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Balsfjord
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Balsfjord is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storsteinnes.
The municipality was originally a part of the greater Tromsøysund municipality, but it was separated from this in 1860. The former municipality of Malangen (separated from Balsfjord in 1871) was, again, merged with Balsfjord in 1964.
The municipality consists of two fjords, Malangen and Balsfjorden, surrounded by comparatively rich farmlands under majestic peaks including the southern end of the Lyngen Alps.
municipality is named after the Balsfjorden .
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Encyclopedia
Balsfjord is a municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Storsteinnes.
The municipality was originally a part of the greater Tromsøysund municipality, but it was separated from this in 1860. The former municipality of Malangen (separated from Balsfjord in 1871) was, again, merged with Balsfjord in 1964.
The municipality consists of two fjords, Malangen and Balsfjorden, surrounded by comparatively rich farmlands under majestic peaks including the southern end of the Lyngen Alps.
General information
Name
The municipality is named after the Balsfjorden . The meaning of the first element is unknown. However, the fjord is probably not named after the Norse god Balder.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 21 November 1986. The arms show a plough symbolizing the fact that the main source of income in the municipality is agriculture. The plough also symbolizes that the municipality is at the northernmost border on which grain can be grown in Norway.
History
The Sami people were the original inhabitants of the area, but around 1800 new settlers came from Southern Norway, from the coast, and from Finland, and today very few traces of Sami culture survive. From the 18th century until the 20th century, trappers from Balsfjord were active in the Arctic, hunting in areas from Greenland to Novaya Zemlya.
Mindekirken movement
According to the book Tromsø City History written by Ytreberg (published in Norwegian), during the mid-19th century, Balsfjord became the religious home of a group of "mindekirken" or "freechurch dissenters" who split from the state church parish in Tromsø. The mindekirken movement in the Troms region was led by the seminary student, Johannes Andreas Johannessen Bomstad (born at Balsfjord on 23 August 1821), who split from the state church at the age of 28, under the leadership of the first Norwegian mindekirken movement leader, Rev. Lammers from Oslo. In 1856, Bomstad and his original followers established their own church which they called the "Free Apostolic Christian Church" in Balsfjord.
"Rev. Bomstad" and his followers were said to have struggled and protested against the Tromsø state church minister and the Troms Bishop's religious rulings, eventually leading to a riot in the town of Tromsø, when state-church members yelled at Bomstad and his fellow dissenters to "go back to Kautekino (Finland)". In 1862, Bomstad led a group of "mindekirken colonists" to America, traveling first to Bergen, where they sailed in mid-May 1862 aboard the Sleipner, arriving at the inland port of Chicago, Illinois on 2 August 1862. Their voyage was also noteworthy as the first transatlantic voyage sailing directly from Europe to the port of Chicago (other previous transoceanic ships disembarked first at Quebec, Canada.) After arriving in Chicago, the mindekirken colonists traveled overland to the area of St. Peter, Minnesota, where they remained during the "Dakota War of 1862."
Rev. Bomstad left St. Peter traveling by mule to Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, where near the east bank of a lake (previously called "Lake Lillian"), he became the founding father of Lake Lillian, Minnesota in May 1864 (one hour ahead of the town's next settler, Mr. O.E. Hart (previously of New York.) After staking his original claim, a month later on 3 June 1864, Rev. Bomstad led the rest of the colonists from St. Peter to their new settlement at Lake Lillian, where they built dugout shelters to live in that first year (on the site later occupied by the First M.E. Methodist Church of Lake Lillian.) A few months later he and his family finished building and moved into their log cabin home.
Economy
Farming is the single most important industry, although there is also some manufacturing. The dairy at Storsteinnes is one of the largest producers of the Norwegian brown cheese (brunost). They also make their own brand of cheese, called Balsfjord, from goat's milk.
Transportation
European route E6 and European route E8 meet at the village of Nordkjosbotn, making it a major crossroad.
Attractions
Apart from the impressive scenery, attractions include the 6000 year old rock carvings at Tennes (close to the church), the old trading centre of Nordby, and the 18th century sawmill at Aursfjord. There is also a smaller field of rock carvings at Åsli.
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