Berlevåg
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Berlevåg kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Finnmark | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-2024 | ||
| Administrative centre | Berlevåg | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2005) | Erik Brøske (SV) | ||
| Area (Nr. 92 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 1,120 km² (432.4 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 1,082 km² (417.8 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 1,158 | ||
| - Density | 1/km² (2.6/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | -10.4 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 395 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål | ||
| Demonym | Berlevåging[1] | ||
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| Website: www.berlevag.kommune.no | |||
Berlevåg is a municipality in the county of Finnmark, Norway.
Berlevåg was separated from Tana as a municipality of its own July 1, 1913.
The municipality is situated on the northern end of the peninsula of Varangerhalvøya, facing the open Barents Sea. There are two settlements in Berlevåg. In addition to Berlevåg there is Kongsfjord with approximately 45 inhabitants.
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[edit] The name
The meaning of the first element is derived from the Norwegian word perle 'pearl'), the last element is våg m 'bay'.
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1988). It shows five waves.
[edit] Climate
Facing rough conditions, assembled breakwaters have been destroyed several times due to bad weather. Tetrapods that intertwine have made for a flexible breakwater that can resist the Barents Sea. The port was secured with breakwaters in 1973. Since then, the Coastal Ferry has been able to dock in Berlevåg. Earlier a smaller vessel had to unload cargo and passengers from it in the open sea.
[edit] Sister Cities
[edit] World War II
Berlevåg was, along with the rest of Finnmark, occupied during the second world war. Berlevåg's airport was originally put into use at this time, when German occupant forces constructed it by the help of hundreds of Russian prisoners of war. During the period 1943-44 there were nearly daily bombing raids from Russia on Berlevåg and the German airfield.
Near 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.
[edit] Cool and Crazy
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 ("Cool and Crazy") was a big hit in Norway, first shown at Tromsø international film festival. The choir later went on a tour of the USA and were featured at Ground Zero in NYC. The choir's oldest and most famous member, Einar Strand, died at the age of 98 in 2004.
[edit] Climate
Berlevåg's coastal location serves to moderate temperatures during wintertime, receiving heat from the Gulf stream. Temperatures during wintertime rarely pass below -15°C, while temperatures during summer are not regularly warmer than 30°C.
[edit] Birdlife
The sea and the islands along this part of Finnmarks coastline are home for thousands of sea birds. As well as the large sea bird colonies with thousands of nesting birds, there are also areas of unspoilt nature consisting of mountains, moor lands and marshes. This enables birdwatching in a natural environment.
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