Brønnøy

Brønnøy is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland region. The administrative centre and commercial centre of the municipality is the town of Brønnøysund.

Torghatten seen from the south
Bjørnholmene
Brønnøy kommune
Municipality
View of Brønnøysund
View of Brønnøysund
Flag of Brønnøy kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Brønnøy kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Brønnøy kommune
Nordland within
Norway
Brønnøy within Nordland
Brønnøy within Nordland
Coordinates: 65°28′33″N 12°24′01″E
CountryNorway
CountyNordland
DistrictHelgeland
Established1 Jan 1838
Administrative centreBrønnøysund
Government
 • Mayor (2019)Eilif Trælnes (Sp)
Area
 • Total1,046.04 km2 (403.88 sq mi)
 • Land998.88 km2 (385.67 sq mi)
 • Water47.16 km2 (18.21 sq mi)  4.5%
 • Rank#107 in Norway
Population
 (2022)
 • Total7,777
 • Rank#132 in Norway
 • Density7.8/km2 (20/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Steady no change%
DemonymBrønnøyværing[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1813
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

A secondary centre is the village of Hommelstø. Other villages include Tosbotn, Lande, Trælnes, and Indreskomo.

The Brønnøysund Register Centre is an important employer in Brønnøy. Also, one of the largest limestone mines in Northern Europe is located in the municipality. Brønnøysund Airport, Brønnøy is located near the town of Brønnøysund.

The 1,046-square-kilometre (404 sq mi) municipality is the 107th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Brønnøy is the 132nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,777. The municipality's population density is 7.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (20/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

General information

The municipality of Brønnøy was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 October 1875 the eastern district (population: 1,162) was separated to become the new municipality of Velfjord. This left Brønnøy with 4,156 residents.

Then on 1 January 1901, the southwestern district (population: 2,731) was separated to become the new municipality of Vik (which later changed its name to Sømna). Brønnøy was then left with 3,440 inhabitants. On 1 January 1923 the large village of Brønnøysund (population: 948) was separated from Brønnøy to become a town (ladested).

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, a major municipal merger took place. The following areas were merged to form a new, larger Brønnøy municipality.

  • the town of Brønnøysund (population: 2,064)
  • the municipality of Sømna (population: 2,347)
  • the municipality of Brønnøy (population: 2,635)
  • the municipality of Velfjord (population: 1,380)
  • the part of Bindal municipality located Lande-Tosbotn area around the inner Bindalsfjorden (population: 296)

Just thirteen years later on 1 January 1977, most of the former municipality of Sømna was separated from Brønnøy once again to become its own municipality. The Hongset area of the old Sømna municipality remained in Brønnøy.[5]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the small island Brønnøya (Old Norse: Brunnøy), since the first church was built there. The first element is brunnr which means "well" and the last element is øy which means "island". Islands with freshwater wells were important for seafarers.[6]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 20 May 1988. The official blazon is "Or a balisage signal sable" (Norwegian: I gull en svart seilingsgrind). This means the arms have a field (background) that 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 charge is a navigational marker which is used to signal directions for navigation within a harbour. The charge represents the importance of boating and harbours in this seaside municipality. The arms were designed by Rolf Tidemann, a graphic artist from Brønnøysund.[7][8][9]

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Brønnøy. It is part of the Sør-Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Churches in Brønnøy
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
BrønnøyBrønnøy ChurchBrønnøysund1870
Skogmo ChapelIndreskomo1979
Trælnes ChapelTrælnes1980
Velfjord og TosenNøstvik ChurchVelfjord1674
Tosen ChapelLande1734
Torget island. The larger, round island northwest of Torget is the main island of the Vega archipelago.
View from inside the hole of Torghatten; the Strandflaten coastal lowland

Geography

The municipality has great scenic variety with numerous islets, lakes (such as Eidevatnet, Sausvatnet, and Fjellvatnet), mountains, and some fertile agricultural areas. Torget island is connected to the mainland via the Brønnøysund Bridge.

