Sortland Municipality

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Municipality in Nordland, Norway

title: "Sortland Municipality" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["sortland-municipality", "vesterålen", "municipalities-of-nordland", "populated-places-of-arctic-norway", "1841-establishments-in-norway", "populated-places-established-in-1841"] description: "Municipality in Nordland, Norway" topic_path: "geography/norway" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sortland_Municipality" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Municipality in Nordland, Norway ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox kommune"]

Field	Value
name	Sortland
native_name	Suorttá suohkan
native_name_lang	sme
image_skyline	Sortland_viewed_from_Strandheia.jpg
image_caption	View of Sortland from Strandheia mountain
idnumber	1870
county	Nordland
district	Vesterålen
capital	Sortland
established	1841
preceded	Hadsel Municipality
demonym	Sortlending
language	Neutral
coatofarms	Sortland komm.svg
webpage	www.sortland.kommune.no
mayor	Grete Ellingsen
mayor_party	H
mayor_as_of	2023
elevation_max_m	1261.76
highest_point_ref
area_rank	159
area_total_km2	721.94
area_land_km2	697.34
area_water_km2	24.60
area_water_percent	3.4
population_as_of	2024
population_rank	109
population_total	10618
population_density_km2	14.7
population_increase	4.8
coordinates
::

no or se is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vesterålen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sortland. Other population centres in Sortland include the villages of Bø, Holand, Holmstad, Liland, Sigerfjord, Strand, and Vik. The Norwegian Coast Guard has its northern base in Sortland, called Kystvaktskvadron Nord.

In 1997, the municipal council declared "town status" for the urban area of Sortland. Sortland is the largest town and commercial centre in Vesterålen. The town of Sortland is located close to the Sortland Bridge which crosses the Sortlandsundet strait and connects the two large islands of Langøya and Hinnøya by road. Since a lot of houses in the town are painted blue, Sortland is sometimes referred to as "the blue city".

The 722 km2 municipality is the 159th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Sortland is the 109th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 10,618. The municipality's population density is 14.7 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 4.8% over the previous 10-year period. In January 2012, the number of citizens in Sortland reached 10,000 for the first time.

General information

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Sortlandbluecollage.jpg" caption="The "blue city" of Sortland."] ::

The municipality of Sortland was established in 1841 when it was separated from the large Hadsel Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, the Holm area (population: 65) along the Gavlfjorden was transferred from Langenes Municipality to Sortland Municipality. Also on that date, the area around the inner and western part of the Eidsfjorden (population: 1,360) was transferred from Hadsel Municipality to Sortland Municipality.

On 1 January 2000, the area surrounding the Godfjorden was transferred from Kvæfjord Municipality (and Troms county) to Sortland Municipality (and Nordland county).

Name and etymology

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Sortland farm () since the first Sortland Church was built there. The first element is Svort which is the genitive case of the local river name Svorta. The river name is derived from which means "black" or "dark". The last element is which means "land" or "farm".

There are several theories as to the origin of the name, one of the most popular is that it named from the black fertile soil. Some deny that the first element of the name "Sort" is derived from the color black and instead insist on the origin coming from the native Sami place name "Soarta", which is a theory favored by the local historian Johan Borgos. Another theory is that the name came from the viking age, where it is thought to have meant "Land of the black birds" referring to the area people would hunt and catch small black birds like the Common blackbird (Svarttrost). This is a theory proposed by author and newspaper editor Ronny Jarl Jensen who points to Svortland in Bømlo, Vestfold as having a similar etymology.

On 2 May 2017, the national government approved a resolution to add a co-equal, official Sami language name for the municipality: Suortá. The spelling of the Sami language name changes depending on how it is used. It is called Suortá when it is spelled alone, but it is Suorttá suohkan when using the Sami language equivalent to "Sortland municipality".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 15 March 1985. The official blazon is "Azure, a castle with three towers without crenelation Or" (). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a castle with a gate and three towers without crenelation. The castle has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The blue color in the field symbolizes the importance of sea and the castle is an updated version of an old coat of arms for Sortland. The castle gate symbolizes Sortland as the gateway to the Vesterålen region and that it is the commercial centre of the region as well. The arms were designed by Kurt Myrland.

