Brønnøysund is a town and the administrative centre of Brønnøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 3.38 km2 town has a population (2024) of 5,093 and a population density of 1507 PD/km2. It is also a former municipality within Nordland county. The village of Brønnøysund originally was declared a ladested in 1923 which made it an independent municipality. After merging with Brønnøy Municipality in 1964, it lost its town status. Then in 2000, it once again received town status. The town lies along the coast and is often called "the coastal town in the middle of Norway." Brønnøysund is also the regional center of Southern Helgeland.

History

During the Viking Age, Torgar, by the foot of the legendary mountain Torghatten, was a nationally powerful chieftain seat and an important commercial center along the coast. The original inhabitants were wiped out in an outright massacre by Duke Skule and his men in the Norwegian civil wars that raged around 1240, in the high medieval era of Norway. The region was re-populated by immigrants from Southern Norway, Trøndelag, and Sweden, which could explain the unique dialect with a Swedish-like intonation. In May 1945 "the prisoners [foreign POWs] from Ylvingen" were transported by ship from the harbour at Brønnøysund. ("the song saved my life") documents the farewell to Igor Trapitsin and the other Soviet ex-POWs from the harbour at Brønnøysund.

Name

The town (and former municipality) is named Brønnøysund after the small island Brønnøya since it is located on the island. The first element is which means "well" and the second element is which means "island". The final element of the name is which means "strait", referring to the strait of water that flows alongside the island and town. Islands with freshwater wells were important for seafarers.

Municipal self-government (1923-1963)

The village of Brønnøysund was established as a municipality on 1 January 1923 when it was separated from Brønnøy Municipality when it became a ladested (port town) and municipality of its own. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the town of Brønnøysund (population: 2,064) was merged with Velfjord Municipality (population: 1,380), Sømna Municipality (population: 2,347), Brønnøy Municipality (population: 2,635), and the Lande-Tosen area of Bindal Municipality to form a new, enlarged Brønnøy Municipality. At that time, it lost its status as a ladested (town). In 2000, after some changes to Norwegian law, the municipality of Brønnøy designated Brønnøysund as a town once again. Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the 4.6 km2 municipality was the 652nd largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Brønnøysund Municipality was the 439th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,991. The municipality's population density was 432.8 PD/km2 and its population had increased by 27.3% over the previous 10-year period.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Bystyre) of Brønnøysund was made up of 21 representatives that were elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor of Brønnøysund was the political leader of the town-municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:

Economy

The town is the administrative and commercial centre of Brønnøy Municipality. In recent years, Brønnøysund has managed to create a certain economic growth. Fjord Seafood originated here, as well as the largest limestone mine in Northern Europe and the highest foodstuff production in Northern Norway are examples of entrepreneurship and well-run economy in this somewhat prosperous region. Modern agriculture, hydroponics, the large TTS transport corporation, wood processing and tourism are the main driving industries.

Transportation

Brønnøysund has daily visits by the Hurtigruten (Coastal Express), northbound at night and southbound in the afternoon. It has its own airport, Brønnøysund Airport, Brønnøy, and a direct eastbound connection to the European route E6 highway. Throughout Norway, the town is known as the location of the Brønnøysund Register Centre, in which the new e-government portal Altinn is the newest addition. Torghatten ASA has its headquarters in Brønnøysund.

Airport

Brønnøysund Airport, Brønnøy is located only about 2 km from the town centre, and is a vital communications link not only for the town, but also for a large region surrounding the town. The airport opened in 1968, providing modern and much needed, time-effective transportation to the region, and making it possible to reach both the capital and medical services within an acceptable timeframe. In May 2010, the direct flight to Oslo was launched, and since April 2011 there are three daily departures for Oslo with a 50-seat plane. There are also connections to Sandnessjøen, Mo i Rana, Rørvik, Trondheim, and Bodø. It is served by Norway's oldest airline, Widerøe. It is also base for some of the offshore helicopter services, making it possible to exploit the vast petroleum resources offshore.

Culture

The town has a number of cultural institutions: The NRK series Himmelblå, a franchise of the British Two Thousand Acres of Sky, was filmed in part in Brønnøysund and on various locations nearby. The local Brønnøy Church serves the town of Brønnøysund.

Geography

Brønnøysund sits on a narrow peninsula on the mainland surrounded by islands and water. The town is connected to the island Torget by the Brønnøysund Bridge.

Climate

Brønnøysund has a temperate oceanic climate with mild winters (Koppen Cfb) considering the northerly location, and a long frost-free season. 9 of the 12 monthly all-time lows are from 1940 or older; 3 from before 1900. The coldest low after 2000 is -14.8 °C from February 2010. The all-time low -18.4 °C was recorded in February 1966, and the all-time high 32.1 °C was set on July 27, 2019.

In popular culture