Kvæfjord Municipality

Template:Short description Template:Infobox kommune

Kvæfjord (Template:Langx) is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Central Hålogaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Borkenes. Other villages include Hundstad, Langvassbukta, and Revsnes.

Together with the neighboring Harstad Municipality, the two municipalities cover a large part of the island of Hinnøya in the southern part of the Troms county. Kvæfjord consists mostly of mountains and fjords. The municipality centers on the Kvæfjorden and Gullesfjorden.

Kvæfjord is also where the Norwegian national cake, Kvæfjord cake, originally comes from.

The Template:Convert municipality is the 207th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Kvæfjord is the 237th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,845. The municipality's population density is Template:Convert and its population has decreased by 8.4% over the previous 10-year period.<ref name="ssb pop">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ssb area">Template:Cite web</ref>

General information

File:Kvaefjordmap.png

Kvæfjord map

Kvæfjord was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 25 October 1956, a part of Kvæfjord Municipality (population: 32) was transferred to neighboring Trondenes Municipality. On 1 January 2000, the part of Kvæfjord Municipality that surrounded the Godfjorden (population: 102) was transferred from Kvæfjord to Sortland Municipality (in neighboring Nordland county).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Troms county.<ref name="snl5">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Troms county.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after local fjord known as the Kvæfjorden (Template:Langx) since the first Kvæfjord Church was built along the shore of the fjord. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the island Template:Lang (now known as Kveøya) which lies in the fjord. The name of the island might be derived from the word Template:Lang which means "belly" or "stomach". The last element of the name is Template:Lang which means "fjord". Prior to 1889, the name was spelled Kvædfjord.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 4 April 1986. The official blazon is "Vert, a strawberry plant Or" (Template:Langx). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a strawberry plant. The strawberry plant 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 green color in the field symbolizes the importance of agriculture in the municipality, along with fertility, growth, and renewal. The strawberry was chosen since it is the northernmost municipality in Norway where strawberries are produced commercially. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:See also-text

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (Template:Lang) within Kvæfjord Municipality. It is part of the Trondenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

**Churches in Kvæfjord**
Parish (Template:Lang)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Kvæfjord	Kvæfjord Church	Borkenes	1867
Kvæfjord	Langvassbukt Chapel	Langvassbukta	1981

Economy

File:Rydningsrøyser.jpg

Kvæfjord landscape

The municipality is known for agriculture and farming. The quality of the strawberries is famous. The long hours of daylight, combined with relatively low summer temperatures, make the strawberries more tasteful than berries grown in warmer climates.

A large institution for the mentally handicapped was once located in Kvæfjord. It employed a large number of health workers.

Geography

The municipality is located on Hinnøya island and it is split by three smaller branches of the large Andfjorden: Gullesfjorden, Kvæfjorden, and Godfjorden. The island of Kveøya is located in the middle of the Kvæfjorden, across from Borkenes.

The landscape of today was largely formed during the last ice age. When the ice retreated, the terrain rose by Template:Convert. It is in this belt of old seabed that today's best farm land is located. There are four county roads connecting the municipality: two to the north and one each to the east and south. The highest point in the municipality is the Template:Convert tall mountain Tverrelvtindan.<ref name="elev" /> The Template:Convert tall mountain Nupen is located in the northern part of the municipality on the border with Harstad.

Climate

Kvæfjord has a subpolar oceanic climate, and is mild for the high latitude. The wettest season is September - January, and the driest season is April - August. Template:Weather box Template:Weather box

Government

Kvæfjord Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), 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.<ref name="ks">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Midtre Hålogaland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

Mayors

The mayor (Template:Langx) of Kvæfjord 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: Template:Div col

1838–1839: Lorents R. Normann
1840–1841: Christian Ernst Qvale
1842-1842: Christian Tomassen
1843–1845: August Torvald Deinboll
1846-1846: Anders Fochsen
1847–1848: Peder Olsen Svanem
1849–1852: Tellef Martin Bang
1853–1854: Peder Elias Wulff
1855–1856: Tellef Martin Bang
1857–1860: Peder Elias Wulff
1861–1862: Christian Tomassen
1863–1866: Peder Elias Wulff
1867–1870: Jesper Jespersen
1871–1872: Peder Elias Wulff
1873–1874: Edias Fochsen
1875–1894: L. B. Drevland
1895–1907: Bendiks E. Vik
1908–1922: Jørg. Pedersen
1923–1928: Matias Johan Torheim (Bp)
1929–1941: Ole Olsen
1945–1947: Ivar Størkersen
1948–1957: Vidar Pleym
1958–1959: Jac. Norman
1960–1963: Halfdan D. Johansen
1964–1971: Christian Høyersten
1972–1979: Rasmus Torheim
1980–1981: Christian Høyersten
1982–1985: Asbjørn Hessen (V)
1986–1995: Bendiks H. Arnesen (Ap)
1995–2003: Asbjørn Olafson (Ap)
2003–2011: Lillian Hessen (V)
2011–2023: Torbjørn Larsen (Ap)
2023-present: Birger Holand (Sp)

Template:Div col end

Notable people

File:Karl Erik Harr.jpg

Karl Erik Harr, 2006

Johanne Nielsdatter (born in Kvæfjord, died 1695), the last Norwegian woman to be executed for witchcraft
Mikkel Røg (ca. 1679 in Kvæfjord – ca. 1737), a Danish-Norwegian medal engraver to the French Royal Court 1720 to 1737
Birger Bergersen (1891 in Kvæfjord – 1977), an anatomist, politician, academic professor, rector, diplomat and chairman of the International Whaling Commission
Fritz Aagesen (1935 in Kvæfjord – 1998), an author of two books of ghost stories
Karl Erik Harr (born 1940 in Kvæfjord), a painter, illustrator, graphic artist, and author
Bendiks H. Arnesen (born 1951 in Kvæfjord), a Norwegian politician who was Mayor of Kvæfjord from 1986 to 1995
Ivar Andreas Forn (born 1983 in Kvæfjord), a retired football goalkeeper with over 100 club caps

Media gallery

Langvassbukt Chapel

Langvassbukt Chapel
Ferry, Flesnes

Ferry, Flesnes
Kvæfjord, Norway

Kvæfjord, Norway

References

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External links

Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway Template:In lang

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