Hemnes 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 ...

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

Helgeland Helgeland is the most southerly district in Northern Norway. Generally speaking, Helgeland refers to the part of Nordland county that is located south of the Arctic Circle. It is bordered in the north by the Saltfjellet mountains and Svarti ...

traditional region. The

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality is the village of Korgen. Other villages include Bjerka, Bleikvasslia,

Hemnesberget Hemnesberget is a village in the municipality of Hemnes in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the Hemnes peninsula which lies on the south side of the Ranfjorden. Hemnes Church is located in this village. The village has a population (2 ...

, and Sund. Utsikt mot Vefsn

The municipality sits south of the

Ranfjorden The Ranfjorden (or just ''Ranfjord'') is a fjord in the Helgeland district of Nordland county, Norway. The largest part of the fjord is in the municipality of Rana, but the fjord also passes through the municipalities of Hemnes, Vefsn, Leirfjor ...

and stretches south and east toward the border with

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 ...

. The Nordland Line and

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 ...

cross Hemnes on their way to the town of

Mo i Rana Mo i Rana () is a city, and the administrative centre of the municipality of Rana, in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the Helgeland region of Nordland, just south of the Arctic Circle. Some of the city's suburbs include Båsmoen and Yt ...

about to the northeast. The E6 highway enters Hemnes from the west through the Korgfjell Tunnel from Vefsn. The municipality is the 49th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Hemnes is the 194th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,420. 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 decreased by 3.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

This municipality was established in 1839 when the old municipality of

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 ...

was divided into ''Sør-Rana'' and

Nord-Rana Nord-Rana (historically: ''Mo herred'') is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1839 until its dissolution in 1964. From 1839 until 1844, it was named ''Nord-Ranen'', from 1844 until 1923, it was called ...

, shortly after the

Formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 Janu ...

law went into effect. Soon after, in 1844, ''Sør-Rana'' was renamed ''Hemnes''. On 1 July 1918, the southern district of Hemnes (population: 1,369) was separated to become the new municipality of Korgen. This left Hemnes with 3,567 residents. A few months later on 1 January 1919, the eastern area of Bardal (population: 4) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of

Nesna Nesna 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 Nesna. Other villages in Nesna include Handnesneset, Husby, Saura, and Vi ...

. Then on 1 July 1929, Hemnes was split into three municipalities:

Sør-Rana Sør-Rana is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1929 until 1964 ( Hemnes Municipality was also named ''Sør-Rana'' from 1838 until 1844). Sør-Rana encompassed an area on both sides of the middle se ...

Elsfjord Elsfjord is a village in Vefsn Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located at the end of the Elsfjorden, about northeast of the town of Mosjøen. The European route E06 highway is accessed about south of the village. El ...

, and Hemnes. After this, the municipality of Hemnes only consisted of the village of

and the area immediately around it (population: 1,077). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post- World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Munici ...

. On 1 January 1964, the municipalities of Korgen, Hemnes, the extreme northern part of Hattfjelldal Municipality, and the southern part of

Municipality were all merged to form a new, larger municipality of Hemnes.

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 ''Hemnes'' 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 ...

: ''Heimnes'', now called

), since the first church was built there. The first element is ''heimr'' which means "

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it. ...

" (here in the sense of being "closest to home") and the last element is ''nes'' which means "

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, J ...

", referring to the peninsula on which the farm is located.

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 on 4 April 1986. The arms show a gold colored boat clamp on a blue background.

Shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to bef ...

has long been a tradition in the municipality and an element to symbolize shipbuilding was considered appropriate. The symbol chosen is a kind of clamp used to keep the wooden flanks of the ships together, and the blue background represents the ocean.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church ...

has three parishes () within the municipality of Hemnes. It is part of the Indre Helgeland 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.

History

Second World War

As part of their drive on

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 ...

, a detachment of three hundred German soldiers landed at Hemnes from the captured Norwegian coastal steamer SS ''Nordnorge'' on 10 May 1940 and captured the municipality from a platoon of British soldiers from No. 1

Independent Company A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...

, despite a spirited defence in the streets of

. A

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

task force consisting of the anti-aircraft cruiser ''Calcutta'' and destroyer ''Zulu'' sank the former Norwegian steamer and shelled the German forces in the town, but were unable to dislodge the German landing force. A

Norwegian Army The Norwegian Army ( no, Hæren) is the land warfare service branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces. The Army is the oldest of the Norwegian service branches, established as a modern military organization under the command of the King of Norway ...

detachment attempted a counterattack against the German's positions, but was driven back. The town was again bombarded on 12 May by a passing Royal Navy force without significant effect, leaving Hemnes in German control for the rest of the war.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Hemnes, 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 Rana District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Hemnes is made up of 23 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: Image7-19918810

Geography

The lake

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. ...

( sma, Reevhtse) is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

and

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contr ...

lying partially in the southern part of Hemnes. It has been the site of human occupation since the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with ...

. Its area of makes it the second largest lake in Norway by surface area. Other lakes include Bleikvatnet, Grasvatnet, Stormålvatnet, and Stormyrbassenget. The

Okstindan Okstindan is a mountain range which lies in the inner Helgeland district in Nordland county, Norway. It is located within the municipality of Hemnes. The mountain Oksskolten is part of the Okstindan range, and it is the highest mountain in North ...

mountain range is located in Hemnes, including the mountain

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 ...

. The large

Okstindbreen Okstindbreen is the eighth-largest glacier in mainland Norway. The glacier lies in the Okstindan mountain range in the municipality of Hemnes in Nordland county. The highest point is above sea level and its lowest point is above sea level. ...

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 ...

sits atop the mountain range.

Notable people

* Kristen Rivertz, (Norwegian Wiki) (1862–1937), architect * Johan Albrigt Rivertz (1874 in Korgen – 1942) a judge on the Supreme Court of Norway *

Erling Falk Erling Falk (12 August 1887 – 31 July 1940) was a Norwegian politician, ideologist and writer. He was active in the Norwegian Students' Society, the Norwegian Labour Party and the Communist Party, but is best known as a leading figure in the ...

(1887 in Hemnesberget - 1940) a Norwegian politician, ideologist and writer * Christen Finbak, (Norwegian Wiki) (1904–1954) chemist and physicist * Egil Kraggerud (born 1939 in Hemnes) a Norwegian philologist *

Laila Stien Laila Stien (born 16 May 1946 in Hemnes, Helgeland) is a Norwegian novelist, poet, author of children's literature and translator from Hemnes. She grew up in Rana, Norway, Rana and later lived in Finnmark. Stien made her literary debut in 1979 w ...

(born 1946 in Hemnes) a novelist, poet and author of children's literature * Gerd-Liv Valla (born 1948) a former trade union leader, grew up near Bjerka * Reidar Sørensen (born 1956 in Hemnesberget) a Norwegian stage and film actor IMDb Database
retrieved 10 September 2020 *

Kjell-Idar Juvik Kjell-Idar Juvik (born May 21, 1966) is a Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party. Born in Hemnesberget, Helgeland, Kjell-Idar Juvik has been a member of Hemnes municipality council since 1987, and served as mayor from 2003–201 ...

(born 1966 in Hemnesberget) a politician, Mayor of Hemnes 2003–2011 * Børge Petersen-Øverleir (born 1967 in Hemnesberget) a Norwegian guitarist

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every ye ...

* {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Nordland 1839 establishments in Norway