Lavangen


or is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tennevoll. Other villages in Lavangen include Fossbakken and Spansdalen and Kjeiprød, Røkenes, Låternes, Tennevoll, Hesjevika, Soløy, and Å.
The municipality is the 266th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lavangen is the 332nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,034. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 2.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Lavangen was established on 1 January 1907 when it was separated from Ibestad Municipality. The initial population was 1,536. 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 Lavangen and Salangen were merged into one large municipality of Salangen. The merger was brief, however, because on 1 January 1977, the old Lavangen municipality was made a separate municipality once again.
On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Troms county.

Name

The municipality is named after the fjord. The first element is lauf which means "leaf" and the last element is angr which means "fjord".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is modern, it was granted on 18 December 1987. The arms are a canting of the name since it shows three gold-colored birch leaves on a red background. The three leaves represent how the municipality was settled by Norwegians, Samis, and Kvens.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish ' within the municipality of Lavangen. It is part of the Indre Troms prosti in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
Parish 'Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
LavangenLavangen ChurchSoløy1891

Geography

The municipality encompasses the land around the Spansdalelva river valley and most of the area around the Lavangen fjord, south of the Astafjorden. The municipality borders Narvik to the south, Gratangen to the west, Salangen to the north, and Bardu to the east.

Climate

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Lavangen, 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 Ofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

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

Mayors

The mayors of Lavangen :
  • 2019-present: Hege Beathe Myrseth Rollmoen
  • 2015-2019: Bernhardt Halvorsen
  • 2011-2015: Erling Bratsberg
  • 2007-2011: Viktor Andberg
  • 2003-2007: Bernhardt Halvorsen
  • 1983-2003: Torleif Myrseth

    Attractions

Spanstind rundt is a famous cross-country skiing race in Lavangen that is held on Maundy Thursdays each year.