Malangen Municipality

Malangen ( or Malankivuono) is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The 372 km2 municipality existed from 1871 until its dissolution in 1964. The old municipality surrounded the Malangen fjord and today that area is divided between several municipalities: Balsfjord, Lenvik, Tromsø, and Målselv. The administrative centre was the village of Mortenhals where the main church for the municipality, Malangen Church, is located.

Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the 372.2 km2 municipality was the 244th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Malangen Municipality was the 421st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 2,090. The municipality's population density was 5.6 PD/km2 and its population had decreased by 7.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Malangen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1871 when the northern district of Balsfjord Municipality and a small peninsula along the Malangen fjord that belonged to Lenvik Municipality were separated to form the new municipality of Malangen. The initial population of Malangen was 1,425. On 1 January 1873, an area in the northern part of Malangen Municipality (population: 287) was transferred to the neighboring Tromsøysund Municipality. In 1891, a small area around the village of Målsnes in Målselv Municipality (population: 30) was transferred to Malangen Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Malangen Municipality ceased to exist. The peninsula including the Navaren and Målsnes areas (population: 118) were transferred to the neighboring Målselv Municipality. The remaining areas of Malangen (population: 1,940) were transferred back into Balsfjord Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local Malangen fjord (Malangr). The first element is mál which comes from the Old High German word malaha which means "bag" or "leather bag" which may refer to the baggy shape of the fjord. The same word mál is probably also the origin of the name of the Målselva, the big river that enters the fjord from the Målselvdalen and Bardudalen valleys (the neighboring Målselv Municipality has a similar etymology). The last element of the name is which means "inlet" or "narrow fjord".

Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Malangen Municipality. It was part of the Balsfjord prestegjeld and the Indre Troms prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

History
The Saga of Haakon Haakonarson mentions that in 1242 the king allowed refugees from Bjarmaland (since they were attacked by the Tatars - «bjarmar rymdi fyrir tattarum») to settle in the area of Malangen.

Geography
The highest point in the municipality was the 1326 m tall mountain Mårfjellet on the border with Balsfjord Municipality and Målselv Municipality.

Government
While it existed, Malangen 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 was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Malangen was made up of 19 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Malangen (incomplete list):


 * 1871-c.1873: Nils Andreas Kristoffersen (photo)
 * c.1886-c.1896: Peter Kjeldseth
 * c.1902-1914: T. Furustøl
 * 1914-1917: Hilmar Berg
 * 1917-1928: Bernt Christoffersen
 * 1929-1931: Hilmar Hansen
 * 1932-1938: Nils Gjertsen
 * 1938-1941: Olav Gabrielsen
 * 1942-1945: Tollef Tollefsen (NS)
 * 1945-1945: Olav Gabrielsen
 * 1946-1955: Petter Staff (Ap)
 * 1956-1963: Alfred Sagelvmo (Ap)