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Ulvik

Ulvik is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality stretches from the Hardangerfjord to the mountains that reach 1800 m above sea level. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ulvik. The villages of Osa and Finse are also located in Ulvik municipality.

The 722 km2 municipality is the 158th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ulvik is the 329th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,056. The municipality's population density is 1.6 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 5.1% over the previous 10-year period. Of the municipality's total population, nearly half live in the village of Ulvik at the end of the Ulvikafjorden. The vast majority of those who do not live in the village of Ulvik live on the farms surrounding the village or at the end of the Osa Fjord in the village of Osa.

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Ulvik be closed.

General information
The parish of Graven (later spelled "Granvin") was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). This large municipality/parish included two annexes: Ulvik and Eidfjord. On 1 January 1859, Ulvik became the main parish, making Graven and Eidfjord annexes to Ulvik, and the name of the large municipality was changed from Graven to Ulvik.

On 1 May 1891, the western annex of Graven (population: 1,331) and the southeastern annex of Eidfjord (population: 1,018) were separated from Ulvik to become separate municipalities. This left Ulvik with a much smaller size and 1,410 residents. In 1895, a small area of Eidfjord (population: 3) was transferred to Ulvik.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Ulvik farm (Ulfvík) since the first Ulvik Church was built there. The first element is which means "wolf". The last element is which means "bay", "cove, or "wick".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 December 1986. The official blazon is "Gules, eight lozenges in annulet Or" (På raud grunn åtte gule spissruter i rosett). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a set of eight lozenges arranged around a point, making a symmetrical rosette design. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The figure is a traditional design seen in the local folk-art and in local textiles (including in the bunad of Ulvik). The pattern can be traced in local arts as far back as the 16th century, and is similar to the selburose. The arms were designed by Stein Davidsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Ulvik. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography

The municipality is situated around the Hardangerfjord's northeastern arms: the Osa Fjord and Ulvikafjorden, extending far into the Hardangervidda plateau. The northernmost part of the Hardangerjøkulen glacier is in Ulvik. The Finse and Hallingskeid areas lie just south of the Hallingskarvet National Park which partially sits inside Ulvik and includes the Hallingskarvet mountains. The municipality of Ulvik borders the municipalities of Eidfjord, Ullensvang, Voss, Aurland, and Hol. Lakes in the region include Finsevatnet and Flakavatnet. The headwaters of the Flåmselvi river also lie in Ulvik.

History
After the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway in 1905, Ulvik was one of the few municipalities that returned a majority in favour of a republic rather than a monarchy in the national referendum on the issue.

The village of Ulvik was nearly totally destroyed on 25 April 1940, during the German invasion of Norway, when fighting erupted between a German landing party arriving in boats, and a Norwegian force on land. Most of the village was burned down, and three civilians were killed. An unknown number of German soldiers were also killed in the fighting.

Government
Ulvik Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Heradsstyre) of Ulvik is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Ulvik (incomplete list):

 * 1876–1888: Hans Larsen Saakvitne
 * 1890–1891: Hans Larsen Saakvitne
 * 1987–1991: Lars Sponheim (V)
 * 1991–1995: Ragnvald Fleten (Sp)
 * 1995–2001: Terje Breivik (V)
 * 2001–2007: Jon Olav Heggseth (Sp)
 * 2007–2011: Mona Haugland Hellesnes (V)
 * 2011–2023: Hans Petter Thorbjørnsen (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Jens Olav Holven (Sp)

Transportation
It takes around two hours to drive from the city of Bergen to Ulvik via the European route E16 highway to Vossevangen and then taking Norwegian National Road 13 through the Vallavik Tunnel to Ulvik. The Norwegian National Road 13 continues through Ulvik before crossing the Hardanger Bridge which goes over the Hardangerfjord. The nearest airport is Bergen Flesland Airport in Bergen.

The Bergen Line runs through the northern part of Ulvik. It runs through a region that has no road access, but is a popular with hiking and sports enthusiasts. The railway station at Finse on the Bergen Line at an elevation of 1222 m is the highest station on the Norwegian railway system. The Finse Tunnel just outside Finse is one of the longest railway tunnels in Norway. The Rallarvegen "road" is an historic road that follows the Bergen Line through Ulvik. It is a popular biking and hiking route. Ulvik is also visited in the summer by numerous foreign cruise ships who travel along the fjord.

Notable people

 * Catharine Hermine Kølle (1788–1859), a Norwegian adventurer, writer, and artist who lived in Ulvik from 1807
 * Lars Osa (1860 in Ulvik – 1958), an artist who worked on church restorations and noted fiddle player
 * Olav H. Hauge (1908 in Ulvik – 1994), a Norwegian horticulturist, translator, and poet
 * Sigbjørn Bernhoft Osa (1910 in Ulvik – 1990), a Norwegian fiddler and traditional folk musician
 * Gunnar Hjeltnes (1922 in Ulvik – 2013), an alpine skier who competed at the 1952 Winter Olympics
 * Lars Sponheim (born 1957), a politician who was County Governor of Vestland and Mayor of Ulvik from 1988-1991
 * Terje Breivik (born 1965), a Norwegian politician and entrepreneur who was Mayor of Ulvik from 1995-2001

title: Ulvik


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Granvin

Granvin is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1891 until its dissolution in 2020 when it merged with Voss Municipality. The municipality was located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of Granvin was the village of Eide, which is also called "Granvin". About half of the residents of the municipality lived in the municipal centre. The rest lived in the rural valley areas surrounding the Granvin Fjord or the lake Granvinsvatnet in the central part of the municipality.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 211 km2 municipality is the 326th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Granvin is the 403rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 933. The municipality's population density is 4.6 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 4.5% over the last decade.

General information
The parish of Graven was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). This new municipality was very large and it included two annexes to the parish: Ulvik and Eidfjord. On 1 January 1859, "Ulvik" became the main parish, so that Granvin and Eidfjord became annexes to Ulvik, and the name of municipality was changed accordingly.

On 1 May 1891, the municipality of Ulvik was divided into three parts by creating two new municipalities. The western annex (population: 1,331) became the new municipality of Granvin and the southeastern annex (population: 1,018) became the new municipality of Eidfjord. On 1 January 1964, the Lussand-Kvanndal area of Kinsarvik municipality (population: 72) was transferred to Granvin.

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Granvin and Voss were merged into a new large municipality called Voss.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Granvin farm (Grǫnvin) since the first Granvin Church was built there. The first element is which means "spruce". The last element is which means "meadow" or "pasture". The area is one of the few places in Western Norway that has spruce forests. The name of the parish was spelled as "Graven" before 1858. It was then spelled as "Granvin" from 1858 until 1891. When it became a separate municipality in 1891, the old spelling of "Graven" was used again briefly until 1898. Since 1898 the spelling of "Granvin" has been used.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 13 May 1988 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Vert, a fiddle Or in bend sinister" (På grøn grunn ei gul fele, skråstilt venstre-høgre). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a diagonal hardanger fiddle (Hardingfele), a type of Norwegian folk instrument. The fiddle has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The design was chosen to symbolize the rich folk-music traditions in the Hardanger region and it also symbolizes an active and creative community. The fiddle is a simplified representation of the richly decorated Hardanger fiddles. This fiddle, used to play folk dance music, has two sets or layers of four strings and has a very characteristic sound. The lower set of sympathetic strings is not directly touched by the fiddler, but they vibrate when the other strings are played. The arms were designed by Øyvind Kvamme. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Granvin. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
The municipality was situated along both sides of the Granvin Fjord (a small arm off of the main Hardangerfjorden) and the valley extending inland from the end of the fjord, in the region of Hardanger. The large lake Granvinsvatnet lies right in the center of the valley, just north of the village of Eide. On both sides of the fjord and valley, there are high mountains. Espeland Falls is located in the Espelandsdalen valley near the border with Ulvik. The Skjervefossen waterfall is also located in Granvin.

Transportation
Norwegian National Road 13 entered Granvin via the Tunsberg Tunnel which runs through the high mountains to the northwest. The highway then ran through Granvin before entering the Vallavik Tunnel which runs through the high mountains to the southeast. The Vallavik Tunnel connects up with the Hardanger Bridge in Ulvik which crosses the Hardangerfjorden. A car ferry service connects Kvanndal (in southwest Granvin) with the villages of Utne and Kinsarvik (in Ullensvang municipality) on the south side of the Hardangerfjord. From 1935 to 1988, Hardanger railway line ran between Granvin and Vossevangen. The line was closed in 1988 and the rails were later removed.

History
In April 1940, during the German invasion of Norway during World War II, there was some fighting between German and Norwegian forces in Granvin. German forces landed in the village of Granvin on 25 April as part of their pincer movement towards the Norwegian military camps at Vossevangen. There was fighting at Skjervefossen for most of that day, until the Norwegian forces retreated late at night to avoid encirclement. Four Norwegian soldiers and at least 30 German soldiers fell in the fighting.

Population
Upon the dissolution of the municipality, the population of Granvin had been dropping since World War II. In 1951, the population was 1,158. Since then, it has dropped by 21.3% to 911 in 2014. This situation is common in many smaller, rural municipalities in Norway.

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Heradsstyre) of Granvin was made up of 13 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Granvin (incomplete list):

 * 1891–1892: Hans Saakvitne (V)
 * 1968–1972: Torbjørn Seim
 * 1996–2007: Olav Seim (Sp)
 * 2007–2011: Jan Ivar Rødland (Ap)
 * 2011–2019: Ingebjørg Winjum (V)

Notable people

 * Lars Jonson Haukaness (1863–1929), an impressionist painter
 * Hans Dahl (1849–1937), an artist specializing in landscape paintings
 * Olav Medaas (1926–2019), a three-time champion in Norwegian national shooting competition, also a military world champion

In popular culture
Granvin is a major setting in Moe Cidaly's short story "Summer Episode".

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Granvin


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Voss

Voss is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, Oppheim, Stalheim, and Vinje.

The 2042 km2 municipality is the 35th largest by area of Norway's 356 municipalities. Voss is Norway's 76th most populous municipality, with a population of 16,144. Its population density is 8.2 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 7.9% over the last 10 years.

Municipal history
The parish of Voss was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1867, a small area in northern Voss (population 28) was transferred to the municipality of Hosanger. On 1 January 1868, the municipality's northern district (population 2,009) was separated to form the new municipality of Vossestrand. This left 7,592 residents in Voss. On 21 August 1868, an unpopulated area of northern Voss was transferred to Vossestrand. On 1 January 1885, the western district of Voss (population 2,045) was separated to form the new municipality of Evanger. This left Voss with 5,403 residents.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Voss (population 10,575), the municipality of Vossestrand (population 1,573), and most of the municipality of Evanger (population 1,075) were all merged into a new, larger municipality of Voss. (The rest of Evanger was merged into the new municipality of Vaksdal.)

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipality of Granvin merged with Voss, creating a larger Voss municipality. Before the merger, it was known as Voss kommune, but afterward it was called Voss herad, using the title herad which Granvin formerly had used.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the traditional district of Voss (Vǫrs). The name is likely derived from the word vǫrr which means "water" (likely the old district name was originally used as the name for the lake Vangsvatnet.

Coat of arms
The original coat of arms was granted on 8 July 1977 and was in use until 1 January 2020, when the municipality was enlarged. The official blazon is "Gules, a deer stag argent" (På raud grunn ein opprett kvit hjort). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a deer stag with antlers. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms are based on the seal of Peter, who was the owner of the farm Finne in Voss, one of the largest farms in Western Norway during the Middle Ages. He used a silver deer on a red background as his personal coat of arms in 1303. His son also used a deer on his seals, as did most of their relatives until 1460. The shape and position of the deer varied, but it always was the main figure. The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. The municipal flag was nearly the same design as the coat of arms, the main difference was the placement of the deer legs.

A new coat of arms was granted in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020 after the merger of Voss and Granvin. The decision was made to blend the old municipalities' previous arms, so the design from Granvin and the colors from Voss were chosen for the new arms. The official blazon is "Gules, a fiddle argent in bend sinister" (På raud grunn ei sølv fele, skråstilt venstre-høgre). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a hardanger fiddle (Hardingfele), a Norwegian folk instrument. The fiddle has a tincture of argent. The area has an active folk-music tradition. The arms were designed by Øyvind Kvamme. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has seven parishes (sokn) in Voss. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

History
After the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940, Voss was the main point of mobilisation for the Norwegian Army in the west, since the city of Bergen had already fallen on 9 April. From Bergen and the Hardangerfjord, the Nazis met stiff Norwegian resistance. In Hardanger, some of the Germans climbed up the mountains from Ålvik; the rest went through Granvin. To break down this resistance, the Luftwaffe bombed Vossevangen on 23 and 24 April, and the surrounding countryside on 25 April. Nine people died in the bombing, which completely destroyed the old wood-built town centre. German forces entered the municipality of Voss on 25 April and on 26 April, German forces entered Vossevangen, which remained occupied until 8 May 1945.

In 1964, Voss was enlarged with the incorporation of the neighbouring municipalities Vossestrand and Evanger, which had until then been separate municipalities within the traditional district also known as Voss.

Government
Voss Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Heradsstyre) is made up of 43 representatives who are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Voss:

 * 1838–1841: David L. Hustveit
 * 1842–1849: A. von Westen Sylow Koren
 * 1850–1857: David L. Hustveit
 * 1858–1877: Ole K. Litsheim
 * 1878–1889: Mathias G. Dugstad (MV)
 * 1890–1891: Ivar J. Rivenes (MV)
 * 1892–1893: Lars O. Kindem (V)
 * 1894–1907: Olaf Josefson Bjørgum (V)
 * 1908–1925: Nils J. Finne (V)
 * 1926–1928: Mads Haga (V)
 * 1929–1931: Lars L. Hustveit (Bp)
 * 1932–1934: Mads Haga (V)
 * 1935–1937: Lars L. Hustveit (Bp)
 * 1938–1938: Mads Haga (V)
 * 1939–1941: Isak Hjelle (Bp)
 * 1941–1941: Amund Gjersvik (NS)
 * 1942–1945: Halle N. Vinsand (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Mads Haga (V)
 * 1946–1954: Isak Hjelle (Bp)
 * 1955–1955: David Gjerme (V)
 * 1956–1957: Lars Leiro (Bp)
 * 1958–1959: David Gjerme (V)
 * 1960–1963: Arne Nilsen (Ap)
 * 1964–1971: Lars Nesheim Hovda (Sp)
 * 1972–1975: Nils Mugaas (Ap)
 * 1976–1983: Anders S. Ringheim (Sp)
 * 1984–1991: Peder Vangsnes (Ap)
 * 1992–1999: Ragnhild Skjerveggen (Sp)
 * 1999–2007: Bjørn Christensen (Ap)
 * 2007–2011: Gunn Berit Lunde Aarvik (Ap)
 * 2011–2023: Hans-Erik Ringkjøb (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Tonje Såkvitne (Sp)

Geography and climate
Voss is in the innermost part of Bolstadsfjorden and includes the valleys that head inland from there. Voss has several large lakes: Evangervatnet, Hamlagrøvatnet, Lønavatnet, Oppheimsvatnet, Torfinnsvatnet, and Vangsvatnet. In the north, Voss reaches to the Nærøydalen valley, which leads to the Nærøyfjorden. The Stalheimsfossen waterfall near Stalheim sits just above that valley. The Raundalen valley in the east is the main route of the Bergensbanen railway line, which connects eastern and western Norway.

Voss has a humid continental climate (Dfb in the Köppen climate classification if 0 °C is used as winter threshold. If the original -3 °C is used, then Voss will be classified as an oceanic climate (Cfb). The wettest time of year is October - January, and the driest season is April - July. The all-time high temperature is 34.1 °C recorded 24 July 2014; the all-time low is -30.4 °C recorded 8 January 2010.

Tourism

Voss is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, forests, lakes and fast-flowing whitewater rivers. This has led to its development as a notable center of skiing, water sports, skydiving, paragliding and other adventure sports. Every year in the last week of June the area hosts the Ekstremsportveko (Extreme Sports Week), which is regarded as the world's premier extreme sports festival. Bømoen, the local airstrip, is home to Skydive Voss, one of the largest dropzones in Norway, as well as a gliding club. The rivers provide various levels of white water, attracting kayaking, rafting and river boarding. Kite surfing and para-bungee may be seen on lake Vangsvatnet. The ski area, to the north of the town, is accessible via a cable car, Hangursbanen. There is also chair lift access from Bavallen, a short distance northeast of Voss.

The town's proximity to the Sognefjord and its position between Bergen and Flåm on the scenic railway have made it popular with tourists. One of the sights on the road to Flåm is the waterfall Tvindefossen.

The Voss Museum displays several old farmsteads, including a larger-than-life stone statue of Lars O. Kindem. Next to the open-air part, there is a museum with over 20,000 items from traditional farm life.

Bird life
Voss has a wide range of habitats, from high barren mountains to rich fertile valleys. The large areas of coniferous forests provide food and shelter for a host of species, while the many wetland areas are regarded as some of the most interesting birding habitats in the county. There is a bird reserve at Lønaøyane with marked paths and a tower hide. Over 155 species have been seen there. Many are common in Scandinavia, but the area has also produced such unexpected species as the great egret, European hobby, and woodlark.

The Arts

 * Christiane Schreiber (1822–1898), a portrait painter
 * Knud Bergslien (1827–1908), a painter, art teacher and master artist
 * Ola Mosafinn (1828–1912), a Hardanger fiddle player and composer
 * Brynjulf Bergslien (1830–1898), a sculptor
 * Nils Bergslien (1853–1928), an illustrator, painter, and sculptor
 * Sjur Helgeland (1858−1924), a Norwegian hardingfele fiddler and composer
 * Lars Tvinde (1886–1973), a stage and film actor
 * Lars Fletre (1904–1977), a Norwegian-American designer, sculptor, and painter
 * Liv Bernhoft Osa (born 1957), an actress
 * Olav Dale (1958–2014), a composer, orchestra leader, and jazz saxophonist
 * Kåre Kolve (born 1964) & Ivar Kolve (born 1967), a jazz musicians

Athletes

 * Jon Istad (1937–2012), a biathlete and sport shooter
 * Rune Hauge (born 1954), a football agent
 * Odd Lirhus (born 1956), a 1978 World Cup winner in biathlon
 * Gisle Fenne (born 1963) a former World Cup silver medalist in biathlon
 * Trond Egil Soltvedt (born 1967), a former footballer with 350 caps and 4 for Norway
 * Hilde Synnøve Lid (born 1971), a freestyle skier Olympic medallist
 * Astrid Lødemel (born 1971), a retired alpine skier and 1992 World Cup silver medalist
 * Gro Marit Istad Kristiansen (born 1978), a 2005 World champion in biathlon
 * Jori Mørkve (born 1980), a Norwegian former biathlete
 * Alexander Ødegaard (born 1980), a former footballer with 4 caps for Norway
 * Sjur Røthe (born 1988), a cross-country skier
 * Hilde Fenne (born 1993), a retired biathlete
 * Hedda Hosås (born 2001), a rallycross driver

Olympic champions
Voss is a winter sports center and has in recent times been the home of many world-class athletes in several winter sports, most prominently biathlon, but also alpine skiing, nordic skiing and freestyle skiing. In all, athletes from Voss have won 6 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 7 bronze medals at winter Olympic games. Athletes from Voss have been present, representing Norway, at every winter Olympic games except one since 1948 Winter Olympics, the exception being 1972.
 * Eirik Kvalfoss, 1984 Winter Olympics (biathlon, sprint)
 * Kristen Skjeldal, 1992 Winter Olympics (cross-country skiing, relay)
 * Hilde Synnøve Lid, 1994 Winter Olympics bronze medal winner in freestyle
 * Jan Einar Thorsen, 1994 Winter Olympics, bronze medal winner in downhill
 * Kari Traa, 2002 Winter Olympics (freestyle skiing, moguls)
 * Egil Gjelland, 2002 Winter Olympics (biathlon, relay)
 * Lars Bystøl, 2006 Winter Olympics (ski jumping, K90)

Public Servants & TV

 * Jens Gran Gleditsch (1860–1931), a theologian and Bishop of Nidaros
 * Johannes Lid (1886–1971), a Norwegian botanist
 * Lars Leiro (1914–2005), a Norwegian politician and former Transport Minister
 * Svein Blindheim (1916–2013), a military officer known for his resistance work
 * Jon Lilletun (1945–2006), a politician who was Minister of Education and Research from 1997-2001
 * Gunnstein Akselberg (born 1949), a linguist and academic
 * Ingvild Bryn (born 1961), a journalist and news anchor for NRK
 * Arne Hjeltnes (born 1963), a writer and presenter for TV2
 * Linda Eide (born 1969), a TV and radio presenter, comedian, actor, and chat-show host
 * Guri Solberg (born 1976), a TV host at TV2

Norwegian-Americans
Like the rest of Western Norway, Voss saw large-scale emigration, particularly to the United States, in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
 * Elling Eielsen (1804–1883), the first Lutheran Church leader in the USA
 * Iver Lawson (1821–1871), a real estate investor and newspaper publisher
 * John Anderson (1836–1910), the founder and publisher Skandinaven
 * Eli Pederson (1837–1909), a Wisconsin State Assemblyman
 * Knute Nelson (1843–1923), a US Senator and the 12th Governor of Minnesota 1893-1895
 * Canute R. Matson (1843–1903), the Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois
 * Aad J. Vinje (1857–1929), the Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court
 * Thorstein Himle (1857–1925), a missionary with the Lutheran Hauge Synod
 * Ragnvald Nestos (1877–1942), the 13th Governor of North Dakota from 1921–1925.
 * Torkild Rieber (1882–1968), a chairman of Texaco
 * Knute Rockne (1888–1931), an American footballer and coach who was commemorated by a memorial in Vossevangen
 * Lars Fletre (1904–1977), a designer and sculptor

Science

 * Aad Knutsson Gjelle (1768–1840), a cartographer

title: Voss


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Kvam

Kvam is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located along the Hardangerfjorden in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Norheimsund. Other larger settlements in the municipality include Øystese, Bru, Ålvik, Tørvikbygd, Omastranda, and Mundheim. Historically, the municipality was named Vikør.

The 617 km2 municipality is the 188th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvam is the 126th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 8,531. The municipality's population density is 14.7 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 0.6% over the previous 10-year period.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) was first named Vikør after the old Vikøy farm (Víkeyjar) since the first Vikøy Church was built there. The first element is which means "small bay", "cove", or "inlet". The last element is the genitive case of which means "island". This is likely referring to the small island in the little cove just east of the farm.

On 1 December 1911, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to Kvam, bringing back an old name for the area (Hvammr). The name is identical to the word which means "small valley" or "grassy hollow", possibly referring the Steinsdalen valley west of Norheimsund.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 27 November 1981. The official blazon is "Azure, a pale pattee argent" (I blått ein innsvinga sølv stolpe). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the ordinary is a pale that curves inwards on each side. The ordinary has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms were designed to look like the Fyksesund, a narrow fjord in the municipality. The shape of the fjord is that it is narrower in the middle and this is symbolized in the design. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Kvam. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
Kvam municipality borders the municipality of Voss to the north and east; Vaksdal, Samnanger, and Bjørnafjorden to the west; and the Hardangerfjorden to the south. The Fyksesund fjord branches off the main fjord and heads north into the municipality. The Fyksesund Landscape Park surrounds the inner part of the Fyksesund, north of the Fyksesund Bridge. The largest lakes are Bjølsegrøvvatnet and Holmavatnet. In addition a portion of Hamlagrøvatnet is located in Kvam. The Kvamskogen plateau lies west of Norheimsund and is home to hundreds of holiday cabins. The Steinsdalsfossen waterfall, located in Steine is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway.

History
The old parish of Vikør was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). According to the 1835 census, the parish had a population of 2,321. On 1 January 1882, a small area of Ullensvang municipality (population: 22) was transferred to Vikør. In 1912, the municipality changed its name from "Vikør" to "Kvam".

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the Åsgrenda area on the Folgefonna peninsula (population: 61) was moved from Kvam to the neighboring Ullensvang Municipality. On the same date, Kvam also gained a considerable amount of territory, making it a much larger municipality. The following places were merged, giving the new Kvam municipality a population of 9,119.
 * Most of Kvam municipality (population: 6,759) except for Åsegrenda which was moved to Ullensvang
 * The part of Jondal municipality that was located on the northwest side of the Hardangerfjord, around the village of Tørvikbygd (population: 515)
 * Most of Strandebarm municipality (population: 1,545), except for the Kysnesstranda area which went to Jondal
 * The Mundheim area of Varaldsøy (population: 300).

Government
Kvam Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

In 2007, Kvam participated in a trial where the mayor was directly elected. The sitting mayor, Astrid Selsvold, won the election with 26.7% of the votes.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Heradsstyre) of Kvam is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Kvam:

 * 1838–1839: Fredrich Christian Bruun
 * 1840–1843: Torgeir P. Aarhus
 * 1844–1857: Gjermund N. Skaar
 * 1858–1859: Ola S. Aksnes
 * 1860–1865: Johannes S. Neteland
 * 1866–1885: Nils N. Skaar, Sr.
 * 1886–1887: Lars Lofthus
 * 1888–1919: Nils N. Skaar, Jr.
 * 1919–1922: Hans Jakobson Vik
 * 1923–1931: Jakob N. Vik
 * 1932–1937: Jakob H. Vik
 * 1938–1940: Lars Matre
 * 1940–1945: Jakob H. Vik (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Lars Matre
 * 1946–1960: Olav L. Skeie
 * 1960–1975: Olav M. Laupsa (KrF)
 * 1976–1983: Guttorm Skeie (Sp)
 * 1984–1987: Johannes Waage (KrF)
 * 1988–1989: Sigvard Berge (Ap)
 * 1990–1991: Guttorm Skeie (Sp)
 * 1992–1993: Sigvard Berge (Ap)
 * 1994–2003: Martin Vik (Sp)
 * 2003–2011: Astrid Farestveit Selsvold (Ap)
 * 2011–2015: Asbjørn Tolo (H)
 * 2015–2019: Jostein Ljones (Sp)
 * 2019–present: Torgeir Næss (Ap)

Notable people

 * Johannes Skaar (1828 in Øystese – 1904), the Bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros
 * Jon Flatabø (1846 in Kvam – 1930), a Norwegian writer of popular literature
 * Nils Nilsson Skaar (1852 in Kvam – 1948), a Norwegian teacher, farmer, editor, and politician
 * Ingebrigt Vik (1867 in Øystese – 1927), a distinguished Norwegian sculptor
 * Jakob Nilsson Vik (1882 in Kvam – 1960), a Norwegian farmer, dairy manager, and politician
 * Svein Rosseland (1894 in Kvam – 1985), an astrophysicist who pioneered theoretical astrophysics
 * Geirr Tveitt (1908–1981), a Norwegian composer and pianist who has family in Kvam
 * Gunnar Aksnes (1926 in Kvam — 2010), a Norwegian chemist and poet
 * Magnus Midtbø (1942 in Ålvik – 2010), a Norwegian trade unionist and politician
 * Kaj Skagen (born 1949 in Strandebarm), a Norwegian writer
 * Nils Gunnar Lie (born 1950 in Øystese) a Norwegian television personality
 * Torill Selsvold Nyborg (born 1952 in Kvam) a nurse, missionary, and politician
 * Valgerd Svarstad Haugland (born 1956 in Kvam), a teacher, politician, and civil servant
 * Geir Botnen (born 1959 in Kvam), a Norwegian pianist
 * Gisle Torvik (born 1975 in Tørvikbygd), a Norwegian jazz musician who plays guitar
 * Torstein Lofthus (born 1977 in Øystese), a Norwegian drummer and composer
 * Frank Kjosås (born 1981 in Øystese), a Norwegian actor of theatre and film

Sport

 * Knut Hjeltnes (born 1951 in Øystese), a college coach and former shot-putter and discus thrower
 * Kirsten Melkevik Otterbu (born 1970 in Øystese), a Norwegian marathon runner
 * Torgeir Børven (born 1991 in Øystese), a Norwegian footballer with over 240 club caps

title: Kvam


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Fusa

Fusa is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It existed from 1856 until its dissolution in 2020. It was located east of the city of Bergen in the Midhordland region. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Eikelandsosen. Other villages in the municipality include Fusa, Holdhus, Holmefjord, Vinnes, Strandvik, and Sundvord. The Frank Mohn company's Fusa marine division is headquartered here, with almost 500 employees. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the new Bjørnafjorden Municipality in Vestland county.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 378 km2 municipality was the 247th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Fusa was the 234th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,895. The municipality's population density is 11 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 3.9% over the last decade.

General information
The district of Fusa was separated from the municipality of Os in 1856 to become a separate municipality. Initially, Fusa had 3,173 residents. On 1 January 1903, the municipality of Fusa was divided into three separate municipalities: Hålandsdal in the east (population: 647), Strandvik in the south (population: 1,876), and a much smaller Fusa in the west (population: 1,072).

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, there were two changes to Fusa municipality. The Bogstrand area of Fusa, located on the west side of the Fusafjorden (population: 28) was transferred to the municipality of Os. Also on that date, the municipalities of Hålandsdal (population: 528) and Strandvik (population: 2,053) were merged with Fusa (population: 1,466) to form a much larger municipality of Fusa.

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Os and Fusa were merged to form the new Bjørnafjorden Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Fusa farm (Fúsar) since the first Fusa Church was built there. The meaning of the name is uncertain. The name could be the plural form of the word which means "eager" or "longing". Another possibility is that it comes from the verb or its alternate spelling  which both mean "to rush" (as in rushing water). Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Fuse. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Fusa.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 27 September 1991 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Argent, three azure in pall" (På kvit grunn tre blå spiralar stilte i trepass). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a set of three spirals, two over one. The design was chosen to symbolise the strong currents in the Fusafjorden and Bjørnafjorden. The spirals also symbolise the many giant's kettles (jettegryte) in the municipality, which were created by the water in the rocks. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Fusa. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
Fusa was located at the inner end of the Bjørnafjorden and its small arm, the Fusafjorden. The municipality of Os was located across the fjord to the west, Samnanger Municipality was to the north, Kvam Municipality was to the east, and Kvinnherad Municipality was to the south. Lakes in Fusa included Gjønavatnet, Skogseidvatnet, and Henangervatnet.

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Bergen District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Fusa was made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Fusa (incomplete list):
 * 2003–2015: Hans S. Vindenes (Sp)
 * 2015–2019: Atle Kvåle(Ap)

In 2007, Fusa participated in a trial where the mayor was directly elected. The sitting mayor, Hans S. Vindenes, won the election with 51.8% of the votes.

title: Fusa


text:
Samnanger

Samnanger is a municipality in the Midhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tysse. Other main villages in the municipality include Haga and Bjørkheim in Nordbygda. The municipality is located about 20 km east of the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. It surrounds the inner part of the Samnangerfjorden and the surrounding valleys. There are mountains that surround the municipality. The development of hydroelectric power plants started here in 1909.

The 269 km2 municipality is the 274th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Samnanger is the 251st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,495. The municipality's population density is 9.7 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period.

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Samnanger be closed.

General information
The municipality of Samnanger was established on 1 January 1907 when it was separated from the municipality of Os. Initially, Samnanger had 3,025 residents. The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Samnangerfjorden (Samnangr) since it is a central geographic feature in the area. The first element is likely the old name for a local river, possibly derived from the word which has an unknown meaning. The last element is which means "bay" or "inlet".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 27 April 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, six gouttes Or in annulo" (På raud grunn seks gule dråpar som lagar ein sirkel). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a set of six gouttes (drops of water) arranged in a circle. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. Water was chosen as a symbol on the arms because of the wet climate and the source of hydroelectricity that is prevalent in the area. The arms were designed by Even Jarl Skoglund. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Samnanger. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government
Samnanger Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Samnanger is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Samnanger:

 * 1907–1916: Nils S. Røsseland
 * 1916–1928: Knut Tvedt (V)
 * 1929–1943: Johannes Gaupholm (LL)
 * 1943–1945: Johannes Tveiterås (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Nils K. Langeland
 * 1946–1959: Ingjald Tveit (LL)
 * 1960–1963: Mons Tveit (LL)
 * 1964–1967: Martin K. Nilsen (Ap)
 * 1968–1971: Ragnvald Brigsten (KrF)
 * 1972–1975: Martin K. Nilsen (Ap)
 * 1976–1977: Knut N. Langeland (LL)
 * 1978–1979: Martin K. Nilsen (Ap)
 * 1980–1981: Knut N. Langeland (LL)
 * 1982–1991: Brynjulv Hernes (KrF)
 * 1991–1999: Brigt Olav Gåsdal (Ap)
 * 1999–2015: Marit A. Aase (KrF)
 * 2015–2023: Knut Harald Frøland (LL)
 * 2023-present: Karl Bård Kollbotn (FrP)

Geography
Samnanger lies at the inner end of the Samnangerfjorden. Bjørnafjorden Municipality lies to the south, Bergen Municipality is to the west, Vaksdal Municipality is to the north, and Kvam Municipality is to the east. Samnanger lies on the mainland of Norway, but its western parts lie on the Bergen Peninsula—a large peninsula connected to the mainland by a small isthmus of land running between Trengereid in Bergen and Trengereidfjorden in Samnanger.

The Gullfjellet mountains lie along the western border of the municipality. The mountain Sveningen lies at the tripoint border with Samnanger, Bergen, and Bjørnafjorden municipalities. The Kvamskogen mountain plateau lies along the eastern border of the municipality.

Notable people

 * Knud Langeland (1813–1886), an American editor, farmer, and politician who emigrated in 1843
 * Gustav Indrebø (1889–1942), a Norwegian philologist who was interested in toponymy
 * Jarle Høysæter (1933–2017), a Norwegian journalist who worked with NRK and Eurovision

title: Samnanger


text:
Os, Hordaland

Os is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It was located in the Midhordland region, just south of Norway's second-largest city, Bergen. Due to its proximity to Bergen, Os experienced strong population growth. The administrative centre (and commercial centre) of Os was the village of Osøyro. It is the largest settlement in the municipality, with over 60% of the municipal residents living here. Other large villages in Os included Hagavik, Halhjem, Søfteland, Søre Øyane, and Søvik. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of Bjørnafjorden Municipality in Vestland county.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 140 km2 municipality is the 360th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Os is the 57th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 20,152. The municipality's population density is 151 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 29.2% over the last decade.

History
The parish of Os was established as a formannskapsdistrikt, the predecessor of today's municipalities, on 1 January 1838. It originally encompassed all of the land surrounding the Fusafjorden. In 1856, the eastern district of Os (across the fjord) was separated to form the new, separate municipality of Fusa. This left Os with 3,750 residents.

In 1900, "Askviknes Barnehjem" (near Hagavik) opened; it housed children of romani/tater; in the beginning the children's stay was something their families applied for; later children were introduced to the facility without consent of their families.

On 1 January 1907, the northern part of the municipality was separated to form the new municipality of Samnanger. This left Os with 3,188 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Bogstrand area of Fusa (population: 28) was transferred to Os. This was the only part of Fusa on the west side of the fjord.

During World War II, the Ulven concentration camp was used by the occupying Nazi German Army. It was located just northwest of Osøyro.

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Os and Fusa were merged to form the new Bjørnafjorden Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Os farm (Óss) since the first Os Church was built there. The name is identical to the word which means "mouth of a river", referring here to the Oselva river.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was adopted in 1949 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The blazon is "Gules, one large and six small roses over a rowboat Or". This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a rowboat underneath a flower and six small stars surrounding the flower. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms were adopted in 1949 after a local competition. Boat building has been an important industry in Os for a long time. The rowboat design was chosen to symbolize the Oselvar boat which is commonly built and used in this area. The Oselvar is widely known for its good rowing and sailing properties. The roses in the coat of arms stand for the art of rosemåling which has long been used for decorations in the area. The small roses in the design corresponded to the number of school districts in Os when the coat of arms was new. The municipality often includes a mural crown over the shield. The arms were designed by Trygve Eriksen.

Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Os. It is part of the Fana prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government
During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Os was made up of 35 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Os:

 * 1838–1841: Hans Astrup Krüger
 * 1841–1843: Torstein Hoel Jersin
 * 1844–1847: Ola Synnestvedt
 * 1848–1851: Jon Kvaale
 * 1852–1855: Hans Christian Krüger
 * 1855–1857: Georg Døderlein Greve
 * 1858–1861: Johan Leganger
 * 1862–1863: Ole Hansen
 * 1864–1867: Georg Døderlein Greve
 * 1868–1871: Lars Nordvik
 * 1872–1875: Baard Tvedt
 * 1876–1879: Lars Nordvik
 * 1880–1881: Baard Tvedt
 * 1882–1883: Mathias Erichsen (MV)
 * 1884–1885: Nils S. Røsseland (V)
 * 1886–1910: Mathias Erichsen (H)
 * 1911–1913: Hans Eide (V)
 * 1914–1916: Hans M. Skinstad (H)
 * 1917–1940: Nils Tveit (V)
 * 1941–1942: Ole Moberg Hauge (Bp)
 * 1942–1945: Sigurd Bugge (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Nils Tveit (V)
 * 1946–1949: Olav Moberg (Ap)
 * 1950–1959: Anders Hauge (Bp)
 * 1960–1967: Leif Strønen (V)
 * 1968–1971: Alfred Monsen (Ap)
 * 1972–1975: Erling H. Lunde (KrF)
 * 1976–1987: Paul Martin Sælen (LL)
 * 1988–1993: Ole Haakon Lunde (H)
 * 1994–1995: Annlaug Tysseland (LL)
 * 1995–1999: Geirmund Dyrdal (KrF)
 * 1999–2019: Terje Søviknes (FrP)
 * 2016–2018: Marie Lunde Bruarøy (H)

Geography
The municipality of Os was located on the southwestern part of the Bergen Peninsula, south of the municipality of Bergen and southeast of the municipality of Samnanger. The Fusafjorden was to the east, the Bjørnafjorden to the south, and the Lysefjorden lies to the west. The municipality of Fusa was located to the east (across the Fusafjorden), the municipality of Tysnes was to the south (across the Bjørnafjorden), and the municipality of Austevoll was to the west (across the Lysefjorden).

The southwestern part of Os included many small islands including Skorpo, Strøno, and Innerøya. The village area of Søre Øyane was located on several small islands off the mainland shore.

The municipality was somewhat mountainous, especially in the northeastern part of the municipality. The mountain Sveningen was a tripoint boundary, marking the boundary point where the municipalities of Bergen, Os, and Samnanger meet. It was located in extreme northeastern Os. The mountains of Mosnuken and Lyshornet are both located in Os.

Culture
The Oseana Art and Cultural Centre is located in Os. It hosts art and music events year-round. The building is fairly new and in 2011, it won the "Building of the Year Award" (Årets Bygg) for Norway.

Industry
Os has had a tradition of small boat building since the early 1800s. The Oselvar is the traditional boat of Os. This small wooden boat was named after its major important building site during the 18th century, at the mouth of the Oselva River. These boats have traditionally been used for everyday work and for traveling to church. These boats were designed as either sailboats or rowboats. They still build these boats the traditional way in Os, and tourists are able to visit and watch them work.

