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.
At the time of its dissolution as a municipality on 1 January 2020, the 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 and its population has decreased by 3.7% over the previous decade.
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

Berg was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. The southern part of Berg 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.
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.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Berg farm in what is now the village of Skaland. The farm is where Berg Church is located. The name is identical with the word berg which means "mountain".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is from modern times; they were granted on 2 October 1987. The gray/white and black 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."

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish ' within the municipality of Berg. It is part of the Senja prosti in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
Parish 'Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
BergBerg ChurchSkaland1955
BergFinnsæter ChapelFinnsæter1982
BergMefjordvær ChapelMefjordvær1916

Geography

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

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Berg, are responsible for primary education, 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. The municipality falls under the Senja District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council 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: