Setermoen

Setermoen Sætermoen
Village
View of the main road of the village View of the main road of the village
Setermoen Location in Troms
Coordinates:
Country	Norway
Region	Northern Norway
County	Troms
Municipality	Bardu
Area
• Total	2.76 km2 (1.07 sq mi)
Elevation	80 m (260 ft)
Population (2013)
• Total	2,393
• Density	867/km2 (2,250/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+01:00)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+02:00)
Post Code	9360 Bardu

Setermoen is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bardu in Troms county, Norway. The village is located along the Barduelva river, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) east of Sjøvegan and about 25 kilometres (16 mi) south of Bardufoss.

The local council declared city status for Setermoen in 1999, but this was rejected by the government of Norway since the municipality has less than 5,000 inhabitants. The 2.76-square-kilometre (680-acre) village has a population (2013) of 2,393, which gives the village a population density of 867 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,250/sq mi).

Location

Setermoen is located along the river Barduelva, and on the shores of Sætervatnet lake in the middle of the Bardudalen valley. It is about 23 km (14 mi) south of Andselv/Bardufoss Airport and about 75 km (47 mi) east of the city of Harstad. European route E6 runs right through the center of Setermoen. Both the Bardu Church and the Setermoen military camp are located in Setermoen.

Setermoen is located among the inland valleys and mountains.

Setermoen Camp

Military education was established at Setermoen in 1898 because of its strategic location in the midst of the mountains, and is one of the oldest army camps in Norway today. In many ways, the Norwegian Armed Forces has shaped Setermoen and the community through its presence.

Altogether, about 1,000 soldiers and 500 officers are stationed here, making it the largest garrison in Norway. Stationed at Setermoen are the following battalions, which are part of Brigade Nord:

• Artilleribataljonen (artillery battalion)
• Panserbataljonen (armoured battalion)
• Sanitetsbataljonen (medical battalion)
• Etteretningsbataljonen (intelligence battalion)

Recently, a massive renovation program has taken place at Setermoen. Most of the main buildings and barracks will be torn down and new ones built. Costs of the project will spiral to over 1 billion Norwegian kroner (about US$155 million). The reason for the project is the end of the Cold War and the reorganization of the Norwegian Army from a mere mobilization force into a modern professional force, as this requires a lot more follow-up to the troops and better standards to attract more volunteers.