The 1,435-square-kilometre (554 sq mi) municipality is the 63rd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Båtsfjord is the 276th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,113. The municipality's population density is 1.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (3.9/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 4.3% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
Historically, there were many other villages in the municipality, but they have been abandoned over the years. Some of these villages include Hamningberg (abandoned in 1964), Makkaur (abandoned in the 1950s), Sandfjord/Ytre Syltefjord (abandoned in 1946), Hamna (abandoned around 1950), and Nordfjord (abandoned in 1989).
General information
Båtsfjord villageLandscape in eastern BåtsfjordHamningberg fishing village
Vardø Municipality was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law), encompassing the northeastern part of the Varanger Peninsula. In 1839, to comply with the formannskapsdistrikt law, the rural parts of the municipality, outside of the island/town of Vardø, were separated to form the new municipality of Vardø landdistrikt. Initially, Vardø landdistrikt had a population of 245. The new municipality was too small to be an official self-governing municipality, and it was not until 22 May 1868 when a royal resolution was passed that officially declared it a self-governing municipality. On 1 January 1874, a small part of Vardø landdistrikt (population: 48) was transferred to the town of Vardø. In 1956, the name was changed to Båtsfjord. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the eastern fourth of Båtsfjord (population: 621) was transferred to the neighboring Vardø Municipality.[7][8]
On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county.[9] On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.[10]
Name
The name was originally Vardø landdistrikt (and later Vardø herred) which both mean "the rural district of Vardø", since the municipality surrounded the town of Vardø. On 24 August 1956, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to Båtsfjord.[11] This new name was chosen because the village of Båtsfjord (Old Norse: Botnsfjǫrðr) was the main population centre of the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of botn which means "the innermost part of a fjord". The last element is fjord which means "fjord". The village is located at the innermost part of a fjord, so the name has a very straightforward meaning.[12]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 April 1985. The official blazon is "Azure, a fish hook argent" (Norwegian: I blått en hvit fiskekrok). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a Stone Age bone fish hook. The fishing hook 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 blue color in the field and the fish hook was chosen for the great economic importance of fishing and fish processing in the municipality. The shape of the hook was derived from ancient Stone Age hooks found in the municipality. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen after a proposal by Svein Harald Eliassen.[13][14][15]
Fishing permits (for salmon fishing) are sold for use on specific rivers including the Sandfjordelva, Syltefjordelva and Komagelva.[16] A crab processing factory was started in 2015. About 20 to 30 million Norwegian kroner was the cost of investment. It initially employed 28 people.[17]
The municipal council(Kommunestyre) of Båtsfjord is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The municipality covers an area of 1,433 square kilometres (553 sq mi) including Finnmark's highest mountain pass over Ordofjell at 400 metres (1,300 ft) above sea level. It is situated on the northeastern coast of the Varanger Peninsula, on the rocky coastline of the Barents Sea. There are no native trees due to the climate. The Varangerhalvøya National Park lies in the southern part of the municipality. Makkaur Lighthouse lies along the shoreline, near the mouth of the Båtsfjorden, northeast of the village of Båtsfjord. The highest point in the municipality is the 633.85-metre (2,079.6 ft) tall mountain Skipskjølen, located on the border with Vadsø Municipality.[1]
Previously, there were several villages along this barren coast, but today everyone lives in the village of Båtsfjord, with a sheltered harbor at the end of the Båtsfjorden inlet. Among the now-abandoned fishing villages is Hamningberg on the outer coast, which has many well-preserved 19th century wooden houses. Now, it is only used for summer vacation stays. The world's northernmost gannet colony to be found on the stack at Syltefjordstauran, along the Syltefjorden, north of the now-abandoned village of Nordfjord. Two pairs were discovered in 1961, but the colony has now grown to well over 300 pairs.
Buildings and structures
Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Båtsfjord. It is part of the Varanger prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland. The main church is Båtsfjord Church. There are two other small chapels, but they are only used for special occasions since they are located in uninhabited areas that are only used for summer cottages.
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