Lavangen
Encyclopedia
Lavangen is a municipality
in Troms
county
, Norway
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tennevoll
. The municipality is situated around the area of the river Spansdalelva og Lavangen fjord. The population living in the villages Fossbakken and Spansdalen in the inland, and in rural areas at the fjord; Kjeiprød, Røkenes, Lottenes, Tennevoll
, Hesjevika, Soløy, Lia, and Å
.
. The initial population was 1,536. On 1 January 1964, Lavangen was merged into the neighboring municipality of Salangen
. The merger was brief, however, because on 1 January 1977, the old Lavangen municipality (except for the Lavangsnes area) was made a separate municipality once again.
: Laufangr). The first element is lauf which means "leaf
" (here in the sense of 'birchwood') and the last element is angr which means "fjord
".
is from modern times (1987). The arms are a canting
of the name (which means leaf) since it shows three gold-colored birch
leaves
on a red background. The three leaves represent how the municipality was settled by Norwegians, Sami
s, and Kvens.
(See also coat-of-arms of Birkenes
and Bjerkreim
)
race in Lavangen, it is on Maundy Thursday.
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in Troms
Troms
or Romsa is a county in North Norway, bordering Finnmark to the northeast and Nordland in the southwest. To the south is Norrbotten Län in Sweden and further southeast is a shorter border with Lapland Province in Finland. To the west is the Norwegian Sea...
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tennevoll
Tennevoll
Tennevoll is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Lavangen in Troms county, Norway, about straight east of the city of Harstad. Its population is 267...
. The municipality is situated around the area of the river Spansdalelva og Lavangen fjord. The population living in the villages Fossbakken and Spansdalen in the inland, and in rural areas at the fjord; Kjeiprød, Røkenes, Lottenes, Tennevoll
Tennevoll
Tennevoll is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Lavangen in Troms county, Norway, about straight east of the city of Harstad. Its population is 267...
, Hesjevika, Soløy, Lia, and Å
Å, Lavangen
Å is a village in the municipality of Lavangen in Troms county, Norway. The population of the village was 79. The village is located along the shores of the Lavangen fjord about north of the municipal centre of Tennevoll and about east of the city of Harstad.-See also:*Å, Ibestad in Ibestad...
.
General information
Lavangen was established on 1 January 1907 when it was separated from the municipality of IbestadIbestad
Ibestad is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. It is part of the Hålogaland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hamnvik. Some of the larger villages in Ibestad include Sørvika, Å, and Laupstad....
. The initial population was 1,536. On 1 January 1964, Lavangen was merged into the neighboring municipality of Salangen
Salangen
Salangen is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sjøvegan, where most of the people in the municipality live. The municipality is situated along the Sagfjord, and also includes some inland valleys...
. The merger was brief, however, because on 1 January 1977, the old Lavangen municipality (except for the Lavangsnes area) was made a separate municipality once again.
Name
The municipality is named after the fjord (Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
: Laufangr). The first element is lauf which means "leaf
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
" (here in the sense of 'birchwood') and the last element is angr which means "fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
".
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is from modern times (1987). The arms are a canting
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
of the name (which means leaf) since it shows three gold-colored birch
Birch
Birch is a tree or shrub of the genus Betula , in the family Betulaceae, closely related to the beech/oak family, Fagaceae. The Betula genus contains 30–60 known taxa...
leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
on a red background. The three leaves represent how the municipality was settled by Norwegians, Sami
Sami people
The Sami people, also spelled Sámi, or Saami, are the arctic indigenous people inhabiting Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. The Sámi are Europe’s northernmost...
s, and Kvens.
(See also coat-of-arms of Birkenes
Birkenes
Birkenes is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The village of Birkeland is the administrative center and about half of the municipality's residents live there...
and Bjerkreim
Bjerkreim
Bjerkreim is a municipality in the Rogaland county, Norway. The parish of Birkrem was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 ....
)
Attractions
Spanstind rundt is a famous cross-country skiingCross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a winter sport in which participants propel themselves across snow-covered terrain using skis and poles...
race in Lavangen, it is on Maundy Thursday.
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway 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 releases are published both in Norwegian and English...