Lødingen

Lødingen (Northern Sami: Lodegak) is a municipality in Nordland county in Norway. Lødingen is located on the southeastern corner of the island of Hinnøya, and is part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lødingen. The other main part of the municipality is Vestbygda. Lødingen has the nickname "Biketown" because it hosts several annual bicycle races, including "Lofoten Insomnia" and Vestbygd-rittet.

This article is about the municipality in Nordland, Norway. For the village in this municipality, see Lødingen (village).
Lødingen kommune
Lodegak
Municipality
Lødingen City seen from Hjertholmen lighthouse
Lødingen City seen from Hjertholmen lighthouse
Flag of Lødingen kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Lødingen kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Lødingen kommune
Nordland within
Norway
Nickname: 
Biketown
Lødingen within Nordland
Lødingen within Nordland
Coordinates: 68°24′15″N 15°34′17″E
CountryNorway
CountyNordland
DistrictOfoten
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centreLødingen
Government
 • Mayor (2019)Hugo Jacobsen (Ap)
Area
 • Total527.42 km2 (203.64 sq mi)
 • Land507.67 km2 (196.01 sq mi)
 • Water19.75 km2 (7.63 sq mi)  3.7%
 • Rank#202 in Norway
Population
 (2022)
 • Total1,976
 • Rank#282 in Norway
 • Density3.9/km2 (10/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −9.3%
DemonymLødingsværing[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formBokmål
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1851
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

The 527-square-kilometre (203 sq mi) municipality is by area the 202nd largest out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lødingen is the 282nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,976. The municipality's population density is 3.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (10/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 9.3% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

General information
View north into Tjeldsundet from just north of Lødingen village
Saami family near Kanstad, Lødingen, 1896. Some of the descendants of the children in the photograph are reindeer herders in the area to this date .

The municipality of Lødingen was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1869, the southern district of Lødingen surrounding the Tysfjorden on the mainland (population: 1,402) was separated to form the new Tysfjord Municipality. This left 2,064 residents in Lødingen. Then on 1 January 1909, the northeastern district of Lødingen (population: 1,404) was separated to form the new Tjeldsund Municipality. This left 3,034 residents in Lødingen.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, the southern mainland part of Lødingen surrounding the Efjorden and the island of Barøya (population: 433) were transferred to Ballangen Municipality. Then on 1 January 1964, the eastern part of Lødingen on the island of Tjeldøya (population: 297) was transferred to Tjeldsund Municipality.[5]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Lødingen farm (Old Norse: Lǫðueng) since the first Lødingen Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of laða which means "grain barn" or "hay barn". The last element is eng which means "meadow".[6][7]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 May 1984. The official blazon is "Gules, a five-looped knot Or" (Norwegian: I rødt en femsløyfet gull valknute). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a five-looped knot that is made out of woollen thread and folded to look like a flower with five leaves. The woolen knot 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 design was chosen to symbolize that the municipality is at the junction of road, shipping, and ferry routes to five areas: Lofoten, Ofoten, Salten, Vesterålen, and Southern Troms. It is also located between five fjords: Vestfjorden, Ofotfjorden, Tysfjorden, Tjeldsundet, and Gullesfjorden. The symbol is also an ancient symbol for good fortune. The arms were designed by Øysten H. Skaugvolldal.[8][9][10]

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Lødingen. It is part of the Ofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Churches in Lødingen
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
LødingenLødingen ChurchLødingen1897
Vestbygd ChurchVågehamn1885

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Lødingen, 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.[11] The municipality falls under the Ofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Lødingen is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Lødingen kommunestyre 2020–2023 [12]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:17
Lødingen kommunestyre 2016–2019 [13]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:17
Lødingen kommunestyre 2012–2015 [14]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:17
Lødingen kommunestyre 2008–2011 [13]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 2004–2007 [13]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 2000–2003 [13]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 1996–1999 [15]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 1992–1995 [16]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 1988–1991 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 10
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 1984–1987 [18]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 1980–1983 [19]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 9
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 1976–1979 [20]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and
New People's Party (Nye Folkepartiet)		 1
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 1972–1975 [21]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 1968–1971 [22]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:21
Lødingen kommunestyre 1964–1967 [23]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 2
Total number of members:21
Lødingen herredsstyre 1960–1963 [24]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 3
Total number of members:21
Lødingen herredsstyre 1956–1959 [25]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:21
Lødingen herredsstyre 1952–1955 [26]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 12
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:21
Lødingen herredsstyre 1948–1951 [27]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 6
Total number of members:21
Lødingen herredsstyre 1945–1947 [28]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 7
Total number of members:16
Lødingen herredsstyre 1938–1941* [29]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 9
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.

