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() is the third-largest
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' ...
in
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 ...
, by population. 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 town of Narvik. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include
Ankenesstrand Ankenesstranda or Ankenesstrand (sometimes simply called "Ankenes") is a village area in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village area is a western suburb of the town of Narvik and just east of the village of Håkvik. The vil ...
, Ballangen,
Beisfjord or is a village in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located about southeast of the town of Narvik, at the southeastern end of the long Beisfjorden (an arm off of the large Ofotfjorden). The village sits in a v ...
,
Bjerkvik or is a village in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located at the end of Herjangsfjorden, an arm of Ofotfjorden. Bjerkvik sits less than south of the border of Troms county and about across the fjord from the Na ...
, Bjørnfjell, Elvegården, Kjøpsvik, Skjomen, Håkvik,
Hergot or is a hamlet in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located by the Rombaken fjord, just north of the Rombak Bridge. Hergot Chapel is located on the south side of the hamlet. Road 7575 from Narvik crosses Hergot, and links ...
, Straumsnes, and Vidrek. The Elvegårdsmoen army camp is located near Bjerkvik. Narvik is located on the shores of the
Ofotfjorden The Ofotfjord (; ) is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. It is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The long Ofotfjord is Norway, Norway's 12th longest fjord and it is also the 18th deepest, with a maximum d ...
. The municipality is part of the traditional district of
Ofoten Ofoten is a districts of Norway, traditional district in Nordland county in Northern Norway. It consists of Evenes Municipality, Narvik Municipality, and Lødingen Municipality. It is named after the main fjord, Ofotfjorden, which is at the cent ...
of
Northern Norway Northern Norway (, , ; ) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the three northernmost counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in Northern Norway (from south to no ...
, inside the
Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...
. Narvik Municipality borders
Hamarøy Municipality or is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppeid ...
to the southwest; Evenes Municipality to the northwest; Bardu Municipality, Gratangen Municipality, Lavangen Municipality, and
Tjeldsund Municipality or is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Troms Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The southwestern part of the municipality is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Ofoten and the rest of the municipality is ...
(in
Troms Troms (; ; ; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. It borders Finnmark county to the northeast and Nordland county in the southwest. Norrbotten Län in Sweden is located to the south and further southeast is a shorter border with ...
county) to the north; and
Norrbotten County Norrbotten County (, Meänkieli/, ) is the northernmost county or '' län'' of Sweden. It is also the largest county by land area, almost a quarter of Sweden's total area. It shares borders with Västerbotten County to the southwest, the Gulf ...
( Lapland) in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
to the south and east. The municipality is the 10th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Narvik is the 61st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 21,580. 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 15.4% over the previous 10-year period.


General information

The municipality of Narvik was established on 1 January 1902 when the village of Narvik received status as a proper town ( kjøpstad) and was separated from the large
Ankenes Municipality Ankenes is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1884 until 1974. It encompassed most of the present-day Narvik Municipality, surrounding of the Narvik (town), to ...
. Initially, the town-municipality of Narvik had 3,705 residents. On 1 January 1974,
Ankenes Municipality Ankenes is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1884 until 1974. It encompassed most of the present-day Narvik Municipality, surrounding of the Narvik (town), to ...
was merged with the town-municipality of Narvik, forming a new, larger Narvik Municipality. After the merger, the new Narvik Municipality had 19,780 residents. On 1 January 1999, a small area of Narvik Municipality (population: 9) was transferred to the neighboring Evenes Municipality. On 1 January 2020, Narvik Municipality was merged with the neighboring Ballangen Municipality and the eastern half of Tysfjord Municipality to form a new, larger Narvik Municipality. This occurred because in 2017 the municipal government agreed to merge after the
Parliament of Norway The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...
required Tysfjord Municipality to be split up.


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 adopted on 20 June 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020 after a municipal merger. The
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 ''" Azure, a mountain peak
argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...
"''. This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a mountain peak. The mountain peak 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
argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...
which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms were designed to look like the local mountain Stetind. The arms were designed by Eirik Djupvik. 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 1 June 1951 and they were in use until 1 January 2020 when there was a municipal merger. 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 ''"
Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...
, an anchor Or"'' (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is an
anchor An anchor is a device, normally made of metal, used to secure a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. The word derives from Latin ', which itself comes from the Greek (). Anch ...
. The anchor 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 anchor symbolises Narvik's status as an important
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
(the largest
harbour A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be Mooring, moored. The t ...
in North Norway). The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. Narvik komm 2020.svg, Current arms since 2020 Narvik komm.svg, Arms (1951-2019)


Name

The municipality (originally the town of Narvik) is named after the old ''Narvik'' farm ( or ) since the town was built there. The two possible Old Norse roots have differing meanings. If it comes from , then the meaning of the first element is the
genitive In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can ...
plural form of or knarr which means "merchant ship". The other option is that the name is derived from . In that case, the first element comes from the old pagan god name . Both options share the same last element, , which means "
inlet An inlet is a typically long and narrow indentation of a shoreline such as a small arm, cove, bay, sound, fjord, lagoon or marsh, that leads to an enclosed larger body of water such as a lake, estuary, gulf or marginal sea. Overview In ...
". Historically, the name was spelled ''Narduigh'' or ''Narvigen''. The harbour in the town of Narvik was once called ''Victoriahavn'' after
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
of the United Kingdom, however Sweden's
Crown Princess Victoria Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, Duchess of Västergötland (Victoria Ingrid Alice Désirée; born 14 July 1977) is the heir apparent to the Swedish throne, as the eldest child of King Carl XVI Gustaf. If she ascends to the throne as expect ...
was also honoured.


History

The Narvik area was settled in the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
. Not very much is known about these people, but the
Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
s lived in this area. The town of Narvik was developed as an all-year ice free port for the Swedish iron mines in
Kiruna (; ; ; ) is the northernmost Stad (Sweden), city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,167 in 2016) in Norrbotten County. The c ...
and
Gällivare Gällivare (; ; or ; or ; ) is a locality and the seat of Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County, province of Lapland, Sweden with 8,449 inhabitants in 2010. The town was founded in the 17th century. Together with nearby towns Malmberget ...
. The history of modern Narvik begins in the 1870s, when the Swedish government began to understand the potential of the
iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...
mines in
Kiruna (; ; ; ) is the northernmost Stad (Sweden), city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,167 in 2016) in Norrbotten County. The c ...
, Sweden. Obtaining iron ore from Kiruna had one significant problem in that there was no suitable Swedish port. The nearest Swedish port,
Luleå Luleå ( , , locally ; ; ) is a Cities in Sweden, city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the County Administrative Boards of Sweden, capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban ...
, had limitations. It was covered with ice all winter, it is far from Kiruna, and it allows only medium-sized bulk freight vessels. Narvik offered a port which is ice-free thanks to the warm
Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolin ...
, and is naturally large, allowing boats of virtually any size to anchor, up to long and deep. The Swedish company ''(Gällivarre Aktiebolag)'' built the Iron Ore Line (''Malmbanan'') to Riksgränsen on the Norway–Sweden border. The Norwegian Ofotbanen railway line connects Narvik to the Swedish border. Swedish mining corporation LKAB still ships the majority of its ore from Narvik (a total 25 million tons a year). It is an important employer and landowner in Narvik, although its influence is not as prominent as in the past.