The Oselvar is now the official boat of Norway. With its traditions, the boat has become a symbol of the nation. The boat is shown on the coat of arms of Os.

Hagavik, a village in Os municipality, also has a modern boat building company, Askeladden Boats AS. Askeladden is Norway's largest manufacturer of leisure boats.

Transportation
The European route E39 highway passed through Os from the city of Bergen (to the north) to the ferry quay at Halhjem, on the shore of the Bjørnafjorden. The quay has two different regularly-scheduled ferry routes that stop here to cross the Bjørnafjorden. There is a ferry from Halhjem to Våge on the island of Tysnesøya in Tysnes municipality, to the southeast. There is also a ferry (that is part of the E39 highway) from Halhjem to Sandvika, just north of the village of Fitjar in Fitjar municipality, to the south.

The Norwegian government is planning to build a bridge or tunnel crossing to provide road access across the Bjørnafjorden as part of the Hordfast project. When completed, the northern terminus will be in Os.

Demographics
As of 1 January 2014, Os has a population of 18,678 which gives it a population density is 139.9 PD/km2, compared to a county average of about 30 PD/km2 and a national average of about 15 PD/km2. About 80% of the population of Os lived in urban settlements. About 1.9% of the population were registered as unemployed; the county and national average is 2.6%. About 26% of the workforce were employed in public administration. About 2% were employed in the primary sector of economic activity, 28.2% in the secondary sector, and 69.3% in the tertiary sector. In the period from 29 October to 4 November 2001, 45.7% of the workforce of Os commuted out of the municipality, mainly to the neighboring city of Bergen. In the same time period, Os received a daily average of 753 commuters from other municipalities, 15.8% of those employed in Os. In 2006, Os had a daily out-commuting of 3,001 people.

Notable people

 * Ole Bull, the famous violinist, built his summer house on the island of Lysøen in Os. That special building was inspired by his travels, especially his travels to the Middle East. The island of Lysøen was originally owned by Lyse Abbey, the ruins of which still stand and are frequently visited.
 * Aurora Aksnes, a singer-songwriter who was born in Stavanger, grew up in Os.

title: Os, Hordaland


text:
Austevoll

Austevoll is a municipality and an archipelago in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Midthordland in Western Norway. The administrative centre is the village of Storebø on the island of Huftarøy. Other villages include Årland, Austevollshella, Bakkasund, Bekkjarvik, Birkeland, Haukanes, Husavik, Kolbeinsvik, Otterå, Våge, and Vinnes.

The municipality consists of hundreds of islands located southwest of the city of Bergen. The municipality is considered to be among the ports in the world with the largest ocean-going fishing trawler fleet. Since the 1980s, the offshore oil industry and fish farming industry have both grown to be important industries in Austevoll.

The 117 km2 municipality is the 323rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Austevoll is the 177th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,297. The municipality's population density is 46.4 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 9.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Austevoll was established on 1 January 1886 when it was separated from the municipality of Sund. The initial population for the new municipality of Austevoll was 2,396.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the southern part of the islands of Selbjørn and Huftarøy (population: 696) was transferred from Fitjar Municipality to Austevoll. This put the whole Austevoll archipelago in the municipality of Austevoll.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Austevoll farm (Austrvǫllr) since the first Austevoll Church was built there. The farm is now part of the village of Austevollshella. The first element is which means "east". The last element is which means "meadow" or "field". The municipality has changed the spelling of its name three times. Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Østervold or Østevold. In 1889, the spelling was changed to Austevold. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Austevoll.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 30 November 1984. The official blazon is "Azure, four herrings argent in bend 1-2-1" (På blå bunn fire kvite silder på skrå oppover, 1-2-1). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a set of four herring swimming diagonally up to the left. The charg has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The shoal of herring was chosen for the arms since herring fishing is a very important part of the local economy. The arms were designed by John Digernes. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Austevoll. It is part of the Fana prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
Austevoll consists of 667 islands off the west coast of Western Norway. The municipality has a total land area of 114.23 km2 and a coastline of 337 km. It lies south of the Korsfjorden, west of the Bjørnafjorden, and north of the Selbjørnsfjorden. The highest point in Austevoll is the mountain Loddo, reaching 244 m above sea level. The Marstein Lighthouse lies in the northwestern part of the municipality.

Largest islands

 * 1) Huftarøy
 * 2) Selbjørn
 * 3) Hundvåko
 * 4) Stolmen
 * 5) Storekalsøy
 * 6) Møkster

Neighbours
The island municipality shares water borders with the municipality of Øygarden to the north, Bergen and Bjørnafjorden municipalities to the northeast, Tysnes municipality to the east, and Fitjar and Bømlo municipalities to the south. The North Sea lies to the west of Austevoll.

Demographics
Of the 667 islands, only eight are populated year-round. About 29% of the inhabitants live in densely populated areas. About 28% of the inhabitants are under the age of 17, which is 4.4% over the national average. About 4.7% of the inhabitants are 80 years or older.

Industry
Fishing is the most important industry in Austevoll, as it has been for centuries. Traditionally, fishing has taken place in coastal areas, not far off shore. After decades of overfishing, the herring disappeared in the 1950s. This forced a restructuring of the fishing fleet. Since the 1960s, the shipping companies built bigger ships, and went further out into the seas, and they began fishing for other fish species, not just herring. The overfishing of herring also forced better research on fishing, resulting in the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. Austevoll is the home of the Austevoll Aquaculture Research Station.

Since the early 1980s, the offshore supply industry has emerged in the wake of the offshore Norwegian oil industry. The offshore shipping company DOF, which is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, has its headquarters at Storebø.

Education
There are five primary schools and one middle school in Austevoll, all run by the municipality. There is also one secondary school, teaching mainly fishing and nautical subjects. This is operated by the Hordaland County Municipality.

Transportation
Austevoll has car ferry connections from Hufthammar on the north tip of Huftarøy to Krokeide in Bergen, and from Husavik on the south tip of Huftarøy to Sandvikvåg in Fitjar. The municipality is also connected by express boats to Bergen in the north, and Stord, Haugesund, and Stavanger in the south. All express boat routes are operated by Norled, and ferry routes are operated by Fosen Namsos.

The islands of Huftarøy and Selbjørn, Selbjørn and Stolmen, and Hundvåkøy and Storekalsøy are connected with bridges. A fourth bridge, connecting Huftarøy and Hundvåkøy, was opened on 17 November 2007. This bridge, which in fact consists of two bridges and two stone fillings, bears the name "Austevollsbrua".

Government
Austevoll Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Austevoll is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms.

From 1995 to 1999 the Socialist Left Party held one seat. In the 1999–2003 election period an all-party female electoral list held one seat in the council. In the 2003-2007 election period The Liberal Party was represented in the municipal council and held one seat. From 2011 to 2015, a coalition of the Progress Party and Center Party held power in the council. The coalition also consisted of the Christian Democratic Party before 2011. In 2011, the coalition won 12 of the 21 seats in the municipal council and had an electoral and political cooperation. The Conservative Party, Labour Party, and Christian Democratic Party make up the opposition.

The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Austevoll:

Notable people

 * Abelone Møgster, (Norwegian Wiki) (1883 in Austevoll – 1975), a merchant and Norwegian resistance fighter
 * Magnus Stangeland (born 1941 in Austevoll), a politician, mayor of Austevoll, and entrepreneur
 * Knut Fagerbakke (born 1952), a Norwegian politician who was Deputy Mayor of Trondheim
 * Ole Rasmus Møgster (1958 – 2010), a Norwegian businessperson with Austevoll Seafood
 * Jan Bertin Østervold, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1966 in Skien) known as Jan Thomas, a stylist and actor
 * Claus Lundekvam (born 1973), a former footballer with 410 club caps and 40 for Norway
 * Helge André Njåstad (born 1980), a Norwegian politician who was mayor of Austevoll from 2003 to 2013

1920 Summer Olympics sailors

 * Ole Olsen Østervold (1872–1936)
 * Halvor Olai Møgster (1875–1950)
 * Jan Olsen Østervold (1876–1945)
 * Henrik Østervold (1878 in Austevoll – 1957)
 * Kristian Olsen Østervold (1885–1960)
 * Rasmus Ingvald Birkeland (1888–1972)
 * Halvor Olai Birkeland (1894–1971)

title: Austevoll


text:
Sund

Sund may refer to:

Places
In northern Europe, there are more than a hundred straits named Sund, see: Sound (geography).

