The 253-square-kilometre (98 sq mi) municipality is the 285th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Evenes is the 310th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,310. The municipality's population density is 5.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (14/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 4.8% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
The municipality of Evindnæs was established on 1 January 1884 when the old Ofoten Municipality was split into two new municipalities: Evindnæs and Ankenes. Initially, Evindnæs had 2,397 residents. The spelling was later changed from Evindnæs to Evenes. On 1 January 1912, the southern part of Trondenes Municipality in Troms county (population: 291) was transferred to Evenes (and Nordland county). On 1 July 1925, the southern district of Evenes on the south side of the Ofotfjorden (population: 3,270) was separated to become the new Ballangen Municipality. This left Evenes with 2,323 residents.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the small, unpopulated Ramnes area in western Evenes was transferred to the neighboring Tjeldsund Municipality. On 1 January 1999, the small Veggen area of Narvik Municipality (population: 9) was transferred to Evenes Municipality.[7][8]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Evenes farm (Old Norse: Øyvindarnes) since the first Evenes Church was built there. The first element is (probably) the genitive case of the male name Øyvindr. The last element is nes which means "headland". Historically, the name was spelled Evindnæs.[9]
On 11 June 2021, the national government approved a resolution to add a co-equal, official Sami language name for the municipality: Evenášši.[10] The spelling of the Sami language name changes depending on how it is used. It is called Evenášši when it is spelled alone, but it is Evenášši suohkan when using the Sami language equivalent to "Evenes municipality".[11]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 12 January 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, a wheel argent" (Norwegian: I rødt et sølv hjul). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a wagonwheel. The wheel 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 wheel was chosen as a symbol for Evenes as a center of communication and transportation for the region. The arms were designed by Per Hartvigsen after the idea by Aina Heidal from Evenes.[12][13][14]
There are lowlands in the western part of the municipality (Liland and Evenes area), while in the eastern part (Bogen), the mountains go almost straight up from the fjord. The highest mountain is Lilletinden (1,137 metres or 3,730 feet), which can be climbed without climbing equipment, even with skis in the winter and early spring. The view is stunning.
The most noticeable mountain when driving on the European route E10 highway, which crosses through Evenes, is perhaps the steep Niingen (1,090 metres or 3,580 feet) just east of Bogen. Strandvatnet lake next to Bogen village is surrounded by mountains and is a relatively rare Meromictic lake. There is trout in most lakes in Evenes, and Arctic charspawns in Østervikvatnet (lake) a few kilometres east of Bogen. Niingsvatnet is partly located in Evenes.
The large cave Trollkirka (the Troll Church) is located in the western part of the municipality (near Tårstad). German fortifications from World War II can be seen at Evenestangen, which is also a good place for fishing in the fjord.
Evenestangen is also the site of the sculpture Stone House by Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard. The sculpture is part of the Artscape Nordland project.[15]
Climate
The weather station at Evenes airport has been recording since 1973, showing a boreal climate (Dfc/subarctic) with milder winters than typical for this climate zone. The all-time high 32.2 °C (90.0 °F) was recorded 18 July 2018. The warmest month on record was July 2014 with mean 17.9 °C (64.2 °F) and average daily high 23.4 °C (74.1 °F). The coldest month in recent decades was February 2007 with mean −7.9 °C (17.8 °F) and average daily low −12.6 °C (9.3 °F).
The wettest season is autumn and winter and the driest is March - July, a pattern more typical of oceanic climates.
Climate data for Harstad/Narvik Airport, Evenes 1991-2020 (26 m, precipitation 1961-90, extremes 2002-2024)
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Evenes is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Harstad-Narvik Airport (international airport) is located in the western part of the municipality, with daily flights to Oslo, Trondheim, Bodø, Tromsø and Andenes, as well as charter flights to southern Europe filled with sun-hungry tourists. The Royal Norwegian Air Force has a substantial infrastructure at Evenes, but the base was closed following the end of the Cold War, though it is often used by other NATO allies during their winter training. The large C-5 Galaxy from the United States Air Force has made several landings at the airport. A mobile hospital was built inside a small mountain at Osmarka, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the airport, using NATO infrastructure funds. The United States Navy moved the hospital to Kuwait before the Gulf War started in 1991. To achieve this, a large transport ship used the deep water harbour near Bogen, 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) east of the airport. This harbour was also built with funds from NATO, to enable heavy equipment to be moved north to Troms by road.
History
German warships, including Tirpitz, in Bogen bay, during WW2. Picture taken from west (Dragvik) towards Bogen. The mountains gave some protection from British bombers.
The Evenes Church was the first church in Ofoten, built about the year 1250. The original church and a subsequent church has been lost in fires; the present church is a wooden church (built in 1800) inspired by Danish Biedermeier mansion building style. Some relics from the original churches remain in the church today, most notably a stone baptismal font from the 13th century.
Liland used to be the commercial centre of the entire Ofotfjord area right up until the emergence of Narvik as a commerce/industry centre in the early 20th century.
During World War II, the Germans found the wide and fairly deep Bogen bay, with its mostly hard rock bottom well suited for anchoring, to be perfect for a naval base. Narvik is only 10 nautical miles (19 km) to the east (further into the fjord). The German battleship Tirpitz and cruiser Admiral Hipper were stationed in Bogen during part of the war (8 July – 23 October 1942, returned 11 March 1943). The battleships Scharnhorst and Lützow were based in Bogen for a shorter time. Additionally, several destroyers and submarines used Bogen as a base for shorter periods. Thus, this bay was one of Germany's most powerful naval bases during parts of the war and constituted a very real threat to AlliedArctic Convoys. The Allies had an obvious need for intelligence about these powerful German warships, and the British provided a radio set to the local resistance group. This radio was set up at Liland, 9 km west of Bogen, and codenamed Lyra.
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