| Berlevåg kommune | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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| Berlevåg within Finnmark | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Finnmark | ||
| Administrative centre | Berlevåg | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor (2011) | Karsten Schanche (H) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 1,120 km2 (432.4 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 1,082 km2 (417.8 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 92 in Norway | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| • Total | 1,158 | ||
| • Rank | 395 in Norway | ||
| • Density | 1/km2 (2.6/sq mi) | ||
| • Change (10 years) | -10.4 % | ||
| Demonym | Berlevåging[1] | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | NO-2024 | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål | ||
| Website | www.berlevag.kommune.no | ||
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is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berlevåg. Berlevåg was separated from the municipality of Tana to form a municipality of its own on 1 July 1913.
The municipality is situated in the northern part of the Varanger Peninsula, facing the open Barents Sea. There are two settlements in the municipality of Berlevåg: the village of Berlevåg and the village of Kongsfjord (with approximately 45 inhabitants).
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The meaning of the first element is derived from the Norwegian word perle which means "pearl" and the last element is våg which means "bay".
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 22 July 1988. The arms show a rayonny of five waves with yellow over blue. It is meant to symbolize the waves that break against the shore, which can represent both the struggle against the sea as well as the dependence on it.[2]
Berlevåg Airport is located just outside Berlevåg. Berlevåg has a road connection to the main road network.
Facing rough conditions, assembled breakwaters have been destroyed several times due to bad weather. Tetrapods that intertwine have made for a flexible breakwater that can resist the Barents Sea. The port was secured with breakwaters in 1973. Since then, the Coastal Ferry has been able to dock in Berlevåg. Earlier a smaller vessel had to unload cargo and passengers from it in the open sea. The municipality also contains the lake Geatnjajávri.
Berlevåg's coastal location serves to moderate temperatures during winter, receiving heat from the Gulf stream. Temperatures during winter rarely pass below −15 °C (5 °F), while maximum temperatures during summer are usually around 13 °C (55 °F).
The sea and the islands along this part of Finnmark's coastline are home for thousands of seabirds. As well as the large seabird colonies with thousands of nesting birds, there are also areas of unspoiled nature consisting of mountains, moorlands, and marshes. This enables birdwatching in a natural environment.
Berlevåg, along with the rest of Finnmark, was occupied during World War II. Berlevåg Airport was originally put into use at this time, when German occupant forces constructed it by the help of hundreds of Russian prisoners of war. From 1943-1944, there were nearly daily bombing raids from Russia on Berlevåg and the German airfield.
In November 1944, the village was completely burned down and the inhabitants evacuated by force as part of the scorched earth strategy of the Germans. In the aftermath, the Norwegian government wanted to relocate the inhabitants to nearby Kongsfjord because of a better harbour, but they refused, and the village was rebuilt. As there are absolutely no trees in Berlevåg, many of the houses in Berlevåg were built by the help of the wooden planks in the "tarmac" of the previous German airfield.
Berlevåg was brought some fame in Norway when the Norwegian film director Knut Erik Jensen made a documentary film about Berlevåg Mannsangsforening, Berlevåg's men's choir. The movie Heftig og begeistret (English: "Cool and Crazy") was a big hit 2001 in Norway, first shown at Tromsø International Film Festival. The choir later went on a tour of the United States and were featured at Ground zero in New York City. The choir's oldest and most famous member, Einar Strand, died at the age of 98 in 2004.
Berlevåg is also the place for the fictional story "Babette's Feast" by the Danish author Karen Blixen / Isak Dinesen published in the anthology "Seven Gothic Tales" 1934.
The following are twin towns of Berlevåg:
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