Berg, Norway

Berg is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into the new Senja Municipality. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Skaland. Other villages included Finnsæter, Mefjordvær, and Senjahopen. The municipality is located on the western part of the large island of Senja.

Berg kommune
Birgi suohkan
Former municipality
Flag of Berg kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Berg kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Berg kommune
Troms within
Norway
Berg within Troms
Berg within Troms
Coordinates: 69°28′00″N 17°23′52″E
CountryNorway
CountyTroms
DistrictMidt-Troms
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Disestablished1 Jan 2020
 • Succeeded bySenja Municipality
Administrative centreSkaland
Area
 (upon dissolution)
 • Total293.89 km2 (113.47 sq mi)
 • Land276.34 km2 (106.70 sq mi)
 • Water17.55 km2 (6.78 sq mi)  6%
 • Rank#281 in Norway
Population
 (2018)
 • Total902
 • Rank#406 in Norway
 • Density3.3/km2 (9/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −3.7%
DemonymBergsværing[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formBokmål
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1929
Data from Statistics Norway

At the time of its dissolution as a municipality on 1 January 2020, the 294-square-kilometre (114 sq mi) municipality was the 281st largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Berg was also the 406th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 902. The municipality's population density was 3.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (8.5/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 3.7% over the previous decade.[3][4]

The municipality was the first place in the world to utilize a hydroelectrical power station in the mining community of Hamn. When the mining industry ceased, the "electrical adventure" did as well. The buildings are still located at Hamn, now functioning as a special hotel/lodge.

The first female pastor in the Lutheran Church of Norway, Ingrid Bjerkås, worked in this parish, starting in 1961.

General information
View of the Ersfjorden

Berg was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The southern part of Berg (population: 1,229) was separated from Berg to form the new Torsken Municipality on 1 January 1902. This left Berg with 1,002 residents. The municipal borders have not changed since.[5]

In March 2017, the Parliament of Norway voted to merge the municipalities of Berg, Torsken, Lenvik, and Tranøy. The new municipality will encompass the whole island of Senja plus part of the mainland. The new Senja Municipality will be established on 1 January 2020.[6][7]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Berg farm (Old Norse: Berg) in what is now the village of Skaland. The farm is where Berg Church is located. The name is the same as the word berg which means "mountain".[8]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 2 October 1987. The official blazon is "Per bend sinister double bevilled argent and sable" (Norwegian: Venstre skrådelt av sølv og svart ved dobbelt lynsnitt). This means the arms have a double bevilled division of the field running along a diagonal path (bend sinister). The field (background) below the line has a tincture of sable. The field above the line 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 arms are canting since "berg" means "mountain" in Norwegian and the arms show the profile of the three mountains of Trælen, Oksen, and Kjølva. The colors represent "winter darkness", "black sea", and "toward brighter times." The arms were designed by Rolf Tidemann.[9][10][11]

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Berg. It was part of the Senja prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Churches in Berg
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
BergBerg ChurchSkaland1955
Finnsæter ChapelFinnsæter1982
Mefjordvær ChapelMefjordvær1916

Geography
View towards Melfjorden (to the right) and Øyfjorden (to the left). Segla (640 m) is the mountain top in the middle of the photo. Fjordgård village lies far down to the left. Photo by Simo Räsänen.

The municipality faces the Atlantic Ocean on the west side of the large island of Senja. The largest urban area in Berg is the village of Senjahopen. The highest point on the island, the mountain Breidtinden, is located in the northeastern part of Berg. There are three large fjords that cut into the municipality: Bergsfjorden, Ersfjorden, and Mefjorden.

Climate
Climate data for Skaland, Berg
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Daily mean °C (°F) −2.5
(27.5)		 −2.5
(27.5)		 −1.4
(29.5)		 1.2
(34.2)		 5.3
(41.5)		 8.8
(47.8)		 11.3
(52.3)		 11.1
(52.0)		 7.8
(46.0)		 4.1
(39.4)		 0.6
(33.1)		 −1.6
(29.1)		 3.5
(38.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 109
(4.3)		 94
(3.7)		 88
(3.5)		 77
(3.0)		 55
(2.2)		 67
(2.6)		 77
(3.0)		 91
(3.6)		 115
(4.5)		 152
(6.0)		 129
(5.1)		 131
(5.2)		 1,185
(46.7)
Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[12]