 * Sund, Åland, a municipality in Finland
 * Sund, Norway, a former municipality in Vestland county, Norway
 * Sund, Flakstad, a village in Flakstad municipality, Nordland county, Norway
 * Sund, Hemnes, a village in Hemnes municipality, Nordland county, Norway
 * Sund, Faroe Islands, a town in the Faroe Islands
 * Sund, Trosa, a village in Trosa Municipality, Sweden
 * Sund, Ydre, a hamlet in Ydre Municipality, Sweden
 * Øresund, a strait between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea
 * Sunds, Denmark

People

 * Al Sund (1902–1951), American boxer
 * Lenny Sund (1904–1972), American boxer
 * Steven Sund, former chief of the United States Capitol Police

Other uses

 * Sudden unexplained nocturnal death, a type of Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome

title: Sund


text:
Fjell

Fjell is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Midhordland. The municipality consisted of several islands west of the city of Bergen, the major ones being Litlesotra, the northern part of Store Sotra, Bildøy, Bjorøy, Misje, and Turøy. The administrative centre of Fjell is the village of Straume. Some of the villages in Fjell included Ågotnes, Fjell, Foldnes, Knappskog, Knarrevik, Kolltveit, Landro, and Sekkingstad. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of Øygarden Municipality in Vestland county.

Due to the opening of the Sotra Bridge to the mainland in 1971 and its proximity to the city of Bergen, the population has grown from less than 7,000 to over 25,000 as of 2017. The result is major traffic jams over the bridge every day. The highway that leads to Bergen has reduced the traveling time to only fifteen minutes from the municipal centre at Straume on Litlesotra to the center of Bergen.

At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the 148 km2 municipality is the 355th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Fjell was the 43rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 25,204. The municipality's population density is 178.5 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 21.2% over the last decade.

General information
The parish of Fjæld was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the islands of Misje and Turøyna (population: 404) were transferred from the municipality of Herdla to the municipality of Fjell.

On 1 January 2020, the three neighbouring municipalities of Fjell, Sund, and Øygarden were merged into one large island municipality called Øygarden.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Fjelde farm (Fjall) since the first Fjell Church was built there. The name is identical to the modern Norwegian word which means "mountain". The oldest form of the name was Undir Fjalli which means "under/below the mountain". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Fjæld or Fjeld. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Fjell.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was adopted by the municipal council on 27 April 1957 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The blazon is "Azure, a seagull volant argent over a fess sable dancetty topped and wavy with three bars wavy argent beneath". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a seagull flying over three triangular black mountain shapes over three wavy lines. The seagull and wavy lines have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. A mural crown was often displayed above the shield. The arms were designed to show the geography of the municipality, specifically the sea (shown with three wavy lines) and the steep mountains (shown with three black triangular shapes). The seagull shown above the mountains is a common bird in the area. The arms are canting since the name of the municipality means "mountain". The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland, but they were never formally approved by the government because they did not meet the Norwegian heraldic guidelines for coats of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Fjell. It is part of the Vesthordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
Fjell was an island municipality located entirely on islands off the coast of the mainland Bergen Peninsula. It covered many islands in a large archipelago that stretched from Sund in the south to Fedje in the north. The largest island in Fjell was Sotra, although only the northern half of the island is part of Fjell. The second-largest island was Litlesotra, where the largest village area in Fjell is located (the village of Straume). The small island of Bildøyna is located between those two islands. The small island of Geitung lies north of Bildøyna and the small island of Bjorøy lies to the south. Bjorøy is not connected to Fjell by road, but there is the undersea Bjorøy Tunnel that connects it to the city of Bergen. On the western side of Sotra, the smaller islands of Algrøyna, Lokøyna, and Syltøyna are located. On the north end of Sotra lies the small islands of Misje and Turøyna.

History
Fjell was the location of Fjell Fortress, a World War II German mountaintop fortification designed to command all water approaches to the port of Bergen.

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Bergen District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Fjell was made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Fjell (incomplete list):

 * 1958–1964: Ingvald Ulveseth (Ap)
 * 1987–1991: Bjørn Christensen (Ap)
 * 1991–2003: Ole G. Fredheim (Ap)
 * 2003–2007: Jan Utkilen (LL)
 * 2007–2010: Lars Lie (H)
 * 2010–2015: Eli Årdal Berland (H)
 * 2015–2019: Marianne Sandahl Bjorøy (Ap)

title: Fjell


text:
Askøy

Askøy is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island municipality is located in the Midhordland district of the county, sitting in a large group of islands immediately northwest of the city of Bergen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the urban village of Kleppestø on the southeastern shore of the island of Askøy.

The 101 km2 municipality is the 328th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Askøy is the 36th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 29,989. The municipality's population density is 317.7 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 11.8% over the previous 10-year period. Since the opening of the Askøy Bridge connecting it to the mainland of Bergen in 1992, the population has increased rapidly. Its population growth among the highest in Norway. Most of the population growth is due to migration from Bergen and the surrounding districts of Nordhordland and Midhordland.

General information
The parish of Askøen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1879, a small area of the neighboring municipality of Fana (population: 18) was transferred to Askøen. On 1 January 1904, a small area near the village of Hanevik (population: 32) was transferred from Askøen to the neighboring municipality of Alversund. On 1 July 1918, the southern (mainland) portions of Askøy (population: 6,957) were separated from the municipality to form the new municipality of Laksevåg. This split left Askøy with 4,822 residents.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Hanevik area (population: 193) on the island of Askøy was transferred to Askøy from the municipality of Meland. Also on that date, the old municipality of Herdla was dissolved. The parts of Herdla on the island of Askøy and the island of Herdla (population: 1,564) were also transferred to Askøy. This boundary adjustment put the entire island of Askøy, the island of Herdla, and many tiny surrounding islands in the municipality of Askøy.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island of Askøy. The first element is named after the old Ask farm (Askr) since the first Ask Church was built there. The name is identical to the word which means "ash tree". The last element is which means "island". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Askøen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Askøy, removing the definite form ending -en. The letter y was added to the end of the word to "Norwegianize" the name (ø is the Danish word for "island" and øy is the Norwegian word).

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1961. The blazon is "Argent, an ash tree on an island vert" (Eit grønt asketre på ei øy mot botn i sølv). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a large ash tree on an island with three waves below. The arms are a canting since the name of the municipality means something like ash tree island. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has five parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Askøy. It is part of the Vesthordland prosti deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Culture
Askøy is home to several sports teams. Askøy Fotballklub is an association football club, formed in 1999 by the merger of Florvåg Idrettsforening and Kleppestø Fotball. The club has a large number of teams, of which the majority are junior football teams. The men's senior team plays in the Norwegian third division. The oldest sports club on the island is Ask Idrettslag, mainly an athletics club, founded in 1928.

The music festival Lost Weekend is held on the island every summer in Kollevågen. The festival, first held in August 2001, attracts a large number of minor Norwegian bands. The festival has been threatened by economic trouble several times.

In the village of Strusshamn are old wooden houses, dating back to the early 19th century. Strusshamn then served as a quarantine harbour for Bergen. Today, Strusshamn is one of the cultural capitals of Askøy, with a lot of activities and a museum of its own showing life on Askøy in earlier times.

Geography
Askøy is an island municipality including the main island of Askøy and the minor island of Herdla as well as many small surrounding islands. The municipality is surrounded by three fjords: Hjeltefjorden to the west and north, Byfjorden to the east, and Herdlefjorden to the northeast. The municipality borders Alver to the northeast, Bergen to the southeast, and Øygarden to the west.