Brønnøy borders the municipalities of Vega and Vevelstad to the north, Vefsn and Grane to the east, and Bindal and Sømna to the south. The large fjord Velfjorden runs into the heart of the municipality.

Nature

In the southwest is the island of Torget, with the mountain Torghatten, is famous for a cavity that goes straight through the structure. Lomsdal–Visten National Park is located in the northeastern part of Brønnøy.

The world's most northerly naturally occurring small-leaved lime (linden) forests grows in Brønnøy, and there are patches of boreal rainforests in Grønlidalen nature reserve[10] and Storhaugen nature reserve.[11] Strompdalen nature reserve[12] and Horsvær nature reserve, a nesting place for a rich variety of seabirds, are also located in the municipality.

Climate

Brønnøy has a temperate oceanic climate with mild winters with all monthly mean temperatures above freezing (Koppen Cfb). The growing season is also long for the latitude. There is a lot of precipitation, with significant precipitation in all months. Autumn and early winter is the wettest season and October the wettest month. The driest season is spring and early summer with May as the driest month. There have been weather stations in Brønnøy since 1873. 9 of the 12 monthly all-time lows are from 1940 or older; 3 from before 1900. The all-time low −18.4 °C (−1.1 °F) was recorded in February 1966, and the all-time high 32.1 °C (89.8 °F) was set on 27 July 2019. Inland areas of the municipality will have colder winters.

Climate data for Brønnøysund Airport 1991-2020 (9 m, precipitation 1961-90, extremes 1873-2020 includes earlier stations)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 10.2
(50.4)		 11.2
(52.2)		 14.7
(58.5)		 21.1
(70.0)		 27.2
(81.0)		 30.3
(86.5)		 32.1
(89.8)		 30.1
(86.2)		 24.6
(76.3)		 20.3
(68.5)		 17.6
(63.7)		 12.2
(54.0)		 32.1
(89.8)
Average high °C (°F) 2
(36)		 2
(36)		 4
(39)		 8
(46)		 12
(54)		 15
(59)		 18
(64)		 17
(63)		 14
(57)		 9
(48)		 6
(43)		 4
(39)		 9
(49)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.1
(34.0)		 0.4
(32.7)		 1.4
(34.5)		 4.7
(40.5)		 8.1
(46.6)		 11.2
(52.2)		 14.3
(57.7)		 14
(57)		 11.1
(52.0)		 6.8
(44.2)		 4
(39)		 1.9
(35.4)		 6.6
(43.8)
Average low °C (°F) 0
(32)		 −1
(30)		 −1
(30)		 2
(36)		 5
(41)		 9
(48)		 12
(54)		 12
(54)		 9
(48)		 5
(41)		 2
(36)		 1
(34)		 5
(40)
Record low °C (°F) −17.1
(1.2)		 −18.4
(−1.1)		 −15.5
(4.1)		 −10.1
(13.8)		 −5
(23)		 0
(32)		 1
(34)		 1.1
(34.0)		 −4.4
(24.1)		 −5.2
(22.6)		 −11.3
(11.7)		 −18.2
(−0.8)		 −18.4
(−1.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 138
(5.4)		 102
(4.0)		 114
(4.5)		 97
(3.8)		 66
(2.6)		 83
(3.3)		 123
(4.8)		 113
(4.4)		 180
(7.1)		 192
(7.6)		 145
(5.7)		 157
(6.2)		 1,510
(59.4)
Source 1: yr.no - Meteorologisk Institutt[13]
Source 2: Weatheronline.co.uk[14]