The old coat of arms was in use from the 1950s until 1985 when the new arms were granted. The arms showed a castle (very similar to the one in the current arms) in a stylized landscape, including waves and sun rays. The arms included a golden border with three black-white-black piles issuing from both flanks of the white castle. Also, there were four red sun rays issuing from behind the castle (four piles issuant from chief and flanks conjoined in heart), and in the base there were waves of red, black, and white. In the white chief inscribed the word "Sortland". A mural crown with four embattlements was on the top. Sortland Coat of Arms 1950-1985.png|Former coat of arms of Sortland (1950s-1985) Sortland komm.svg|Current arms (since 1985)

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Sortland Municipality. It is part of the Vesterålen prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

::data[format=table title="style="font-size:medium"|'''''Churches in Sortland Municipality'''''"]

Parish (sokn)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Sortland	Indre Eidsfjord Church	Holmstad	1970
Sigerfjord Church	Sigerfjord	1933
Sortland Church	Sortland	1901
::

Geography

The municipality of Sortland is located on the islands of Langøya and Hinnøya in the Vesterålen archipelago. The municipality surrounds the inner part of the Eidsfjorden and the Sortlandssundet strait. There are several bridges in the municipality including Djupfjordstraumen Bridge, Kvalsaukan Bridge, and Sortland Bridge. The Sortland Bridge is located just north of the town of Sortland. One of the main roads through the municipality is Norwegian County Road 82. The highest point in the municipality is the 1261.76 m tall mountain Møysalen. Møysalen is located on the southern border with Lødingen Municipality and it is within Møysalen National Park.

Midnight Sun and Aurora Borealis

The midnight sun occurs from 23 May to 23 July. Great places to observe the midnight sun }includes the Sortland Bridge, Ramnflauget, Godfjorden, Holm, and Skytterhaugen in the Vestmarka residential area. Because of Sortland's high latitude, }} is no real darkness between late April and mid-August.

Polar night occurs in Sortland from 30 November to 12 January when the sun remains below the horizon and is not visible at all. The return of the sun is an occasion for celebration in Northern Norway, known as "Soldagen" () which is commonly celebrated with children getting the day off from school. The polar night does not mean that it becomes totally dark, typically daylight is visible for a few hours around noon.

Sortland and the Vesterålen region are perfect for observing the spectacular Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) phenomenon. The aurora borealis trails its multi coloured banner across the sky and the moon lights the scene making it a breathtaking experience. Pictures taken here have been presented in National Geographic Magazine.

Climate

Sortland has a subpolar oceanic climate. The weather station (Sortland-Kleiva) has been recording since January 1956. The record high of 31 C was set on 29 July 2018. The record low -13.5 C was set in January 2016 (extremes available since 2004). The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below 0 °C) in spring is 7 May and average date for first freeze in autumn is 14 October giving a frost-free season of 159 days (1981-2010 average).

Government

Sortland 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 Midtre Hålogaland District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sortland Municipality is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party. |name = Sortland |start = 2023 |end = 2027 |reference = |collapsed = |Total = 27 |Arbeiderpartiet = 4 |Fremskrittspartiet = 2 |Grønne = 1 |Høyre = 12 |INP = 1 |Rødt = 2 |Senterpartiet = 2 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2 |Venstre = 1 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 2019 |end = 2023 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 27 |Arbeiderpartiet = 5 |Fremskrittspartiet = 2 |Grønne = 1 |Høyre = 7 |Rødt = 3 |Senterpartiet = 7 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 2015 |end = 2019 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 27 |Arbeiderpartiet = 8 |Fremskrittspartiet = 2 |Høyre = 11 |Senterpartiet = 2 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1 |Rødt = 3 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 2011 |end = 2015 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 27 |Arbeiderpartiet = 9 |Fremskrittspartiet = 4 |Høyre = 10 |Rødt = 2 |Senterpartiet = 1 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 2007 |end = 2011 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 12 |Fremskrittspartiet = 7 |Høyre = 7 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 1 |Senterpartiet = 3 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 3 |Rød_Valgallianse = 2 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 2003 |end = 2007 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 9 |Fremskrittspartiet = 5 |Høyre = 8 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 1 |Senterpartiet = 4 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 6 |Venstre = 1 |Rød_Valgallianse = 1 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 1999 |end = 2003 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 9 |Fremskrittspartiet = 3 |Høyre = 10 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 2 |Senterpartiet = 4 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 4 |Venstre = 1 |Rød_Valgallianse = 2 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 1995 |end = 1999 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 8 |Fremskrittspartiet = 2 |Høyre = 8 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 2 |Senterpartiet = 7 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 3 |Rød_Valgallianse = 2 |smallparty = Joint list of the Liberals and Independent voters

|smallparty_no = Venstre og Uavhengige Velgere |smallparty_number = 3 |smallparty_color = linear-gradient(135deg, 50%, white 50%); |}} |name = Sortland |start = 1991 |end = 1995 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 13 |Fremskrittspartiet = 2 |Høyre = 8 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 2 |Senterpartiet = 4 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 5 |Venstre = 1 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 1987 |end = 1991 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 13 |Fremskrittspartiet = 3 |Høyre = 10 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 2 |Senterpartiet = 2 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 3 |Venstre = 2 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 1983 |end = 1987 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 13 |Fremskrittspartiet = 1 |Høyre = 8 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 2 |Senterpartiet = 2 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 4 |Venstre = 2 |otherparty = Sigerfjord Area Non-party List

|otherparty_no = Sigerfjord og Omlands upolitiske liste |otherparty_number = 2 |otherparty1 = Indre Eidsfjord List |otherparty_no1 = Indre Eidsfjord Liste |otherparty_number1 = 2 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 1975 |end = 1979 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 12 |Høyre = 5 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 3 |Senterpartiet = 6 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 3 |Venstre = 2 |otherparty = Sigerfjord Area List |otherparty_no = Sigerfjord og Omlands Liste |otherparty_number = 4 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 1971 |end = 1975 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 15 |Høyre = 3 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 3 |Senterpartiet = 5 |Sosialistisk_Folkeparti = 3 |Venstre = 2 |Local_Lists = 4 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 1967 |end = 1971 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 16 |Høyre = 4 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 3 |Senterpartiet = 3 |Sosialistisk_Folkeparti = 3 |Venstre = 3 |Local_Lists = 3 |}} |name = Sortland |start = 1963 |end = 1967 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 35 |Arbeiderpartiet = 17 |Høyre = 4 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 3 |Senterpartiet = 2 |Sosialistisk_Folkeparti = 2 |Venstre = 4 |Local_Lists = 3 |}} |name = Sortland |herad = yes |start = 1959 |end = 1963 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 23 |Arbeiderpartiet = 10 |Høyre = 3 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 2 |Senterpartiet = 2 |Venstre = 3 |Local_Lists = 3 |}} |name = Sortland |herad = yes |start = 1955 |end = 1959 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 23 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |Høyre = 1 |Senterpartiet = 1 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 2 |Venstre = 4 |Local_Lists = 4 |}} |name = Sortland |herad = yes |start = 1951 |end = 1955 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 20 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |Høyre = 1 |Senterpartiet = 1 |Venstre = 6 |Local_Lists = 1 |}} |name = Sortland |herad = yes |start = 1947 |end = 1951 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 20 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |NKP = 1 |Høyre = 3 |Venstre = 5 |}} |name = Sortland |herad = yes |start = 1945 |end = 1947 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 20 |Arbeiderpartiet = 14 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 1 |Venstre = 3 |Borgerlige_Felleslister = 1 |Local_Lists = 1 |}} |name = Sortland |herad = yes |start = 1937 |end = 1941* |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 20 |Venstre = 4 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |AFS = 3 |Local_Lists = 2 |}}

Mayors

The mayor () of Sortland 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:

1841–1841: Abel Ellingsen
1842–1843: Jørgen Ottesen
1844–1852: Abel Ellingsen
1853–1856: C.H. Schanche
1857–1868: Abel Ellingsen
1869–1870: Laurits Ottesen
1871–1874: Anton Holst
1875–1876: Kristoffer Johnsen
1877–1880: Laurits Ottesen
1881–1882: E. Dietrichen
1883–1884: Laurits Ottesen
1885–1892: H. Knudsen
1893–1894: H.M. Stoltz
1895–1896: Jens N.A. Ellingsen
1897–1901: H. Knudsen
1902–1904: H.M. Stoltz
1905–1907: H. Knudsen
1908–1910: H.M. Stoltz
1911–1913: Georg Ellingsen
1914–1916: Olaf Holm
1917–1919: J.D. Hammer
1920–1922: Bernhard J. Steiro
1923–1925: Dag Ellingsen
1926–1926: Per Lunde
1927–1928: Andreas Thomassen
1929–1931: Anton J. Myhre
1932–1934: Ottar Lunde
1935–1936: Halvdan Bygdnes
1937–1940: P.C. Reinsnes (Ap)
1946–1959: P.C. Reinsnes (Ap)
1960–1962: Ottar Wik
1963–1975: P.C. Reinsnes (Ap)
1976–1979: Thormod Olsen (H)
1980–1981: Terje Johanssen
1982–1987: Anton Pettersen
1988–1994: Hill-Marta Solberg (Ap)
1994–1995: Ronald Steen
1995–2003: Ingolf Markussen (H)
2003–2011: Svein Roar Jacobsen (Ap)
2011–2015: Grete Ellingsen (H)
2015–2019: Tove Mette Bjørkmo (Ap)
2019–2023: Karl-Erling Nordlund (Sp)
2023–present: Grete Ellingsen (H)

Music and culture

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Sortland_torg_in_summer.jpg" caption="The market square in downtown Sortland a day in June 2013."] ::

Sortland has been regarded as one of the best music communities in Norway, and the local band Madrugada has been one of the best ones in the nation. Sortland Jazz Festival is an event organized by Sortland Jazz and Music Club, which takes place every autumn. Some of the world's leading jazz musicians have been participating.

Shopping

Sortland is the largest commercial centre in Vesterålen with several indoors shopping centers and many small businesses. The retail turnover per inhabitant in Sortland is greater than in any other town in North Norway. Sortland is one of the few North Norwegian towns that have grown annually since the 1970s.

Notable people

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/IngridS.jpg" caption="Ingrid Skjoldvær, 2016"] ::

Knut Hamsun (1859–1952), the Nobel Prize–winning author wrote his novel Den Sidste Glæde (The Last Joy) in Sortland Hotel in 1911/12
Petter Carl Reinsnes (1904 in Reinsnes – 1976), a politician and long-time Mayor of Sortland
Hill-Marta Solberg (born 1951 in Sortland), a politician and County Governor of Nordland
Lars Saabye Christensen (born 1953,) a Norwegian/Danish author who lived in Sortland
Olav Christopher Jenssen (born 1954 in Sortland), an artist and academic
Oddmund Finnseth (born 1957 in Sortland), a jazz musician, composer and music teacher
Sivert Høyem (born 1976 in Kleiva), a singer with the rock band Madrugada
Krister Wemberg (born 1992 in Sortland), a footballer with over 200 club caps
Ingrid Skjoldvær (born 1993), an environmentalist with Nature and Youth

Gallery

IMG 1897a - Djupfjorden.jpg|Djupfjorden in Sortland Straße Nordnorwegen.jpg|View from Sortland looking south Sortland Bridge and hurtigruta.jpg|Sortland Bridge and Hurtigruta, February 2007. Stortinn i Vesterålen august 2006 022.jpg|View of the Sigerfjorden. The village closest is Sigerfjord, and across the sound in the background is Sortland town.

References

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