Bjugn


Bjugn is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1853 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ørland Municipality. It was part of the Fosen region. The village of Botngård was the administrative centre of Bjugn municipality. Other villages in Bjugn included Høybakken, Jøssund, Lysøysundet, Nes, Oksvoll, and Vallersund. Bjugn was on the Robek-list in 2015.
At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the municipality is the 245th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Bjugn is the 207th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,864. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 5.6% over the last decade.

General information

The municipality of Bjugn was established in 1853 when it was separated from the large municipality of Ørland. Initially, Bjugn had 2,903 residents. On 26 March 1870, a royal resolution moved an unpopulated part of Aafjord to Bjugn. On 1 January 1899, the municipality of Bjugn was divided into three municipalities. The western district became the municipality of Nes. The southern district became the municipality of Skjørn. The rest of the municipality remained the municipality of Bjugn.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of Nes, Jøssund, Bjugn, and the northern part of the municipality of Stjørna were all merged to create a new, larger municipality called Bjugn. The population of Bjugn then increased from 1,240 to 4,940.
On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Sør-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.
On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Bjugn and Ørland merged to become a single municipality called Ørland with its administrative centre at Botngård.

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Bjugn. The name is derived from bjúgr which means "bent", probably referring to the bent form of the local fjord, the Bjugnfjorden.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 17 February 1989. The arms show a yellow rudder on a blue background, representing the historic importance of fishing in the municipality.

Churches

The Church of Norway had three parishes within the municipality of Bjugn. It is part of the Fosen prosti in the Diocese of Nidaros.
Parish Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
BjugnBjugn Churchwest of Botngård1956
BjugnHeggvik ChurchHøybakken1858
JøssundJøssund ChurchJøssund1875
NesNes ChurchNes1878
NesTarva ChapelNordbuen, Tarva1972

Geography

The municipality of Bjugn is located on the Fosen peninsula on the mainland, plus many islands, including the Tarva islands. The Asenvågøy Lighthouse is located in the far north of the municipality. The Bjugnfjorden and Stjørnfjorden both are located partially in Bjugn.
Neighboring Bjugn is the municipality of Ørland to the southwest, Rissa to the south and southeast, and Åfjord to the northeast.
There are five nature reserves in Bjugn. Hildremsvatnet Nature Reserve is the largest at and includes several nature types, among these are 9 localities identified as boreal rainforest.

Sports

The Fosenhallen are an indoor multi-use ice rink. The Fosenhallen was used to host the 2014 World Junior Speed Skating Championships.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Bjugn, 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 Fosen District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Bjugn is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows: