Bjørnskinn (municipality)


Bjørnskinn is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1924 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality was centered around the Risøysundet strait. It encompassed the southern part of the island of Andøya and the northern part of the island of Hinnøya in the southern part of what is now Andøy Municipality. The administrative centre was the small village of Bjørnskinn where Bjørnskinn Church is located. The largest village in Bjørnskinn was the village of Risøyhamn.

History

The municipality of Andenes was established on 1 January 1924 when Dverberg Municipality was divided into three: Andenes in the north, Bjørnskinn in the south, and Dverberg in the central part of the old 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 Andenes was merged with the municipalities of Dverberg and Bjørnskinn to create the new Andøy Municipality.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Bjørnskinn, are responsible for primary education, 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 elects a mayor.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Bjørnskinn was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Notable residents