Tromsø Municipality


Tromsø Municipality is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø. Other notable settlements in the municipality include the villages of Bjerkaker, Ersfjordbotn, Jøvika, Kaldfjord, Kjosen, Kroken, Kvaløysletta, Lakselvbukt, Melvika, Movik, Oldervik, Sandneshamn, Sjursnes, Sommarøy, and Tromsdalen.
The municipality is the 21st largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Tromsø is the 12th-most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 78,745. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 10% over the previous 10-year period. The city of Tromsø is the largest urban area in Northern Norway and the third largest north of the Arctic Circle anywhere in the world. The center of the city of Tromsø is located on the island of Tromsøya, but the urban area also encompasses part of the nearby mainland and part of the island Kvaløya. Tromsø is north of the Arctic Circle. Tromsøya is connected to the mainland by the Tromsø Bridge and the Tromsøysund Tunnel, and to the island of Kvaløya by the Sandnessund Bridge.
The municipality is milder than most settlements on the same latitude, due to the effect of the westerlies reaching this far north, as well as the North Atlantic Drift, a branch of the Gulf Stream. Tromsø's latitude of just below 70°N renders annual midnight suns and polar nights depending on the season.
Tromsø contains the highest number of old wooden houses in Northern Norway, the oldest dating from 1789. Tromsø is a cultural hub for the region, with several festivals taking place in the summer. Due to its location, many countries had consulates or missions in Tromsø in the 1990s.
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General information

The city of Tromsø was established as an independent municipality on 1 January 1838. The city was completely surrounded by the Tromsøe landdistrikt, but they were governed separately. As the city grew in size, areas were added to the city from the rural district.
On 1 January 1861, an area of Tromsøysund Municipality was transferred to the city of Tromsø. On 1 January 1873, an unpopulated area of Tromsøysund Municipality was transferred to the city. On 1 July 1915, another area of Tromsøysund Municipality was merged into the city of Tromsø. On 1 January 1955, the Bjerkaker area on Tromsøya was transferred from Tromsøysund Municipality to the city of Tromsø.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the city of Tromsø, Tromsøysund Municipality, most of Ullsfjord Municipality except for the Svendsby area, and most of Hillesøy Municipality except for the parts on the island of Senja were all merged to form a new, larger Tromsø Municipality.
On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly created Troms og Finnmark county, which replaced the old Troms county. On 1 January 2024, Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Troms county.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 22 July 1983, although a variation of these arms has been in use since 1870. The official blazon is "Azure, a reindeer trippant argent". This means the arms have a blue field and the charge is a reindeer. The reindeer has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. It is often surmounted by a mural crown with five or four turrets. The municipal authority currently uses a stylised rendering drawn by Hallvard Trætteberg and adopted by royal resolution on 24 September 1941. The idea for a coat of arms for Tromsø was presented by A. T. Kaltenborn in 1855 and the coat of arms was first used in connection with the Industry and Crafts Exhibition in Tromsø in 1870. Over time, the background colour has been changed between blue and red. At one point it also used a natural landscape in the background. Although reindeer played little or no role in the city, Tromsø was the administrative center of the vast surrounding areas in the county were reindeer herding was common in this part of Northern Norway.

Churches

The Church of Norway has eight parishes within Tromsø Municipality. It is part of the Tromsø domprosti in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
Tromsø DomkirkenTromsø CathedralTromsø1861
ElverhøyElverhøy ChurchTromsø1803
GrønnåsenGrønnåsen ChurchTromsø1996
HillesøyHillesøy ChurchBrensholmen,
Kvaløya		1889
KrokenKroken ChurchKroken2006
KvaløyKvaløy ChurchKaldfjord1962
TromsøysundArctic CathedralTromsdalen1965
UllsfjordLakselvbukt ChurchLakselvbukt1983
UllsfjordUllsfjord ChurchSjursnes1862
UllsfjordJøvik ChapelJøvika1920

Geography

Tromsø is the 12th largest municipality in Norway with a population of 78,745. The city is home to the world's northernmost university and also houses the northernmost botanical garden and planetarium.
The city centre is located on the east side of the Tromsøya island — over north of the Arctic Circle at. Suburban areas include Kroken, Tromsdalen, the rest of the Tromsøya island, and the eastern part of the large Kvaløya, west of the Tromsøya island. The Tromsø Bridge and Tromsøysund Tunnel both cross the Tromsøysundet strait connecting the mainland with Tromsøya by road. On the western side of the city, the Sandnessund Bridge connects Tromsøya island with Kvaløya island.
The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Jiehkkevárri. There are also many other tall mountains within the municipality including Hamperokken, Store Blåmannen, Store Fornestinden, and Tromsdalstinden. The Lyngen Alps mountain range lies along the Tromsø-Lyngen municipal border. There are many islands within the municipality of Tromsø including Hillesøya, Kvaløya, Rebbenesøya, Ringvassøya, Store Sommarøya, and Tromsøya. There are also several fjords that are located in Tromsø including the Balsfjorden, Kaldfjorden, Malangen, and Ullsfjorden.

Climate

The western part of the municipality has islands facing the Norwegian sea, like Rebbenesøya with the Måsvik station.

Government

Tromsø 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 Nord-Troms og Senja District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Tromsø Municipality is made up of 43 representatives that are elected for four year terms. Tromsø introduced so-called "parliamentary rule" in 2011. The Municipal council elects an executive body, byrådet, consisting of six byråder. In theory, these are equivalent to the cabinet members of a parliamentary government. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor of Tromsø 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:

Economics

Tromsø is one of the largest fishing ports in Norway. Secondary to fishing, the University of Tromsø is a center for Arctic research. Tourism has exploded as an alternative economic resource in recent decades. There are now direct flights from many European countries.
In 2021, the US Navy opened facilities to service American submarines at the port, after undergoing a significant expansion in 2020.

Twin towns – sister cities

Tromsø Municipality has sister city agreements with the following places:
Tromsø signed a sister city agreement with Murmansk, Russia, on 10 July 1972 and terminated it on 22 October 2022, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.