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Lavangen Municipality Lavangen kommune Loabága suohkan
Municipality
View of Inner Lavangen
FlagCoat of arms
Troms within Norway
Lavangen within Troms
Coordinates: 68°39′28″N 17°35′01″E / 68.65778°N 17.58361°E / 68.65778; 17.58361
Country	Norway
County	Troms
District	Midt-Troms
Established	1 January 1907
• Preceded by	Ibestad Municipality
Disestablished	1 January 1964
• Succeeded by	Salangen Municipality
Re-established	1 January 1977
• Preceded by	Salangen Municipality
Administrative centre	Tennevoll
Government
• Mayor (2019)	Hege Beathe Myrseth Rollmoen (Sp)
Area
• Total	301.62 km (116.46 sq mi)
• Land	296.07 km (114.31 sq mi)
• Water	5.55 km (2.14 sq mi)  1.8%
• Rank	#266 in Norway
Highest elevation	1,457.49 m (4,781.79 ft)
Population
• Total	986
• Rank	#335 in Norway
• Density	3.3/km (9/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	−2.8%
Demonym	Lavangsværing
Official language
• Norwegian form	Neutral
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-5518
Website	Official website
Data from Statistics Norway

Lavangen (Norwegian) or Loabák (Northern Sami) is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tennevoll. Other villages in Lavangen include Fossbakken and Spansdalen (in the inland areas) and Kjeiprød, Røkenes, Låternes, Tennevoll, Hesjevika, Soløy, and Å (surrounding the fjord).

The 302-square-kilometre (117 sq mi) municipality is the 266th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Lavangen is the 335th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 986. The municipality's population density is 3.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (8.5/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 2.8% 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, Lavangen Municipality (population: 1,677) and Salangen Municipality (population: 2,611) were merged into a new, larger Salangen Municipality. The merger was brief, however, because on 1 January 1977, the old Lavangen Municipality (except for the Lavangsnes area) 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. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Troms county.

Name

The municipality is named after the local Lavangen fjord (Old Norse: Laufangr) since it is a central geographical feature of the area. The first element is lauf which means "leaf" (here in the sense of 'birchwood'). The last element is angr which means "fjord" or "bay". On 19 December 2015, the national government approved the municipality's request to add Loabák as a co-equal, official name of the municipality in the Northern Sami language. Both Loabák and Lavangen can be used interchangeably for the municipality. The spelling of the Sami language name changes depending on how it is used. It is called Loabák when it is spelled alone, but it is Loabága suohkan when using the Sami language equivalent to "Lavangen Municipality".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 18 December 1987. The official blazon is "Gules, three birch leaves Or in pall stems conjoined" (Norwegian: I rødt tre gull bjørkeblad forent i trepass). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three birch leaves that are connected and in a Y-shape design. The leaves have a tincture of Or which means they are commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms are a canting of the name of the municipality (which means leaf). The three leaves represent how the municipality was settled by Norwegians, Samis, and Kvens. The arms were designed by Øystein Hermod Skaugvolldal.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Lavangen Municipality. It is part of the Indre Troms prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

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 Municipality (in Nordland county) to the south, Gratangen Municipality to the west, Salangen Municipality to the north, and Bardu Municipality to the east. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,457.49-metre (4,781.8 ft) tall mountain Spanstinden.

• View of the mountain Spanstinden near Soløy
• View of the Lanvangen fjord
• View of Skavmodalen

Climate

Government

Lavangen Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Midtre Hålogaland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Lavangen is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Lavangen is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:

• 1907–1913: Bernhard Dahl Karlsen
• 1914-1922: Fredrik B. Hansen (Ap)
• 1923–1937: Lorentz K. Brattberg Aa (Ap)
• 1938–1941: Johan Sandmel (H)
• 1941-1941: Hjalmar Jørgensen
• 1942–1945: Albert Olaus Dahl
• 1945–1945: Johan Sandmel (H)
• 1948–1963: Alfred Ottesen (Ap)
• (1964-1977: Part of Salangen Municipality)
• 1979-1983: Arne Andberg (H)
• 1983–1995: Torleif Myrseth (Ap)
• 1995–1999: Alex Herry Norbakken (KrF)
• 1999–2003: Torleif Myrseth (Ap)
• 2003–2007: Bernhardt Halvorsen (Sp)
• 2007–2011: Viktor Andberg (Ap)
• 2011–2015: Erling Bratsberg (Sp)
• 2015–2019: Bernhardt Halvorsen (Sp)
• 2019–present: Hege Beathe Myrseth Rollmoen (Ap)