Government

While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[13] The municipality fell under the Senja District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Berg was made up of 15 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Berg kommunestyre 2016–2019 [14]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
 Berg Common List (Berg samlingsliste)6
 Berg Common List (Berg Fellesliste)2
Total number of members:15
Berg kommunestyre 2012–2015 [15]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
 Berg Common List (Berg samlingsliste)5
 Berg Common List (Berg Fellesliste)3
Total number of members:15
Berg kommunestyre 2008–2011 [14]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Joint list of the Centre Party and a Cross-Party List (Senterpartiet og Tverrpolitisk liste) 5
 Berg common list (Berg fellesliste)2
Total number of members:15
Berg kommunestyre 2004–2007 [14]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
 Northern Berg common list (Nordre-Berg Fellesliste)7
 Cross-party list (Tverrpolitisk liste)2
Total number of members:17
Berg kommunestyre 2000–2003 [14]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
 Cross-party list (Tverrpolitisk liste)4
 Mefjorden local list (Mefjorden bygdeliste)3
 Senjahopen new local list (Senjahopen nye bygdeliste)2
Total number of members:17
Berg kommunestyre 1996–1999 [16]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
 Cross-party list (Tverrpolitisk liste)4
 Senjahopen local list (Senjahopen Bygdeliste)5
 People's list in Southern Berg (Folkelista/Folkevalgte i Sondre Berg)1
Total number of members:17
Berg kommunestyre 1992–1995 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
 Cross-party list (Tverrpolitisk liste)3
 Senjahopen local list (Senjahopen Bygdeliste)4
Total number of members:17
Berg kommunestyre 1988–1991 [18]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
 District list for Northern Berg (Distriktsliste for Nordre Berg)1
 Senjahopen local list (Senjahopen Bygdeliste)2
 Berg independent socialists common list (Berg uavhengige sosialisters fellesliste)1
Total number of members:17
Berg kommunestyre 1984–1987 [19]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
 District list for Northern Berg (Distriktsliste for Nordre Berg)2
 Berg independent socialists common list (Berg uavhengige sosialisters fellesliste)1
Total number of members:17
Berg kommunestyre 1980–1983 [20]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
 District list for Mefjordvær (Distriktsliste for Mefjordvær)2
 Senjahopen local list (Senjahopen bygdelist)3
 Independent socialist common list (Uavhengig sosialistisk fellesliste)1
Total number of members:17
Berg kommunestyre 1976–1979 [21]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
 District list for Berg (Distriktsliste for Berg)3
 District list for Mefjordvær (Distriktsliste for Mefjordvær)2
 Local list for Senjehopen (Bygdeliste for Senjehopen)4
Total number of members:17
Berg kommunestyre 1972–1975 [22]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 9
Total number of members:17
Berg kommunestyre 1968–1971 [23]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 12
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 5
Total number of members:17
Berg kommunestyre 1964–1967 [24]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 7
Total number of members:17
Berg herredsstyre 1960–1963 [25]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 6
Total number of members:13
Berg herredsstyre 1956–1959 [26]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 4
Total number of members:13
Berg herredsstyre 1952–1955 [27]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 1
Total number of members:12
Berg herredsstyre 1948–1951 [28]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 12
Total number of members:12
Berg herredsstyre 1945–1947 [29]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 12
Total number of members:12
Berg herredsstyre 1938–1941* [30]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 5
Total number of members:12
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Mayors

The mayors of Berg (incomplete list):

  • 2007-2011: Jan Harald Jansen (Ap)
  • 2011-2015: Guttorm Nergård (V)
  • 2015-2019: Roar Jakobsen (LL)

See also

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2018). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  5. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  6. "Senja kommune 2020" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  7. Vermes, Thomas (29 March 2017). "Stortingsflertallet gjør fire Senja-kommuner til én". ABC Nyheter (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  8. Rygh, Oluf (1911). Norske gaardnavne: Tromsø amt (in Norwegian) (17 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. pp. 72–73.
  9. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  10. "Berg, Troms (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  11. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 2 October 1987. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  12. "eKlima Web Portal". Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Archived from the original on 14 June 2004.
  13. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  14. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  15. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Troms Romsa". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  16. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  21. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  22. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  23. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  24. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  25. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
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