Hasvik


Hasvik is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Breivikbotn. Other villages in the municipality include Breivik, Hasvik, and Sørvær. The population of Hasvik has generally been in steady decline due to problems within the fishing industry. Hasvik is an island municipality with no road connections to the rest of Norway. Hasvik Airport is served with regular connections to Tromsø and Hammerfest, and there is a two-hour ferry crossing to the village of Øksfjord on the mainland, providing access by car.
The municipality is the 196th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Hasvik is the 335th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,005. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 7.6% over the last decade.

General information

The municipality of Hasvik was established in 1858 when the northern part of Loppa Municipality was separated to form this new municipality. The initial population was 506. The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time.
On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county.

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was probably Hásvík. The first element is then the genitive case of the local mountain name Hár and the last element is vík which means "cove" or "wick". The actual name of the mountain is compared in form with an old oarlock.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 13 July 1984. The arms show a white seagull on a blue background, which was chosen by the municipality as a symbol for the local fishing and fish processing industry which attracts many seagulls.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish ' within the municipality of Hasvik. It is part of the Alta prosti in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
Parish 'Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
HasvikBreivikbotn ChapelBreivikbotn1959
HasvikDønnesfjord ChurchDønnesfjord1888
HasvikHasvik ChurchHasvik1955
HasvikSørvær ChapelSørvær1968

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Hasvik, 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 Hammerfest District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Hasvik is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

History

In the sea off the village of Sørvær, the stranded Soviet cruiser Murmansk ran aground on Christmas Eve in 1994 after her towlines snapped off the nearby North Cape. She was on her way to India to be scrapped at the time. Due to environmental and logistical concerns, it had to be removed piece by piece. Scandinavia’s largest demolition contractor, AF Decom, constructed a massive breakwater and dry dock around Murmansk to access the shipwreck from land and demolish it where it rested. The dock around the wreck was sealed in April 2012. By mid-May the dock was almost empty of water and the demolishing of the cruiser began. The project was completed in 2013.

Geography

The municipality of Hasvik is situated on the western side of Sørøya, Norway's fourth largest island. Most people in Hasvik are to be found in a string of settlements along the western coast: the three largest being Breivikbotn, Sørvær, and Hasvik. The municipality also includes the very sparsely populated northern part of the island of Stjernøya, including the Sørfjorden area. Stjernøya has no road or ferry connections.

Climate