Rost
Description
Røst is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røstlandet.
General information
View of Røst from the airThe municipality of Røst was established on 1 July 1928 when it was separated from the municipality of Værøy. Initially, it had 731 residents. The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.
Name
The municipality is named after the main island of Røstlandet (Old Norse: Rǫst). The name is identical with the word rǫst which means "maelstrom". (See Moskstraumen.)
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times; they were granted on 28 November 1986. The artist was Arvid Sveen. The arms show three black shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) on a grey background. The shags play a role in a local legend in which three brothers can transform themselves into shags.
Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Røst. It is part of the Bodø deanery in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
Churches in Røst Parish(Sokn) Church Name Location
of the Church Year Built Røst Røst Church Røstlandet 1899
History
A vivid description of medieval island life has been delivered by the shipwrecked Venetian sea captain Pietro Querini, who was rescued by the islanders in 1432. He described the society as very harmonious and pious, and described how they made a living from fishing cod and some agriculture. The Norwegian Lundehund originated from this part of Norway, where it natively would have climbed along cliff paths to hunt puffins. Fishing is the main economic activity on Røst.
Culture
The island has a rich cultural life. Every year in June there is a popular festvial in honor of the puffin (Lundefestivalen)
Querini opera
In 2012 the Querini Opera was shown on Røst for the first time, telling the dramatic story about Pietro Querini who shipwrecked on Røst in 1432. The show was a great success and was shown again in 2014.
Transportation
The ferry in Røst harborAs an isolated island municipality, there are no road connections to Røst. It can be reached by boat and airplane. There are ferry connections to neighboring Værøy and also to the town of Bodø on the mainland. Røst Airport has regularly scheduled flights to Bodø.
Environment
Atlantic puffins; Røst has the largest seabird colonies in Norway.Geography
There are 365 islands and skerries in the municipality situated some 100 kilometres (62 mi) off the mainland, at the southwestern tip of the Lofoten island chain in the Vestfjorden. Skomvær Lighthouse is located in the southern part of the municipality on the small island of Skomvær.
Birdlife
Røst is one of the few bird watching localities in Norway that is known worldwide. The seabird colonies that are to be found are regarded as internationally important. The island offers a range of habitats, and as one would expect, a stop-over point for many species that are migrating even further north. During the last few years, birders have been showing an interest for Røst during the autumn, producing a whole range of rarities.
The municipality also has one of the biggest bird cliffs in the North Atlantic, with puffin colonies, as well as colonies of shag, kittiwake, and cormorants.