mosjøen was declared to be a town once again in 1998. People from Mosjøen are referred to using the demonym "". The town has a population of 10,059 and a population density of.
Together with the other regional towns of Mo i Rana and Narvik, Mosjøen is one of the industrial towns in Nordland county. Owned by Alcoa, Mosjøen Aluminum Plant is among the biggest in Europe, and is traditionally the town's cornerstone. Additionally, the town's business sector includes trade, crafts, banking, transportation, and tourism. The town attracts customers from the entire region.
Mosjøen is a transport hub in Helgeland. From Mosjøen, it is to the town of Sandnessjøen in the west, to the town of Mo i Rana in the north, and to the town of Brønnøysund in the south. Furthermore, the road distance is to the town of Bodø and to the city of Trondheim. The European route E6 highway runs through the town. There are daily departures from Mosjøen Bus Central, from Mosjøen Railway Station on the Nordland Line, and from Mosjøen Airport south of the town. There are both public and private quays in Mosjøen. The town's harbour is among the largest in Northern Norway.
In terms of secondary and adult education, Mosjøen exercises both local and regional functions. Offering general, vocational, and agricultural lines, Mosjøen High School also receives students from rural municipalities surrounding the town and from other regions of Nordland. Vefsn Folk High School lies in Mosjøen, while Sandvik Folk High School is located north of it. The town has got a department of the Open University. Many bigger events for children and youth take place in Mosjøen, among others Toppen International Summer Music School and The Kippermoen Cup.
Mosjøen is known for Sjøgata: Northern Norway's longest cluster of 19th-century wooden houses and piers. Other tourist attractions include Dolstad Church from 1735, the award-winning Town Park from 1905, and the aluminum plant.

Etymology

The town is named after the old Mo farm the town was built up on the outskirts of the large farm. The first element is derived from the word móar which is the plural form of which means "moorland". The last element is sjøen belonging to Mo". In other words, it was a place where the farmers of Mo had their boats and boatsheds. Earlier spellings are Moesøen in the 18th century and Mosøen in the 19th century.

History

Mentioned in Aslak Bolt's cadastre of the 15th century, Mo is a medieval farm with a history at least dating to the Viking Age. Mosjøen's own history starts in the early modern period. Mosjøen was populated by 1600. The earliest inhabitant known by name is Svein Beachdweller, who lived there together with his wife and daughters in 1660. In the 17th and early 18th century, especially following the 1645 Treaty of Brömsebro, several inhabitants of Jemtland escaped to Trøndelag and to Nordland. Many of them came to the Vefsna river valley, including to the Mosjøen area. In the 18th century, Mosjøen as a settlement for nonagrarian occupations started to materialise. For example, the regional executioner resided there temporarily. As did a handful of craftsmen and public officials.
From the late 16th century until the 1820s, Mo was possessed by the Mo family: wealthy farmers as well as skippers and merchants who contributed to Mosjøen's gradual expansion. In 1794, a member of the family received royal privilege to establish a trading post in Mosjøen.
In the 1860s, a group of Englishmen—the 'salmon lords'—established The North of Europe Land & Mining Company, introducing the first industrial period in Mosjøen. Sawmill industry created 'Klondike conditions': People came from everywhere in order to get a job, to trade, and so on, and salaries were relatively high.
On 4 April 1874, King Oscar II decided to grant ladested status to Mosjøen effective on 1 January 1875. As a ladested, Mosjøen now had the privilege to export goods directly to foreign countries. As a new town, it had the right to self-government, so it was separated from Vefsn Municipality to become a separate municipality on 1 January 1876. Initially, the new town had 379 residents. In 1939, a small adjoining area of Vefsn was transferred into the town of Mosjøen. The Cinema Museum in London holds excellent film of the area in 1931 in its collection
As the biggest and most important, central town in the Helgeland region, Mosjøen became northern headquarters of the Nazi German occupiers between 1940 and 1945. After the war in 1945, Mosjøen entered its second industrial period. Among several industrial establishments was Mosjøen Aluminum Plant.
Mosjøen's coat of arms was granted by King Olav V on 25 March 1960. Composed by sculptor Arthur Gustavsson, it is blazoned Sable, a cock Argent. The cock is traditionally equipped with red beak, wattles, comb, and claws: the so-called colour of armament. The cock represents watchfulness and fighting spirit. After the merger with Vefsn Municipality in 1962, the same coat of arms was adopted for the newly enlarged Vefsn Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, a major municipal merger took place. The town of Mosjøen was merged with Vefsn Municipality, Drevja Municipality, and Elsfjord Municipality, creating a new municipality called Vefsn. Upon merging, Mosjøen lost its status as a town.
In 1998, the municipal council of Vefsn Municipality declared Mosjøen to have the formal status as a town once again.

