Historical and old photos of Bodø, Nordland

A small historical reference Geography: Bodø is a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Salten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bodø (which is also the capital of Nordland county). Some of the notable villages in Bodø include Misvær, Skjerstad, Saltstraumen, Løding, Løpsmarka, Kjerringøy, Sørvær, and Fenes. The municipality of Bodø is located just north of the Arctic Circle and the town of Bodø is the largest urban area and town in Nordland county, and the second-largest town in North Norway. The 1,395-square-kilometre (539 sq mi) municipality is the 62nd largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Bodø is the 16th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 51,588. The municipality's population density is 39.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (102/sq mi) and its population has increased by 12% over the last decade. Bodø was named one of the European Capital of Culture for 2024. Date of foundation: 1 Jan 1838 History: Population: 52 241 Sights:
Bank of Norway, between 1900 and 1940	Fisheries and Nordland Museum, between 1900 and 1950	Harbour, 1903	Old tourist lodge, between 1900 and 1950
Panorama of city, between 1900 and 1940	Panorama of square, between 1900 and 1940	Panorama of street with Bodø Savings Bank, 1903	Square, kiosk, Movie theater and Grand Hotel, between 1900 and 1940

History

The village of Bodø was granted township status in 1816 and soon after, in 1818, it was known for the Bodø affair, smuggling by British merchants that later were compensated by Norway. The town of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). On 1 January 1938, a part of the neighboring municipality of Bodin (population: 559) was transferred into the town of Bodø. On 1 January 1959, another part of Bodin (population: 1,303) was transferred into Bodø.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1968, the town of Bodø (population: 14,252) was merged with the municipality of Bodin (population: 13,323) and this created the much larger Bodø Municipality. On 1 January 1984, the Tårnvika and Øygården areas (population: 22) northeast of the village of Kjerringøy in Sørfold Municipality was transferred to Bodø. On 1 January 2005, the entire municipality of Skjerstad was merged into the municipality of Bodø.

World War II

Most of the town of Bodø was destroyed during a Luftwaffe attack on 27 May 1940. Six thousand people were living in Bodø, and 3500 people lost their homes in the attack. Fifteen people lost their lives during the air attack (two British soldiers and 13 Norwegians).

Due to the acute lack of housing, the Swedish Government helped build 107 apartments in the winter of 1941. These houses were built tightly together just outside the town. This small area, today in the heart of Bodø, is still called Svenskebyen ("the Swedish Town"). The town was subsequently rebuilt after the war. The rebuilding ended in 1959 with the completion of the new town hall. German shipping in and around Bodø was attacked in October 1943 in Operation Leader.

Origin: en.wikipedia.org