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Brønnøy, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.[15] The municipality falls under the Brønnøy District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Brønnøy is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Brønnøy kommunestyre 2020–2023 [16]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Red Party (Rødt) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 11
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:27
Brønnøy kommunestyre 2016–2019 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 6
Total number of members:27
Brønnøy kommunestyre 2012–2015 [18]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 9
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:27
Brønnøy kommunestyre 2008–2011 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 12
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
 Brønnøy cooperative list (Brønnøy samarbeidsliste)2
Total number of members:27
Brønnøy kommunestyre 2004–2007 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Coastal Party (Kystpartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
 Cross-party list (Tverrpolitisk liste)1
Total number of members:27
Brønnøy kommunestyre 2000–2003 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Coastal Party (Kystpartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 6
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
 Cross-party list (Tverrpolitisk liste)3
Total number of members:33
Brønnøy kommunestyre 1996–1999 [19]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 14
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 10
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
Total number of members:33
Brønnøy kommunestyre 1992–1995 [20]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 14
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 4
Total number of members:33
Brønnøy kommunestyre 1988–1991 [21]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 18
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:33
Brønnøy kommunestyre 1984–1987 [22]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 15
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Red Electoral Alliance (Rød Valgallianse) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:33
Brønnøy kommunestyre 1980–1983 [23]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 13
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:33
Brønnøy kommunestyre 1976–1979 [24]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 14
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 12
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:45
Brønnøy kommunestyre 1972–1975 [25]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 19
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 11
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:45
Brønnøy kommunestyre 1968–1971 [26]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 20
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 2
Total number of members:45
Brønnøy kommunestyre 1964–1967 [27]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 21
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 4
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 6
Total number of members:45
Brønnøy herredsstyre 1960–1963 [28]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) 3
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 6
Total number of members:17
Brønnøy herredsstyre 1956–1959 [29]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 5
Total number of members:17
Brønnøy herredsstyre 1952–1955 [30]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 5
Total number of members:16
Brønnøy herredsstyre 1948–1951 [31]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 5
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 4
Total number of members:16
Brønnøy herredsstyre 1945–1947 [32]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 4
Total number of members:16
Brønnøy herredsstyre 1938–1941* [33]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 11
Total number of members:16
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.

Notable people
Kristine Andersen Vesterfjell
Halle Jørn Hanssen, 2007
  • Hans Rosing (1625 at Brønnøy – 1699) a clergyman, Bishop of the Diocese of Oslo 1664-1699
  • Skule Storheill (1907 in Brønnøysund – 1992) a prominent Norwegian naval officer
  • Kristine Andersen Vesterfjell (1910 in Lomsdalen – 1987) a South Sami reindeer herder and cultural advocate
  • Kåre Rodahl (1917 in Brønnøysund – 2008) a physician, physiologist, a research fellow in Arctic physiology and medicine and professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences
  • Odd Grønmo (1922 in Brønnøy - 2012) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Bodin & Nordland
  • Ørjar Øyen (born 1927 in Brønnøy) a Norwegian sociologist and academic
  • Dag Skogheim (1928–2015) a teacher, poet, novelist, biographer and non-fiction writer; grew up in Brønnøysund
  • Halle Jørn Hanssen (born 1937 in Brønnøy) a TV correspondent, development aid administrator and politician
  • Rawdna Carita Eira (born 1970) a Norwegian and Sámi playwright, author, teacher, reindeer herder and stage manager; grew up in Brønnøysund
  • Pål Arne Johansen (born 1977 in Brønnøy) a retired football midfielder and manager.
  • Ulrik Saltnes (born 1992 in Brønnøysund) a Norwegian footballer with almost 200 club caps

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. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  6. Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt (in Norwegian) (16 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 15.
  7. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  8. "Brønnøy, Nordland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  9. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 8 May 1988. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  10. "Grønlidalen naturreservat" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 September 2011.
  11. http://nordland.miljostatus.no/Storhaugen Nature Reserve Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  12. "Strompdalen naturreservat" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 19 November 2008.
  13. name=yr.no"Brønnøysund Airport statistics". yr.no. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  14. "Weatheronline climate robot (average high and low)".
  15. Hansen, Tore, ed. (12 May 2016). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  16. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  17. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  18. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  22. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  23. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  24. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  25. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  26. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  27. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  31. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  32. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  33. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
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