Hamarøy Municipality

The municipality of Hamarøy was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the part of Hamarøy located on the south side of the Sagfjorden and west of the Veggfjellan mountain (population: 77) was transferred to neighboring Steigen Municipality. On the same date, the Tysnes and Molvik farms (population: 33) was transferred from Hamarøy to the neighboring Tysfjord Municipality.^[9]

On 1 January 2020, the western part of Tysfjord Municipality was merged into Hamarøy Municipality. This occurred because in 2017, it was decided by the Parliament of Norway that the neighboring Tysfjord Municipality would be divided along the Tysfjorden with the eastern half being merged with the neighboring Narvik Municipality and Ballangen Municipality to form a new, larger Narvik Municipality and the remaining western half will be merged with Hamarøy Municipality on the same date.^[10][11]

Coat of arms

The original coat of arms was granted on 19 February 1982 and in use until 1 January 2020 when the new arms were put into use. The official blazon is "Azure, a lynx statant guardant argent" (Norwegian: I blått en stående sølv gaupe). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a lynx. The lynx has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. Lynx are common in the area it was chosen for the arms as a symbol for the rich wildlife in the forests of the municipality. The arms were designed by Asbjørn Mathiassen.^[16][17][18]

The current coat of arms was adopted in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020 after a municipal merger. The blazon is "Azure, a rock carving of two swans argent". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a depiction of a 9,000-year-old rock carving of the outlines of two swans. The swans have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The ancient rock carving seen at Dyreberget in Leiknes is a notable historical feature for the municipality. The two swans also symbolize the two cultures of the municipality: Norwegian and Lule Sami. The arms were designed by Ingar Nikolaisen Kuoljok and Dag Winsjansen.^[19][20]

Hamarøy Municipality borders Narvik Municipality to the north, Steigen Municipality to the west, Sørfold Municipality to the south, the Vestfjorden to the northwest, and the country of Sweden to the southeast. The large island of Finnøya is located between the Sagfjorden and the Kaldvågfjorden. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,517.49-metre (4,978.6 ft) tall mountain Bjørntoppen.^[1]

Lakes in the municipality include Fjerdvatnet, Forsanvatnet, Forsvatnet, Kaldvågvatnet, Kilvatnet, Livsejávrre, Makkvatnet, Reinoksvatnet, Rekvatnet, Rotvatnet, Sandnesvatnet, Skilvatnet, Šluŋkkajávri, and Strindvatnet.

Hamarøy 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.^[26] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Midtre Hålogaland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

While Hamarøy has a low population density, it sees some traffic during the summer months as the main road connection to Svolvær and the Lofoten islands runs through Hamarøy and its administrative centre, Oppeid. The ferry ride to Skrova and Svolvær is approximately 2 hours and departs from Skutvika (approximately 15 minutes from Oppeid) at regular intervals. In 2008, the ferry schedule was considerably reduced due to the new Lofoten Mainland Connection road. The European route E6 highway runs north and south through the municipality on its way to Narvik. Bus service by Stoklands Bilruter is available between certain villages in Hamarøy.

The municipal administration and other public services are located in Oppeid. There is a hotel in the municipality, as well as the scenic Tranøy Lighthouse which can be rented.^[52]

Skutvik is a small residential and marina area concentrated around the ferry dock. In the high season the number of cars and motor homes in line for the ferry can be significant. There are a few sights to see in Skutvik, as well as a small bar/cafe and a Statoil gas station.

The writer Knut Hamsun, winner of the 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature, grew up in Hamarøy. The Knut Hamsun Centre, a museum and educational center dedicated to Knut Hamsun's life and work, finished building in 2009 and opened for the public in June 2010. Knut Hamsun's childhood home is also open for visitors in summer. The Hamsun literature festival was founded in 1982 and takes place in Hamarøy during the first week of August every second year.

• 
  Knut Hamsun Centre
• 
  Knut Hamsun, 1939

• Knut Hamsun (1859–1952), a writer and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920 who was brought up in Hamarøy
• Sigurd Johan Normann (1879 in Hamarøy — 1939), a theologian and Bishop for the Diocese of Hålogaland in Tromsø from 1937 to 1939
• Tore Hamsun (1912 in Hamarøy – 1995), a painter, writer, and publisher
• Horst Tappert (1923–2008), a German movie and TV actor who had a summer holiday cabin in Hamarøy ^[53]
• Jack Berntsen (1940–2010), a philologist, songwriter, and folk singer who grew up in Hamarøy