Vefsn () is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Helgeland traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mosjøen (population: 9,843). Some of the notable villages in Vefsn include Drevvassbygda, Elsfjord, and Husvik.

The municipality is the 41st largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Vefsn Municipality is the 91st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 13,469. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 1.4% over the previous 10-year period.

History

thumb|left|Part of the city park in Mosjøen, Vefsn municipality.

The municipality of Vefsn was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1862, the vast eastern district (population: 921) was separated from Vefsn Municipality to become the new Hattfjelldal Municipality. This left Vefsn Municipality with 5,051 residents. In 1876, the town of Mosjøen (population: 379) was separated from Vefsn Municipality to become a separate town-municipality. This left Vefsn Municipality with 4,672 residents.

In 1927, Vefsn Municipality was split into three: the small northern district (population: 964) became the new Drevja Municipality and the large southern district (population: 1,746) became the new Grane Municipality. After the split, Vefsn Municipality had 3,119 residents remaining. In 1939, a small area of Vefsn Municipality (population: 45) was transferred to neighboring town of Mosjøen. Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Vefsen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Vefsn.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 13 September 1974. The official blazon is "Sable, a rooster argent armed gules" (). This means the arms have a black field (background) and the charge is a rooster. The rooster 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 rooster is also armed which means its claws, beak, and comb are colored red. The rooster is a symbol for watchfulness and alertness. The arms were designed by Arthur Gustavsson.

The coat of arms was originally adopted by the municipality of Mosjøen on 25 March 1960. In 1962, Mosjøen was merged with Vefsn Municipality, Drevja Municipality, and Elsfjord Municipality to form a new, larger Vefsn Municipality. After the merger, the old arms of Mosjøen were chosen for the new municipality. Since the arms officially became obsolete after the merger, they were re-granted in 1974. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Helgeland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Vefsn Municipality is made up of 29 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 Vefsn 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:

  • 1838–1842: Christian Quale
  • 1842–1844: Kristoffer Ingebrigtsen
  • 1844–1862: Ola Olsson
  • 1863–1864: Peter Holst
  • 1865–1866: Ola Olsson
  • 1867–1870: Anders Persson
  • 1871–1876: John Ottesen
  • 1877–1878: Even Sund
  • 1889–1894: Peter Holst
  • 1895–1896: Nils M. Kulstad
  • 1897–1898: Even Sund
  • 1899–1901: Per Flaa (LL)
  • 1902–1904: Nils Kulstad (V)
  • 1905–1905: Christian Møinichen Havig (V)
  • 1905–1905: Per Flaa (LL)
  • 1905–1913: Ole Klemmentsen (V)
  • 1914–1916: Mikkel Alsgaard (V)
  • 1917–1918: Nils Skandfer
  • 1919–1920: Sølfest Hagen
  • 1920–1925: Nils Mjaavatn
  • 1926–1928: Anders Svare (V)
  • 1929–1940: Per M. Stordal (Ap)
  • 1943–1945: Anders Svare
  • 1946–1946: Kåre Vangen
  • 1946–1947: Arne Aalbotsjord (Ap)
  • 1948–1954: Anders Granås
  • 1954–1955: Arne Aalbotsjord (Ap)
  • 1956–1959: Kåre Vangen
  • 1960–1961: Arne Aalbotsjord (Ap)
  • 1962–1966: Einar Jensen (Ap)
  • 1966–1975: Arne Aalbotsjord (Ap)
  • 1976–1979: Eugen Almås (Ap)
  • 1980–1989: Peder Hyttebakk (Ap)
  • 1990–1993: Roy Skogsholm (Ap)
  • 1993–1998: Knut Petter Torgersen (Ap)
  • 1998–2000: Britt Jonassen (Ap)
  • 2000–2019: Jann-Arne Løvdahl (Ap)
  • 2019–2023: Berit Hundåla (Sp)
  • 2023–present: Rune Krutå (Ap)

Geography

The administrative centre of Vefsn is the town of Mosjøen which is situated along the innermost part of the Vefsnfjorden. Outside Mosjøen, the large municipality of Vefsn is dominated by spruce forests, mountains, lakes, agriculture, and the Vefsna river. The municipality is served by Mosjøen Airport, Kjærstad.

The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Geittinden.

  • Erling Bauck (1924 in Mosjøen – 2004), a Norwegian resistance member and writer
  • Kjell Eliassen (born 1929 in Vefsn), a diplomat
  • Trond Øyen (1929 in Mosjøen – 1999), a Norwegian violinist
  • Baard Owe (1936 in Mosjøen – 2017), an actor, moved to Denmark in 1956
  • Inga Juuso (1945 in Mosjøen – 2014), a yoiker, Sami singer and actress
  • Odd Eriksen (born 1955; worked in Mosjøen), a politician also known for stopping an Algerian hijacker from crashing a Kato Air-flight in 2004.
  • Frode Fjellheim (born 1959 in Mussere), a yoiker and musician on piano and synthesizer
  • Finn Guttormsen (born 1968 in Mosjøen), a Jazz musician on upright bass
  • Aleksander L. Nordaas (born 1982 in Mosjøen), a screenwriter and film director
  • Silje Reinåmo (born 1982 in Mosjøen), an actress, dancer, and musical performer
  • Sandra Lyng (born 1987 in Mosjøen), a Norwegian singer

Sport

  • Johan Lind (born 1942 in Mosjøen), a speed skater who competed at the 1968 and 1972 Winter Olympics
  • Bent Inge Johnsen (born 1972 in Mosjøen), a former footballer with 284 club caps and assistant manager
  • Anette Sagen (born 1985 in Mosjøen), a Norwegian former ski jumper
  • Thomas Drage (born 1992 in Mosjøen), a football player with over 220 club caps
  • Eirin Maria Kvandal (born 2001), a Norwegian ski jumper

See also

  • Nazi concentration camps in Norway

References

  • Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
  • mosjoen.com - local portal for Mosjøen and Vefsn (in Norwegian)
  • Local history and genealogy
  • Andås nature reserve with mixed forest
  • Skjørlægda nature reserve preserving an intact valley ecosystem