Berlevåg
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| Berlevåg kommune Bearalvági gielda |
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| Municipality | |||
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| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Finnmark | ||
| District | Øst-Finnmark | ||
| Administrative centre | Berlevåg | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor (2011) | Karsten Schanche (H) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 1,120.48 km2 (432.62 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 1,082.43 km2 (417.93 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 38.05 km2 (14.69 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 92 in Norway | ||
| Population (2014) | |||
| • Total | 1,057 ( from last year) |
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| • Rank | 396 in Norway | ||
| • Density | 0.94/km2 (2.4/sq mi) | ||
| • Change (10 years) | -8.7 % | ||
| Demonym(s) | Berlevåging[1] | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | NO-2024 | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål | ||
| Website | www |
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Audio file "Berlevaag.ogg" not found (Northern Sami: Bearalváhki) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berlevåg.
There are two settlements in the municipality of Berlevåg: the village of Berlevåg and the village of Kongsfjord (with approximately 45 inhabitants). Almost all residents in the municipality live in the village of Berlevåg. Kjølnes Lighthouse is located along the shore, east of the village of Berlevåg.
Contents
General information
The municipality of Berlevåg was established on 1 January 1914 when it was separated from Tana Municipality. Initially, there were 784 residents. The borders have not changed since that time.[2]
Name
There are different opinions of the origin of the name Berlevåg (or historically spelled Berlevaag). The first definition of the name is that it has relation to a name related to old Northern Sami language name that sounded like Berlevaggi or Perlavaggi. The second theory of the origin of the name is that from the name of the first settler or explorer at the bay whose name was Berle or Perle. The last theory of the given name Berlevåg which is less likely is the first element is derived from the Norwegian word perle which means "pearl" and the last element is våg which means "bay".[3][4]
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 22 July 1988. The arms show a rayonny of five waves with yellow over blue. It is meant to symbolize the waves that break against the shore, which can represent both the struggle against the sea as well as the dependence on it.[5]
Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Berlevåg. It is part of the Varanger deanery in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
| Parish (Sokn) | Church Name | Location of the Church | Year Built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlevåg | Berlevåg Church | Berlevåg | 1960 |
Transportation
Berlevåg Airport is located just outside the village of Berlevåg. Norwegian County Road 890 runs through Berlevåg, connecting it to the neighboring municipalities, and the rest of Norway.
Facing rough ocean conditions, the four man-made breakwaters that protect the harbor of Berlevåg have been destroyed several times due to bad weather. The current breakwaters include tetrapods that intertwine and have made for a flexible breakwater that can resist the Barents Sea. The port was completely secured with breakwaters in 1973. Since then, the Coastal Ferry has been able to dock in Berlevåg. Prior to that time, a smaller vessel had to unload cargo and passengers from it in the open sea and then ferry them in to the port.
Geography
The municipality is situated in the northwestern part of the Varanger Peninsula, facing the open Barents Sea to the north and the Tanafjorden to the west. It is an isolated and barren region with mostly rocks and tundra. There are no native trees in Berlevåg because the cold and windy summers. The municipality also contains the lakes Geatnjajávri and Skonsvikvatnan.
Climate
Berlevåg's coastal location serves to moderate temperatures during winter, receiving heat from the Gulf stream. Temperatures during winter rarely pass below −15 °C (5 °F), while maximum temperatures during summer are usually around 13 °C (55 °F).
Birdlife
The sea and the islands along this part of Finnmark's coastline are home for thousands of seabirds. As well as the large seabird colonies with thousands of nesting birds, there are also areas of unspoiled nature consisting of mountains, moorlands, and marshes. This enables birdwatching in a natural environment.
History
World War II
Berlevåg, along with the rest of Finnmark, was occupied during World War II. Berlevåg Airport was originally put into use at this time, when German occupying forces constructed it with the help of hundreds of Russian prisoners of war. From 1943-1944, there were nearly daily bombing raids from Russia on Berlevåg and the German airfield.
In November 1944, the village was completely burned down and the inhabitants evacuated by force as part of the scorched earth strategy of the Germans. In the aftermath, the Norwegian government wanted to relocate the inhabitants to nearby Kongsfjord because of a better harbour, but they refused, and the village was rebuilt. As there are absolutely no trees in Berlevåg, many of the houses in Berlevåg were built by the help of the wooden planks in the "tarmac" of the previous German airfield.
Popular culture
Berlevåg was brought some fame in Norway when the Norwegian film director Knut Erik Jensen made a documentary film about Berlevåg Mannsangsforening, Berlevåg's men's choir. The movie Heftig og begeistret (English: "Cool and Crazy") was a big hit 2001 in Norway, first shown at Tromsø International Film Festival. The choir later went on a tour of the United States and were featured at Ground zero in New York City. The choir's oldest and most famous member, Einar Strand, died at the age of 98 in 2004.
Berlevåg is also the place for the fictional story "Babette's Feast" by the Danish author Karen Blixen / Isak Dinesen published in the anthology Anecdotes of Destiny (1958). (See also the homonym film Babette's Feast.)
Sister cities
The following are twin towns of Berlevåg:
References
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External links
Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
