Tysfjord

Stetind mountain and the fjord

The municipality of Tysfjord was established on 1 January 1869 when it was separated from the large Lødingen Municipality. Initially, the population of Tysfjord was 1,402. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Tysnes and Molvika areas (population: 33) located northwest of Bognes was transferred from the neighboring Hamarøy Municipality to Tysfjord Municipality.[6]

On 1 January 2020, the municipality was dissolved and divided between the neighboring municipalities of Narvik and Hamarøy. This occurred because in 2017, the Parliament of Norway decided that Tysfjord would be divided along the fjord with the eastern half being merged with the neighboring municipalities of Narvik and Ballangen to form a new, larger municipality of Narvik and the remaining western half will be merged with the municipality of Hamarøy on the same date.[7][8]

There are prehistoric rock carvings at Leiknes showing scenes of hunting, and the world's oldest known depiction of an orca whale.

In 1948, an investigation that had lasted for years, was dismissed in regards to "a large group of Sami from Tysfjord".[12] These individuals had worked as guides—guiding Norwegians who chose to flee into Sweden.[12]

In November 2017, a Norwegian police report was published exposing sexual abuse in the municipality, following investigations in 2016. The police identified 151 cases of sexual abuse from the 1950s to 2017. Around two-thirds of the victims and alleged abusers were Sami.[13] The community is described as being 'in recovery' but prosecution of the older cases has not been possible under Norwegian statute of limitations law. 40 cases dealt with sexual intercourse with underage children.[14]

All municipalities in Norway, including Tysfjord, 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.[16] The municipality falls under the Ofoten District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Due to the limestone in Tysfjord, a cement factory was established with production starting in 1920.[34] The modern Norcem factory still is a vital employer in Kjøpsvik, with about 130 employees; since 1999 it has been a part of the German worldwide company Heidelberger Cement. Public services, some tourism, and agriculture are the other main sources of income in Tysfjord.

The municipality is located along the Tysfjorden. The Tysfjorden is the second deepest fjord in Norway, with a maximum depth of 897 metres (2,943 ft). The municipality borders Ballangen in the north, Hamarøy in the south, Sweden in the east, and the Vestfjorden in the northwest. The island of Hulløya lies in the middle of the Tysfjorden.

The municipality is dominated by grey granite mountains; pine, birch, and aspen woodlands and forests; and the many fjord branches. Tysfjord's most dominant mountain, Stetind, is famous in Norway. This 1,392-metre (4,567 ft) high natural granite obelisk, rising straight out of the fjord, is an awe-inspiring sight (Picture 1, Picture 2). In Norwegian, it is called gudenes ambolt which means the "anvil of the gods", partly because the summit forms a plateau. This was selected to be the national mountain of Norway in the autumn of 2002. The famous British climber William C. Slingsby described it as the ugliest mountain I ever saw; he did not reach the summit.

The mountains near the border with Sweden have peaks up to 1,500 metres (4,921 ft) above sea level, and with a large glacier, Gihtsejiegŋa. There are several nature reserves in Tysfjord. Mannfjordbotn reserve has undisturbed forests at the head of a narrow fjord branch surrounded by granite mountain walls.[35] From Hellemobotn, at the head of Hellemofjorden, the distance to the border with Sweden is only 6.3 kilometres (4 mi); this is also a scenic hiking terrain (Picture) with a canyon opening up in Hellemobotn (Picture). There are also caves, such as the very deep Raggejavreraige. Lakes in the region include Baugevatnet, Båvrojávrre, Kilvatnet, Langvatnet, and Skilvatnet. Silver birch occurs in Tysfjord, as one of few areas in North Norway (silver birch need more summer warmth than the more common downy birch).

Nature

Orca taking a look above the water

For many years since 1990, a large part of the stock of Norwegian herring has stayed in the fjord in winter, one of the largest gatherings of biomass in the world. Large number of whales, orcas in particular, have followed to feed on the herring. This has attracted winter tourists from far away, but not in huge numbers. Since 2008, less herring and fewer orca have arrived in Tysfjord. Harbor porpoises, lobsters, white-tailed eagles, common ravens, European otters, and moose are all common in the Tysfjord area.

Rugged fjord scenery in Tysfjord

The coastal municipality of Tysfjord is better known for its whale watching than its birdwatching but the region has still a lot to offer. Thanks to a range of habitats the area has a varied birdlife. Though the area has no large seabird colonies, there is a small nature reserve at Ramnholmen with breeding populations of Arctic tern and common tern.

Bognes ferry harbour, southwestern shore of Tysfjord

The car ferry connecting Bognes with Lødingen to the north.

Tysfjord is the only location in Norway where the European route E6 highway depends on a car ferry. There are ferry connections from Bognes to Skarberget (route E6) and from Bognes to Lødingen (connecting to route European route E10 and Lofoten). There is also a ferry connecting Drag south of the fjord with Kjøpsvik on the northern shore.

Kjøpsvik is connected to the E6 highway and Narvik by Norwegian National Road 827, with no ferry crossings. This might be an alternative to route E6, and is also the route of choice to get close to Stetind.

If Tysfjord experiences bad weather and the ferry connections are shut down, Norway is cut in two road-wise. A road connection is still maintained, albeit through Sweden, which makes it a very long drive.

The closest airport is Evenes. There was also a small airport in Narvik.

• List of former municipalities of Norway

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tysfjord.

• Nordland travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Municipal website (in Norwegian)
• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)
• Unesco-Tysfjord on the tentative list
• Summitpost: about Stetind (includes pictures)
• About Stetind (includes pictures) (in Norwegian)
• Árran Lule Sami Center