Saltdal
Saltdal is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rognan. Other villages in Saltdal include Røkland and Lønsdal.
The municipality is the 26th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Saltdal is the 185th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,671. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 0.4% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The municipality of Saltdal was established on 1 January 1838. In 1949, a small area of Skjerstad Municipality was transferred to Saltdal. Other than that one change, the borders have never changed.Name
The Old Norse form of the name must have been Salptardalr. The first element is the genitive case of the river name Salpt which means "strong steam", and the last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted in 1988. The arms show two gold-colored rowan twigs on a red background. It was chosen to represent nature and the prevalence of rowan forests in the municipality.Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes within the municipality of Saltdal. It is part of the Salten prosti in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.Parish | Church Name | Location of the Church | Year Built |
Saltdal | Saltdal Church | Rognan | 1862 |
Øvre Saltdal | Øvre Saltdal Church | Røkland | 1938 |
History
During World War II, the Germans decided to lengthen the Nordland Line from Lønsdal in Saltfjellet going northwards. Over a period of three years, the original plan was to first have both the road and the railroad all the way to Narvik and then on to Kirkenes, but they only managed to build the railroad to Bodø.The Germans continued to lengthen the road to Kirkenes, and it came to be known as Blodvegen by locals. This project involved prisoners of war, mostly from Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, in building this road under extremely harsh conditions. The workers lived in prison camps where they did not receive enough food for their hard work building the road. This caused many of the workers to collapse and die. A famous sign of this road is the blood cross one of the prisoners drew on the mountainside with his recently killed friend's blood. It has become a tradition to repaint this cross with red paint, so people who pass this will never forget what happened. It's still possible to walk this road, which stretches from Saltnes to Soksenvika. At Saltnes, you will find the Blood Road museum.
Saltdal was known for having some of the most horrifying prisoner-of-war camps in Norway during World War II. A grand total of 15-18 camps with 9,500 Russian, Polish, and Yugoslavian prisoners were located in the valley.
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Saltdal, 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 Salten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.Municipal council
The municipal council of Saltdal is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:Mayor
The mayors of Saltdal :- 2015–present: Rune Berg
- 2011-2015: Finn-Obert Bentsen
- 1999-2011: Kjell Magne Johansen
Geography
Two national parks are partially in the municipality: Saltfjellet–Svartisen National Park in the southwest, and Junkerdal National Park in the eastern part. This makes Saltdal one of the municipalities in Norway with the largest percentage of protected areas within its borders. The river Saltdalselva runs through the valley. The riverbed appears very bright in some places due to the minerals in the sand. The valley is covered with pine forest and birch and other trees are common as well. Lakes in the region include Balvatnet, Fiskeløysvatnet, Kjemåvatnet, and Nordre Bjøllåvatnet. The mountain Ørfjellet is also located in the municipality.
Climate
The municipality lies on the northeastern side of the Saltfjellet mountains, in the rain shadow of the mountains. With mountains surrounding it in almost all directions, Saltdal is one of the driest areas in Norway, especially the upper part of the valley. For five years in a row, 2001 to 2005, and then again in 2007 and 2008, the weather station in the upper part of the Saltdal valley recorded the least precipitation in all of continental Norway, with only in 2005. Average annual precipitation is per year in the upper part of the valley.Located in an inland valley, Saltdal is also known for its warm summer days, frequently being one of Norway's warmest locations if the right weather situation occurs. It is not uncommon with daytime temperatures approaching and sometimes exceeding in the summer months. Similarly, winter temperatures can be quite cold, often dropping below on a clear day.
During a heatwave in June 2011, Saltdal recorded four days in a row with daytime temperatures exceeding. On 11 June 2011, Saltdal recorded a daytime high of, which was a new heat record for Nordland county in the month of June. During the July 2019 European heat wave the temperature reached at in Saltdal, the highest temperature ever measured north of the Arctic Circle in Norway.
Monthly 24-hr averages range from in January to in July, and the annual average is. April and May are the driest months, with less than of precipitation. July is the wettest month with. This data is from the driest, upper part of the valley, and many other parts of the municipality averages more than twice as much precipitation. Junkerdal averages annually.
Transportation
The European route E6 highway passes through the entire length of Saltdal, with the Nordland Line running alongside it. A road running east through the Junkerdalen valley leads to Sweden. The nearest main airport is in Bodø, about 90 minutes from Rognan by road. There is a general aviation airport—Rognan Airport.Economy
Saltdal has a great history in boat building out of local timber. Especially before World War II, the boatbuilding industry employed a large percentage of Saltdal's population.Nowadays, the largest employer in Saltdal is Nexans. The company's Rognan factory specializes in telecommunication, fibre optics and copper cables. There is also some agriculture in Saltdal, and many people work within public services.