Værøy

Værøy is an island municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sørland on the main island of Værøya. The other village in Værøy is Nordland. Most of the residents live in the Sørland area surrounding the main harbor. The old Værøy Lighthouse sits at the end of that harbor.

The 19 km2 municipality is the 351st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Værøy is the 347th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of only 688. The municipality's population density is 36.5 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 8.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information


The municipality of Værøy was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 July 1928, the southern district of Værøy (population: 731) was separated to become the new Røst Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island of Værøya (Veðrøy) since the first Værøy Church was built there. The first element is the word which means "weather" (here referring to harsh weather and the exposed and unsheltered position of the island). The last element is which means "island". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Værø. On 6 January 1908, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Værøy.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 7 October 1988. The official blazon is "Azure, a puffin argent armed gules" (I blått en sølv lundefugl). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a puffin. The puffin 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 also "armed gules" which means that the beak and feet are colored red. The blue color in the field symbolizes the importance of the sea. The churge is a puffin to represent the fact that they nest in large numbers in the area and historically, they held great importance for the island municipality, both for meat and down feathers. The arms were designed by John Digernes.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Værøy. It is part of the Bodø domprosti (arch-deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Geography


The island municipality is made up of many islands, the two largest islands being Værøya and Mosken. It is located at the end of the Lofoten archipelago. The Norwegian Sea lies to the northwest and the Vestfjorden lies to the southeast. The Moskenstraumen maelstrom lies to the north between Værøya and Moskenesøya.

Climate
The weather in Værøy can be very changeable. Sunshine, rain, wind, and mist may interchange rapidly. The winter climate is mild and the temperature seldom drops much below 0 C even in mid-winter. This makes conditions for stockfish exceptionally good.

Røst and Værøy are among the most northern locations in the world where there is no meteorological winter because the average temperature generally stays above freezing all year. The winter temperatures in southern Lofoten represent the highest temperature anomaly in the world relative to latitude. However, the winter weather is rather windy.

The polar night occurs from 13 to 29 December and the midnight sun occurs from 28 May to 15 July.

Værøy has a subpolar oceanic climate (Cfc) with short, cool summers and long, but not very cold, winters. The all-time low of -9.5 C since recording started in 2005 is extremely mild for a location north of the Arctic Circle, and even milder than the record low for Madrid, Spain or Jacksonville, Florida.

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 Værøy is made up of 13 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 Værøy (incomplete list):
 * 1967-1971: Willy Arne Wold (Sp)
 * 1975-1979: Willy Arne Wold (Sp)
 * 19??-2003: Asmund Berg (Ap)
 * 2003-2015: Harald Adolfsen (H)
 * 2015-2019: Dagfinn Arntsen (KrF)
 * 2019–present: Susann Berg Kristiansen (LL)

Transportation
Helicopter transport is available from Bodø at the Værøy Heliport in Sørland. There was airplane service at Værøy Airport, but it was discontinued after the Værøy accident in 1990 in which five people died. The airport was determined to be in a bad position, due to the location next to a mountain and the frequent presence of strong and unpredictable winds, which made takeoffs and landings dangerous. Ferry service is also available from Bodø, Moskenes, and Røst.

Tourist attractions

 * Sportfishing for cod, coalfish, and halibut is practiced here.
 * Turstien is a floodlit track which was opened in 1999. The surface is suitable for bikers, prams, and wheelchairs.
 * Breivika is situated on the road between Sørland and Nordland, and is the location of the Skarsursanden beach. From the main road there is a signposted path going up Breivikdalen.
 * Heia has views of the island. It can be reached via a step path called Bjørka, or by following the tarred road up Rømdalen. About halfway there is an old eagle trapping site.
 * Eagle trapping is a tradition peculiar to the Værøy islanders. They caught eagles with their bare hands. Ancient sites can still be seen, at Rømdalen, for instance.
 * Gjerdeheia forms a vast and completely flat plateau on top. It can be reached from Breiviksdalen by turning left at the end of the valley or following the path going up Rømdalen and turning right before passing Hornet.
 * Nordlandsnupen is Værøy's highest mountain. One must reach it by walking up Breiviksdalen and turning right at the end of the valley.
 * Mollbakken in Nordland consists of smoothly ground round stones. Here, many burial sites from the Viking Age have been found.
 * Old Værøy Church in Nordland is the oldest church in Lofoten, built around 1740. The altarpiece dates back to about 1714 and features alabaster figures made in England in 1430.
 * Nordlandshagen - the Garden of Nordland - is a popular area for the outdoor life. The midnight sun can be seen here from 30 May to 13 July.
 * Mostad is located in the south. The mountainside more or less hangs right over the old, abandoned village of Mostad. This is where the puffin dog originated. Often people will walk from Nordlandshagen.
 * Norwegian Lundehund or Puffin dog is one of Norway's seven breeds of dogs, and the rarest one. It has an extra toe, is small, and very agile. Puffin dogs were used solely for the puffin hunt and because the hunt was of such great importance to the islanders, this race of dogs managed to survive in Værøy.
 * Sanden is a beach with a 400 m tall wall of rock towers over the spot, making it incredibly warm on fine summer days. Access is only by boat.

In literature

 * The island of "Vurrgh" in Edgar Allan Poe's story A Descent into the Maelström (1841) is Værøy.

Notable people

 * Willy Arne Wold (1929 in Værøy – 1996), a Norwegian politician who was twice Mayor of Værøy in 1960s & 1970s
 * Bernhard-Jens Eggesbø (born 1931 in Værøy), a Norwegian military officer and civil servant who worked for NATO
 * Guri Ingebrigtsen (1952 in Værøy – 2020), a Norwegian politician who was Mayor of Vestvågøy from 1999 to 2007