Tjeldsund

Tjeldsund is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The southwestern part of the municipality is part of the traditional district of Ofoten and the rest of the municipality is part of Central Hålogaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Evenskjer. Other important villages include Fjelldal, Myklebostad, Grovfjord, Renså, Sandstrand, Tovik, and Ramsund. Norges Brannskole (Norway's education and training center for firemen) is situated in Fjelldal. Marinejegerkommandoen is based south of Ramsund.

The 814 km2 municipality is the 139th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Tjeldsund is the 198th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,206. The municipality's population density is 5.4 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 0.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Tjeldsund was established on 1 January 1909 when it was separated from the large Lødingen Municipality. Tjeldsund encompassed the eastern part of Lødingen prior to the division. Initially, Tjeldsund had a population of 1,404.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the western part of the island of Tjeldøya (population: 297) was transferred to Tjeldsund Municipality from Lødingen Municipality, uniting the whole island within the same municipality. On the same date, the unpopulated Ramnes area of Evenes Municipality was also transferred to Tjeldsund Municipality.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality merged with the neighboring Skånland Municipality and at the same time the new municipality became a part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county (prior to the merger, Skånland was located in the old Troms county and Tjeldsund was in Nordland county). On 1 January 2024, Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality became part of the newly re-created Troms county.

Name
The municipality is named after the Tjeldsundet strait which runs between the islands of Tjeldøya and Hinnøya. The first element is the (uncompounded) Old Norse name of the island of Tjeldøya (Tjöld or Tjalda). The name of the island is probably derived from the word which means "tent" or the similar word  which means "oystercatcher". The last element is which means "strait" or "sound". On 1 January 2020, when Skånland became a part of Tjeldsund, the municipality kept the name Tjeldsund, but also added a co-equal, official name in the Sami language: Dielddanuorri. The two names can be used interchangeably for the municipality. The spelling of the Sami language name changes depending on how it is used. It is called Dielddanuorri when it is spelled alone, but it is Dielddanuori suohkan when using the Sami language equivalent to "Tjeldsund municipality".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 29 June 1990. The official blazon is "Argent, a cross of St. Anthony azure" (I sølv et blått Antonius-kors). This means the arms have a field (background) that 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 charge is a Cross of Saint Anthony which has a tincture of azure. The blue color in the field symbolizes the importance of the sea. The cross is a canting of the letter T, the first letter of the name Tjeldsund. The blue cross shape also stands for the confluence of the Tjeldsundet and Ramsundet straits which run between the mainland and the islands of Tjeldøya and Hinnøya. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.

Churches
The Church of Norway has four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Tjeldsund. It is part of the Trondenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Geography
Tjeldsund is currently located in Troms county on the border with Nordland county to the south and west (prior to 2020, Tjeldsund was smaller, and located in Nordland county). Tjeldsund is partially located on the island of Tjeldøya which is surrounded by the Ofotfjorden on the south; the Tjeldsundet strait to the west, north, and east; and the Ramsundet strait to the east.

The island is connected to the mainland by the Ramsund Bridge. The rest of the municipality is on the mainland to the east of Tjeldøya plus a small area on the island of Hinnøya to the north of Tjeldøya, and the Skånland area on the mainland to the northeast. The municipalities of Evenes (in Nordland) and Gratangen (in Troms) lie to the east of Tjeldsund; Harstad, Kvæfjord, and Ibestad (in Troms) lie to the north; Lødingen lies to the west, and Narvik (in Nordland) lies to the south.

The largest lake in the municipality is Skoddebergvatnet on the mainland.

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 Midtre Hålogaland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Tjeldsund is made up of 21 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 Tjeldsund:


 * 1909-1919: Johannes E.S. Olsen
 * 1920-1922: Eilert Fjelddahl
 * 1923-1928: Andreas Tønder Wiken
 * 1929-1931: Olaus T. Krosshamn
 * 1932-1971: Arne Wisthus (LL)
 * 1972-1983: Odd R. Stokke (LL)
 * 1984-1993: Geir Halvorsen (Ap)
 * 1993-1999: Gunnhill Andreassen (LL)
 * 1999-2000: Gunnar Flygel (LL)
 * 2000-2015: Bjørnar O. Pettersen (H)
 * 2015-2019: Liv Kristin Johnsen (H)
 * 2019–2023: Helene Berg Nilsen (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Robin Ridderseth (LL)

Notable people

 * Bjarne Berg-Sæther (1919 in Tjeldsund – 2009), a Norwegian politician who was Mayor of Sandtorg from 1947–1963 and Mayor of Harstad from 1963-1967