Flakstad

Flakstad is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of the island group Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ramberg. Other villages include Fredvang, Napp, Nusfjord, and Vareid.

Flakstad kommune
Municipality
View of a beach in Flakstad
Coat of arms Nordland within Norway
Flakstad within Nordland
Coordinates: 68°04′45″N 13°16′28″E
Country	Norway
County	Nordland
District	Lofoten
Established	1838-1964
Re-established	1 Jan 1976
Administrative centre	Ramberg
Government
• Mayor (2019)	Trond Kroken (Sp)
Area
• Total	178.39 km^2 (68.88 sq mi)
• Land	169.07 km^2 (65.28 sq mi)
• Water	9.32 km^2 (3.60 sq mi)  5.2%
Area rank	311 in Norway
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,272
• Rank	317 in Norway
• Density	7.5/km^2 (19/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	−7.1%
Demonym(s)	Flakstadfjerding[1]
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-1859
Official language form	Neutral[2]
Website	flakstad.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

The municipality is located in the Lofoten Islands and comprises the entire island of Flakstadøya and the northern part of the island of Moskenesøya. The European route E10 highway runs across the whole municipality.

The 178-square-kilometre (69 sq mi) municipality is the 311th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Flakstad is the 317th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,272. The municipality's population density is 7.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (19/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 7.6% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

General information

Flakstad church

Skagsanden beach, Flakstad

Nusfjord is a small harbor with traditional rorbus.

The municipality of Flakstad was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). On 1 July 1916, the southern part of the municipality (population: 1,306) was separated to form the new Moskenes Municipality. This left Flakstad with 1,667 residents.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Flakstad (population: 2,067) was merged into the neighboring municipality of Moskenes (population: 2,001), creating a new, larger municipality of Moskenes. This merger, however, only lasted for twelve years. On 1 January 1976, the merger was undone with Moskenes (population: 1,705) and Flakstad (population: 2,007) becoming separate municipalities once again.[5]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Flakstad farm (Norse Flakstaðir), since the first Flakstad Church was built there. Historically, the name was spelled "Flagstad". The first element could be a Norse nickname (flak meaning "reckless") or it could come from the word flag meaning "rock wall", possibly referring to the large cliff near the church site. The last element is staðir which means "homestead" or "farm".[6][7]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms is from modern times (1989). The arms show a white fastening device used on boats on a blue background. The fastening device was chosen as a symbol for the community's seafaring history.[8]

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Flakstad. It is part of the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Churches in Flakstad

Parish (Sokn)	Church Name	Location of the Church	Year Built
Flakstad	Flakstad Church	Flakstad	1780

Economy

The municipality's economy is dominated by fishing. The fishing fleet mainly consists of small boats. There are also several fish farm in Flakstad. There is some agriculture in Flakstad, but mostly cattle and sheep farming rather than growing crops.[7]

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Flakstad, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.[9] The municipality falls under the Lofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Flakstad is made up of 11 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Flakstad Kommunestyre 2020–2023 [10]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	5
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	1
	Flakstad District List (Flakstad distriktsliste)	1
	Lofoten List (yes to municipal mergers) (Lofotlista (ja til kommunesammenslåing))	1
Total number of members:		11

Flakstad Kommunestyre 2016–2019 [11]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	2
	Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne)	1
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	5
	Flakstad District List (Flakstad distriktsliste)	3
Total number of members:		11

Flakstad Kommunestyre 2012–2015 [12]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	2
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	1
	Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne)	1
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	4
	Flakstad District List (Flakstad distriktsliste)	6
	Fredvang, Krystad and Skjelfjord municipal list (Fredvang, Krystad og Skjelfjord bygdeliste)	3
Total number of members:		17

Flakstad Kommunestyre 2008–2011 [11]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Flakstad district list (Flakstad Distriktsliste)	8
	Fredvang and Krystad local list (Fredvang og Krystad bygdeliste)	3
Total number of members:		17

Flakstad Kommunestyre 2004–2007 [11]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	2
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	6
	Flakstad district list (Flakstad Distriktsliste)	7
	Fredvang and Krystad local list (Fredvang og Krystad bygdeliste)	2
Total number of members:		17

Flakstad Kommunestyre 2000–2003 [11]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Flakstad district list (Flakstad Distriktsliste)	9
	Fredvang and Krystad local list (Fredvang og Krystad bygdeliste)	3
Total number of members:		17

Flakstad Kommunestyre 1996–1999 [13]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	2
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	3
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	1
	Flakstad district list (Flakstad Distriktsliste)	8
	Fredvang and Krystad local list (Fredvang og Krystad bygdeliste)	3
Total number of members:		17

