Andenes

Andenes (help·info) is a village and former municipality in the Vesterålen district of Nordland county, Norway. The municipality encompassed the northern part of the island of Andøya in the present-day municipality of Andøy.

The village of Andenes is the northernmost settlement of the island of Andøya and in Nordland county. To the east is the island of Senja (in Troms county), and to the west the endless horizon of the North Atlantic Ocean. Andenes is the administrative centre of the municipality of Andøy. Andenes Lighthouse sits along the harbor and can be seen for long distances. Andøya Airport, Andenes is located just south of the village, off of Norwegian County Road 82.

The 1.73-square-kilometre (430-acre) village of Andenes has a population (2013) of 2,694. The population density of the village is 1,557 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,030/sq mi).

History

Andenes was already an important fishing village during the Iron Age. By the early 1900s, it had become one of the largest fishing ports in Norway.

The municipality of Andenes was established on 1 January 1924 when it was separated from Dverberg municipality. Initially, Andenes had 2,213 residents. On 1 January 1964, Andenes was merged with Dverberg and Bjørnskinn municipalities to create the new municipality of Andøy.

In the early 1980s the population of the village of Andenes was 3,770, which made it the largest village in Vesterålen. The downsizing of Andøya Air Station and general population centralization in Norway has led to a dramatic decline in inhabitants over the last 20 years.

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Andarnes (from originally Amdarnes). The first element is the genitive case of Ömd (the old name of the island Andøya) and the last element is nes which means "headland".

Air Station

The construction of Andøya Air Station was commissioned in 1952 and funded in large part by NATO. It was to be situated between Haugnes and Andenes. A DC-3 Dakota of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) undertook the first landing on 17 September 1954. The air station however was not fully operative until 15 September 1957.

In 1961, the 333 Squadron was moved from Sola Air Station to Andøya with their Grumman HU-16 Albatross. In 1969, these were replaced by the Lockheed P-3 Orion. In 1989, the Lockheed P-3C Orion replaced the aging P-3Bs. However, two of the newest P-3Bs were converted to P-3Ns and fly missions for the Norwegian Coast Guard. Besides fisheries, Andøya Air Station has been the largest workplace in Andøy since the 1970s.

In the autumn of 2011, an Orion aircraft from Andenes patrolled the Indian Ocean from a forward base in the Seychelles, supported by 44 personnel and contributing 29 patrols of 8–10 hours to NATO's anti-piracy operation. The flights led directly to the arrest of five pirate groups.

Geography

The village lies 300 kilometres (190 mi) north of the Arctic Circle and the midnight sun is visible from May 19 to July 25. The sun is below the horizon from November 25 to January 28.

Culture

Andenes Church is located in the central part of the village. The local newspaper is named Andøyposten. Andenes hosts the annual "Rock mot Rus" (Rock against drugs) festival, where young people perform their own rock music as well as more known headliner such as Dead by April, Dimmu Borgir, Kvelertak, Turdus Musicus and Torch.