Sømna Municipality
Sømna kommune
Municipality
Vik herred  (historic name)
View of the village of Berg
View of the village of Berg
Flag of Sømna Municipality
Flag
Coat of arms of Sømna Municipality
Coat of arms
Nordland within Norway
Nordland within Norway
Sømna within Nordland
Sømna within Nordland
Coordinates: 65°19′25″N 12°10′38″E / 65.32361°N 12.17722°E / 65.32361; 12.17722
CountryNorway
CountyNordland
DistrictHelgeland
Established1 Jan 1901
 • Preceded byBrønnøy Municipality
Disestablished1 Jan 1964
 • Succeeded byBrønnøy Municipality
Re-established1 Jan 1977
 • Preceded byBrønnøy Municipality
Administrative centreVik i Helgeland
Government
 • Mayor (2023)Gunder Strømberg (LL)
Area
 • Total195.19 km2 (75.36 sq mi)
 • Land191.62 km2 (73.98 sq mi)
 • Water3.57 km2 (1.38 sq mi)  1.8%
 • Rank#301 in Norway
Population
 (2023)
 • Total1,970
 • Rank#281 in Norway
 • Density10.3/km2 (27/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −3.1%
DemonymSømnværing[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formBokmål
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1812[3]
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

Sømna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative center of Sømna is the village of Vik i Helgeland. Other villages in the municipality include Dalbotn, Sund, Vennesund, and Berg.

The oldest boat remains ever found in Norway (Haugvikbåten - 2,500 years old) was discovered in a bog in Sømna.

Sømna has some of the best agriculture in the region. Dairy and beef cows as well as grains are produced in Sømna. There is also a dairy in Berg that produces milk and cheese.[4]

The 195-square-kilometre (75 sq mi) municipality is the 301st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sømna is the 281st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,970. The municipality's population density is 10.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (27/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 3.1% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]

General information

The municipality of Vik was established on 1 January 1901 when it was separated from the large municipality of Brønnøy. The initial population of Vik was 2,731. In 1941 the municipality was renamed Sømna. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, a major municipal merger took place. The following areas were merged to form a new, larger Brønnøy municipality.

This merger was short-lived because on 1 January 1977, all of the old Sømna municipality (except the Hongsetbygda area) was removed from Brønnøy to become a separate municipality once again. There were 2,107 residents in the newly recreated Sømna municipality.[7]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Vik farm (Old Norse: Vík) since the first Sømna Church was built there. The name is identical with the word vík which means "bay" or "inlet", here referring to the bay near the church that is now called Vikvågen.[8]

On 13 November 1940, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sømna starting on 1 December 1940.[9] The new name was an old name for the area spelled as Sæmnese or Sørsøm (Old Norse: Søfn). The meaning of the name is unknown, but it is possibly derived from the word sveifa which means "wind" or "wave" or it could be derived from the word svefja which means a "quiet sleep".[4][10]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 14 June 1991. The official blazon is "Gules, three trefoils argent in pall stems conjoined" (Norwegian: I rødt tre sølv kløverblad forent i trepass). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a group of three clover leaves (trefoils). The clover has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms symbolize agriculture, culture, and prosperity combined. The arms were designed by Rolf Tidemann.[11][12][13][14]

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Sømna. It is part of the Sør-Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Churches in Sømna
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
SømnaSømna ChurchVik i Helgeland1876

Geography and climate

The municipality of Sømna is mostly made up of the southern part of a peninsula off the mainland of Norway and the surrounding islands. It borders Brønnøy to the north by land and Bindal to the south and east by sea, across the Bindalsfjorden. Sømna consists mainly of a wide Strandflaten lowland (coastal brim), and is one of few municipalities in Northern Norway where the farmers still grow some grain.

Sømna has an oceanic climate with few temperature extremes, similar to Brønnøysund. However, Sømna has one national heat record: The warmest night ever recorded in Norway was July 29, 2019 at Sømna-Kvaløyfjellet (302 m) in Sømna with overnight low 26.1 °C (79.0 °F).[15]

Government

All municipalities in Norway are 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.[16] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Helgeland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sømna is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Sømna kommunestyre 2023–2027 [17]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Red Party (Rødt) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
 Cross-party list Sømna (Tverrpolitisk liste Sømna)5
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 2019–2023 [18]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Red Party (Rødt) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
 Cross-party list Sømna (Tverrpolitisk liste Sømna)3
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 2015–2019 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
 Cross-party list Sømna (Tverrpolitisk liste Sømna)4
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 2011–2015 [20]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
 Cross-party list Sømna (Tverrpolitisk liste Sømna)5
 Sømna Local List (Sømna Bygdeliste)1
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 2007–2011 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Joint list of the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) and the Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 9
 Sømna local list (Sømna bygdeliste)1
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 2003–2007 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 10
 Sømna Local List (Sømna Bygdeliste)2
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 1999–2003 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
 Local list (Bygdeliste)1
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 1995–1999 [21]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Joint list of the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) and the Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 9
 Sømna Local list (Sømna Bygdeliste)3
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 1991–1995 [22]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Joint list of the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) and the Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 8
 Sømna local list (Sømna bygdeliste)2
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 1987–1991 [23]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 1983–1987 [24]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
Total number of members:17
Sømna kommunestyre 1979–1983 [25]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
Total number of members:17
Sømna herredsstyre 1959–1963 [26]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
Total number of members:17
Sømna herredsstyre 1955–1959 [27]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 1
Total number of members:17
Sømna herredsstyre 1951–1955 [28]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 1
Total number of members:16
Sømna herredsstyre 1947–1951 [29]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 1
Total number of members:16
Sømna herredsstyre 1945–1947 [30]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 12
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 4
Total number of members:16
Vik herredsstyre 1937–1941* [31]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 9
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 7
Total number of members:16
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Mayors

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Sømna (incomplete list):

  • 1952-1955: Jonas Enge (Ap)
  • 2005-2015: Edmund Dahle (Sp)
  • 2015-2015: Hans Gunnar Holand (Sp)
  • 2015-2019: Andrine Solli Oppegaard (Ap)
  • 2019–2023: Hans Gunnar Holand (Sp)
  • 2023–present: Gunder Strømberg (LL)

Notable people

  • August Nielsen (1877 in Vik at Sømna – 1956), a Norwegian architect
  • Ludvig Enge (1878 in Vik i Helgeland – 1953), a Norwegian civil servant and politician
  • Dag Skogheim (1928 in Sømna – 2015), a teacher, poet, novelist, short story writer, biographer, and non-fiction writer

References

  1. ↑ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ↑ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ↑ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. 1 2 Store norske leksikon. "Sømna" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  5. ↑ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. ↑ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  7. ↑ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  8. ↑ Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt (in Norwegian) (16 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 20.
  9. ↑ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1940. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 402. 1940.
  10. ↑ Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt (in Norwegian) (16 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 31.
  11. ↑ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "Sømna, Nordland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 14 June 1991. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  14. ↑ "Sømna kommune, våpen". Digitalarkivet (in Norwegian). Arkivverket. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  15. ↑ "Sømna målte varmeste tropenatt noen gang i Norge". 28 July 2019.
  16. ↑ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  17. ↑ "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  18. ↑ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  20. ↑ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  21. ↑ "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  22. ↑ "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  23. ↑ "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  24. ↑ "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  25. ↑ "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  26. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  27. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  28. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  29. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  30. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  31. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
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