Moskenes Municipality


Moskenes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality comprises the southern part of the island of Moskenesøya in the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Reine. Other villages include Sørvågen, Hamnøya, and Å.
The municipality is the 322nd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Moskenes Municipality is the 338th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 954. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 13.9% over the previous 10-year period.
The municipal government owes , and the significance of this debt has made it difficult to find a neighboring municipality that is interested in merging with Moskenes.

History

The municipality was established on 1 July 1916 when the southern part of Flakstad Municipality was separated to become Moskenes. Initially, Moskenes had a population of 1,306.
On 1 January 1964, the Flakstad Municipality and Moskenes Municipality were reunited, as a new, larger Moskenes Municipality. Prior to the merger, Moskenes had 2,001 residents and the new municipality of Moskenes had 4,068 residents. This new municipality did not last long because on 1 January 1976, Flakstad Municipality broke away again to once again form a separate municipality. This left Moskenes with 1,705 residents.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Moskenes farm since the first Moskenes Church was built there. The first element is likely an old name for the island. It may have been derived from the word mosk or muskwhich means "sea spray". The last element is which means "headland".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 12 September 1986. The official blazon is "Azure, a gurge argent". This means the arms have a blue field and the charge is a vortex spiral. The spiral has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue color in the field and the spiral were chosen to represent vortexes or whirlpools, such as the Moskenstraumen, which appear in the channel just south of the island of Moskenesøya when the tide comes in, making it a hazardous channel. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.

Culture

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish within Moskenes Municipality. It is part of the Lofoten prosti in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
MoskenesMoskenes ChurchMoskenes1819
MoskenesReine ChurchReine1890

Attractions

Moskenes is among the most scenic municipalities in all Norway, and the picturesque fishing villages of Hamnøya, Reine, Sørvågen, Moskenes, Å, and Tind all have a dramatic backdrop of jagged peaks rising above the Vestfjorden. The historic Glåpen Lighthouse is located just east of Sørvågen.
Between Lofotodden, the southwestern tip of the Lofoten chain, and the offshore island of Mosken, there is the tidal current of Moskenstraumen. This is better known internationally as the Maelstrom, feared by all sailors. On the isolated northwestern coast of the island, there are also interesting Stone Age cave paintings. The highest mountain is Hermannsdalstinden at. Lofotodden National Park is partially located within the municipality.

Government

Moskenes 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 Moskenes Municipality is made up of 17 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 Moskenes 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:
  • 1945–1945: Sigurd Lund Hamran
  • 1961–1961: Sigurd Lund Hamran
  • 1963–1971: Sigurd Lund Hamran
  • 1971–1975: Arthur Valen
  • 1975–1983: Hans Husby
  • 1983–1987: Rolf Bendiksen
  • 1987–2003: Geir Wulff-Nilsen
  • 2003–2007: Lillian Hansen
  • 2007–2011: Geir Wulff-Nilsen
  • 2011–2023: Lillian Rasmussen
  • 2023–present: Hanna Sverdrup

    Geography

Moskenes has a subarctic climate. The municipality of Moskenes lies near the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago on the southern part of the island of Moskenesøya. The Vestfjorden lies to the east, the Moskenstraumen strait lies to the south, and the Norwegian Sea lies to the west. Flakstad Municipality lies to the north and the nearby Værøy Municipality is located on islands about to the south. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Hermannsdalstinden.

Climate

Notable people