Attractions

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

Notable people

• Cecilie Myrseth (born 1984), a psychologist and politician who grew up in Lavangen
• Sandra Borch (born 1988 in Lavangen), a Norwegian politician

References

1. ^ "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. 16 January 2024.
2. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
3. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
4. Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
5. ^ "Stadnamn og rettskriving" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
6. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
7. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
8. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 September 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
9. Mæhlum, Lars, ed. (24 December 2019). "Troms og Finnmark". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
10. "Fylkesinndelingen fra 2024" (in Norwegian). Regjeringen.no. 5 July 2022.
11. Rygh, Oluf (1911). Norske gaardnavne: Tromsø amt (in Norwegian) (17 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 36. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
12. "Fastsetting av samisk navn på Lavangen kommune, Troms" (in Norwegian). LovData.no. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
13. "Civic heraldry of Norway – Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. 7 September 2022. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
14. "Lavangen, Troms (Norway)". Flags of the World. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
15. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 18 December 1987. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
16. Store norske leksikon. "Lavangen" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
17. "eKlima Web Portal". Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Archived from the original on 14 June 2004.
18. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
19. "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Troms Romsa". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
20. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Troms og Finnmark". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
21. ^ "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway. Archived from the original on 19 April 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
22. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Troms Romsa". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
23. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
24. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 May 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
25. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
26. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
27. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 September 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
31. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
32. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 August 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
33. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
34. Larsen, Emil (1952). Det store gjennombruddet : 1902–1952 (in Norwegian). Narvik: Nord-Troms Arbeiderparti. p. 169. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
35. Brox, Ditlev (1967). Lavangen skolesoga (in Norwegian). Harstad. p. 67. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
36. "Amtets nyvalgte ordførere for 1917-1919". Harstad Tidende (in Norwegian). 15 February 1917. p. 2. Retrieved 19 July 2024.
37. Andersen, Thor M, ed. (1931). Norges ordførere: 1929–1931 (in Norwegian). Oslo: Hanche. p. 268. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.

External links

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)

• Definitions from Wiktionary
• Media from Commons
• Travel guides from Wikivoyage
• Data from Wikidata

v t e Troms county, Norway
Main article: Troms Capital: Tromsø County government: Troms County Municipality County lists: County Governors Villages Churches
	Towns and cities	Tromsø (1794) Harstad (1904) Finnsnes (2000) Bardufoss (2021)
	Municipalities	Nord-Troms Balsfjord Gáivuotna-Kåfjord-Kaivuono Karlsøy Kvænangen Lyngen Nordreisa-Ráisa-Raisi Skjervøy Storfjord-Omasvuotna-Omasvuono Tromsø Midt-Troms Bardu Dyrøy Loabák-Lavangen Målselv Salangen Senja Sørreisa Sør-Troms Dielddanuorri-Tjeldsund Gratangen Harstad-Hárstták Ibestad Kvæfjord
	Former Municipalities in Troms Andørja (1926-1964) Astafjord (1926-1964) Berg (1838-2020) Bjarkøy (1838-2013) Helgøy (1886-1964) Hillesøy (1855-1964) Lenvik (1838-2020) Malangen (1871-1964) Sandtorg (1926-1964) Skånland (1926-2020) Torsken (1902-2020) Tranøy (1838-2020) Tromsøysund (1838-1964) Trondenes (1838-1964) Ullsfjord (1902-1964) Øverbygd (1925-1964)

• Lavangen
• Municipalities of Troms
• 1907 establishments in Norway
• 1964 disestablishments in Norway
• 1977 establishments in Norway
• Populated places established in 1907
• Populated places disestablished in 1964
• Populated places established in 1977