Leirfjord is a

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

Nordland Nordland (; , , , ) is one of the three northernmost Counties of Norway, counties in Norway in the Northern Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to t ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is part of the

Helgeland Helgeland is the most southerly Districts of Norway, 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 moun ...

traditional region A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the village of Leland. Other villages in Leirfjord include

Bardal Bardal is a village in Leirfjord Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located along the south coast of the Ranfjorden, about west of the village of Hemnesberget. The village surrounds the Bardalselva river which flows into ...

and

Sundøya Sundøya is a village in Leirfjord Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located about south of the village of Leland. Sundøya has a population of about 120 people. It is located on the north side of the Vefsnfjorden on the n ...

. The large

Helgeland Bridge The Helgeland Bridge () is a cable-stayed bridge that crosses the Leirfjorden between the mainland (in Leirfjord Municipality) and the island of Alsta (in Alstahaug Municipality) in Nordland county, Norway. The town of Sandnessjøen is located ju ...

is partly located in the municipality, connecting it to

Alstahaug Municipality 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 ...

and the town of

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, but it did not receive town status until 1999. Sandnessjøen is ...

. The municipality is the 212th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Leirfjord is the 263rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,352. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

is and its population has increased by 7.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Leirfjord was established on 1 July 1915 when it was separated from

Stamnes Municipality Stamnes may refer to the following locations: *Stamnes, also known as Stamneshella Stamneshella or Stamnes is a village in Vaksdal municipality, Vestland county, Norway. It is located along the northern part of the Veafjorden, at the entrance to ...

. Initially, the municipality had 2,003 residents. In 1945, a small part of

Nesna Municipality Nesna is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Nesna (village), v ...

(population: 45) was merged into Leirfjord Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee () was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. On 1 January 1964, Leirfjord Municipality (population: 1,936) was merged with the parts of

located south of the

Ranfjorden RanfjordenIn English this means ''the Ran fjord''; the ''-en'' in the full name is a suffix meaning 'the' in Norwegian. is a fjord in the Helgeland district of Nordland county, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic ...

(population: 580) and the parts of

Tjøtta Municipality Tjøtta is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1862 until its dissolution in 1965. The municipality was centered around the Tjøtta (island), island of Tjøtta ...

on the island of

Alsta Alsta is an island in Alstahaug Municipality and Leirfjord Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The island is surrounded by the Vefsnfjorden to the east, the Leirfjorden to the north, and the Alstenfjorden to the south and west. The eastern p ...

(population: 180) to form a new, larger Leirfjord Municipality.

Name

The municipality is named after the

Leirfjorden Leirfjorden is a fjord in Leirfjord Municipality and Alstahaug Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The long fjord is located east of the town of Sandnessjøen, between the mainland and the island of Alsta. There is a short strait that co ...

. The old name of the

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

was probably just ''Leiri'', derived from the name of the river ''Leira'', which has its mouth in the end of the fjord. The river name is derived from the word which means "

clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 30 October 1992. The official

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''" Or, a cross

raguly The lines in heraldry used to divide and vary fields and charges are by default straight, but may have many different shapes. Care must be taken to distinguish these types of lines from the use of lines as charges, and to distinguish these shap ...

vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme versio ...

"'' (). This means the arms have a

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

(background) that has a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is cross with edges that are designed with a

edge. It symbolizes

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

and

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

in the municipality as well as the central location of the north–south and east–west roads through the municipality. The arms were designed by Jarle E. Henriksen from the nearby town of

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

has one parish () within Leirfjord Municipality. It is part of the Nord-Helgeland prosti (

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland Sør-Hålogaland is a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covers the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within Nordland county in Norway. The diocese is headquartered in the Bodø (town), town of Bodø at Bodø Cathedral, the sea ...

Geography

The municipality of Leirfjord is centered on the

, with most of the municipality on the mainland and a small part on the northeastern part of the island of

. The

Sundøy Bridge The Sundøy Bridge () is a cantilever bridge in Leirfjord Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The concrete bridge connects the mainland to the village of Sundøya on the island of Alsta. The bridge has three spans, with the main span being ...

connects the mainland to the northeastern part of the island of

and the

connects it to the rest of Alsta and the town of Sandnessjøen. The

runs along the northern part of Leirfjord and the

Vefsnfjorden Vefsnfjorden is a fjord in the traditional district of Helgeland in Nordland county, Norway. It is about long, reaching a maximum depth of about below sea level. The fjord flows through Alstahaug Municipality, Leirfjord Municipality, and Ve ...

runs along the southern part of the municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Nordtoven, on the border with

Vefsn Municipality Vefsn () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of towns a ...

Government

Leirfjord Municipality is responsible for

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

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

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. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

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

economic development In economics, economic development (or 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 object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. 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, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the

Helgeland District Court Helgeland District Court () is a district court located in Nordland county, Norway. This court is based at three different courthouses which are located in Brønnøysund, Mo i Rana, and Sandnessjøen. The court is subordinate to the Hålogaland C ...

and the

Hålogaland Court of Appeal The Hålogaland Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Tromsø. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark as well as the island territor ...

Municipal council

The

() of Leirfjord is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, 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 oft ...

Mayors

The

() of Leirfjord is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position: *1915–1920: Jens Johnsen *1920–1926: Lars Jaastad *1926–1928: S. Kibsgård *1928–1931: J.E. Bergh ( H) *1932–1935: Edvard A. Nilssen *1935–1941: Einar Leknes ( V) *1942–1945: Thoralf Mørk *1945–1955: Einar Leknes ( V) *1955–1957: Birger Jåstad ( LL) *1957–1959: Kåre Hjartland ( Sp) *1959–1964: Hans Nersund ( Ap) *1964–1967: Einar Leknes ( V) *1967–1971: Trygve Meisfjord ( Ap) *1971–1975: Arnfinn Jøsevold ( Ap) *1975–1983: Carl Klæboe ( Ap) *1983–1987: Arnfinn Jøsevold ( LL) *1987–1991: Harald Jarle Pedersen ( Ap) *1991–1995: Åshild Albertsen ( Sp) *1995–1999: Harald Jarle Pedersen ( LL) *1999–2003: Oddvar Sjursen ( Sp) *2003–2011: Ivan Haugland ( Ap) *2011–2015: Nils Magnar Johnsen ( Sp) *2015–2023: Ivan Haugland ( Ap) *2023–present: Sten Rino Bonsaksen ( Ap)

Notable people

Gunvald Ludvigsen Gunvald Ludvigsen (born 15 February 1949 in Leirfjord Municipality) is a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Sogn og Fjordane in 2005. Ludvigsen held various positions in the municipal coun ...

(born 1949 in Leirfjord), a Norwegian politician who was Mayor of Eid Municipality from 2003 to 2005 * Roger Johansen (born 1973 in Leirfjord), a Norwegian ice sledge hockey player who competed at the

2010 Winter Paralympics The 2010 Winter Paralympics (), or the tenth Paralympic Winter Games, were held in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, from March 12 to 21, 2010. The opening ceremony took place in BC Place Stadium in Vancouver and the Closing ...

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, 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 year on its web site. All rele ...

{{authority control Municipalities of Nordland 1915 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1915