or is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

located in

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 A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

. It is part of the traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Fauske. Some of the villages in Fauske include Nystad, Venset, Straumsnes, and Sulitjelma. The municipality borders

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

in the east and the municipalities of Sørfold to the north,

Bodø Bodø (; smj, Bådåddjo, sv, Bodö) is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bodø (which is also the capital of Nordland coun ...

to the west, and

Saltdal Saltdal ( sme, Sálát) 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 L ...

to the southeast. The town is located on the northern shore of Skjerstad Fjord. The municipality is the 90th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Fauske is the 117th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 9,603. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

is and its population has increased by 0.9% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality was established on 1 January 1905 when the municipality of

Skjerstad Skjerstad () is a village in Bodø Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The small village of Skjerstad sits at the mouth of the Misværfjorden, where it joins Skjerstadfjorden. The village is also the location of Skjerstad Church. The ...

was divided into Skjerstad (population: 1,709) in the west and Fauske (population: 4,646) in the east. The municipal borders haven't changed since that time. In 1998, the municipality declared

township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, ...

for its administrative centre.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

) is named after the old ''Fauske'' farm (

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 ...

: ''Fauskar''), since the first Fauske Church was built there (in 1867). The name is the plural form of ''fauskr'' which means "old and rotten tree".

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was granted in 1988. The arms show a red

reef knot The reef knot, or square knot, is an ancient and simple binding knot used to secure a rope or line around an object. It is sometimes also referred to as a Hercules knot. The knot is formed by tying a left-handed overhand knot between two end ...

on a gray background. It was chosen to represent Fauske as a center of

commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, natio ...

and

transportation Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land ( rail and road), water, cable, pipelin ...

for the region.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes () within the municipality of Fauske. It is part of the Salten prosti (

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or reside ...

) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Economy

Manufacturing, mining and working in quarries employs 9% of the work force (as of 2021). Several

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

quarries are located in the municipality. The marble is exported to many countries, where it can be observed in many monumental buildings, among them the United Nations Headquarters in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. There are also

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

quarries in Fauske, as well as some

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

. Case work for permission for renewed mining in Sulitjelma, has been going on since the early 2010s; mining there was discontinued in 1991. Salten Kraftsamband and Fauske Lysverk are important employers in Fauske. The town is a commercial centre for parts of the inland areas of Salten, and has hotel and

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

facilities. FK Fauske/Sprint is the local soccer team. Historically,

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the econom ...

in Sulitjelma was very important.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Fauske, are responsible for

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/ kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in '' primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

, senior citizen services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refe ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or adminis ...

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types o ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The municipality falls under the Salten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Fauske is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featu ...

breakdown of the council is as follows: Fauske marble

Mayor

The mayors of Fauske (incomplete list): *2019–present: Marlen Rendall Berg ( Sp) *2015-2019: Jørn Stene ( LL) *2011-2015: Siv Anita Johnsen Brekke ( Ap) *2007-2011:

Odd Henriksen Odd Henriksen (born 1 March 1965) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. He was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Nordland Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a county ...

( H) *2000-2007: Kjell Eilertsen (Ap) *1991-1999: Anne Stenhammer ( SV) *1984-1991: Andreas Johan Moan (Ap) *1968-1983: Erling Johan Storjord (Ap) *1960-1968: Kåre Klette (Ap) *1946-1959: Joakim Ingemann Pedersen Kosmo (Ap) *1945: Hans Meyer Trondsen (Ap) *1941-1945: Alfred Ingelaus Olsen Engan ( NS) *1926-1941: Hans Meyer Trondsen (Ap)

Transportation

The Nordland Line passes through the municipality, reaching

west of Fauske. Travellers going further north usually leave the train in Fauske, and travel by express bus to Narvik or further, using

European route E6 European route E6 ( no, Europavei 6, sv, Europaväg 6, or simply E6) is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and thr ...

which goes through the center of Fauske. The E6 from Mo i Rana north to Fauske crosses over the Saltfjellet mountains, and the E6 further north to Narvik also goes through very rugged terrain; these are among the most scenic drives in Norway, although there are many tunnels in the Sørfold area. The Norwegian national road Rv 80 to Bodø, about to the west, departs from E6 in the centre of Fauske. The

Norwegian County Road 830 County Road 830 ( no, Fylkesvei 830) is a road in the municipality of Fauske in Nordland County, Norway. It runs between Finneid, where it branches off from European route E6, and the village of Sulitjelma, where it continues as County Road 543 ...

runs from the town of Fauske to the east to the village of Sulitjelma. The road passes through several tunnels: Grønnlifjell Tunnel, Hårskolten Tunnel, Sjønståfjell Tunnel, and Stokkviknakken Tunnel. The road follows the old

Sulitjelma Line The Sulitjelma Line ( no, Sulitjelmabanen) was a railway line that ran between Finneid in the town of Fauske to the village of Sulitjelma near the border with Sweden.For a history of the line see Bjerke, Thor, "Sulitjelmabanen" (1983, Norsk Jer ...

railroad.

Nature

Blåmannsisen seen from the ridge up Vardetoppen in Sulitjelma

There are two large

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

s in Fauske: Blåmannsisen and the

Sulitjelma Glacier The Sulitjelma Glacier (also: , , or ) is one of the largest glaciers in mainland Norway. The glacier is located in mostly in Norway, but the eastern part crosses over into Sweden. The Norwegian part is in Fauske Municipality in Nordland county ...

; covering about 14% of the municipality. The highest

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher ...