World War II

The port of Narvik proved to be strategically valuable in the early years of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and the town became a focal point of the Norwegian Campaign. In 1939, Germany's war industry depended upon iron ore mined in Kiruna and Malmberget in Sweden. During the summer season, this ore could be sent by cargo ship to Germany through the
Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...
via the Swedish port of Luleå on the
Gulf of Bothnia The Gulf of Bothnia (; ; ) is divided into the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea, and it is the northernmost arm of the Baltic Sea, between Finland's west coast ( East Bothnia) and the northern part of Sweden's east coast ( West Bothnia an ...
. However, when the Gulf of Bothnia froze during the winter, more shipments of the ore needed to be transported through Narvik and, from there, down the west coast of Norway to Germany. The town of Narvik is linked by rail to Sweden, but not to any other towns in Norway. As a result, Narvik serves as a gateway to the ore fields of Sweden that cannot be easily reached from southern Norway via land.
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...
realized that the control of Narvik meant stopping most German imports of iron ore during the winter of 1940. This would be advantageous to the Allies, and it might help shorten the war. Equally as important, later in the war, German submarines and warships based there threatened the allied supply line to the
Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. Churchill proposed laying a
naval mine A naval mine is a self-contained explosive weapon placed in water to damage or destroy surface ships or submarines. Similar to anti-personnel mine, anti-personnel and other land mines, and unlike purpose launched naval depth charges, they are ...
field in Norwegian territorial waters around Narvik (referred to as "the Leads"), or else occupying the town with Allied troops. The Allies hoped that they might be able to use an occupied Narvik as a base from which to secure the Swedish ore fields and/or to send supplies and reinforcements to
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, then fighting the Finnish
Winter War The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...
with the Soviet Union. Plans to lay a minefield around Narvik or to seize the town met with debate within the British government – since both plans would mean a violation of Norway's neutrality and sovereignty. Finally, on 8 April 1940, the British Admiralty launched
Operation Wilfred Operation Wilfred was a British naval operation during the Second World War that involved the naval mine, mining of the channels between Norway and its offshore islands to prevent the transport of Swedish iron ore through neutral Norwegian wate ...
, an attempt to lay anti-shipping minefields around Narvik in Norwegian territorial waters. Coincidentally, Germany launched its invasion of Norway (
Operation Weserübung Operation Weserübung ( , , 9 April – 10 June 1940) was the invasion of Denmark and Norway by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign. In the early morning of 9 April 1940 (, "Weser Day"), Ge ...
) on the next day. During this invasion, ten German
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...
s, each carrying 200 mountain infantry soldiers, were sent to Narvik. The outdated Norwegian coastal defence ships and attempted to resist the invasion, but both Norwegian warships were sunk after a short and uneven battle. The
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
quickly dispatched several ships to Narvik, including the battleship , and during the Battles of Narvik, the British took control of the coast, destroying the German destroyers that had brought the invasion force to Narvik, as well as other German ships in the area. On 12 April 1940, the first convoys of Allied soldiers were sent under Major-General Pierse Joseph Mackesy to Narvik. The Admiralty urged Mackesy to conduct an assault on Narvik from the sea as soon as possible. However, Mackesy believed that the German harbour defences were too strong for such an invasion to take place. The Admiralty argued that a naval bombardment of Norway would enable the troops to land safely, but General Mackesy refused to subject Norwegian citizens to such a bombardment, and instead he chose to land his troops near Narvik and wait until the snow melted to take over the town. Coordinated by the Norwegian
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Carl Gustav Fleischer, Norwegian, French, Polish, and British forces recaptured Narvik on 28 May 1940. This is also considered the first Allied infantry victory in World War II. However, by that time, the Allies were losing the
Battle of France The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembour ...
and the evacuation from Dunkirk was underway. Since the
Nazi German Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...
invasion of France had made Scandinavia largely irrelevant, and since the valuable troops assigned to Narvik were badly needed elsewhere, the Allies withdrew from Narvik on 8 June 1940 in Operation Alphabet. The same day, while operating in the Narvik area, the German battleships and sank the British aircraft carrier during the withdrawal from this battle. Without support from the Allied naval task force, the Norwegians were outnumbered, and they had to lay down their arms in Norway on 10 June 1940. This was not a complete capitulation, since the Norwegians kept on fighting
guerrilla Guerrilla warfare is a form of unconventional warfare in which small groups of irregular military, such as rebels, Partisan (military), partisans, paramilitary personnel or armed civilians, which may include Children in the military, recruite ...
operations inland. Possession of the Ofotfjord was also important to the German
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
(navy) since it provided a refuge for warships like the "pocket battleship" and the battleship outside the range (at the time) of air attacks from
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. Also, possibly
U-boats U-boats are naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the First and Second World Wars. The term is an anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the German term refers to any submarine. Austro-Hungarian Na ...
could be based at Narvik.


