The 2,132-square-kilometre (823 sq mi) municipality is the 30th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Namsos is the 82nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 15,083. The municipality's population density is 7.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (18/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 2.1% over the previous 10-year period.[6][7]
The town of Namsos has a swimming pool, Oasen, built inside a mountain.
General information
Namsos waterfront buildings
Name
The municipality is named after the town of Namsos which was established in 1846. The town was named after its location at the mouth of the river Namsen. The first element of the name is Nams- which comes from the name of the river Namsen. The river name has an uncertain origin. The first part of the river name may come from the Old Norse word Nauma) which has an unknown meaning, but it may come from the word naust which means "boat". The second part of the river name (-sen) is derived from the word sær which means "sea". The last element of the name is óss which means the "mouth of a river".[8][9]
On 1 January 2020, the national government approved a merger of three municipalities: Fosnes, Namdalseid, and Namsos. Upon the merger, the new municipality would have two co-equal, official names: Namsos(Norwegian) and Nåavmesjenjaelmie(Southern Sami).[10] The spelling of the Sami language name changes depending on how it is used. It is called Nåavmesjenjaelmie when it is spelled alone, but it is Nåavmesjenjaelmien tjïelte when using the Sami language equivalent to "Namsos municipality".[5]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted to the town of Namsos on 5 May 1961.[11] They were re-granted on 21 October 1966 when the town was merged with neighboring areas to create a new, larger Namsos Municipality.[12] The official blazon is "Gules, a moose head coupedOr" (Norwegian: På rød bunn et gull elghode). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a moose head. The moose head 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 moose was chosen as a symbol for the municipality, since Namsos is the capital of the forest-rich Namdalen region, and the moose is the "king of the forest". The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[8][13][14]
The location by the river and the large forests nearby made the location of the present day town of Namsos ideal for the construction of sawmills. There were eleven mills in the town during their heyday, but only one remains: Moelven Van Severen. In addition, the Norwegian Sawmill Museum is located at Spillum just south of the town. The museum is located at the now closed and restored Spillum Dampsag & Hovleri sawmill from 1884.
In 1865, the town of Namsos also became a parish in the Church of Norway. It had been decided to build Namsos Church in the growing town in March 1859; the construction was finished in November. In May 1865, the parish was created, with the sub-parishes of Sævik and Vemundvik, formerly within Overhalla parish, was incorporated into Namsos' parish limits.[15]
Consisting mostly of wooden houses, the town of Namsos has been burned down to the ground on three occasions during its relatively short history. The first fire was in 1872, caused by two boys playing with matches. The second fire was in 1897, from an unknown cause. The third time was during World War II when the town was bombed by German airplanes on 20 April 1940.[8]
On 1 January 1838, the parish of Vemundvik was established as Vemundvik Municipality (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1846, the village of Namsos, located within Vemundvik Municipality, was established as a ladested. Namsos was located at the mouth of the Namsen river in the Sævik area of Vemundvik Municipality. The new ladested (town) was established as its own independent, self-governing municipality, with 591 inhabitants. This left Vemundvik Municipality with 908 residents.[16][17]
Over time, the small town of Namsos grew larger. Areas of Vemundvik Municipality lying adjacent to the town of Namsos were later incorporated within the city limits on numerous occasions. On 1 January 1882, an area with 109 inhabitants was moved to the town; on 1 July 1921 an area with 927 inhabitants; and on 1 July 1957, another area with a population of 6.[16]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the size of Namsos was significantly during a large municipal merger. Namsos, which previously had a population of 5,224, was increased to 10,875 inhabitants and a much larger land area. The following areas were merged to form a new, larger Namsos Municipality.[16]
On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.
On 1 January 2020, Fosnes Municipality and Namdalseid Municipality were merged with Namsos Municipality. This occurred because on 16 June 2016 the three municipalities voted to merge as part of a large municipal reform across Norway. Also on 1 January 2020, the mainland Lund area of Nærøy Municipality was transferred into Namsos Municipality.[18]
Geography
The coastal municipality is located along the Namsenfjorden and at the mouth of the river Namsen, one of the richest salmon rivers in Europe. The municipality also includes the islands of Otterøya, Hoddøya, Elvalandet, and Jøa. The lakes Finnvollvatnet, Gilten, Mjøsundvatnet, and Salvatnet are all located in Namsos Municipality. The large river Namsen has its mouth in the municipality. The river Sverka also flows through Namsos.
The main part of the town of Namsos is built on a small, low-lying promontory which extends into the bay. To the north, low forested hills rise fairly steeply to over 200 metres (660 ft). There is a viewpoint from the hills above the city which is called Klompen with a height of 114 metres (374 ft) with a road for cars up to the top that is open each summer. To the east extends the wide Namdalen valley. To the south over the bay and mouth of the river Namsen are hills that reach 440 metres (1,440 ft). The highest point in the municipality is the 765.19-metre (2,510.5 ft) tall mountain Grønkleppen, along the border with Høylandet Municipality.[1]
Climate
Namsos has a humid continental climate or oceanic climate, depending on the winter threshold used (0C or -3C). The weather station is near the small airport, situated about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) inland from Namsos along the river. Monthly average daily high temperature range from 0 °C (32 °F) in the coldest months (January and February) to 19 °C (66 °F) in July. The all-time high is 33.9 °C (93.0 °F) recorded on July 27, 2019. The warmest month on record at the airport was July 2014 with average daily high 25.5 °C (77.9 °F) and monthly mean 19.3 °C (66.7 °F). The record low −26.6 °C (−15.9 °F) was recorded January 2010. Autumn and winter are the wettest seasons, while late spring is the driest.
Climate data for Namsos Airport 1991-2020 (2 m, precipitation from Bangdalen, extremes 2002-2024)
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Namsos is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Namsos 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:[46][47][48][49]
Namsos Airport is located about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of the town of Namsos, with direct flights to Oslo, Trondheim, Rørvik, Mosjøen, Bodø.
Norwegian County Road 17 runs through part of the municipality.
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