Mosjøen

Mosjøen Mussere
Town
Coat of arms of Mosjøen. Coat of arms of Mosjøen.
Mosjøen
Coordinates:
Country	Norway
County	Nordland
Municipality	Vefsn
Area
• Total	6.41 km2 (2.47 sq mi)
Population (2013)
• Total	9,665
• Density	1,508/km2 (3,910/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+01:00)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+02:00)

Mosjøen (Southern Sami: Mussere) <phonos file="Mosjoen.ogg">listen</phonos> is a town, a former town municipality, and a former privileged staple place in the Municipality of Vefsn in the southern part of the County of Northland, Norway. Established in 1875, Mosjøen is the oldest town in the Helgeland region, and only Bodø is older within Nordland. The 6.41-square-kilometre (1,580-acre) village has a population (2013) of 9,665, giving it a population density of 1,508 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,910/sq mi).

Together with Mo i Rana and Narvik, Mosjøen is one of the industrial towns in Nordland. The Mosjøen Aluminum Plant, owned by Alcoa, is among the biggest in Europe and traditionally the town's cornerstone enterprise. Additionally, the town has a business sector that includes trade, crafts, banking, transportation, and tourism. The town attracts customers from the whole region.

Mosjøen is a centre of communications in Helgeland. From Mosjøen, it is 71 kilometres (44 miles) to Sandnessjøen in the west, 87 kilometres (54 miles) to Mo i Rana in the north, and 160 kilometres (99 miles) to Brønnøysund in the south. Furthermore, the road distance is 318 km (198 miles) to Bodø and 393 km (244 miles) to Trondheim. The E6 goes through the town. There are daily departures from the Mosjøen Bus Central, from the Mosjøen Railway Station on the Nordland Line, and from Mosjøen Airport south of the town. There are both public and private quays in Mosjøen. The town's harbour is among the largest in Northern Norway.

In the aspect of basic education, Mosjøen has both local and regional functions. The Mosjøen High School receives students from the town and rural municipalities surrounding it. The Vefsn Folk High School is located in Mosjøen. The town has a department of the Open University. Many bigger events for children and youths take place in Mosjøen, among others the Toppen International Summer Music School and the Kippermoen Cup.

Mosjøen is known for the famous Sjøgata with its 19th century wooden houses and piers. Other sightseeing spots are the Dolstad Church, the Town Park, and the aluminum plant.

Name and coat of arms

The core of and the northern and north-eastern parts of Mosjøen.

Mosjøen was a part of the central farm Mo, from which the town has gotten its name. It has the meaning 'the sea belonging to Mo'. Earlier spellings are Mosøen (19th century) and Moesøen (18th century).

Mosjøen's coat of arms was granted by King Olav V on 25 March 1960. It was composed by sculptor Arthur Gustavsson. Whilst the blazon is Sable, a cock Argent, the cock is traditionally equipped with red—the so-called colour of armament—on beak, wattles, comb, and shanks. The cock represents watchfulness and fighting spirit.

History

The English sawmills in 1870.

It is known that Mosjøen was populated already in 1600. The earliest inhabitant known by name is Svein strandsitter, who lived there together with his wife and daughters in 1660.

Since the late 1500s and until the 1820s Mosjøen was in the possession of the Mo family. They were wealthy farmers as well as shippers and traders, and in 1794 a family member received royal privilege to establish Mosjøen as a trade centre.

In the 1600s and in the early 1700s, and especially following the 1645 Treaty of Brömsebro, when Jemtland was ceded to Sweden, several people from this province migrated to Trøndelag and Nordland. Many of these came to Vefsn and Mosjøen.

In the 1860s a group of Englishmen, the "salmon lords", established The North of Europe Land & Mining Co., Ltd. This introduced the first industrial period in Mosjøen. The sawmill industry created "Klondike conditions"; people came from everywhere in order to get a job, to trade, and so on, and salaries were relatively high.

A rapidly growing town, Mosjøen received staple rights on 1 January 1875 and was separated from Vefsn as a town municipality on 1 January 1876. These privileges were granted by King Oscar II on 4 April 1874. A staple place, Mosjøen had the privilege to export goods directly to foreign countries.

The most important town in the Helgeland region, Mosjøen became the headquarters of the German Nazi occupiers during 1940 and 1945.

In 1945, after the Second World War, Mosjøen entered its second industrial period. Among the several industrial establishments was the Mosjøen Aluminum Plant.