Government

Narvik 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 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 ...
is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Midtre Hålogaland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.


Municipal council

The
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 Narvik is made up of 31 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
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 ...
() of Narvik 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: * 1902–1902: Ole Martinussen * 1903–1903: Nils Astrup * 1904–1904: Statius Mosling * 1905–1905: Ole Martinussen * 1906–1907: Statius Mosling * 1908–1908: Edvard Kristiansen * 1909–1910: Karl Kristian Høiem * 1911–1911: Rolf Jacobsen ( V) * 1912–1913: Albert Zintzen * 1914–1921: Julius Bastian Olsen ( Ap) * 1922–1922: Einar Wexelsen ( V) * 1923–1927: Julius Bastian Olsen ( Ap) * 1929–1930: Hans Kisen ( Ap) * 1934–1940: Theodor Broch ( Ap) * 1940-1945:
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...
* 1945–1945: Theodor Broch ( Ap) * 1945–1949: Alfred Nilsen ( Ap) * 1949–1953: Odd Finseth ( Ap) * 1953–1967: Sverre Øvergård ( Ap) * 1968–1973: Arne Kristian Meedby ( Ap) * 1974–1979: Edgar Sneve ( Ap) * 1980–1987: Roald Sandvoll ( Ap) * 1988–1999: Odd G. Andreassen ( Ap) * 2000–2007: Olav Sigurd Alstad ( Ap) * 2007–2011: Karen Margrethe Kuvaas ( Ap) * 2011–2015: Tore Nysæter ( H) * 2015–present: Rune Edvardsen ( Ap)


Geography

Narvik Municipality is the 10th largest municipality in Norway and it covers large areas of rural land outside the town itself. Some of the other settlements in the municipality are
Bjerkvik or is a village in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located at the end of Herjangsfjorden, an arm of Ofotfjorden. Bjerkvik sits less than south of the border of Troms county and about across the fjord from the Na ...
(located at the head of the Herjangsfjord), Håkvik,
Beisfjord or is a village in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located about southeast of the town of Narvik, at the southeastern end of the long Beisfjorden (an arm off of the large Ofotfjorden). The village sits in a v ...
(along the Beisfjorden) and Skjomen. The eastern part, towards the border with Sweden, is dominated by mountains, including the tall Storsteinfjellet which is the highest point in the municipality. The mountain Stetinden is also a notable mountain for the region. There are also valleys such as the Vassdalen and many, many lakes, including the lakes
Baugevatnet Baugevatnet is a lake that lies in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The lake is located about east of the village of Kjøpsvik and just northwest of the border with Sweden. The lake Båvrojávrre lies about to the southwest an ...
,
Båvrojávrre Båvrojávrre is a lake that lies on the border between Norway and Sweden. Most of the lake lies in Norway in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county. Only of the lake lies in Sweden in Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County. The lake Baug ...
, Børsvatnet, Gautelisvatnet, Geitvatnet, Hartvikvatnet, Hjertvatnet, Indre Sildvikvatnet,
Iptojávri Iptojávri is a lake in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The lake lies about south of the village of Elvegård, just from the border with Sweden. The ending ''-jávri'' is the word for "lake" in the Northern Sami language. S ...
, Kjelvatnet, Langvatnet, Lossivatnet, Melkevatnet, Rødvatnet, Sealggajávri,
Siiddašjávri or or is a lake on the border between Norway and Sweden. The lake covers an area of , with of the lake in Norway (Narvik Municipality in Nordland county) and in Sweden (Gällivare Municipality in Norrbotten County). The name of the lake come ...
, Søndre Bukkevatnet, Storvatnet, Tjårdavatnet, and Unna Guovdelisjávri. The town itself is situated near the innermost part of the deep
Ofotfjorden The Ofotfjord (; ) is a fjord in Nordland county, Norway. It is an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, located about north of the Arctic Circle. The long Ofotfjord is Norway, Norway's 12th longest fjord and it is also the 18th deepest, with a maximum d ...
, but even here the mountains, going almost straight up from the blue
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 ...
, reach as high as in Skjomen, where the
glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
Frostisen can be seen. Other fjords in Narvik include Skjomen, Beisfjorden, Herjangsfjorden, Efjorden, Tysfjorden, Vestfjorden, and
Rombaken or (or unofficially: ''Rombaksfjord'') is a fjord that branches off of the main Ofotfjorden in Narvik Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The fjord is about long and is surrounded by steep mountains, and the Narvik (town), town of Narvik ...
. The island Barøya lies just off shore at the mouth of the Ofotfjorden. The Gihtsejiegŋa glacier is also located in Narvik.
Forests A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense community of 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 functio ...
cover the lower parts of the mountains (below 500 metres), but near the summits, the
snow Snow consists of 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 througho ...
can stay most of the summer. Narvik has well prepared slopes for
alpine skiing Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel Ski binding, bindings, unlike other types of skiing (Cross-country skiing, cross-country, Telemark skiing, Telemark, or ski jumping) ...
, some of which end almost in the town centre.