Mayors

The mayors of Lødingen:[30][31]

  • 1838–1840: Niels Nordbye
  • 1840-1844: Jens Hagerup Krog
  • 1844–1846: Bendix Normann
  • 1846–1848: Johan T. Lampe
  • 1848–1850: Alexander Falch
  • 1850–1852: Andreas Otterbech
  • 1852–1854: Willum Lind
  • 1854–1859: Severin Samuelsen
  • 1859–1860: Petter Kjelsberg
  • 1860–1861: Severin Samuelsen
  • 1861–1863: Alexander Falck
  • 1863-1877: Anders Stoltenberg
  • 1877–1880: Bernhard Kokk
  • 1880–1882: A. Roll
  • 1882–1884: Bernhard Kokk
  • 1884–1885: Arent Schøning
  • 1885–1904: Petter Møkleby
  • 1904–1907: K. Strømstad
  • 1907–1918: Gulbrand Kløvstad
  • 1919–1922: K. Strømstad
  • 1922-1928: Leonhard C. B. Holmboe
  • 1928–1934: Andreas Didriksen
  • 1935–1945: Leif Hartz Floan
  • 1946–1955: Øivind Martinussen (Ap)
  • 1955–1967: Einar Ytterstad (H)
  • 1968–1969: Reidar Rødø (H)
  • 1970–1975: Sigvald Johansen (Ap)
  • 1975–1983: Gunnar Bernhoft (H)
  • 1983–1991: Normann Aasjord (H)
  • 1991–1995: Bjørn Myrlund (H)
  • 1995–1999: Bjørn Hegstad (V)
  • 1999-2003: Eirik Eriksen (Ap)
  • 2003-2007: Kurt Olsen (SV)
  • 2007-2011: Vibeke Tveit (Ap)
  • 2011-2015: Anita Marthinussen (H)
  • 2015-2019: Atle Andersen (Ap)
  • 2019–present: Hugo Bongard Jacobsen (Ap)

Geography

The municipality encompasses the southern part of the island of Hinnøya. The terrain is mountainous, with several small islands and fjords. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lødingen, located at the inner part of the Vestfjorden at the southern entrance of the Tjeldsundet strait. The nearest airport is Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes, about 73 kilometres (45 mi) away by road. Lødingen is an important ferry harbor, the car ferry to/from Bognes in Tysfjord leaves 12 times per day and takes 60 minutes. Møysalen National Park is located in the northern part of the municipality. It's named after the mountain Møysalen on the municipal border between Lødingen and Sortland. The Rotvær Lighthouse is located in Lødingen.

Climate

Lødingen has continental subarctic climate in the 1961-1990 period. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Dfc".[32]

Climate data for Lødingen 1961-1990
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) −1
(30)		 −1
(30)		 1
(34)		 4
(39)		 9
(48)		 13
(55)		 16
(61)		 15
(59)		 11
(52)		 6
(43)		 2
(36)		 0
(32)		 6
(43)
Daily mean °C (°F) −3
(27)		 −3
(27)		 −2
(28)		 2
(36)		 6
(43)		 10
(50)		 13
(55)		 12
(54)		 9
(48)		 4
(39)		 0
(32)		 −2
(28)		 4
(39)
Average low °C (°F) −6
(21)		 −6
(21)		 −5
(23)		 −1
(30)		 3
(37)		 7
(45)		 10
(50)		 9
(48)		 6
(43)		 1
(34)		 −2
(28)		 −5
(23)		 1
(34)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 66
(2.6)		 62
(2.4)		 55
(2.2)		 53
(2.1)		 57
(2.2)		 67
(2.6)		 87
(3.4)		 85
(3.3)		 107
(4.2)		 113
(4.4)		 85
(3.3)		 76
(3.0)		 913
(35.7)
Average snowfall mm (inches) 326
(12.8)		 321
(12.6)		 219
(8.6)		 108
(4.3)		 8
(0.3)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 0
(0)		 1
(0.0)		 46
(1.8)		 167
(6.6)		 266
(10.5)		 1,462
(57.5)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 13.9 12.5 11.9 11.3 10.6 10.8 12.6 12.7 14.1 15.2 13.9 14.7 154.2
Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) 4.7 4 5 8.1 10.3 10.8 12.6 12.7 14.1 13.4 8.7 7.1 111.5
Average snowy days (≥ 1 mm) 4.8 4.1 3.1 1.4 0.1 0 0 0 0 0.6 2.2 4.2 20.5
Mean daily daylight hours 2.7 7.7 11.8 16 21.4 24 22.9 17.4 13.1 9.1 4.6 0.2 12.6
Source 1: WeatherSpark.com [33]
Source 2: Weatherbase.com [34]

Attractions
E10 road in Lødingen, May 2011.

Notable people

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. 297.
  7. Store norske leksikon. "Lødingen" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  8. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  9. "Lødingen, Nordland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  10. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 15 July 1984. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  11. Hansen, Tore, ed. (12 May 2016). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  12. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  13. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  14. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  15. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  16. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  20. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  21. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  22. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  23. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  24. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  25. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  30. Nielssen, Alf Ragnar (1994). Fra vidstrakt prestegjeld til storkommune (in Norwegian). Lødingen kommune. pp. 314–315.
  31. Fjordholm, Vivian (1987). Lødingen, Tjeldsund og Tysfjords historie. 2 : Gårds- og slektshistorie for Lødingen (in Norwegian). Lødingen kommune. pp. 954–955.
  32. "Climate Summary". weatherbase.com. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  33. "Climate and Average Weather Year Round". weatherspark.com. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  34. "Monthly - Weather averages summary". weatherbase.com. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
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