Senja is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It was established on 1 January 2020 when the municipalities of Berg, Lenvik, Torsken, and

Tranøy Tranøy is a former municipality that was located in the old Troms county, Norway. The municipality is situated on the southern coast of the large island of Senja. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was me ...

were merged into one municipality. It is located in the traditional district of Hålogaland. 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 town of Finnsnes. The municipality includes all of the island of Senja, the smaller surrounding islands, and part of the mainland between the Gisundet strait and the Malangen fjord. The municipality is the 40th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Senja is the 84th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 14,738. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 0.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

In March 2017, the

Parliament of Norway The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) 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 bas ...

voted to merge the municipalities of Berg, Torsken, Lenvik, and

. The new municipality was established on 1 January 2020 as ''Senja Municipality'' ( no, Senja kommune).

Etymology

The Old Norse form of the name must also have been ''Senja'' or perhaps ''Sændja''. The meaning of the name is unknown, but it might be related to the verb ''sundra'' which means to "tear" or "split apart", possibly because the west coast of the island is torn and split by numerous small fjords. It might also be derived from a Proto-Norse form of the word ''Sandijōn'' meaning "(area) of sand" or "sandy island".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was approved for use starting on 1 January 2020. It is blue with a white outline of the Okshornan mountain with a green depiction of the northern lights above the mountain.

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 b ...

has four parishes () within the municipality of Senja. It is part of the Senja 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 residenc ...

) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Senja, 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 first ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

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

, senior citizen services, unemployment 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 administe ...

, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elects a mayor. The municipality falls under the

Senja District Court Senja District Court ( no, Senja tingrett) was a district court located in the town of Finnsnes in Troms county, Norway. The court served the central and southeastern part of the county which included the municipalities of Bardu, Berg, Dyrøy, L ...

and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Senja is made up of 45 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Geography

The island of Senja is located along the Troms county coastline with Finnsnes as the closest town. Senja is connected to the mainland by the Gisund Bridge. The municipalities located on Senja are Lenvik (part of which is on the mainland), Berg, Torsken, and

. The northern coasts of Senja faces the open sea, the western coast faces the islands of Andøya and Krøttøya, the southern coast faces the islands of Andørja and Dyrøya. On the western coast, steep and rugged mountains rise straight from the sea, with some fishing villages (like

Gryllefjord Gryllefjord is a fishing village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the island of Senja, along the Gryllefjorden in the northern part of the municipality. The village has a population (2017) of 383 whic ...

, Husøy) tucked into the small lowland areas between the mountains and the sea. The eastern and southern parts of the island are milder, with rounder mountains, forests, rivers and agriculture land. Senja is often referred to as "Norway in miniature", as the island's diverse scenery reflects almost the entire span of Norwegian nature. Senja is known domestically for its natural environment, and is marketed as a tourist attraction.

Climate

Climate data from the village of Gibostad on the eastern shore of the island, facing the mainland during the base period of 1961–1990. The western side of the island, facing the Norwegian Sea, will have slightly milder but more windy winters.

Attractions

Among the sights of the island are Ånderdalen National Park with coastal pine forests and mountains, traditional fishing communities, and the

Senja Troll The Senja Troll ( no, Senjatrollet) was a tourist attraction in Finnsæter on the island of Senja in northern Norway. It was completely destroyed in a fire on March 28, 2019. The largest troll statue in the world, it was the centerpiece of a famil ...

, the world's largest troll. The southernmost municipality

also has several small museums documenting local history, among these the Halibut Museum ("Kveitmuseet") in

Skrolsvik Skrolsvik or Skrollsvika is a village on the southwestern tip of the island of Senja in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The village is located in Senja Municipality, west of the villages of Å and Stonglandseidet. This village has an importa ...

