Berg Municipality (Troms)

Berg is a former municipality in Troms county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into the new Senja Municipality. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Skaland. Other villages included Finnsæter, Mefjordvær, and Senjahopen. The municipality was located on the western part of the large island of Senja.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 294 km2 municipality was the 281st largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Berg was also the 406th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 888. The municipality's population density was 3 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 5.7% over the previous decade.

The municipality was the first place in the world to utilize a hydroelectrical power station in the mining community of Hamn. When the mining industry ceased, the "electrical adventure" did as well. The buildings are still located at Hamn, now functioning as a special hotel/lodge.

The first female pastor in the Lutheran Church of Norway, Ingrid Bjerkås, worked in this parish, starting in 1961.

General information
The parish of Berg was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1902, the southern part of Berg (population: 1,229) was separated to form the new Torsken Municipality. This left Berg with 1,002 residents. The municipal borders did not change after that time.

In March 2017, the Parliament of Norway voted to merge Berg Municipality, Torsken Municipality, Lenvik Municipality, and Tranøy Municipality. The new municipality would encompass the whole island of Senja plus part of the mainland. The new Senja Municipality will be established on 1 January 2020.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Berg farm (Berg) in what is now the village of Skaland. The farm is where Berg Church is located. The name is the same as the word which means "mountain".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 2 October 1987. The official blazon is "Per bend sinister double bevilled argent and sable" (Venstre skrådelt av sølv og svart ved dobbelt lynsnitt). This means the arms have a double bevilled division of the field running along a diagonal path (bend sinister). The field (background) below the line has a tincture of sable. The field above the line 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 arms are canting since "berg" means "mountain" in Norwegian and the arms show the profile of the three mountains of Trælen, Oksen, and Kjølva. The colors represent "winter darkness", "black sea", and "toward brighter times." The arms were designed by Rolf Tidemann.

Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Berg Municipality. It was part of the Senja prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Geography
The municipality faced the Atlantic Ocean on the west side of the large island of Senja. The largest urban area in Berg was the village of Senjahopen. The highest point in the municipality (and on the whole island of Senja) was the 1001 m tall mountain Breidtinden. There were three large fjords that cut into the municipality: Bergsfjorden, Ersfjorden, and Mefjorden.

Government
While it existed, Berg Municipality was 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 fell under the Senja District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Berg was made up of 15 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayor (ordfører) of Berg was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position (incomplete list):


 * 1902-1907: Kristian Fredriksen Finborud
 * 1917-1919: Rudolf Brox
 * 1928-1932: Jørgen Pedersen
 * 1946-1948: Johannes Schanke (V)
 * 1951-1959: Eivind Kristian Midtgård (Ap)
 * 1971-1975: Inge Mikalsen (Ap)
 * 1975-1979: Nils Heiberg (LL)
 * 1979-1995: Roald Johan Nymo (Ap)
 * 1995-2007: Trond Abelsen (Ap)
 * 2007-2011: Jan Harald Jansen (Ap)
 * 2011-2015: Guttorm Nergård (V)
 * 2015-2019: Roar Jakobsen (LL)