Climate

Narvik features a boreal climate (
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
: Dfc) with mild winters for this climate type, or a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc), depending on winter threshold ( as used in the US or as in the original
classification Classification is the activity of assigning objects to some pre-existing classes or categories. This is distinct from the task of establishing the classes themselves (for example through cluster analysis). Examples include diagnostic tests, identif ...
). It is close to a humid continental climate due to a mild September. As Narvik is inside the
Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the northernmost of the five major circle of latitude, circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth at about 66° 34' N. Its southern counterpart is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circl ...
, the climate is very mild for the latitude. The mountains surrounding the town give shelter from some of the strong winds typical for coastal areas, but the easterlies can be strong with especially strong wind gusts. The all-time high was set 9 July 2014. July 2014 is warmest month on record with mean and average daily high . The all-time low was recorded on 1 February 1980. Coldest month on record is February 1966 with mean and average daily low . The average date for the first overnight freeze in autumn when the low goes below is October 13 (1981-2010). The light varies considerably in Narvik since the sun is below the
horizon The horizon is the apparent curve that separates the surface of a celestial body from its sky when viewed from the perspective of an observer on or near the surface of the relevant body. This curve divides all viewing directions based on whethe ...
from late November until mid-January; when there is only a bluish light for a few hours around
noon Noon (also known as noontime or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for '' meridiem'', literally 12:00 midday), 12 p.m. (for ''post meridiem'', literally "after midday"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour cl ...
. The mountains surrounding the town in reality extend this period from early November until the end of January. The light is often intense in March and April, with long daylight hours and snow cover since the snow melts in lowland areas in April, but stays in the mountains for several months. The "
midnight sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, 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 midnight sun is see ...
" is above the horizon from 25 May to 20 July (57 days), and the period with continuous daylight lasts a bit longer, from approximately 10 May to the end of July,
polar night Polar night is a phenomenon that occurs in the polar regions of Earth, northernmost and southernmost regions of Earth when the Sun remains below the horizon for more than 24 hours. This only occurs inside the polar circles. The opposite phen ...
from 5 December to 6 January (33 days). There is also a transitional period with twilight in the night, so it is not possible to see any stars at night from the last days of April until early August.


Economy

The town of Narvik is a commercial centre for the whole municipality and some of the neighbouring municipalities. Narvik University College has approximately 1,200 students. There are some high-tech businesses in Narvik (among them Natech) and the largest research institute in Northern Norway, Norut Narvik. Narvik was one of the first areas to be affected by the
2008 financial crisis The 2008 financial crisis, also known as the global financial crisis (GFC), was a major worldwide financial crisis centered in the United States. The causes of the 2008 crisis included excessive speculation on housing values by both homeowners ...
. It lost the equivalent of US$ million in August 2007 after it invested in
Citigroup Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services company based in New York City. The company was formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp, t ...
securities. As the Norwegian government refused to bail them out, Narvik was forced to implement severe budget cuts.


