Lødingen is a municipality in the county of Nordland in Norway, located in the southeastern part of the island of Hinnøya, and part of the traditional district of Ofoten. The village of Lødingen serves as the administrative center of the municipality, while the other important part is Vestbygda. This municipality is called “Bicycle City” due to the annual cycling races including “Lofoten insomnia” and Vestbygd-rittet.
The municipality extends over 527 square kilometers, making it the 202nd largest among Norway’s 356 municipalities. The population of Lödingen is 1976, which makes it 282nd in this indicator. The population density in this area is 3.9 people per square kilometer. Over the past 10 years, the population has decreased by 9.3%.
General information
The municipality of Lödingen was founded on 1 January 1838. However, on January 1, 1869, the southern part of Lødingen, covering Tysfjord on the mainland, became a separate municipality of Tysfjord. This led to a decrease in the population in Lödingen to 2064 people. Later, on January 1, 1909, the northeastern part of Lödingen, remaining on the island of Tjeldøya, became the municipality of Tjeldsund, leaving 3,034 inhabitants in Lödingen.
In the 1960s, many municipalities came together as a result of the work of the Shea Committee throughout Norway. For example, on January 1, 1962, the southern part of mainland Lødingen, surrounding Efjord and the island of Baroya, became part of the municipality of Ballangen. Also on January 1, 1964, the eastern part of Lødingen on the island of Tjeldøya was transferred to the municipality of Tjeldsund.