Ibestad is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Central Hålogaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hamnvik. Some of the other larger villages in Ibestad include Engenes, Laupstad, Rollnes, Sørrollnes, Sørvika, and Å. The 241 km2 municipality is the 293rd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Ibestad is the 313th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,311. The municipality's population density is 5.4 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 8.7% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Ibestad was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). Initially, Ibestad Municipality covered a large area from the Vågsfjorden strait to the border with Sweden (the old Astafjord Church parish). In 1854, the rural eastern half of the municipality (population: 757) was separated from Ibestad Municipality to form the new Bardu Municipality. This left Ibestad with 4,741 residents. Then, on 1 January 1871, the northeastern part of the municipality (population: 1,384) was separated from Ibestad to form the new Salangen Municipality. This left Ibestad with 4,301 inhabitants. On 1 January 1907, the easternmost area of Ibestad (population: 1,536) became the separate Lavangen Municipality. Ibestad had 5,709 residents remaining after the split. In 1926, Ibestad Municipality was divided into four separate municipalities: Andørja Municipality (population: 1,420) in the northeast, Gratangen Municipality (population: 1,967) in the southeast, Astafjord Municipality (population: 1,018) in the southwest, and (a much smaller) Ibestad Municipality (population: 1,768) in the northwest. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Ibestad Municipality (population: 1,821) was merged with Andørja Municipality (population: 1,330) and the part of Skånland Municipality located on the island of Rolla (population: 143), creating a new Ibestad Municipality with a total of 3,294 residents. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Troms county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Troms county.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Ibestad farm since the first Ibestad Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the male name Ívarr. The last element is which means "homestead" or "farm". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Ibbestad. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Ibestad.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 19 December 1986. The official blazon is "Azure, a cross formy within and conjoined to an annulet argent". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a cross formy inside an annulet (circle). The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design is reminiscent of the Ibestad Church, built around the year 1200. It is one of the northernmost stone churches in the world. In the 1960s a 13th-century gravestone was found at the church which had the same type of "wheel cross" design. This design was eventually chosen for the Ibestad coat of arms. These types of crosses were often used as ornaments in wooden stave churches. The arms were designed by Steinar Hanssen.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within Ibestad Municipality. It is part of the Trondenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Geography

The municipality encompasses the islands of Andørja and Rolla and the tiny surrounding islets. The two main islands are connected by the undersea Ibestad Tunnel. The Mjøsund Bridge connects Andørja to Salangen Municipality on the mainland. There is a regular ferry connection from Sørrollnes on Rolla to the town of Harstad. The Astafjorden forms the southeastern border of the municipality and the Vågsfjorden forms the western and northern borders. The small Mjøsundet strait forms the eastern border. The highest point in Ibestad Municipality is the 1275.65 m tall mountain Langlitinden.

Climate

Government

Ibestad Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor 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 (Kommunestyre) of Ibestad 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.

Mayors

The mayor of Ibestad 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:

Notable people