Recreation and tourism

Narvik has access to numerous outdoor activities. This is the best known location in northern Norway for alpine skiing. There are lifts, and several of the slopes are floodlit. There is also a cable car to Fagernesfjellet, with a view and the possibility to walk even higher up in the mountains. Narvik Winter Festival () takes place in early March. Mountain
hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...
is very popular in the area, and the mountain area near the Swedish border has several places of accommodation. A signed mountain bike route is also available. Wreck diving attracts divers to Narvik, as there are a lot of wrecks in or near the harbour, and more spread out in the fjord. Fishing in the fjord or in lakes and streams is a popular leisure activity. There are
salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...
rivers in Skjomen, Beisfjord and Bjerkvik.


Transportation

Narvik municipality is a cross-roads of transportation in Northern Norway since the Ofotfjord cuts into the municipality leaving only a few kilometers of land between the fjord and the national border with
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. The one major highway heading north–south at this point runs through Narvik, the
European route E6 European route E6 (, , 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 through almost all of the countr ...
. The Port of Narvik located in the town of Narvik is also a major transportation and freight hub for the region.


Rail

A present and historical key to land transportation to Narvik is the Ofoten Line railway from northern Sweden across the mountains to this port town, which connect to the Swedish Iron Ore Line southeast towards
Luleå Luleå ( , , locally ; ; ) is a Cities in Sweden, city on the coast of northern Sweden, and the County Administrative Boards of Sweden, capital of Norrbotten County, the northernmost county in Sweden. Luleå has 48,728 inhabitants in its urban ...
and from there on south to the other Swedish railway lines. Goods like iron ore shipped via this railroad make Narvik an important seaport. The railway has stops at Bjørnfjell Station, Katterat Station, Søsterbekk Station, and Narvik Station. Because of the extreme terrain there, there are no railways northwards from Narvik or south to Bodø, Norway, which is at the northern end of the rest of Norway's rail network. There have been proposals for a Narvik-Bodø rail connection with a Northern Norway Line, but the proposals have failed due to extremely high estimated construction costs. It is possible to get from Narvik to the rest of Norway through lengthy transits on the Swedish railway lines, most commonly passing through Sundsvall Central Station and Luleå Central Station. The activity related to the railway and large port facilities are still important in Narvik, and goods to and from
North Norway Northern Norway (, , ; ) is a geographical region of Norway, consisting of the three northernmost counties Nordland, Troms and Finnmark, in total about 35% of the Norwegian mainland. Some of the largest towns in Northern Norway (from south to no ...
, Sweden, and Finland are often distributed via Narvik. In the proposed project called the " Northern East West Freight Corridor" portion of the Eurasian Land Bridge, there are plans for using Narvik as a port for goods from
East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
bound for eastern
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
. The reason is that the railway and ocean distances using this route are shorter than through central Europe to Western European ports.


Air

Narvik is served by Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes which is by road from Narvik and has regular flights to
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
,
Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...
, Bodø,
Tromsø Tromsø is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tromsø Municipality in Troms county, Norway. The city is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the administrative centre of Troms county. The city is located on the is ...
and Andenes.


Culture

The Narvik War Museum (''Narvik Krigsmuseum'') covers the war years 1940–1945. The museum displays the
Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...
awarded posthumously to Captain Bernard Warburton-Lee of the British Royal Navy and a rare German Enigma coding machine. Museum Nord - Narvik tells of the development of the ice-free harbour of Narvik and the rapid transformation of the town over the past century. The building that houses Museum Nord - Narvik was erected in 1902 as the head office of the Norwegian state railway company, ''Norges statsbaner'' and was designed by architect, Paul Due.


