Lebesby


Lebesby is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kjøllefjord. Other villages in the municipality include Ifjord, Kunes, Lebesby, and Veidnes.
The municipality is the 8th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lebesby is the 314th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,290. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 3.9% over the previous 10-year period.
The municipality consists of the western half of the Nordkinn Peninsula, along with areas around the Laksefjorden. Most people live in the village of Kjøllefjord. This municipality is dominated by ethnic Norwegians, whereas the areas around the Laksefjorden are predominantly Sami. Fishing is the mainstay of the population.

General information

The parish of Lebesby was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. In 1864, the eastern part of Lebesby that surrounds the Tanafjorden was separated to become the new municipality of Tana. Tana was later separated into Tana, Gamvik, and Berlevåg. The borders of Lebesby have remain unchanged 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

Lebesby is may be a Norwegianized form of a Northern Sami name Leaibbessiida. The first element is then derived from leaibi which means "alder" and the last element is siida which means "dwelling place". The other possible option is the at Lebesby is a corruption of the Old Norse Liðvarðsbýr. That name is made up of Liðvarð, a man's name, and býr which also means "dwelling place".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is from modern times; they were granted on 22 July 1988. The arms are divided yellow over black by two embattlements. The idea is that the arms represent the Finnkirka, a cliff by the sea in the municipality. This cliff formation has the appearance of a church, and in former times was used by Sami people as a place of sacrifice.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes within the municipality of Lebesby. It is part of the Hammerfest prosti in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
Parish NameLocationYear built
KjøllefjordKjøllefjord ChurchKjøllefjord1951
LebesbyLebesby ChurchLebesby1962
LebesbyKunes ChapelKunes1982

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Lebesby, 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 Øst-Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Lebesby is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors

The mayors of Lebesby :
The municipality consists of the areas around the Laksefjorden, including the eastern part of the Sværholt Peninsula and the western half of the Nordkinn Peninsula. At the entrance to the Kjøllefjorden at the northwestern tip of the Nordkinn Peninsula, one finds the spectacular Finnkirka sea cliff, so named because of its soaring spires that look like a church. On the other side of the Oksefjorden on the northern end of the peninsula, the Kinnarodden cape is the northernmost point on the European mainland. There are several large lakes in the municipality including Kjæsvannet, Store Måsvannet, and Suolojávri.

Birdlife

The same seacliffs mentioned above hold large numbers of breeding seabirds. In fact Norway's third largest seabird colony can be found in the municipality. Experiencing a seabird colony is one of nature's great experiences, here you can see and listen to thousands of birds with such species as fulmar and Atlantic puffin being a part of a fascinating ecosystem.

Flora

The world's northernmost birch forest is located in this municipality, near Oksefjorden, east of Kjøllefjord.

Climate