Sortland Municipality


or is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sortland. Other population centres in Sortland include the villages of Bø, Holand, Holmstad, Liland, Sigerfjord, Strand, and Vik. The Norwegian Coast Guard has its northern base in Sortland, called Kystvaktskvadron Nord.
In 1997, the municipal council declared "town status" for the urban area of Sortland. Sortland is the largest town and commercial centre in Vesterålen. The town of Sortland is located close to the Sortland Bridge which crosses the Sortlandsundet strait and connects the two large islands of Langøya and Hinnøya by road. Since a lot of houses in the town are painted blue, Sortland is sometimes referred to as "the blue city".
The municipality is the 159th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Sortland is the 109th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 10,618. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 4.8% over the previous 10-year period. In January 2012, the number of citizens in Sortland reached 10,000 for the first time.

General information

The municipality of Sortland was established in 1841 when it was separated from the large Hadsel Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, the Holm area along the Gavlfjorden was transferred from Langenes Municipality to Sortland Municipality. Also on that date, the area around the inner and western part of the Eidsfjorden was transferred from Hadsel Municipality to Sortland Municipality.
On 1 January 2000, the area surrounding the Godfjorden was transferred from Kvæfjord Municipality to Sortland Municipality.

Name and etymology

The municipality is named after the old Sortland farm since the first Sortland Church was built there. The first element is Svort which is the genitive case of the local river name Svorta. The river name is derived from which means "black" or "dark". The last element is which means "land" or "farm".
There are several theories as to the origin of the name, one of the most popular is that it named from the black fertile soil. Some deny that the first element of the name "Sort" is derived from the color black and instead insist on the origin coming from the native Sami place name "Soarta", which is a theory favored by the local historian Johan Borgos. Another theory is that the name came from the viking age, where it is thought to have meant "Land of the black birds" referring to the area people would hunt and catch small black birds like the Common blackbird. This is a theory proposed by author and newspaper editor Ronny Jarl Jensen who points to Svortland in Bømlo, Vestfold as having a similar etymology.
On 2 May 2017, the national government approved a resolution to add a co-equal, official Sami language name for the municipality: Suortá. The spelling of the Sami language name changes depending on how it is used. It is called Suortá when it is spelled alone, but it is Suorttá suohkan when using the Sami language equivalent to "Sortland municipality".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 15 March 1985. The official blazon is "Azure, a castle with three towers without crenelation Or". This means the arms have a blue field and the charge is a castle with a gate and three towers without crenelation. The castle 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 blue color in the field symbolizes the importance of sea and the castle is an updated version of an old coat of arms for Sortland. The castle gate symbolizes Sortland as the gateway to the Vesterålen region and that it is the commercial centre of the region as well. The arms were designed by Kurt Myrland.
The old coat of arms was in use from the 1950s until 1985 when the new arms were granted. The arms showed a castle in a stylized landscape, including waves and sun rays. The arms included a golden border with three black-white-black piles issuing from both flanks of the white castle. Also, there were four red sun rays issuing from behind the castle, and in the base there were waves of red, black, and white. In the white chief inscribed the word "Sortland". A mural crown with four embattlements was on the top.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish within Sortland Municipality. It is part of the Vesterålen prosti in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
SortlandIndre Eidsfjord ChurchHolmstad1970
SortlandSigerfjord ChurchSigerfjord1933
SortlandSortland ChurchSortland1901

Geography

The municipality of Sortland is located on the islands of Langøya and Hinnøya in the Vesterålen archipelago. The municipality surrounds the inner part of the Eidsfjorden and the Sortlandssundet strait. There are several bridges in the municipality including Djupfjordstraumen Bridge, Kvalsaukan Bridge, and Sortland Bridge. The Sortland Bridge is located just north of the town of Sortland. One of the main roads through the municipality is Norwegian County Road 82. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Møysalen. Møysalen is located on the southern border with Lødingen Municipality and it is within Møysalen National Park.

Midnight Sun and Aurora Borealis

The midnight sun occurs from 23 May to 23 July. Great places to observe the midnight sun

Climate

Sortland has a subpolar oceanic climate. The weather station has been recording since January 1956. The record high of was set on 29 July 2018. The record low was set in January 2016. The average date for the last overnight freeze in spring is 7 May and average date for first freeze in autumn is 14 October giving a frost-free season of 159 days.

Government

Sortland 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 Midtre Hålogaland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Sortland Municipality is made up of 27 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 Sortland 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:
  • 1841–1841: Abel Ellingsen
  • 1842–1843: Jørgen Ottesen
  • 1844–1852: Abel Ellingsen
  • 1853–1856: C.H. Schanche
  • 1857–1868: Abel Ellingsen
  • 1869–1870: Laurits Ottesen
  • 1871–1874: Anton Holst
  • 1875–1876: Kristoffer Johnsen
  • 1877–1880: Laurits Ottesen
  • 1881–1882: E. Dietrichen
  • 1883–1884: Laurits Ottesen
  • 1885–1892: H. Knudsen
  • 1893–1894: H.M. Stoltz
  • 1895–1896: Jens N.A. Ellingsen
  • 1897–1901: H. Knudsen
  • 1902–1904: H.M. Stoltz
  • 1905–1907: H. Knudsen
  • 1908–1910: H.M. Stoltz
  • 1911–1913: Georg Ellingsen
  • 1914–1916: Olaf Holm
  • 1917–1919: J.D. Hammer
  • 1920–1922: Bernhard J. Steiro
  • 1923–1925: Dag Ellingsen
  • 1926–1926: Per Lunde
  • 1927–1928: Andreas Thomassen
  • 1929–1931: Anton J. Myhre
  • 1932–1934: Ottar Lunde
  • 1935–1936: Halvdan Bygdnes
  • 1937–1940: P.C. Reinsnes
  • 1946–1959: P.C. Reinsnes
  • 1960–1962: Ottar Wik
  • 1963–1975: P.C. Reinsnes
  • 1976–1979: Thormod Olsen
  • 1980–1981: Terje Johanssen
  • 1982–1987: Anton Pettersen
  • 1988–1994: Hill-Marta Solberg
  • 1994–1995: Ronald Steen
  • 1995–2003: Ingolf Markussen
  • 2003–2011: Svein Roar Jacobsen
  • 2011–2015: Grete Ellingsen
  • 2015–2019: Tove Mette Bjørkmo
  • 2019–2023: Karl-Erling Nordlund
  • 2023–present: Grete Ellingsen

    Music and culture

Sortland has been regarded as one of the best music communities in Norway, and the local band Madrugada has been one of the best ones in the nation. Sortland Jazz Festival is an event organized by Sortland Jazz and Music Club, which takes place every autumn. Some of the world's leading jazz musicians have been participating.

Shopping

Sortland is the largest commercial centre in Vesterålen with several indoors shopping centers and many small businesses. The retail turnover per inhabitant in Sortland is greater than in any other town in North Norway. Sortland is one of the few North Norwegian towns that have grown annually since the 1970s.

Notable people