Moskenes


Moskenes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality comprises the southern part of the island of Moskenesøya in the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Reine. Other villages include Sørvågen, Hamnøy, and Å.
The municipality is the 321st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Moskenes is the 334th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,015. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 5.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality was established on 1 July 1916 when the southern part of Flakstad Municipality was separated to become Moskenes. Initially, Moskenes had a population of 1,306.
On 1 January 1964, the municipalities of Flakstad and Moskenes were reunited, this time under the name "Moskenes". Prior to the merger, Moskenes had 2,001 residents and the new municipality of Moskenes had 4,068 residents. This new municipality did not last long because on 1 January 1976, Flakstad broke away again to once again form a separate municipality. This left Moskenes with 1,705 residents.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Moskenes farm, since the first Moskenes Church was built there. The first element is probably derived from the word mosk/musk which means "sea spray" and the last element is nes which means "headland".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is from modern times; they were granted on 12 September 1986. The arms show a white vortex spiral on a blue background. Vortexes or whirlpools, such as the Moskenstraumen, appear in the channel just south of the island of Moskenesøya when the tide comes in, making it a hazardous channel.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish ' within the municipality of Moskenes. It is part of the Lofoten prosti in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
Parish 'Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
MoskenesMoskenes ChurchMoskenes1819
MoskenesReine ChurchReine1890

Attractions

Moskenes is among the most scenic municipalities in all Norway, and the picturesque fishing villages of Hamnøy, Reine, Sørvågen, Moskenes, Å, and Tind all have a dramatic backdrop of jagged peaks rising above the Vestfjorden. The historic Glåpen Lighthouse is located just east of Sørvågen.
Between Lofotodden, the southwestern tip of the Lofoten chain, and the offshore island of Mosken, there is the tidal current of Moskenstraumen. This is better known internationally as the Maelstrom, feared by all sailors. On the isolated northwestern coast of the island, there are also interesting Stone Age cave paintings. The highest mountain is Hermannsdalstinden at.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Moskenes, 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 Lofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

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

Geography

Moskenes has a subarctic climate. The municipality of Moskenes lies near the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago on the southern part of the island of Moskenesøya. The Vestfjorden lies to the east, the Moskenstraumen strait lies to the south, and the Norwegian Sea lies to the west. The municipality of Flakstad lies to the north and the island municipality of Værøy lies about to the south.

Climate

Notable residents