Narvik (town)

Coordinates: 68°26′11″N 17°23′54″E / 68.4363°N 17.3983°E / 68.4363; 17.3983
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Narvik
Narvik Municipality
Established1 Jan 1902
Area
[1]
 • Total6.93 km2 (2.68 sq mi)
Elevation
[2]
87 m (285 ft)
Population
 (2023)[1]
 • Total14,051
 • Density2,028/km2 (5,250/sq mi)
DemonymsNarviking
Narvikværing
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code
8514 Narvik

Narvik is a

European route E06 highway runs through the Beisfjord Bridge and Hålogaland Bridge crossing the two small fjords surrounding the town.[3]

The 6.93-square-kilometre (1,710-acre) town has a population (2023) of 14,051 which gives the town a population density of 2,028 inhabitants per square kilometre (5,250/sq mi).[1]

Narvik Church is the main church for the town. Narvik is a commercial centre for the region. Narvik University College has approximately 1,200 students. There are some high-tech businesses in Narvik (among them Natech).

Etymology

Narvik is named after the old Narvik farm ("Narduigh" – 1567), since the town is built on its ground.[4]

The

genitive pluralis of knarr which means 'merchant ship' and the last element is vík meaning 'inlet'. The name Knarravík (modern forms Knarvik or Narvik) is found in several places along the Norwegian coast (and three places in the old Norwegian province of Bohuslän) and it tends to refer to good and natural ports
.

The port was originally called Victoriahavn after

Sweden-Norway.[5]

History

Map of Narvik in 1907
Near Narvik city centre; Ankenes is seen across the bay
View of Narvik at night from the highest point accessible to cars

The history of Narvik as a settlement began in the

Vikings
lived in this area.

Narvik was developed as an all-year

Ofotbanen
railway line connects Narvik to the Swedish border.

Swedish mining corporation LKAB still ships the majority of its ore from Narvik (a total 25 million tons a year). The corporation is still important in the area, both as an employer and landowner, although its influence is not as prominent now as it has been in previous years.[7]

The town of Narvik was established on 1 January 1902 when the village of Narvik received status as a proper town and was separated from the large municipality of Ankenes so it could have its own municipal government. Initially, the town-municipality of Narvik had 3,705 residents. On 1 January 1974, the municipality of Ankenes was merged with the town-municipality of Narvik, forming a new, larger municipality of Narvik.[8]

World War II

Main article: Battles of Narvik
Iron ore is extracted in Kiruna and Malmberget and brought by rail to the harbours of Luleå and Narvik.
(Borders as of 1920–1940)
Narvik burning after German bombing, 2 June 1940
Narvik 1928 with the fjord Rombaken as backdrop

The port of Narvik proved to be strategically valuable in the early years of

Norwegian Campaign. In 1939, Germany's war industry depended upon iron ore mined in Kiruna and Malmberget in Sweden. During the summer season, this ore could be sent by cargo ship to Germany through the Baltic Sea via the Swedish port of Luleå on the Gulf of Bothnia. However, when the Gulf of Bothnia froze during the winter, more shipments of the ore needed to be transported through Narvik and, from there, down the west coast of Norway to Germany. The town of Narvik is linked by rail to Sweden, but not to any other towns in Norway. As a result, Narvik serves as a gateway to the ore fields of Sweden that cannot be easily reached from southern Norway via land. Winston Churchill realised that the control of Narvik meant stopping most German imports of iron ore during the winter of 1940. This would be advantageous to the Allies and it might help shorten the war. Equally as important, later in the war, German submarines and warships based there threatened the allied supply line to the Soviet Union.[9]

Churchill proposed laying a naval minefield in Norwegian territorial waters around Narvik (referred to as "the Leads")[9] or else occupying the town with Allied troops. The Allies hoped that they might be able to use an occupied Narvik as a base from which to secure the Swedish ore fields and/or to send supplies and reinforcements to Finland, then fighting the Finnish Winter War with the Soviet Union. Plans to lay a minefield around Narvik or to seize the town met with debate within the British government – since both plans would mean a violation of Norway's neutrality and sovereignty.[9]

Finally, on 8 April 1940, the

British Admiralty launched Operation Wilfred, an attempt to lay anti-shipping minefields around Narvik in Norwegian territorial waters. Coincidentally, Germany launched its invasion of Norway (Operation Weserübung) the next day. During this invasion, ten German destroyers, each carrying 200 mountain infantry soldiers, were sent to Narvik. The outdated Norwegian coastal defence ships HNoMS Eidsvold and HNoMS Norge attempted to resist the invasion, but both were sunk after a short and uneven battle. The Royal Navy quickly dispatched several ships to Narvik, including the battleship HMS Warspite and during the Battles of Narvik
, the British took control of the coast, destroying the German destroyers that had brought the invasion force to Narvik, as well as other German ships in the area.

On 12 April 1940, the first convoys of Allied soldiers were sent under Major-General Pierse Joseph Mackesy to Narvik. The Admiralty urged Mackesy to conduct an assault on Narvik from the sea as soon as possible. However, Mackesy believed that the German harbour defences were too strong for such an invasion to take place. The Admiralty argued that a naval bombardment of Norway would enable the troops to land safely, but General Mackesy refused to subject Norwegian citizens to such a bombardment and instead he chose to land his troops near Narvik and wait until the snow melted to take over the town.[9]

Coordinated by the Norwegian

guerrilla
operations inland.

Possession of the

U-boats
could possibly be based at Narvik.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 2023). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
  2. ^ "Narvik (Nordland)". yr.no. Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  3. Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget
    . Retrieved 8 January 2019.
  4. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt (in Norwegian) (16 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 285.
  5. Store norske leksikon
    . Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  6. ^ "Key facts about Narvik". VisitNorway.com. Retrieved 24 November 2008.
  7. ^ a b "Narvik, Norway". BBC. Retrieved 24 November 2008.
  8. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  9. ^
    ISBN 978-0-395-41055-4
    .
  10. ISBN 978-0-89966-728-7
    .
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