Municipal self-government (1875–1962)

Mosjøen was a self-governing municipality from 1875 until 1962. During that time, Mosjøen Municipality was 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 was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Mosjøen Municipality was made up of 29 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor of Mosjøen Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:
  • 1876–1877: Andreas Christian Bech Jürgensen
  • 1878–1879: Johan Jakob Johannessen
  • 1880–1882: Andreas Christian Bech Jürgensen
  • 1883–1887: Ole Sivert Elnan
  • 1888–1889: Andreas Fredrik Peter Schroeter
  • 1890–1890: Ole Sivert Elnan
  • 1891–1891: Andreas Fredrik Peter Schroeter
  • 1891–1891: Ole Sivert Elnan
  • 1892–1895: Christian Fredrik Nergaard Havig
  • 1896–1898: Ole Sivert Elnan
  • 1899–1901: Erik Bathen
  • 1902–1903: Ole Sivert Elnan
  • 1904–1908: Erik Bathen
  • 1909–1909: Ole Andreas Fellingfors
  • 1910–1910: Erik Bathen
  • 1910–1910: Ole Andreas Fellingfors
  • 1911–1913: Mathias Løkke
  • 1914–1916: Thomas Riis
  • 1917–1917: Anton Solbraa
  • 1918–1921: Kristian Tustervatn
  • 1922–1923: Ole Tobias Olsen
  • 1924–1924: Otto Bugge
  • 1925–1925: Ole Tobias Olsen
  • 1926–1926: Kristian Tustervatn
  • 1927–1931: Harald Robert Barth
  • 1932–1934: Hans Olaus Jarnæs
  • 1935–1935: Harald Robert Barth
  • 1936–1937: Hans Olaus Jarnæs
  • 1938–1941: Carl Wilhelm Johansen
  • 1941–1942: Carl August Eliassen
  • 1943–1945: Halfdan Sundlo
  • 1945–1945: Carl Wilhelm Johansen
  • 1945–1945: Kristian Karlsen
  • 1946–1947: Johan Kristian Lian
  • 1948–1949: Ole Ferdinand Andersen
  • 1950–1951: Ole Jakob Wika
  • 1952–1957: Ole Ferdinand Andersen
  • 1957–1962: Einar Jensen

    Industry and business

Mosjøen is one of the industrial towns in Nordland county. Especially important is the Mosjøen Aluminum Plant, owned by Alcoa.
Mosjøen's business sector contains both traditional and modern companies as well as a wide spectre of branches, including trade, crafts, banking, transportation, and tourism. The town is a commercial centre in the region, attracting customers from smaller neighbouring towns and from rural municipalities.

Transportation

As a transport hub in Helgeland, Mosjøen connects to the towns of Sandnessjøen to the west, Mo i Rana to the north, and Brønnøysund to the south by road. The European route E6 between Trondheim to the south and the county capital Bodø to the north runs through Mosjøen.
Mosjøen is also accessible by airplane, by train, and by ship. Mosjøen is served by Mosjøen Airport, Kjærstad, which is located five minutes by car south of the town. Mosjøen Station on the Nordland Line has daily departures for Trondheim in the south and for the Bodø in the north. A smaller commuter rail operates between Trofors and Mo i Rana.
Encompassing both private and public quays, Mosjøen's harbour is the biggest port in Northern Norway. Mosjøen Aluminum Plant has got its own port.

Tourism

The following are popular sightseeing spots:
  • Sjøgata, a historic and picturesque street containing the largest concentration of 19th-century wooden buildings in Northern Norway.
  • Fru Haugans Hotel, established in 1794 and today the oldest hotel in Northern Norway.
  • Dolstad Church, established in 1735.
  • The Town Park, established ca. 1900 and regarded as one of the finest public parks in Norway.