Malangen ( or ) is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The 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 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 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 (). The first element is which comes from the Old High German word 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 () within Malangen Municipality. It was part of the Balsfjord prestegjeld and the Indre Troms prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
Churches in Malangen MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtMalangenMalangen ChurchMortenhals1853
History The Saga of Haakon Haakonarson mentions that in 1242 the king allowed refugees from Bjarmaland (since they were attacked by the Tatars - ) to settle in the area of Malangen.
Geography The highest point in the municipality was the 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 was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was 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 of Malangen Municipality 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 mayor () of Malangen Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1871–1874: Nils Andreas Kristoffersen (photo) 1875–1876: Elias Nilsen 1877–1878: Anders Kristiansen 1879–1880: Nils Kristoffersen 1881–1884: Anders Kristiansen 1885–1896: Peter Kjeldseth 1897–1898: Brynjulf B. Bjørkli 1899–1913: T. Furustøl 1914–1916: Hilmar Berg 1917–1928: Bernt Christoffersen 1929–1931: Hilmar Hansen 1932–1937: 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)
Media gallery
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links Weather information for Malangen