Hemnes Municipality

Hemnes Municipality Hemnes kommune
Municipality
View of Hemnesberget
Flag Coat of arms
Nordland within Norway
Hemnes within Nordland
Coordinates: 66°03′15″N 14°01′50″E / 66.05417°N 14.03056°E / 66.05417; 14.03056
Country	Norway
County	Nordland
District	Helgeland
Established	1839
• Preceded by	Rana Municipality
Administrative centre	Korgen
Government
• Mayor (2019)	Paul Asphaug (Sp)
Area
• Total	1,589.50 km2 (613.71 sq mi)
• Land	1,429.98 km2 (552.12 sq mi)
• Water	159.52 km2 (61.59 sq mi)  10%
• Rank	#49 in Norway
Highest elevation [1]	1,915.75 m (6,285.27 ft)
Population  (2024)
• Total	4,485
• Rank	#194 in Norway
• Density	2.8/km2 (7/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	−1.5%
Demonym	Hemnesværing[2]
Official language [3]
• Norwegian form	Neutral
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-1832[4]
Website	Official website
Data from Statistics Norway

Hemnes is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Korgen. Other villages include Bjerka, Bleikvasslia, Finneidfjord, Hemnesberget, and Sund.

The municipality sits south of the Ranfjorden and stretches south and east toward the border with Sweden. The Nordland Line and European route E6 cross Hemnes on their way to the town of Mo i Rana about 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the northeast. The E6 highway enters Hemnes from the west through the Korgfjell Tunnel from Vefsn Municipality.

The 1,590-square-kilometre (610 sq mi) municipality is the 49th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Hemnes is the 194th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,485. The municipality's population density is 2.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (7.3/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1.5% over the previous 10-year period.^[5][6]

This municipality was established in 1839 when the large Rana Municipality was divided into Sør-Rana Municipality and Nord-Rana Municipality, shortly after the Formannskapsdistrikt law went into effect. Soon after, in 1844, Sør-Rana Municipality was renamed Hemnes Municipality.^[7]

On 1 July 1918, the southern district of Hemnes Municipality (population: 1,369) was separated to become the new Korgen Municipality. This left Hemnes Municipality with 3,567 residents. A few months later on 1 January 1919, the eastern area of Bardal (population: 4) was transferred to the neighboring Nesna Municipality. Then on 1 July 1929, Hemnes was divided into three smaller municipalities: Sør-Rana Municipality, Elsfjord Municipality, and Hemnes Municipality. After this division, Hemnes Municipality only consisted of the large village of Hemnesberget and the area immediately around it (population: 1,077).^[7]

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Hemnes Municipality (population: 1,352) was merged with Korgen Municipality (population: 3,033), the extreme northern part of Hattfjelldal Municipality (population: 168), and the southern part of Sør-Rana Municipality (population: 934) to form a new, larger Hemnes Municipality.^[7]

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hemnes farm (Old Norse: Heimnes, now called Hemnesberget) since the first Hemnes Church was built there. The first element is heimr which means "home" (here in the sense of being "closest to home"). The last element is nes which means "headland", referring to the peninsula on which the farm is located.^[8]

The coat of arms was granted on 4 April 1986. The official blazon is "Azure, boat clamps Or" (Norwegian: I blått en gull båtklammer). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a boat clamp. The clamp has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The blue color in the field symbolizes the importance of the ocean. The clamp was chosen because shipbuilding has long been a tradition in the municipality. To symbolize shipbuilding, it was decided to use the clamp which is used to keep the wooden flanks of the ships together. The arms were designed by Anne Lofthus Valla.^[9][10][11]

The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within Hemnes Municipality. It is part of the Indre Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

As part of their drive on Northern Norway, a detachment of three hundred German soldiers landed at Hemnes from the captured Norwegian coastal steamer SS Nordnorge on 10 May 1940 and captured the municipality from a platoon of British soldiers from No. 1 Independent Company, despite a spirited defence in the streets of Hemnesberget. A Royal Navy task force consisting of the anti-aircraft cruiser Calcutta and destroyer Zulu sank the former Norwegian steamer and shelled the German forces in the town, but were unable to dislodge the German landing force.

A Norwegian Army detachment attempted a counterattack against the German's positions, but was driven back. The town was again bombarded on 12 May by a passing Royal Navy force without significant effect, leaving Hemnes in German control for the rest of the war.^[12]

In 2023, a window manufacturing company, Natre Vinduer, announced that after 99 years operating in Hemnesberget, it was closing its factory and relocating it to Gjøvik. This would transfer about 100 employees out of the municipality to the new factory.^[13]

Hemnes Municipality is 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.^[14] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Helgeland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hemnes is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Hemnes is 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):^[34]

The lake Røsvatnet (Southern Sami: Reevhtse) is a lake and reservoir lying partially in the southern part of Hemnes. It has been the site of human occupation since the Stone Age. Its area of 219 square kilometres (85 sq mi) makes it the second largest lake in Norway by surface area. Other lakes include Bleikvatnet, Grasvatnet, Stormålvatnet, and Stormyrbassenget.

The Okstindan mountain range is located in Hemnes, including the highest point in the municipality: the 1,915.75-metre (6,285.3 ft) tall Oksskolten.^[1] The large Okstindbreen glacier sits atop the mountain range.

Each map has a maximum number of listings it can display, so the map has been divided into parts consistent with the enumeration districts (Norwegian: tellingskrets) in the 1920 census. This map will include one farm name per farm number; other farm names or subdivision numbers may exist.

Hemnes, Korgen, 1920 Census Tellingskrets 1-8

4km
2.5miles

51

50

49

48

47

46

45

44

43

42

41

40

39

38

37

36

35

34

33

32

31

30

29

28

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

19

18

17

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

  

Tellingskrets (enumeration districts): 1, Valla (lime); 2, Baklandet (red); 3, Oldernes (black); 4, Leirskaret (purple); 5, Krogen (green); 6, Brygfjelldalen (blue); 7, Sørfjellet (orange); 8, Kongsdalen (teal). List of farms:

1

147: Bjerkmo

2

148: Valla

3

149: Lillekjerka

4

100: Røsagauren

5

101: Røsaa

6

102: Millingsjordstrand

7

103: Solbakken

8

104: Engesmoen

9

105: Helbækmoen

10

132: Roghellen

11

142: Luren øvre

12

143: Luren ytre

13

144: Hjerpbakken

14

145: Olderneset

15

146: Tronsmoen

16

133: Brygfjeld

17

134: Skresletten

18

135: Tveraaen

19

136: Fjeldal

20

137: Trætbakken

21

138: Fenbakken

22

139: Skjeftmoen

23

140: Jamtfjorden

24

141: Meland

25

106: Valåmoen

26

107: Korgen

27

108: Villmoen

28

145: Sjøfossen

29

109: Bjurselvmo

30

110: Kyllingmo

31

111: Tømmermoen

32

126: Stabforsen

33

127: Gammelgården

34

128: Jordåbakken

35

129: Lillebrygfjell

36

130: Bjuråmo

37

131: Reinåmoen

38

112: Fagervoldli

39

113: Storskog

40

114: Flatmo

41

115: Forsmo

42

116: Bygdås

43

124: Bleikvasli

44

125: Krokselvmo

45

117: Svartvasmo

46

118: Kongsdal

47

119: Bleikvasfors

48

120: Oksfjellelv

49

121: Lenningsvik

50

122: Rabliaas

51

123: Smalsundmo

Hemnes, 1920 Census Tellingskrets 1, 4, 8, 9

4km
2.5miles

36

35

34

33

32

31

30

29

28

27

26

25

24

23

22

21

20

19

18

17

16

15

14

13

12

11

10

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

  

Tellingskrets (enumeration districts): 1, Hemnesberget (red); 4, Sandnes - Leirvik (black); 8, Bjerka - Fineide (green); 9, Sund (blue). List of farms:

1

65: Hemnesberget

2

1: Sandnes

3

2: Osmoen

4

3: Nygaard

5

4: Hestnes

6

5: Stemnesvik

7

6: Mastervik

8

7: Leirvik

9

8: Vedaamo

10

9: Naverlid

11

10: Høines

12

11: Espervik

13

51: Bjerka

14

52: Breiviken

15

53: Finneide

16

54: Katstanden

17

55: Urland

18

56: Urlandåen

19

57: Holmstrand

20

58: Svalengen

21

59: Sæteren

22

60: Grønvikmo

23

61: Grønvik

24

42: Mula

25

43: Vægthaugkrok

26

44: Reinforsmoen

27

45: Nyrud

28

46: Langmyreng

29

47: Bjurbækdal

30

48: Forsbakken

31

49: Stien

32

50: Bjerkadal

33

62: Oterbrannsjøen

34

63: Sjøgården

35

64: Prestenget

36

66: Revehalsen

Note that tellingskrets 2, Brennberget - Straumgrenda, and 3, Utskarpen, are now in Rana municipality.
Tellingskrets 5, Elsfjorden; 6, Drevvatne skolekreds and 7, Luktvatne, are now in Vefsn Municipality.

The farms in Hemnes Municipality as they are listed in O. Rygh's series Norske_Gaardnavne (lit. 'Norwegian farm names'), the Nordland volume of which was published in 1905.

See also: Digital version of Norske Gaardnavne - Nordland (in Norwegian)

The farm numbers are used in some census records, and numbers that are near each other indicate that those farms are geographically proximate. Handwritten Norwegian sources, particularly those prior to 1800, may use variants on these names. For recorded variants before 1723, see the digital version of O. Rygh.

Note that this list of farms does not adhere to the modern boundaries of Hemnes, but instead reflects the boundaries as O. Rygh knew them. Refer to their location on the map to determine which municipality they belong in now.

Farm names were often used as part of Norwegian names, in addition to the person's given name and patronymic or inherited surname. Some families retained the farm name, or toponymic, as a surname when they emigrated, so in those cases tracing a surname may tell you specifically where in Norway the family was from. This tradition began to change in the mid to late 19th century, and inherited surnames were codified into law in 1923.

If you can't find an entry when you are searching for a word that starts with AE, Ae, O, A or Aa, it may have been transcribed from one of those letters not used in English. Try looking for it under the Norwegian letter; Æ, Ø, and Å appear at the end of the Norwegian alphabet

• Kristen Rivertz, (Norwegian Wiki) (1862–1937), an architect
• Johan Albrigt Rivertz (1874 in Korgen – 1942), a judge on the Supreme Court of Norway
• Erling Falk (1887 in Hemnesberget - 1940), a Norwegian politician, ideologist, and writer
• Christen Finbak, (Norwegian Wiki) (1904–1954), a chemist and physicist
• Egil Kraggerud (born 1939 in Hemnes), a philologist
• Laila Stien (born 1946 in Hemnes), a novelist, poet, and author of children's literature
• Gerd-Liv Valla (born 1948), a former trade union leader who grew up near Bjerka
• Reidar Sørensen (born 1956 in Hemnesberget), a Norwegian stage and film actor^[51]
• Kjell-Idar Juvik (born 1966 in Hemnesberget), a politician who was Mayor of Hemnes from 2003–2011
• Børge Petersen-Øverleir (born 1967 in Hemnesberget), a guitarist

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)