Hovden, Nordland
| Hovden | |
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| Village | |
Hovden, July 2006: Fog around the hill Malnesberget
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 Hovden
Hovden
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| Coordinates: 68°48′44″N 14°33′10″E / 68.81222°N 14.55278°ECoordinates: 68°48′44″N 14°33′10″E / 68.81222°N 14.55278°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Northern Norway |
| County | Nordland |
| District | Vesterålen |
| Municipality | Bø |
| Elevation | 5 m (16 ft) |
| Time zone | CET (UTC+01:00) |
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+02:00) |
| Post Code | 8475 Straumsjøen |
Hovden is a fishing village in the municipality of Bø in Nordland county, Norway. Hovden makes up the northeastern part of the municipality and is defined geographically by Malnesfjord to the east and the ocean to the north and west. The road that goes to Hovden ends at the village. The habitation of Hovden, on the outermost point on a peninsula of the third-largest island in Norway (Langøya) is because of the closeness to the rich fishing banks off of the Vesterålen archipelago. Fish processing and fishing are the main employment of dwellers in Hovden.
Archaeological findings show that Hovden have been populated at least since 400 to 800 CE.
The southern and western part of Hovden is referred to as "Malnes". Malnes was the clerical center for the northern part of Bø until Malnes Church was moved from Malnes in 1829 to Eidet. The name of the parish is still called Malnes.
Hovden is a part of a line of old fishing communities in Vesterålen. Between the northern Andenes and the southwestern Vinje there are several communities along the coastline with the common denominator of the closeness to the fishing banks off Vesterålen. Hovden is one of these, and have to its advantage good harboring conditions and "clean" seas outside. Most of the coastline has a lot of rocks and skerries, so a good harbor was of vital significance to these communities.
Given the long settlement history, to maintain a large population is not possible in Hovden. From the census in 1666, nine men were registered as head of families in Hovden. Including families the total number of people could not have exceeded 60.
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