The municipality of Brønnøy was established on 1 January 1838. On 1 October 1875 the eastern district was separated to become the new municipality of Velfjord. This left Brønnøy with 4,156 residents. Then on 1 January 1901, the southwestern district was separated to become the new municipality of Vik. Brønnøy was then left with 3,440 inhabitants. On 1 January 1923 the large village of Brønnøysund was separated from Brønnøy to become a town. 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 part of Bindal municipality located Lande-Tosbotn area around the inner Bindalsfjorden
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.
Name
The municipality is named after the small island Brønnøya, 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.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 20 May 1988. The arms have a yellow background with a black direction-sign used in the harbor to guide the ships. It symbolizes the importance of the harbor for the municipality.
The municipality has great scenic variety with numerous islets, lakes, mountains, and some fertile agricultural areas. Torgetisland 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 occurringsmall-leaved lime forests grows in Brønnøy, and there are patches of boreal rainforests in Grønlidalen nature reserve and Storhaugen nature reserve. Strompdalen nature reserve and Horsvær nature reserve, a nesting place for a rich variety of seabirds, are also located in the municipality.
The municipal council of Brønnøy is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:
