Lyngen

View of Bensnes

The parish of Lyngen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1867, the southern part of Karlsøy Municipality (population: 862) surrounding the Sørfjorden (innermost part of the Ullsfjorden) was transferred to Lyngen.

Then on 1 January 1875, a small part of Lyngen (population: 7) was transferred to the neighboring Balsfjord Municipality. On 1 January 1902, the Sørfjorden area (population: 1,139) was separated from Lyngen to form a new municipality called Sørfjord. This left Lyngen Municipality with 5,102 residents. In 1929, the large municipality of Lyngen was divided into three parts. The northwestern part (population: 2,225) remained as Lyngen municipality. The northeastern part (population: 2,482) became the new Kåfjord Municipality. The southern part (population: 1,499) became the new Storfjord Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Lyngen (population: 2,761) was merged with the northern part of the Lyngen peninsula that was part of Karlsøy Municipality (population: 1,001) and with the Svensby area of Ullsfjord Municipality (population: 171) to form a new, larger Lyngen Municipality. Then on 1 January 1992, the part of Lyngen Municipality located on the eastern shore of the Lyngenfjorden was removed from Lyngen. The Nordnes village area (population: 38) in the northern part of this area was transferred to the neighboring Kåfjord Municipality, and the unpopulated southern part was transferred to the neighboring Storfjord Municipality.[5]

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Troms county.[6]

Lyngseidet as it looked around 1890

The Lyngen Church was built at Karnes in 1731, and was moved to its present location at Lyngseidet in 1740. In 1775, the church was rebuilt in its current cruciform shape, with the material from the old church used for a boathouse in Oldervik. Finally in 1840–1845, the church was renovated with a new tower, galleries, windows and panelling.[11]

Other interesting buildings include the large wooden school in Solhov, which was built in 1924 to strengthen the Norwegian influence in this area which was largely populated by the Sami and Kven people.

Lyngen has also lent its name to the Lyngen line, a defensive line at the pinch point between the Lyngen fjord and the mountains. The line was first established during the German occupation of Norway and the main purpose was to halt a Soviet invasion.[12] During the Cold War the Norwegian Army continued to reinforce the Lyngen lined against a possible invasion from the east. However, there were always worries that the Soviets could also advance through Finland and the sparsely defended extreme north of Sweden (north of Kiruna, south of Treriksröset) and attack the Lyngen position from the rear via Signaldalen.

Lake Blåvatnet in Lyngen Alps

The municipality is situated on the Lyngen peninsula, with the Lyngen fjord to the east and Ullsfjorden to the west. The municipal centre is the village of Lyngseidet, a pretty settlement on an isthmus that almost cuts the peninsula in the middle. Other villages include Furuflaten, which has various industries, and Svensby. Nord-Lenangen faces the open sea, and is largely a fishing village. The municipality has its own shipping company, operating the car ferries west to Breivikeidet in Tromsø and east to Olderdalen in Kåfjord meeting European route E6. There is also a road going south along the shore of the fjord connecting to the main E6 road, giving ferry-free access to the main road network.

The Lyngen peninsula is a very scenic and mountainous area, known as the Lyngen Alps, with the highest peaks in Troms county. The highest peak is Jiehkkevárri, reaching 1,833 metres (6,014 ft). Another prominent mountain is Store Lenangstind. The Strupbreen lies in this mountain range, northwest of Lyngseidet. The Lyngen Alps are presently being discovered by off-piste skiers from around the world.

Climate

Rv 91 road in Lyngen, May 2009.

Winters in Lyngen are long and snow-rich, but not very cold considering the very northerly latitude. Average 24-hr temperatures are below freezing from November to early April, with a January average of −4.5 °C (24 °F). May is cool, with an average of 5.5 °C (42 °F); summer temperatures usually arrives in June. July is the warmest month with 24-hr average of 12.5 °C (55 °F); August's average is 11.6 °C (53 °F) and October's is 3.5 °C (38 °F). The average annual precipitation varies from 500 millimetres (19.7 in) in Lyngseidet (half that of Tromsø) to 950 millimetres (37.4 in) in the northern part of the peninsula (Nord-Lenangen).

Spring often sees much sunshine and is the driest season; average monthly precipitation is approximately 30 millimetres (1.2 in) from March to June, while October is the wettest month.[13] In the mountains of the Lyngen Alps, the average temperatures typically remain below freezing from October to May, and snow accumulation can exceed 5 metres (16.4 ft)

All municipalities in Norway, including Lyngen, 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.[14] The municipality falls under the Nord-Troms District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Just Qvigstad, 1934

• Just Knud Qvigstad (1853 in Lyngseidet – 1957) a Norwegian philologist, linguist, ethnographer, historian and cultural historian; headmaster in Tromsø and Mayor of Tromsø
• Joachim Giæver (1856 in Jøvik – 1925) an American civil engineer, designed major structures in the USA
• Leonhard Seppala (1877 in Lyngen – 1967) a sled dog breeder, trainer and musher, competed in the 1932 Winter Olympics
• Ola Krogseng Giæver (1885 in Lyngseidet – 1945) a farmer and politician, Mayor of Lyngen for four periods 1913-1925
• Ingvald Jaklin (1896 in Lyngen – 1966) a Norwegian politician and Mayor of Tromsø
• Runo Isaksen (born 1968 in Lyngen) a Norwegian writer
• Trond Olsen (born 1984 in Lyngen) a Norwegian former footballer with over 400 club caps
• Maria Nysted Grønvoll (born 1985 in Furuflaten) a retired Norwegian cross-country skier

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)

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