Country Norway District Midt-Troms Area rank 280 in Norway Local time Saturday 5:20 PM Official language form Bokmål | County Troms Administrative centre Skaland Demonym(s) Bergsværing Population 887 (2012) | |
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Weather -6°C, Wind SW at 8 km/h, 90% Humidity Area 294.1 km² (276.5 km² Land / 17.55 km² Water) Points of interest Senjatrollet, Tungeneset, Breidtinden, Storfjellet | ||
Berg is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skaland. Other villages include Finnsæter, Mefjordvær, and Senjahopen.
Contents
- Map of Berg Norway
- General information
- Name
- Coat of arms
- Churches
- Geography
- Government
- Municipal council
- References
Map of Berg, Norway
The municipality was the first place in the world to utilize a hydroelectrical power station in the mining community of Hamn. When the mining industry ceased, the "electrical adventure" did as well. The buildings are still located at Hamn, now functioning as a special hotel/lodge.
The first female pastor in the Lutheran Church of Norway, Ingrid Bjerkås, worked in this parish, starting in 1961.
General information
Berg was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The southern part of Berg (population: 1,229) was separated from Berg to form the new municipality of Torsken on 1 January 1902. This left Berg with 1,002 residents. The municipal borders have not changed since.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Berg farm (Old Norse: Berg). The name is identical with the word berg which means "mountain".
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 2 October 1987. The profile represents the three mountains of Trælen, Oksen, and Kjølva. The colors represent "winter darkness", "black sea", and "toward brighter times."
Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Berg. It is part of the Senja deanery in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
Geography
The municipality faces the Atlantic Ocean on the west side of the large island of Senja. The largest urban area in Berg is the village of Senjahopen. The highest point on the island, the mountain Breidtinden, is located in the northeastern part of Berg. There are three large fjords that cut into the municipality: Bergsfjorden, Ersfjorden, and Mefjorden.
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Berg, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Berg is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to every four years. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows: