Røst Municipality

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Røst is a small island municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røstlandet on the island of Røstlandet.

The island municipality is very small and is essentially a large fishing village centered around Røstlandet. Many of the residents are involved in the fishing industry or support the industry. There are six fish farms in Røst. During the main fishing season, there can be up to 600 fishing boats based out of Røst.

The Template:Convert municipality is the 354th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Røst is the 353rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 460. The municipality's population density is Template:Convert, and its population has decreased by 18.7% 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:Værøy og Røst.jpg

View of Røst from the air

File:Lofotlam røst spiser tang.jpg

View of sheep eating seaweed in the tidal zone

The municipality of Røst was established on 1 July 1928 when it was separated from Værøy Municipality. Initially, it had 731 residents. The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the main island of Røstlandet (Template:Langx) since the first Rost Church was built there. The name is identical to the Old Norse word Template:Lang which means "maelstrom", likely referring to the nearby Moskenstraumen.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 28 November 1986. The official blazon is "Argent, three cormorants issuant from the base sable" (Template:Langx). This means the arms have a field (background) that 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 charge is three black European shags (Gulosus aristotelis), which is a species of cormorant. The design was chosen to symbolize a local legend of three brothers who could transform themselves into cormorants. This story was recounted by Asbjørnsen and Moe, the famous collectors of Norwegian folklore. 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 Røst Municipality. It is part of the Bodø domprosti (arch-deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

**Churches in Røst**
Parish (Template:Lang)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Røst	Røst Church	Røstlandet	1899

History

A vivid description of medieval island life has been delivered by the shipwrecked Venetian sea captain Pietro Querini, who was rescued by the islanders in 1432. He described the society as very harmonious and pious, and described how they made a living from fishing cod and some agriculture. The Norwegian Lundehund originated from this part of Norway, where it natively would have climbed along cliff paths to hunt puffins. Fishing is the main economic activity on Røst.

Culture

The island has a rich cultural life. Every year in June there is a popular festival in honor of the puffin (Lundefestivalen).

Querini opera

In 2012, the Querini Opera was shown on Røst for the first time, telling the dramatic story about Pietro Querini who shipwrecked on Røst in 1432. The show was a great success and was shown again in 2014.

Literary Park Pietro Querini

In 2017, the Pietro Querini Literary Park (litteraturpark på Røst) was established with the Municipality of Røst, the Dante Committee, I Parchi Letterari Network and the support of the Embassy of Italy. The park started its activity in 2018. https://www.parchiletterari.com/parchi/pietro-querini-063/vita.php

Government

Røst 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 Salten og Lofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

Mayors

The mayor (Template:Langx) of Røst 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

1929-1941: Mathias Skaar (H)
1941-1945: Jentoft N. Henriksen (NS)
1945-1945: Gunnar Raanes
1948-1951: Henry M. Johansen (Ap)
1951-1954: Alf Raanes (Ap)
1954-1955: Leif G. Nilsen (Ap)
1956-1957: Annar Dyrstad
1957-1963: Charles Johnsen (H)
1964-1967: Leif G. Nilsen (Ap)
1968-1971: Charles Johnsen (H)
1972-1972: Jann Skaar (Ap)
1972-1975: Magnor Arntsen (Ap)
1976-1979: Evald Jakobsen (Sp)
1980-1987: Magnor Arntsen (Ap)
1987-1999: Arnfinn Ellingsen (V)
1999-2007: Paul Rånes (Kyst)
2007-2011: Arnfinn Ellingsen (V)
2011-2019: Tor-Arne Andreassen (Ap)
2019–present: Elisabeth Mikalsen (LL/Sp)

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Transportation

File:Røst 2005-07-06.jpg

The ferry in Røst harbor

As an isolated island municipality, there are no road connections to Røst. It can be reached by boat and airplane. There are ferry connections to the neighboring island of Værøya and also to the nearby town of Bodø on the mainland. Røst Airport has regularly scheduled flights to Bodø.

Economy

During the winter, the population of Røst gets doubled due to the number of boats arriving at Røst to fish. Yearly, the small island of Røst produces fish and fish-related products worth more than Template:US$.

Environment

File:Puffin1-1.jpg

Atlantic puffins; Røst has the largest seabird colonies in Norway.

Geography

There are 365 islands and skerries in the municipality situated about Template:Convert off the mainland, at the southwestern tip of the Lofoten island chain in the Vestfjorden. Skomvær Lighthouse is located in the southern part of the municipality on the small island of Skomvær. Most inhabitants live on the main island of Røstlandet, but a few other islands are also inhabited. These islands are linked to Røstlandet with roads, causeways, and bridges. Røstlandet is the largest island in the municipality and its highest point rises no more than Template:Convert above sea level. South of Røstlandet, there are several small islands that are dominated by large mountains including Vedøya, Storfjellet, Trenyken, Hærnyken, and Ellevsnyken. The highest point in the municipality is the Template:Convert tall mountain Storfjellet.<ref name="elev" />

Birdlife

Røst is one of the few bird watching localities in Norway that is known worldwide. The seabird colonies that are to be found are regarded as internationally important. The islands offer a range of habitats, and as one would expect, a stop-over point for many species that are migrating even further north. During the last few years, birders have been showing an interest for Røst during the autumn, producing a whole range of rarities.

The municipality also has one of the largest bird cliffs in the North Atlantic, with puffin colonies, as well as colonies of shag, kittiwake, and cormorants. A 16,000 ha area encompassing the Røst archipelago and its adjacent marine waters has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports large breeding colonies of European shags and Atlantic puffins. Other birds breeding in the IBA include European storm petrels, Leach's storm petrels, razorbills, common murres, northern fulmars and black-legged kittiwakes. The IBA contains the Røstlandet and Nykan nature reserves as well as the 7000 ha Røstøyan Ramsar site.<ref name=bli>Template:Cite web</ref>

Climate

Despite being north of the Arctic Circle, Røst features a cold-summer mediterranean climate (Köppen Csc), also bordering a subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen Cfc). Røst and Værøy were earlier known by meteorologists as the most northern locations in the world with average temperatures above freezing all winter, but with the updated 1991-2020 normals there are more northern locations in Norway with average temperatures above freezing all winter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The winter temperatures in southern Lofoten represent the largest temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude.Template:Citation needed The mean annual temperature is Template:Convert (1991–2020), and the average annual precipitation is Template:Convert. The wettest months are October through December with approximately Template:Convert precipitation each month, and the driest period is during May and June with on average of Template:Convert each month.<ref>Røst climate statistics Template:Webarchive</ref> Precipitation varies considerably: in June 2009, only Template:Convert of precipitation fell and July 2009 had only Template:Convert of rain, while in December 2008, there was Template:Convert of precipitation registered.<ref>yr.no weather statistics last 12 months</ref> The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below Template:Convert) in spring is April 22<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and average date for first freeze in autumn is November 5<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> giving a frost-free season of 196 days (1981-2010 average).

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In popular culture

"The Half Brother" by Lars Saabye Christensen is a book about Røst.

References

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External links

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