Gratangen
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| Basic data | |||
| Commune number : | 5414 | ||
| Province (county) : | Troms and Finnmark | ||
| Administrative headquarters: | Gratangen | ||
| Coordinates : | 68 ° 41 ′ N , 17 ° 33 ′ E | ||
| Surface: | 312.75 km² | ||
| Residents: | 1,091 (Feb 27, 2020) | ||
| Population density : | 3 inhabitants per km² | ||
| Language form : | neutral | ||
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| politics | |||
| Mayor : | Anita Karlsen ( Sp ) (2019) | ||
| Located in the province of Troms and Finnmark | |||
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Gratangen ( North Sami : Rivttáid suohkan ) is a northern Norwegian municipality in the Helgeland region in the province ( Fylke ) Troms og Finnmark . It is named after the Gratangen fjord , which branches off from the Astafjord to the southeast and runs through the municipality.
Municipal area and population
The municipality borders on Skånland to the west, the Astafjord and the municipality of Ibestad to the north, Lavangen to the east and the municipality of Narvik, which belongs to Fylke Nordland , to the south . The municipality is very mountainous, and human settlements are only in narrow strips along the banks of the Gratangsfjord, at the end of the fjord in Fjordbotn and Gratangsbotn , on the south bank of the Astafjord between Grøsnes and Selnes, and to a lesser extent in some of the side valleys of the Gratangsfjord. The population is decreasing and currently numbers around 1100 people. The administrative center and the most populous settlement is the small town of Årstein with around 200 residents.
Transport and tourism
The European route 6 runs about 2 km southeast of Gratangsbotn through the municipal area of Bjerkvik and Narvik to the north towards Bardufoss . At Gratangsbotn the provincial road Fv 825 branches off from the E 6 and runs along the south bank of the Gratangsfjord to Hilleshamn on the Astafjord and then on to the south bank to the neighboring municipality of Skånland. At Årsteinstraumen, a narrow section of the fjord near Årstein only 350 m wide, the Fv 141 branches off from the Fv 825 to the north, crosses the fjord on the Årstein Bridge and then runs along the entire north bank of the fjord and then along the Astafjord to the northeast.
In Gratangsbotn you will find the Nordnorsk Båtmuseum with a unique collection of Nordland boats .
Foldvik in particular on the south bank of the fjord is a popular starting point for anglers ( halibut , saithe , cod , wolffish ).
history
In April 1940, during the invasion of Norway by German troops , the area of the municipality was the scene of heavy fighting between units of General Eduard Dietl's 3rd Mountain Division and the 6th Norwegian Division under General Carl Gustav Fleischer . The Norwegians were able to stop the German advance here for a while.
