Helgeland is the most southerly
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...
in
Northern Norway
Northern Norway ( nb, Nord-Norge, , nn, Nord-Noreg; se, Davvi-Norga) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the two northernmost counties Nordland and Troms og Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the lar ...
. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of
Nordland
Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trøndelag in the south, ...
county that is located south of the
Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle.
The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at ...
. It is bordered in the north by the
Saltfjellet mountains and
Svartisen glacier, which form a natural border with the
Salten district. In the south, Helgeland borders
Trøndelag
Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denma ...
county.
The district covers an area of about , with nearly 79,000 inhabitants. There are four towns in the district: from south to north these are
Brønnøysund,
Mosjøen,
Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen is a town and the administrative centre of Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Sandnessjøen was granted special trading privileges in the late 1600s and it received town status in 1999. Sandnessjøen is located o ...
, and
Mo i Rana.
Name
The
Old Norse
Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...
form of the name was ''Hálogaland'' (see
Hålogaland).
Geography
Helgeland is commonly divided into three or four sections:
* Southern Helgeland (actually southwest), which consists of the municipalities
Bindal,
Sømna,
Brønnøy,
Vega
Vega is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. It has the Bayer designation α Lyrae, which is Latinised to Alpha Lyrae and abbreviated Alpha Lyr or α Lyr. This star is relatively close at only from the Sun, a ...
and
Vevelstad.
* Central Helgeland, which is sometimes further divided into the regions:
** Inner Helgeland, which consists of the municipalities
Grane,
Hattfjelldal
Hattfjelldal ( sma, Aarborte) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hattfjelldal. Other villages include Grubben, Svens ...
and
Vefsn.
** Outer Helgeland, which consists of the municipalities
Leirfjord,
Alstahaug
Alstahaug is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandnessjøen. Some of the villages in Alstahaug include Søvika and Tjøtta.
Most resi ...
,
Herøy and
Dønna
Dønna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland region. The administrative centre of the island municipality is the village of Solfjellsjøen. Other villages include Bjørn, Dønnes, Hestad, Sandåker, and ...
.
* Northern Helgeland, which consists of the municipalities
Hemnes,
Rana
Rana may refer to:
Astronomy
* Rana (crater), a crater on Mars
* Delta Eridani or Rana, a star
People, groups and titles
* Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name)
* Rana (title), a historica ...
,
Nesna,
Lurøy,
Træna
Træna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the island/village of Husøya. Other population centres include Selvær and Sanna.
Fishin ...
and
Rødøy.
Helgeland is characterized by pointed mountains and ''Strandflaten'', a shallow lowland area, sometimes just above the sea surface, and sometimes just below the surface. People living on the coast have settled on this lowland (while inland towns, such as Mo and Mosjøen, are situated in valleys). A consequence of the ''Strandflaten'' is thousands of islands, and shallow waters going far into the sea. This has provided some shelter from stormy weather, which might occur in winter. Some islands are fairly large, often with unique mountains, such as
Torghatten
Torghatten is a granite dome on the island of Torget in Brønnøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is known for its characteristic hole, or natural tunnel, through its center. It is possible to walk up to the tunnel on a well-prepar ...
,
De syv søstre (The Seven Sisters),
Hestmannen,
Rødøyløva (in
Rødøy),
Dønnamannenpicture, and
Træna
Træna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the island/village of Husøya. Other population centres include Selvær and Sanna.
Fishin ...
. There are several sea bird colonies, such as
Lovundpicture with thousands of
puffin
Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...
s.
The Solvær Islands (
Solværøyene) in
Lurøy consists of about 300 small and flat islands and has the highest densities of Eurasian eagle-owls in Europe.
The highest mountains, are located inland, where
Oksskolten
Oksskolten (lit. ''Bulls Head'') is a mountain in the municipality of Hemnes in Nordland County, Norway. At tall, it is the highest point in Nordland county, the highest in Northern Norway, and has Norway's eighth largest primary factor. The mo ...
is the highest mountain in Northern Norway. There are many valleys inland, such as the
Dunderland Valley
The Dunderland Valley ( no, Dunderlandsdalen, smj, Dunndaravuobme) is a valley in the municipality of Rana in Nordland county, Norway. It reaches from just below the eastern Saltfjellet plateau about south of the Arctic circle. The mountain B ...
, Vefsndalen, and
Hattfjelldal
Hattfjelldal ( sma, Aarborte) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hattfjelldal. Other villages include Grubben, Svens ...
.
Røssvatnet
or is a lake and reservoir in the municipalities of Hattfjelldal and Hemnes in Nordland county, Norway. It has been the site of human occupation since the Stone Age. Its area of makes it the second largest lake in Norway by surface area. ...
is the second largest lake in Norway. There are three large national parks in Helgeland:
Saltfjellet–Svartisen National Park (partly),
Børgefjell National Park (partly), and
Lomsdal–Visten National Park (created in May 2009).
Cultural references
Helgeland is the scene for
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential pla ...
's 1857 historical play "
The Vikings at Helgeland
''The Vikings at Helgeland'' (''Hærmændene paa Helgeland'') is Henrik Ibsen's seventh play. It was written during 1857 and first performed at Christiania Norske Theater in Oslo on 24 November 1858. The plot takes place during the time of Erik ...
" (''Hærmændene paa Helgeland''), whose plot takes place at this region during the time of
Erik Blood-axe
Eric Haraldsson ( non, Eiríkr Haraldsson , no, Eirik Haraldsson; died 954), nicknamed Bloodaxe ( non, blóðøx , no, Blodøks) and Brother-Slayer ( la, fratrum interfector), was a 10th-century Norwegian king. He ruled as King of Norway from ...
(c. 930–934).
Helgeland Kammerkor, a mixed choir with members from all parts of Helgeland, have recorded an
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...
of
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
from Helgeland (''Folketoner fra Helgeland'', 2005). The album contains 27 folk tunes from Helgeland, recorded in collaboration with folk musicians from the area. The album was recorded in
Alstahaug Church, a 900-year-old stone church located near
Sandnessjøen
Sandnessjøen is a town and the administrative centre of Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Sandnessjøen was granted special trading privileges in the late 1600s and it received town status in 1999. Sandnessjøen is located o ...
.
Media gallery
File:Dønnamannen.JPG, Dønnamannen (''the Dønna man'')
File:Rødøy3.jpg, Rødøyløva mountain (the lion of Rødøy)
File:Lomsdalen.jpg, Part of the Lomsdalen-Visten National Park
File:Utsikt mot Vefsn.JPG, View from Korgfjellet mountain north of Mosjøen
File:Røssvatnet with Dårtindan & Lukttinden, 2011 June.jpg, Røssvatnet, Norway's second largest lake, located inland nearly 400 m above sea level
File:Okstinden.JPG, Okstinden mountain (791 m.) in the municipality of Lurøy
References
{{reflist
External links
Helgeland on the web
Districts of Nordland