Mosjøen was again merged with Vefsn on 1 January 1962. Since 1998 the town has modern town status.

Business and industry

A part of the Mosjøen Aluminum Plant.

19th century wooden house in Sjøgata.

Mosjøen is one of the industrial towns in Nordland. Especially important is the Mosjøen Aluminum Plant, owned by Alcoa.

Mosjøen's business sector contains both traditional and modern companies as well as a wide spectre of branches, including trade, crafts, banking, transportation, and tourism. The town is a commercial centre in the region, attracting customers from smaller neighbouring towns and from rural municipalities.

Communications

The European route E6 goes through Mosjøen. From Mosjøen, it is 71 km (44 mi) to Sandnessjøen in the west, 87 km (54 mi) to Mo i Rana in the north, and 160 km (99 mi) to Brønnøysund in the south. Furthermore, the road distance is 318 km (198 mi) to Bodø and 393 km (244 mi) to Trondheim.

Otherwise, the town is accessible by airplane, train, and ship. The town is served by the Mosjøen Airport, Kjærstad, five minutes by car south of the town. Mosjøen Station on the Nordland Line has daily departures for Trondheim in the south and the county capital Bodø in the north. Mosjøen Harbour is the biggest port in Northern Norway. The aluminum plant has its own port.

Tourism

The following are popular sightseeing spots:

• Sjøgata, a historic and picturesque street containing the largest concentration of 19th century wooden buildings in Northern Norway.
• Fru Haugans Hotel, established in 1794 and today the oldest hotel in Northern Norway.
• Dolstad Church, established in 1735.
• The Town Park, established ca. 1900 and regarded as one of the finest public parks in Norway.

Geography

Topographic situation.

Topography

Mosjøen is situated in the lower part of the Vefsn Valley, where the rivers Vefsna and Skjerva flow into the Vefsnfjord. The town's centre lies on flat land between these two rivers. In addition, the town is surrounded by mountains, green hills, and forests. The Øyfjellet mountain (814 metres) just west of the town is a well-known landmark.

Climate

Mosjøen is located about 100 kilometres (62 mi) south of the Arctic circle, and the town has a wet and mild subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc) bordering on subpolar oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfc). The town has relatively warm summers and mild winters compared to other places on similar latitudes, largely due to its proximity to the ocean. Mosjøen also receives a large amount of precipitation, particularly between the late summer and the early winter. Its climate is similar to that of Juneau, Alaska, only with slightly colder temperatures in the winter and early spring.

Climate data for Mosjøen
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	−5 (23)	−4 (25)	0 (32)	5 (41)	10 (50)	13 (55)	18 (64)	17 (63)	12 (54)	7 (45)	−3 (27)	−6 (21)	5.3 (41.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−5.7 (21.7)	−4.5 (23.9)	−1.6 (29.1)	2.4 (36.3)	7.6 (45.7)	11.6 (52.9)	13.4 (56.1)	12.8 (55)	8.6 (47.5)	4.6 (40.3)	−1.4 (29.5)	−4.2 (24.4)	3.63 (38.53)
Average low °C (°F)	−9 (16)	−10 (14)	−8 (18)	0 (32)	4 (39)	7 (45)	12 (54)	10 (50)	5 (41)	2 (36)	−7 (19)	−10 (14)	−0.3 (31.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	186 (7.32)	135 (5.31)	150 (5.91)	99 (3.9)	79 (3.11)	80 (3.15)	100 (3.94)	116 (4.57)	191 (7.52)	230 (9.06)	181 (7.13)	198 (7.8)	1,745 (68.72)
Source:

List of friendship towns

Town	Country	Initiation	Explanation	Ref.
Lycksele in the Municipality of Lycksele	Sweden	1965	Mosjøen and Lycksele have old trade connections. Besides Lycksele was the first place in Lapland to receive town privileges, like Mosjøen was the first in Helgeland.
Town Municipality of Gornji Milanovac	Serbia	28 September 1975	During the Second World War at least 425 Serbians were killed in the Osen Prison Camp in Vefsn.
Town Municipality of Volkhov	Russia	16 June 1992	Russia's first aluminum plant, the Kirov Plant of 1932, is located in the town.

Links to external websites

• Municipality of Vefsn
• Mosjøen.com
• Vefsn Slektshistorielag (Genealogy)