Moskenes

Moskenes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality comprises the southern part of the island of Moskenesøya in the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Reine. Other villages include Sørvågen, Hamnøy, and Å.

The 119 km2 municipality is the 321st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Moskenes is the 335th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 979. The municipality's population density is 8.9 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 12.4% over the previous 10-year period.

The municipal government owes NOK100 million (as of 2022), and the significance of this debt makes it difficult to find other municipalities that are interested in merging with Moskenes.

History
The municipality was established on 1 July 1916 when the southern part of Flakstad Municipality was separated to become Moskenes. Initially, Moskenes had a population of 1,306.

On 1 January 1964, the municipalities of Flakstad and Moskenes were reunited, this time under the name "Moskenes". Prior to the merger, Moskenes had 2,001 residents and the new municipality of Moskenes had 4,068 residents. This new municipality did not last long because on 1 January 1976, Flakstad broke away again to once again form a separate municipality. This left Moskenes with 1,705 residents.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Moskenes farm (historically spelled "Muskenes" in 1567) since the first Moskenes Church was built there. The first element is likely an old name for the island. It may have been derived from the word mosk or muskwhich means "sea spray". The last element is which means "headland".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 12 September 1986. The official blazon is "Azure, a gurge argent" (I blått en sølv spiral). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a vortex spiral. The spiral 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 spiral were chosen to represent vortexes or whirlpools, such as the Moskenstraumen, which appear in the channel just south of the island of Moskenesøya when the tide comes in, making it a hazardous channel. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.

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

Attractions
Moskenes is among the most scenic municipalities in all Norway, and the picturesque fishing villages of Hamnøy, Reine, Sørvågen, Moskenes, Å, and Tind all have a dramatic backdrop of jagged peaks rising above the Vestfjorden. The historic Glåpen Lighthouse is located just east of Sørvågen.

Between Lofotodden, the southwestern tip of the Lofoten chain, and the offshore island of Mosken, there is the tidal current of Moskenstraumen. This is better known internationally as the Maelstrom, feared by all sailors. On the isolated northwestern coast of the island, there are also interesting Stone Age cave paintings. The highest mountain is Hermannsdalstinden at 1029 m.

Government
All municipalities in Norway are 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 is under the jurisdiction of the Salten og Lofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Moskenes is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

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


 * 1945-1945: Sigurd Lund Hamran (Ap)
 * 1961-1961: Sigurd Lund Hamran (Ap)
 * 1963-1971: Sigurd Lund Hamran (Ap)
 * 1983-1987: Rolf Bendiksen (Ap)
 * 1987-2003: Geir Wulff-Nilsen (LL)
 * 2003-2007: Lillian Hansen (Ap)
 * 2007-2011: Geir Wulff-Nilsen (LL)
 * 2011-2023: Lillian Rasmussen (LL/SV)
 * 2023–present: Hanna Sverdrup (LL)

Geography
Moskenes has a subarctic climate (Köppen Dfc). The municipality of Moskenes lies near the southern end of the Lofoten archipelago on the southern part of the island of Moskenesøya. The Vestfjorden lies to the east, the Moskenstraumen strait lies to the south, and the Norwegian Sea lies to the west. The municipality of Flakstad lies to the north (on the northern part of the island) and the island municipality of Værøy lies about 20 km to the south.

Notable people

 * Birger Eriksen (1875 in Flakstad – 1958), a naval commander at Oscarsborg Fortress, where the German cruiser Blücher was sunk in 1940
 * Rolv Thesen (1896 in Moskenes – 1966), a Norwegian poet, literary researcher, and literary critic
 * Rolf Bendiksen (born 1938 in Moskenes), a Norwegian politician who was Mayor of Moskenes from 1983–1987
 * Lillian Hansen (born 1957 in Moskenes), a bus driver, member of parliament, and mayor
 * Hans Erik Dyvik Husby (born 1972), known as Hank von Hell, a punk rock musician who lived in Moskenes