(Norwegian; ) or is a town After a change in law during the 1990s, the urban area of Mosjøen was declared to be a town once again in 1998. People from Mosjøen are referred to using the demonym "". The town has a population (2024) of 10,059 and a population density of .

Together with the other regional towns of Mo i Rana and Narvik, Mosjøen is one of the industrial towns in Nordland county. Owned by Alcoa, Mosjøen Aluminum Plant is among the biggest in Europe, and is traditionally the town's cornerstone. Additionally, the town's business sector includes trade, crafts, banking, transportation, and tourism. The town attracts customers from the entire region.

Mosjøen is a transport hub in Helgeland. From Mosjøen, it is to the town of Sandnessjøen in the west, to the town of Mo i Rana in the north, and to the town of Brønnøysund in the south. Furthermore, the road distance is to the town of Bodø and to the city of Trondheim. The European route E6 highway runs through the town. There are daily departures from Mosjøen Bus Central, from Mosjøen Railway Station on the Nordland Line, and from Mosjøen Airport south of the town. There are both public and private quays in Mosjøen. The town's harbour is among the largest in Northern Norway.

In terms of secondary and adult education, Mosjøen exercises both local and regional functions. Offering general (including music), vocational, and agricultural lines, Mosjøen High School also receives students from rural municipalities surrounding the town and from other regions of Nordland. Vefsn Folk High School lies in Mosjøen, while Sandvik Folk High School is located north of it. The town has got a department of the Open University. Many bigger events for children and youth take place in Mosjøen, among others Toppen International Summer Music School and The Kippermoen Cup.

Mosjøen is known for Sjøgata: Northern Norway's longest cluster of 19th-century wooden houses and piers. Other tourist attractions include Dolstad Church from 1735, the award-winning Town Park from 1905, and the aluminum plant.

Etymology

thumb|left|Downtown as well as northern and north-eastern parts of Mosjøen

The town is named after the old Mo farm () the town was built up on the outskirts of the large farm. The first element is derived from the word which is the plural form of which means "moorland". The last element is ( which means "sea" or "seaside". Mosjøen, therefor means "the sea(side) belonging to Mo". In other words, it was a place where the farmers of Mo had their boats and boatsheds. Earlier spellings are Moesøen in the 18th century and Mosøen in the 19th century.

History

thumb|left|Spanning 300 years, Mosjøen's architecture includes [[villas of the early 20th century]]

thumb|left|The English sawmills in 1870. As Mosjøen grew wealthier and wealthier, surrounding forests were depleted

thumb|left|Mosjøen's [[telegraph station in 1906. The town was central for infrastructure and communications in Helgeland]]

Mentioned in Aslak Bolt's cadastre of the 15th century, Mo is a medieval farm with a history at least dating to the Viking Age. Mosjøen's own history starts in the early modern period. Mosjøen was populated by 1600. The earliest inhabitant known by name is Svein Beachdweller, who lived there together with his wife and daughters in 1660.

As the biggest and most important, central town in the Helgeland region, Mosjøen became northern headquarters of the Nazi German occupiers between 1940 and 1945. After the war in 1945, Mosjøen entered its second industrial period. Among several industrial establishments was Mosjøen Aluminum Plant.

Mosjøen's coat of arms was granted by King Olav V on 25 March 1960. Composed by sculptor Arthur Gustavsson, it is blazoned Sable, a cock Argent. The cock is traditionally equipped with red beak, wattles, comb, and claws: the so-called colour of armament. The cock represents watchfulness and fighting spirit. After the merger with Vefsn Municipality in 1962, the same coat of arms was adopted for the newly enlarged Vefsn Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, a major municipal merger took place. The town of Mosjøen (population: 4,628) was merged with Vefsn Municipality (population: 5,358), Drevja Municipality (population: 1,001), and Elsfjord Municipality (population: 920), creating a new municipality called Vefsn.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Mosjøen Municipality was made up of 29 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor () of Mosjøen Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:

  • 1876–1877: Andreas Christian Bech Jürgensen
  • 1878–1879: Johan Jakob Johannessen
  • 1880–1882: Andreas Christian Bech Jürgensen
  • 1883–1887: Ole Sivert Elnan (V)
  • 1888–1889: Andreas Fredrik Peter Schroeter
  • 1890–1890: Ole Sivert Elnan (V)
  • 1891–1891: Andreas Fredrik Peter Schroeter
  • 1891–1891: Ole Sivert Elnan (V)
  • 1892–1895: Christian Fredrik Nergaard Havig (V)
  • 1896–1898: Ole Sivert Elnan (V)
  • 1899–1901: Erik Bathen (H)
  • 1902–1903: Ole Sivert Elnan (V)
  • 1904–1908: Erik Bathen (H)
  • 1909–1909: Ole Andreas Fellingfors (H)
  • 1910–1910: Erik Bathen (H)
  • 1910–1910: Ole Andreas Fellingfors (H)
  • 1911–1913: Mathias Løkke
  • 1914–1916: Thomas Riis
  • 1917–1917: Anton Solbraa
  • 1918–1921: Kristian Tustervatn (V)
  • 1922–1923: Ole Tobias Olsen
  • 1924–1924: Otto Bugge (Ap)
  • 1925–1925: Ole Tobias Olsen
  • 1926–1926: Kristian Tustervatn (V)
  • 1927–1931: Harald Robert Barth (LL)
  • 1932–1934: Hans Olaus Jarnæs (LL)
  • 1935–1935: Harald Robert Barth (LL)
  • 1936–1937: Hans Olaus Jarnæs (LL)
  • 1938–1941: Carl Wilhelm Johansen (Ap)
  • 1941–1942: Carl August Eliassen (NS)
  • 1943–1945: Halfdan Sundlo (NS)
  • 1945–1945: Carl Wilhelm Johansen (Ap)
  • 1945–1945: Kristian Karlsen (Ap)
  • 1946–1947: Johan Kristian Lian (Ap)
  • 1948–1949: Ole Ferdinand Andersen (Ap)
  • 1950–1951: Ole Jakob Wika (Ap)
  • 1952–1957: Ole Ferdinand Andersen (Ap)
  • 1957–1962: Einar Jensen (Ap)

Industry and business

thumb|Part of [[Mosjøen Aluminum Plant]]

Mosjøen is one of the industrial towns in Nordland county. Especially important is the Mosjøen Aluminum Plant, owned by Alcoa.

Mosjøen's business sector contains both traditional and modern companies as well as a wide spectre of branches, including trade, crafts, banking, transportation, and tourism. The town is a commercial centre in the region, attracting customers from smaller neighbouring towns and from rural municipalities.

Transportation

thumb|Part of the harbour

As a transport hub in Helgeland, Mosjøen connects to the towns of Sandnessjøen to the west, Mo i Rana to the north, and Brønnøysund to the south by road. The European route E6 between Trondheim to the south and the county capital Bodø to the north runs through Mosjøen.

Mosjøen is also accessible by airplane, by train, and by ship. Mosjøen is served by Mosjøen Airport, Kjærstad, which is located five minutes by car south of the town. Mosjøen Station on the Nordland Line has daily departures for Trondheim in the south and for the Bodø in the north. A smaller commuter rail operates between Trofors and Mo i Rana.

Encompassing both private and public quays, Mosjøen's harbour is the biggest port in Northern Norway. Mosjøen Aluminum Plant has got its own port.

Tourism

thumb|left|Part of [[Sjøgata]]

thumb|[[Dolstad Church from 1735]]

The following are popular sightseeing spots:

  • Sjøgata, a historic and picturesque street containing the largest concentration of 19th-century wooden buildings in Northern Norway.
  • Fru Haugans Hotel, established in 1794 and today the oldest hotel in Northern Norway.
  • Dolstad Church, established in 1735.
  • The Town Park, established ca. 1900 and regarded as one of the finest public parks in Norway.

Geography

thumb|Topographic situation

Topography

Mosjøen is situated in the lower part of the Vefsn Valley, where the Vefsna and Skjerva rivers flow into the Vefsnfjord. Downtown Mosjøen lies on a flat moorland between these two rivers. Moreover, the town is surrounded by mountains and hills, which are mainly vegetated. Standing immediately west of the town, the tall mountain Øyfjellet dominates the town's landscape.

Climate

Mosjøen is located about south of the Arctic Circle, and the town has an untypical wet and mild boreal climate (Köppen: Dfc), with winter as the wettest season. The town has mild summers and moderately cold winters, but is mild compared to other places on similar latitudes due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Situated at the head of a relatively narrow fjord, Mosjøen is not as mild in winter as places on the outer seaboard, but has slightly warmer summers. On 27 July 2019, Mosjøen recorded a high of , which is the warmest temperature officially recorded in Nordland and Northern Norway. Mosjøen receives a large amount of precipitation, particularly in autumn and early winter, and usually has substantial amounts of snow on the ground from late November or early December until mid-April. Its temperatures are fairly similar to that of Anchorage, Alaska. The weather station is located at the airport, about further inland from Mosjøen. The town itself, located at the shores of the fjord, will typically have slightly warmer lows than the airport. The record low is from January 2010. Despite being south of the Arctic Circle, Mosjøen experiences midnight sun from 16 June to 26 June due to atmospheric refraction, but has no polar night: on the December solstice, Mosjøen has just under three hours of daylight.

Friendship towns

{| class="wikitable"

|-

!Town

!Country

!Start

!Reason

|-

| 15px Lycksele

|

| 1965

| Old trade connections. Besides, Lycksele was first in Lapland to become a town.

|-

| 15px Gornji Milanovac

|

| 28 Sep 1975

| During WW2, at least 425 Serbian prisoners at Osen Camp, Vefsn, were killed.