Helgøy

Helgøy herred
Former municipality
View of Torsvåg on Vannøya, a part of Helgøy municipality

Troms within
Norway

Helgøy within Troms
Coordinates: 70°06′46″N 19°21′47″E / 70.11278°N 19.36306°E / 70.11278; 19.36306Coordinates: 70°06′46″N 19°21′47″E / 70.11278°N 19.36306°E / 70.11278; 19.36306
Country Norway
County Troms
District Hålogaland
Established 1 Sept 1886
Disestablished 1 Jan 1964
Administrative centre Helgøya
Area
 • Total 659 km2 (254 sq mi)
  *Area at municipal dissolution.
Population (1964)
 • Total 1,495
 • Density 2.3/km2 (5.9/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Helgøyværing[1]
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code NO-1935
Preceded by Karlsøy in 1886
Succeeded by Karlsøy in 1964
Data from Statistics Norway

Helgøy is a former municipality in Troms county, Norway. The 659-square-kilometre (254 sq mi) island municipality existed from 1886 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in the western part of the present-day Karlsøy Municipality. The municipality included the islands of Helgøya, Grøtøya, and Nordkvaløya, large parts of the nearby islands of Rebbenesøya, Ringvassøya, Vannøya, and many smaller surrounding islands. The administrative centre was located on the south side of the island of Helgøya in a small village where Helgøy Church is also located.[2]

History

From ancient times, a Helgøy parish has existed. In 1838, municipal self-government was introduced in Norway (see formannskapsdistrikt), and the Helgøy parish was made a part of Karlsøy Municipality. Helgøy grew as a trading post under Christian Figenschou, but residents soon became dissatisfied with the municipal government based in Karlsøy.

The municipality of Helgøy was established on 1 September 1886 when the western part of the old Karlsøy Municipality was separated to form a municipality of its own. Helgøy Municipality had an initial population of 828. Despite being separated, the two municipalities still had a common priest, sheriff, and doctor, but all these were residents in Karlsøy. From 1886 to 1892, Christian Figenschou was the mayor of Helgøy. After 1886, residents began developing a local town center on Helgøya island, with Helgøy Church, a rectory, a farm, and flourishing trade. A small village grew up around the church site and a permanent school in the parish was added on Helgøya island. Steam ships regularly stopped here and a post office was established. After 1928, a doctor and sheriff were permanently located here.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, a merger took place between the municipality of Helgøy and most of Karlsøy Municipality (except the mainland areas which became part of Lyngen Municipality). Prior to the merger, Helgøy had a population of 1,495.[3]

Name

The municipality is named after the island of Helgøya (Old Norse: Helgøy). The name means den hellige øy or "the holy island" since the first element helgi means "sanctuary" or "holy" and the second part øy is identical for the word "island". Historically, the municipal name was spelled Helgø (before about 1919), but since that time the name has had a "y" at the end.[2][4]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  2. 1 2 Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (2018-04-09). "Helgøy". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2018-07-30.
  3. ↑ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  4. ↑ Rygh, Oluf (1911). Norske gaardnavne: Troms amt (in Norwegian) (17 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 174.
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