Sport

Narvik's most successful club team in the 21st century has been
Narvik IK Narvik Arctic Eagles is an ice hockey team in Narvik, Norway. They currently play in the 1.division, the 2. level of Norwegian ice hockey. History The club was founded in 1962. In the 2011–12 season, they participated in the Swedish Division 3 ...
in men's
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
, which have varyingly played in the Tier 1 ( EliteHockey Ligaen) and Tier 2 (1. divisjon) Norwegian national leagues, having previously moved to 1. divisjon from the Swedish Tier 5 (') for the 2012–13 season. Their highest placement in EliteHockey Ligaen was in the 2019–20 season where they placed 9th out of 10 teams. The Narvikfjellet alpine skiing facility immediately southeast of the main town has been given the hosting rights for the 2029
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships is an alpine skiing competition organized by the International Ski Federation (FIS). History The inaugural world championships in alpine skiing were held in 1931. It consisted of Downhill (ski competition), ...
. In men's
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
, the main team has been FK Mjølner. The team last played in the
Eliteserien Eliteserien () is a professional association football league in Norway and the highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Norwegian First Division ...
top league in the 1989 season, and is playing on Tier 5 (4. divisjon) as of the 2025 season.


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 four parishes () within Narvik Municipality. It is part of the Ofoten 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.


Notable people

* Theodor Broch (1904–1998), a lawyer and politician who was Mayor of Narvik 1934 to 1946, except during WWII * Helge Mehre MBE DSO DFC (1911–1997), a Norwegian military officer * Fredrik Kiil (1921–2015), a physician who improved the artificial kidney * Cissi Klein (1929 in Narvik – 1943 in Auschwitz), a Norwegian-Jewish girl, victim of the Holocaust * Dr. Jan Paulsen (born 1935), a
Seventh-day Adventist Church The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sa ...
leader, past president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists * Jack Berntsen (1940–2010), a philologist, songwriter and folk singer * Thorgeir Stubø (1943–1986), a jazz musician and composer, had a family of jazz musicians * Terje Bjørklund (born 1945), a jazz pianist and composer * Gro Brækken (born 1952), a businessperson, has chaired several public bodies * Lise Haavik (born 1962), a Danish-Norwegian singer, sang at the 1986 Eurovision Song Contest * Anne Rydning (born 1965), a Colonel in the
Norwegian army The Norwegian Army () 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 in 1628. The ...
who was the first female Army chief in Afghanistan * Vibeke Larsen (born 1971 in Vassdalen), a Norwegian-Sami politician


Sport

* Per Willy Guttormsen (born 1942), a former speed skater who competed in the
1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
,
1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
, and
1972 Winter Olympics The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially the and commonly known as Sapporo 1972 (), were a winter multi-sport event held from February 3 to 13, 1972, in Sapporo, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. It was the first Winter Olympic Games to take place outside ...
* Thomas Hafstad (born 1974), a retired footballer who played 239 games for Tromsø IL *
Ragnhild Gulbrandsen Ragnhild Øren Gulbrandsen (born 22 February 1977) is a Norwegian journalist and former football striker from the city of Trondheim who retired from football at the end of 2007. Most of her playing career was spent with Trondheims-Ørn (Trondh ...
(born 1977), a journalist and former football striker with 80 caps for
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 ...
* Marit Røsberg Jacobsen (born 1994), a handball player


Twin towns – sister cities

Narvik is twinned with: *
Kikinda Kikinda ( sr-Cyrl, Кикинда, ; ) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Banat District in Serbia. The city's urban area has 32,084 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 49,326 inhabit ...
, Serbia *
Kingisepp Kingisepp ( or ), formerly Yamburg (), Yam (), and Yama (; Votic language, Votic: Jaama), is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, town and the administrative center of Kingiseppsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located along the ...
, Russia *
Kiruna (; ; ; ) is the northernmost Stad (Sweden), city in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland, Sweden, Lapland. It had 17,002 inhabitants in 2016 and is the seat of Kiruna Municipality (population: 23,167 in 2016) in Norrbotten County. The c ...
, Sweden *
Nowy Sącz Nowy Sącz (; ; ; ; ) is a city in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship of southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County as a separate administrative unit. With a population of 83,116 as of 2021, it is the largest city in the Beskid S ...
, Poland *
Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland (Finland), Lapland. It is located near the Arctic Circle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi is approximately , while the Rovaniemi su ...
, Finland


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 ...

Museum Nord Official WebsiteNarvik Krigsmuseum Official WebsiteDestination Narvik – tourist information
{{authority control Municipalities of Nordland Ski areas and resorts in Norway Populated places of Arctic Norway 1902 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1902