Træna is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the island/village of Husøya. Other population centres include Selvær and Sanna.

thumb|left|Kirkhelleren cave

thumb|left|Trænstaven on Sanna island in Træna

Fishing is the economic mainstay of the island municipality of Træna. Connections to mainland Norway are by means of boat and ferry. Routes are provided to Sandnessjøen, Nesna, and Stokkvågen. Each year Træna plays hosts a music festival called Traena Music Festival. The islands of Træna have been the site of a number of archeological discoveries, indicating that the island has been populated since the Stone Age.

The municipality is the 353rd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Træna Municipality is the 353rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of only 442. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 9.6% over the previous 10-year period.

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As of October 2020, there are two regular boat departures per day; authorities have suggested having only one regular departure per day.

General information

The municipality of Træna was established on 1 January 1872 when it was separated from Lurøy Municipality. Initially, Træna had 289 residents. The municipal borders have not changed since that time.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Træna island group (). The meaning of the name is uncertain, but it may be derived from the word which means "three", probably referring to the three peaks on the island. Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Trænen. On 6 January 1908, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Træna.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 24 July 1987. The official blazon is "Gules, three fish-hooks Or two over one" (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three fishhooks made of bone from the Stone Age. The fishhooks have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. These hooks symbolize the importance of fishing in the municipality. They are based on the historic bone hooks found in the local cave Kirkhelleren on the island of Sanna. They are canting arms because there are three hooks and the name Træna originates from a word meaning number "three". The arms were designed by Jarle E. Henriksen.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within Træna Municipality. It is part of the Nord-Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ style="font-size:medium"|Churches in Træna Municipality

!Parish ()!!Church name!!Location of the church!!Year built

|-

|rowspan="2"|Træna||Træna Church||Husøya||1773

|-

|Fiskernes Chapel||Selvær||1887

|}

Government

Træna 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. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Helgeland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Træna Municipality is made up of 11 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor () of Træna Municipality 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:

  • 1872–1884: Mikkel Paul Olsen
  • 1885–1888: Jakob Jeppesen
  • 1889–1890: Mikkel Paul Olsen
  • 1891–1892: Jakob Jeppesen
  • 1893–1896: Mikkel Paul Olsen
  • 1897–1901: Jens Olsen
  • 1902–1907: Johan Andersen
  • 1908–1913: Jens Olsen
  • 1914–1919: Ole Johan August Olsen
  • 1920–1928: Anders Olsen
  • 1929–1931: Magnus Olsen
  • 1932–1937: Anders Olsen
  • 1938–1939: Erling Aune
  • 1941–1945: Anders Olsen
  • 1945–1945: Aksel Sjøset
  • 1946–1946: Rolf Røsok Olsen
  • 1946–1947: Martin Sandøy
  • 1948–1955: Anders Olsen
  • 1955–1971: Leif Holmen
  • 1972–1979: Arnold Sørhaug (LL)
  • 1979–1987: Albert Johansen (Sp)
  • 1987–1991: Geir Ståle Bjørnvik (H)
  • 1991–2003: Idar Jørgen Holmen (Sp)
  • 2003–2011: Aina Willumsen (Ap)
  • 2011–2019: Per Pedersen (KrF)
  • 2019–2023: Jan Helge Andersen (Ap)
  • 2023–present: Trond Vegard Sletten (Ap)

Geography

The municipality consists of 477 islands and skerries off the coast of mainland Norway. Four of the islands are populated: Husøya, Selvær, Sanna, and Sandøy. The islands lie along the Trænfjorden to the southeast and the Norwegian Sea to the west. Træna Lighthouse is located in the southern part of the municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Trænstaven.