Suliskongen Suliskongen is a mountain in the municipality of Fauske in Nordland, Norway. The tall mountain is part of the Sulitjelma massif and it is the second highest mountain in Northern Norway. It is located about east of the village of Sulitjelma and ...

at above sea level. There are many lakes in the municipality, such as Blåmannsisvatnet, Kjelvatnet, Låmivatnet, Langvatnet, Muorkkejávrre, Nedrevatnet, Øvrevatnet, and Vuolep Sårjåsjávrre. Junkerdal National Park and Sjunkhatten National Park are partly located in Fauske. Sulitjelma, located by road east of Fauske, is a good starting point for

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

in the mountains and hikes to the glaciers. There are several DNT lodges in this area. There are many

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological o ...

s in the municipality, such as Veten nature reserve with

calcareous Calcareous () is an adjective meaning "mostly or partly composed of calcium carbonate", in other words, containing lime or being chalky. The term is used in a wide variety of scientific disciplines. In zoology ''Calcareous'' is used as an ad ...

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family (biology), family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanic ...

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

and a rich understory and Fauskeeidet wetland area with rich bird life and observation tower. There are several

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s in the municipality. The fairly easy accessible ''Svarthamarhola'' (Svarthamar cave) is one of the largest caves in northern Europe, also hosting one of the world's most northerly bat colonies. Jakobsbakken 3

Climate

Fauske is located inside 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 ...

and has 24 hours of daylight from early May to the beginning of August, with

midnight sun The midnight sun is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When the midnight sun is seen in the Arctic, ...

from the beginning of June to the second week of July. The area nearly has polar night for part of December because it has sunrise at 11 am and sunset before noon. Average 24-hour temperatures in Fauske is below freezing from mid-November to the last part of March, but the ice-free Skjerstad Fjord moderates winter temperatures. Summer starts in June with moderate summer temperatures lasting until early September. Precipitation is heaviest from September to December (usually as

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughou ...

in December); average annual precipitation is . Daytime temperatures are usually significantly warmer than the 24-hr average from March to September, while there is very little diurnal temperature variation from November to early February as the sun is very low or below the horizon all day. However, temperatures varies considerably with the weather; there might be cool westerly winds with temperatures of and rain both night and day in July, and the next day might be sunny with daytime temperature reaching . Southwesterly winds can bring thaws anytime in winter, but not in the mountains, which usually get large amounts of snow in winter—the main reason for the large glaciers and the hydropower in the area.

Notable residents

Mons Andreas Petersen Mons Andreas Petersen, best known as Mons Petter (sometimes Mons Peter; April 6, 1829 – November 16, 1886), was a Norwegian Sami farmer that discovered ore deposits in Sulitjelma in 1858. Mons Petter was a Sami farmer from the Skognes farm in ...

(1829 in Lakså – 1886) a Norwegian Sami farmer, discovered ore deposits in Sulitjelma in 1858 which became the

Sulitjelma Mines Sulitjelma Mines ( no, Sulitjelma gruber) was a Norwegian mining company that extracted copper, pyrite, and zinc at Sulitjelma in the municipality of Fauske, Norway. Operations started with a test mine in 1887. From 1891 to 1933, the business w ...

* Peter Vogelius Deinboll DSO, MC (1915 in Sulitjelma – 1944) an engineer, and Norwegian resistance member during WWII * Jacob Jervell (1925 in Fauske – 2014) a theologian, professor emeritus, author and priest * Eystein Husebye (born 1937 in Sulitjelma) a Norwegian seismologist and academic *

Ivar Antonsen Ivar Antonsen (born April 16, 1946, in Fauske, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer and had his debut at the Oslo jazz scene in 1967 together with Jan Garbarek, Palle Mikkelborg, Arild Andersen, and Espen Rud. Career Antonsen sta ...

(born 1946 in Fauske) a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer *

Jørgen Kosmo Jørgen Hårek Kosmo (5 December 1947 – 24 July 2017) was a Norwegian politician. From 2005 to 2013 he was Auditor General of Norway, after representing the Labour Party in the Storting (parliament) for 20 years, of which the final 4 years we ...

(1947 Fauske – 2017) a Norwegian politician, Auditor General of Norway 2005-2013 & President of the Storting * Trine Angelsen, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1965 in Fauske) a Norwegian author *

Frode Nymo Frode Nymo (born 27 November 1975), is a Norwegian jazz musician (alto Saxophone), and older brother of the tenor sax. player Atle Nymo. Career Nymo was born in Egersund and brought up in Valnesfjord, near Fauske. Early in his career, he wa ...

(born 1975) a jazz musician, plays alto saxophone; brought up in Valnesfjord *

Atle Nymo Atle Nymo (born 9 June 1977) is a Norwegian jazz musician (tenor saxophone and bass clarinet), and the younger brother of Jazz saxophonist Frode Nymo. He is known for his contributions with the orchestras Motif, one of his main projects, and Tr ...

(born 1977 in Valnesfjord) a jazz musician, plays tenor saxophone and bass clarinet *

Christel Alsos Christel Alsos Monsen (born 20 December 1984) is a Norwegian singer originating from Fauske. After high school with graduation in 2003 she moved to Gjøvik to study music at Viken Folkehøgskole. In 2004 she moved to Oslo. Having appeared on TV ...

(born 1984 in Fauske) a Norwegian singer

Sport

* Simon Slåttvik (1917 in Valnesfjord – 2001) a Norwegian skier, gold medallist at the

1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 6. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 6. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 19 ...

Alexander Os Alexander Os (born 21 January 1980) is a former Norwegian biathlete. Os announced his retirement after the end of the 2015–16 season. Biathlon results All results are sourced from the International Biathlon Union The International Biathl ...

(born 1980 in Fauske) a former Norwegian biathlete, competed at the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy Greene Wayne G ...

* Ruben Imingen (born 1986 in Fauske) a former Norwegian footballer with 164 club caps

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway *
Weather forecast and statistics for Fauske in english
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Nordland Populated places of Arctic Norway 1905 establishments in Norway