Lødingen is a municipality in Nordland county in Norway. Lødingen is located on the southeastern corner of the island of Hinnøya, and is part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lødingen. Other villages in the municipality include Våge and Ytterstad. Lødingen has the nickname "Biketown" because it hosts several annual bicycle races, including "Lofoten Insomnia" and Vestbygd-rittet. The 527 km2 municipality is by area the 201st largest out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Lødingen is the 279th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,060. The municipality's population density is 3.9 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 8.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Lødingen was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1869, the southern district of Lødingen surrounding the Tysfjorden on the mainland (population: 1,402) was separated to form the new Tysfjord Municipality. This left 2,064 residents in Lødingen. Then on 1 January 1909, the northeastern district of Lødingen (population: 1,404) was separated to form the new Tjeldsund Municipality. This left 3,034 residents in Lødingen. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, the southern mainland part of Lødingen surrounding the Efjorden and the island of Barøya (population: 433) were transferred to Ballangen Municipality. Then on 1 January 1964, the eastern part of Lødingen on the island of Tjeldøya (population: 297) was transferred to Tjeldsund Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Lødingen farm since the first Lødingen Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of laða which means "grain barn" or "hay barn". The last element is eng which means "meadow".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 May 1984. The official blazon is "Gules, a five-looped knot Or". This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a five-looped knot that is made out of woollen thread and folded to look like a flower with five leaves. The woolen knot has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The design was chosen to symbolize that the municipality is at the junction of road, shipping, and ferry routes to five areas: Lofoten, Ofoten, Salten, Vesterålen, and Southern Troms. It is also located between five fjords: Vestfjorden, Ofotfjorden, Tysfjorden, Tjeldsundet, and Gullesfjorden. The symbol is also an ancient symbol for good fortune. The arms were designed by Øysten H. Skaugvolldal.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Lødingen Municipality. It is part of the Ofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Transportation

The nearest airport is Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes, about 73 km away by road. Lødingen is an important ferry harbor, the car ferry to/from Bognes in Tysfjord leaves 12 times per day and takes 60 minutes. The Rotvær Lighthouse is located in Lødingen.

Geography

The municipality encompasses the southern part of the island of Hinnøya. The terrain is mountainous, with several small islands and fjords. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lødingen, located at the inner part of the Vestfjorden at the southern entrance of the Tjeldsundet strait. The highest point in the municipality is the 1263.66 m tall mountain Møysalen. Møysalen is located on the northern border with Sortland Municipality and it is within Møysalen National Park.

Climate

Lødingen has continental subarctic climate in the 1961-1990 period. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Dfc".

Government

Lødingen 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 Lødingen is made up of 17 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 Lødingen 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:

Attractions

Notable people