| Langenes | |
| Herred: | yes |
| Former: | yes |
| Idnumber: | 1869 |
| County: | Nordland |
| District: | Vesterålen |
| Capital: | Stø |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1919 |
| Preceded: | Øksnes Municipality |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 1964 |
| Succeeded: | Øksnes Municipality |
| Demonyms: | Langnesfjerding Langenesfjerding |
| Language: | Bokmål[1] |
| Mayor: | Otto Holm |
| Mayor Party: | Ap |
| Mayor As Of: | 1955-1963 |
| Elevation Max M: | 762.46 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [2] |
| Area Rank: | 513 |
| Area Total Km2: | 103.4 |
| Population As Of: | 1963 |
| Population Rank: | 428 |
| Population Total: | 2040 |
| Population Density Km2: | 19.7 |
| Population Increase: | 5.8 |
| Coordinates: | 69.0186°N 15.1558°W |
Langenes is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality, which existed from 1919 until 1964, encompassed the western shore of the Gavlfjorden in what is now Øksnes Municipality. It is located on the northern end of the large island of Langøya in the Vesterålen archipelago. The administrative centre was in the village of Stø, just east of the Langenes Church in the northern part of the municipality.[3]
The municipality of Langenes was established on 1 July 1919 when the northeastern part of Øksnes Municipality was split off from Øksnes to form the new municipality. Initially, Langenes had a population of 1,085. 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 along the Gavlfjorden (population: 65) was transferred from Langenes Municipality to Sortland Municipality. On 1 January 1964, the rest of Langenes (population: 2,037) was merged back together with Øksnes Municipality. Prior to the merger, Langenes had 2,037 residents.[4]
The municipality is named after the old Langenes farm (Norse, Old: Langøyjarnes) since the first Langenes Church was built there. The first element is which means "long", here referring to the island, Langøya on which the municipality was located. The island's name,, is directly translated as "the long island". The last element is which means "headland". The municipality was located on the northernmost peninsula on the island thus the name Langenes means the "headland on Langøya".[5]
The Church of Norway had one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within Langenes Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Øksnes prestegjeld and the Vesterålen prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.[6]
| Langenes | Langenes Church | Stø | 1500s |
| Alsvåg Church | Alsvåg | 1923 |
Langenes Municipality was located on the island of Langøya, along with many other smaller islets and skerries just off shore. Øksnes Municipality was located to the west, Sortland Municipality was located to the south, and Bjørnskinn Municipality was located to the east, across the Gavlfjorden, on the island of Andøya. The highest point in the municipality is the 762.46m (2,501.51feet) tall mountain Snøkolla, located on the border with Øksnes Municipality.
While it existed, Langenes Municipality was 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.[7] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Langenes was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:
The municipal council Norwegian: (Herredsstyre) of Langenes was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
. Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt . 1905 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 16 . Kristiania, Norge . 389 . no . Oluf Rygh.
. Norges Sivile, Geistlige, Rettslige og Militære Inndeling 1. Januar 1951 . 1951-01-01 . H. Aschehoug & Co. . Norges Offisielle Statistikk . Oslo, Norge . no . PDF . Statistics Norway.