Notable people

* Anders Olsen (1718 on the island of Senja - 1786) a trader, explorer and colonial administrator * Bjarne Daniel Solli (1910 in Lenvik – 1989) politician, Mayor of Lenvik 1945-1953 * Arvid Nergård (1923 in Lenvik – 2006) Bishop of Nord-Hålogaland in Tromsø 1979-1990 *

Per Kleiva Per Kleiva (1 April 1931 – 17 September 2017) was a Norwegian painter and graphic artist. Biography He was born in Torsken to schoolteacher Ivar Kleiva (1903–98) and Frida Pettersen (1905–63). He was married to Ida Drage. He grew up ...

(1931 in Torsken – 2017) a Norwegian painter and graphic artist *

Ottar Brox Ottar Brox (30 August 1932 – 16 February 2024) was a Norwegian authority in social science and a politician for the Socialist Left Party. He was professor of sociology at the University of Tromsø from 1972 to 1984, and later associate profes ...

(born 1932 in Torsken) an authority in social science, academic and politician * Arvid Hanssen (1932–1998) newspaper editor, poet and novelist; his bust stands in Finnsnes * Hans Kristian Eriksen (1933–2014) a non-fiction writer, magazine editor, novelist and short story writer & schoolteacher on the island of Senja 1954-1978 *

Geir-Inge Sivertsen Geir-Inge Sivertsen (born 29 August 1965) is a Norwegian engineer and politician for the Conservative Party (Norway), Conservative Party. From January to March 2020, he served as the Minister of Fisheries (Norway), Minister of Fisheries in Solber ...

(born 1965) an engineer and politician, Mayor of Lenvik 2011-2019 * Maria Haukaas Mittet (born 1979 in Finnsnes) singer at the 2008

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

Andreas Amundsen Andreas Amundsen (born 28 December 1980) is a Norwegian jazz bassist. Career Amundsen was born on the island of Senja, Norway. He attended the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (2004–06), but did not graduate. He is distinguis ...

(born 1980 on the island of Senja) a Norwegian jazz bassist * Pål Moddi Knutsen (born 1987 in Senja), stage name '' Moddi'', is a musician, author and activist

Sport

Harald Vassboten Harald Vasbotten (9 November 1893 – 15 March 1973) was a Norwegian sport wrestler. He was born in Lenvik and represented the club ''Fagforeningens IL''. He competed in Greco-Roman wrestling Greco-Roman (American English), Graeco-Roma ...

(1893 in Lenvik – 1973) a sport wrestler, competed at the

1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

Christer Johnsgård Christer Johnsgård (born 17 February 1987) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a striker Striker or The Strikers may refer to: People *A participant in a strike action *A participant in a hunger strike *Blacksmith's striker, a type of black ...

(born 1987 in Silsand) a footballer, with over 175 club caps *

Lars Gunnar Johnsen Lars Gunnar Johnsen (born 2 July 1991) is a Norwegian former footballer. Johnsen was born in Silsand. He previously played for Tromsdalen UIL, where he made his debut on 13 April 2009. In winter of 2013, Johnsen got a contract with Tromsø IL. ...

(born 1991 in Silsand) a footballer, with over 200 club caps

Media gallery

Bergsfjorden on Senja.jpg, Bergsfjorden, Senja Senjahusoy.jpg, Husøy, Northern Senja View from a ridge between Segla and Hesten, Senja, Norway, 2014 August.jpg, View from a ridge between Segla and Hesten, Senja, Norway, Kistefjellet i Lenvik (3).jpg, View from Gibostad towards Kistefjellet on the mainland Senja(4).jpg, Seashore on the Senja island in Norway Okshornan Senja.JPG, Ersfjorden and near mountains Silsand1.JPG,

Silsand Silsand is a village in Senja Municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is located on the eastern shore of the large island of Senja. The village has a population (2017) of 1,583 which gives the village a population density of . ...

Okshornan from Tungeneset, 2015 September - 3.jpg, Okshornan peaks viewed from Tungeneset

References

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Troms og Finnmark 2020 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 2020