Lebesby

There are 17 wind turbines that generate electrical power in Kjøllefjord, as of 2024.^[7] The world's northernmost dairy farm that produces milk (Norwegian: melkebruk) is located in Bekkarfjord.^[8]

The parish of Lebesby was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1864, the eastern part of Lebesby that surrounds the Tanafjorden (population: 1,388) was separated to become the new Tana Municipality. Tana was later separated into three: Tana Municipality, Gamvik Municipality, and Berlevåg Municipality. The borders of Lebesby have remained unchanged since that time.^[9]

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county.^[10] On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.^[11]

Name

Lebesby is may be a Norwegianized form of a Northern Sami name Leaibbessiida. The first element is then derived from leaibi which means "alder" and the last element is siida which means "dwelling place" (Norwegian: by). The other possible option is that Lebesby is a corruption of the Old Norse Liðvarðsbýr. That name is made up of Liðvarð, a man's name, and býr which also means "dwelling place" (Norwegian: by).^[12][13]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 22 July 1988. The official blazon is "Per fess embattled grady with three steps and two peaks Or and Sable" (Norwegian: Delt av gult og svart ved tredobbelt tindesnitt med to tinder). This means the arms have a field (background) that is divided by a line that is "embattled grady". A line embattled grady consists of series of two or three steps, as if each merlon has a smaller merlon atop it. The field below the line has a tincture of sable and the field above the line 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 idea is that the arms represent the Finnkirka ("the Finn Church"), a cliff by the sea in the municipality. This cliff formation has the appearance of a church, and in former times was used by Sami people as a place of sacrifice. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.^[14][15][16]

The municipality consists of the areas around the Laksefjorden, including the eastern part of the Sværholt Peninsula and the western half of the Nordkinn Peninsula. At the entrance to the Kjøllefjorden at the northwestern tip of the Nordkinn Peninsula, one finds the spectacular Finnkirka sea cliff, so named because of its soaring spires that look like a church. On the other side of the Oksefjorden on the northern end of the peninsula, the Kinnarodden cape (shared with the municipality of Gamvik) is the northernmost point on the European mainland. There are several large lakes in the municipality including Kjæsvannet, Store Måsvannet, and Suolojávri. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,066.78-metre (3,499.9 ft) tall mountain Rásttigáisá.^[1]

Birdlife

The same seacliffs mentioned above hold large numbers of breeding seabirds. In fact Norway's third largest seabird colony can be found in the municipality. Experiencing a seabird colony is one of nature's great experiences, here you can see and listen to thousands of birds with such species as fulmar and Atlantic puffin being a part of a fascinating ecosystem.

Flora

The world's northernmost birch forest is located in this municipality, near Oksefjorden, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) east of Kjøllefjord (70°58′N 27°34′E / 70.967°N 27.567°E / 70.967; 27.567).^[17]

Climate

All municipalities in Norway are 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.^[19] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Lebesby is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Lebesby:^[39]

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Lebesby. It is part of the Hammerfest prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

• Einar Wøhni (1920 in Lebesby – 1987), a politician
• Gørild Mauseth (born 1972 in Kjøllefjord), an actress^[40]

• Media related to Lebesby at Wikimedia Commons
• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)
• About Lebesby