Flakstad Kommunestyre 1992–1995 [14]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	1
	Flakstad district list (Flakstad Distriktsliste)	6
	Fredvang and Krystad local list (Fredvang og Krystad bygdeliste)	4
Total number of members:		17

Flakstad Kommunestyre 1988–1991 [15]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	3
	Flakstad district list (Flakstad Distriktsliste)	5
	Fredvang and Krystad local list (Fredvang og Krystad bygdeliste)	3
Total number of members:		17

Flakstad Kommunestyre 1984–1987 [16]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	2
	Flakstad district list (Flakstad Distriktsliste)	6
	Non-party common list for Fredvang-Krystad (Upolitisk fellesliste for Fredvang-Krystad)	3
Total number of members:		17

Flakstad Kommunestyre 1980–1983 [17]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	4
	Flakstad district list (Flakstad Distriktsliste)	10
	Non-party common list for Fredvang-Krystad area (Upolitisk fellesliste for Fredvang, Krystad og omegn)	3
Total number of members:		17

Flakstad Kommunestyre 1976–1979 [18]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Flakstad Common List (Flakstad Samlingsliste)	13
	Non-party Common List Fredvang-Krystad (Upolitisk Fellesliste Fredvang-Krystad)	4
Total number of members:		17

Flakstad Herredsstyre 1960–1963 [19]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste)	2
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	11
Total number of members:		13

Flakstad Herredsstyre 1956–1959 [20]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	2
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste)	11
Total number of members:		13

Flakstad Herredsstyre 1952–1955 [21]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	1
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste)	11
Total number of members:		12

Flakstad Herredsstyre 1948–1951 [22]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	2
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	2
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	8
Total number of members:		12

Flakstad Herredsstyre 1945–1947 [23]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste)	6
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	6
Total number of members:		12

Flakstad Herredsstyre 1938–1941* [24]  

Party Name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	1
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste)	3
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	8
Total number of members:		12

Mayor

The mayors of Flakstad (incomplete list):

• 2019–present: Trond Kroken (Sp)
• 2015-2019: Hans Fredrik Sørdal (Ap)
• 2007-2015: Stein Iversen (Sp)
• 2005-2007: Ann-Helen Fjeldstad Jusnes (Ap)
• 2003-2005: Alf Ivar Samuelsen (Ap)
• 1986-1987: Alf Ivar Samuelsen (Ap)

Geography

Located near the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago, Flakstad comprises all of the island of Flakstadøya and the northern part of the island of Moskenesøya. The islands are connected by the Fredvang Bridges and the Kåkern Bridge. The large lake Solbjørnvatnet lies on the northern part of Moskenesøya in Flakstad.

Vestvågøy Municipality lies to the northeast on the island of Vestvågøya, the Vestfjorden lies to the southeast, the Moskenes Municipality lies to the southwest on the island of Moskenesøya, and the Norwegian Sea lies to the northwest.

Climate

Climate data for Ramberg, Flakstad
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Daily mean °C (°F)	−0.3 (31.5)	−0.5 (31.1)	0.2 (32.4)	2.3 (36.1)	6.3 (43.3)	9.5 (49.1)	11.9 (53.4)	12.0 (53.6)	8.8 (47.8)	5.8 (42.4)	2.6 (36.7)	0.5 (32.9)	4.9 (40.8)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	175 (6.9)	144 (5.7)	126 (5.0)	95 (3.7)	60 (2.4)	61 (2.4)	85 (3.3)	91 (3.6)	155 (6.1)	218 (8.6)	175 (6.9)	195 (7.7)	1,580 (62.2)
Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[25]

Notable people

• Fredrik Arentz Krog (1844 in Flakstad – 1923) a Norwegian barrister
• Gina Krog (1847 in Flakstad – 1916) a Norwegian suffragist, teacher, liberal politician and editor
• Birger Eriksen (1875 in Flakstad – 1958) a Norwegian officer, commander of Oscarsborg Fortress in WWII
• Sigurd Lund Hamran (1902 in Flakstad – 1977) a politician, Mayor and deputy Mayor of Moskenes between 1937 & 1961
• Alf Ivar Samuelsen (1942 in Flakstad – 2014) a Norwegian politician and Mayor of in Flakstad

References

1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
3. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
4. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
5. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
6. Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt (in Norwegian) (16 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 347.
7. Store norske leksikon. "Flakstad" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2012-06-17.
8. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
9. Hansen, Tore, ed. (2016-05-12). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2018-12-09.
10. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
11. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
12. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
13. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
14. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
15. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
16. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
18. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
19. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
20. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
21. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
22. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
23. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
24. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
25. "eKlima Web Portal". Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Archived from the original on 2004-06-14.

External links

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)

• Nordland travel guide from Wikivoyage