Askøy has one of the fastest growing populations in Norway due to an influx of new inhabitants from the Bergen, Midhordland and Nordhordland after the opening of the Askøy Bridge in 1992. North of Askøy lies the island of Herdla, a popular recreational area on the site of the disused German Herdla Airport from World War II.

The densely populated part of the municipality is on the south and eastern coasts. Kleppestø and Strusshamn are located on the southern coast and Florvåg is on the east coast. Florvåg was connected to downtown Bergen for many decades via ferries. The northern and western parts of the island are thinly populated.

There is a large lake on the southeast part of the island, called Askevatnet. The tallest mountain on the island is Kolbeinsvarden. The recreation area of Kollevågen lies in the western part of the island.

Settlements

 * Ask

Ask is a village in the eastern part of Askøy. Due to its pleasant climate and its convenient location to Bergen, Ask was the location of a kongsgård (lit. "royal farm"); the very old Ask Church and churchyard was also located in Ask. The location where the church was situated from about 1200 until 1741 is today marked by a stone cross. Ask is the saga location for a famous dispute over inheritance between Egill Skallagrímsson and Berg-Önundr.

The local dialect of the village also reflects the close ties to Bergen, with the dialect being more similar to that of Bergen than that of the rest of Askøy except the dialect of Florvåg; the connection was reinforced into modern times as the wealthy merchants and other residents of Bergen spent their summer there. Ask has had famous residents up to recent times. Fridtjof Nansen lived in a house near Kongshaugen in a short period. Amalie Skram lived at Lien at Ask from 1876 to 1878.

Some of the other notable settlements in Askøy include Abbedisso, Erdal, Hanevik, Kleppestø, Skjelviki, and Tveitevåg.
 * Other settlements

Government
Askøy Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Askøy is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Askøy:

 * 1838–1843: Lars Simonsen
 * 1844–1844: Magne Magnesen
 * 1844–1847: Jacob Andersen
 * 1848–1849: Ole Andreas Olsen
 * 1850–1853: Jacob Andersen
 * 1854–1855: Ole Andreas Olsen
 * 1856–1857: Haldor Johannessen
 * 1858–1860: Nils Beer
 * 1861–1861: Ole Sørensen
 * 1861–1861: Olavus Krøger
 * 1864–1867: Wollert Ludvig Hille
 * 1868–1885: Nils Jørgensen
 * 1886–1887: Bernt Ulrik August Müller
 * 1887–1887: Jacob Neumann Janson
 * 1888–1891: Anton Olsen
 * 1892–1895: Jonas Rein Simonsen
 * 1896–1901: Nils Andreas Tollevsen Scheie
 * 1902–1915: Johan Berentsen
 * 1916–1917: Andreas Andersen
 * 1918–1922: Daniel Fluge
 * 1923–1925: Martin Monstad
 * 1926–1928: Jens Monstad
 * 1929–1929: Ole Larsen (H)
 * 1929–1931: Sigvald Waagen
 * 1932–1945: Martin Monstad
 * 1946–1946: Oluf Holgersen
 * 1946–1947: Erling Juvik
 * 1948–1951: Nils Eriksen
 * 1952–1959: Daniel Stien
 * 1960–1967: Olav Bjørkaas (Ap)
 * 1968–1975: Johan Sørensen (V)
 * 1976–1977: Mons Espelid (V)
 * 1978–1979: Jan Mikkelsen (H)
 * 1980–1981: Mons Espelid (V)
 * 1982–1983: Kåre Minde (H)
 * 1984–1987: Otto Per Paulsen (Ap)
 * 1988–1989: Øyvind Fluge (KrF)
 * 1990–1993: Oddvard Nilsen (H)
 * 1994–1999: Øyvind Fluge (KrF)
 * 1999–2007: Kari Manger (Ap)
 * 2007–2011: Knut Hanselmann (FrP)
 * 2011–2015: Siv Høgtun (H)
 * 2015-2019: Terje Mathiassen (Ap)
 * 2019–2023: Siv Høgtun (H)
 * 2023-present: Yngve Fosse (H)

Industry and trade
Askøy is well known for the tasty strawberries from Ask. The seafood industry is also well settled at Askøy.

Askøy also houses several boat building companies; the most famous of which are Viksund Yachts of Norway situated in Strusshamn, Viknes situated in Bakarvågen, Selby situated in Strusshamn and NB Marine situated at Herdla.

Askøy houses some big industrial facilities such as Hanøytangen, Mjølkeviksvarden, and Storebotn.

Notable people

 * Knut Robberstad (1899 in Askøy – 1981), a jurist, philologist, and academic
 * Halldor Espelid (1920 in Askøy – 1944), a Supermarine Spitfire pilot who escaped from Stalag Luft III, was re-captured and shot by the Gestapo
 * Ingrid Espelid Hovig (1924 in Askøy – 2018), a television chef and author of cook books
 * Arne Tumyr (born 1933), a former journalist, newspaper editor, and politician who grew up in Ask
 * Geir Magnus Nyborg (1951 in Askøy – 2018), a media scholar and theologian

Sport

 * Trygve Andersen (born 1934 in Askøy), a retired footballer with 27 caps for Norway
 * Martin Jensen (1942 in Askøy – 2016), a triple jumper
 * Frode Syvertsen (born 1963 in Askøy), a speed skater who competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics

title: Askøy


text:
Vaksdal

is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The administrative centre is the village of Dalekvam. Other villages in Vaksdal include Dalegarden, Flatkvål, Helle, Nesheim, Stamneshella, Stanghelle, and Vaksdal.

The 715 km2 municipality is the 160th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vaksdal is the 206th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,875. The municipality's population density is 5.7 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 6.2% over the previous 10-year period.

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Solund be closed.

General information
The municipality of Vaksdal was created on 1 January 1964 after a major municipal restructuring after the Schei Committee's recommendations. Vaksdal was formed from the following places:
 * All of Bruvik municipality, except for the Bruvikbygda area on Osterøy island (population: 5,264)
 * The Bergsdalen and Eksingedalen valleys from the municipality of Evanger (population: 251)
 * The rest of the Eksingedalen valley that was located in the municipality of Modalen (population: 151)

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the village of Vaksdal (Vágsdalr), one of the main villages in the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of the word which means "bay" or "inlet". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". Alternately, the first part of the name could be derived from a local river name spelled Vaxa or Veksa which would mean the valley of the river Vaxa/Veksa.

Coat of arms
On 1 January 1964, the new municipality of Vaksdal was established upon the merger of Bruvik municipality with some neighboring areas. The old coat of arms for Bruvik Municipality was carried over to the new municipality. Bruvik's arms were granted on 14 December 1960, just a few years earlier, and they were in use until 16 November 1990 when a new design was approved. The blazon for the old arms was "Azure, a chevron over a cogwheel argent". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a cogwheel with a chevron shape above it. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design was chosen to symbolize the importance of industry in the municipality. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

A new coat of arms was granted on 16 November 1990 to replace the old arms. The official blazon is "Or, three shuttles sable palewise two and one" (På gul grunn tre opprette svarte skytlar). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The charge is a set of three shuttles for weaving that are lined up vertically. The shuttles were chosen to represent the past and present textile industry of the municipality. The Dale of Norway company is based here and it is an international company renowned for its wool sweaters. The arms were designed by Charles Lunde, a graphic designer who based the design on an idea by the local artist E. Eriksen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Vaksdal. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
The municipality is mountainous, and stretches along both sides of the Veafjorden with adjacent valleys. It includes part of the island Osterøy. The Kallestadsundet Bridge connects the mainland of Vaksdal to the island of Osterøy. In the north, it includes the valleys of Eksingedalen and Bergsdalen, with its borders extending into the mountains. Major lakes in the municipality include Askjelldalsvatnet and Skjerjavatnet.

The main centers of population are Dale (pop. 1174), Vaksdal (pop. 957), and Stanghelle (pop. 767). Dale and Vaksdal are industrial villages that arose around factories utilising the hydro-electric power resources provided by the mountainous terrain and rainy climate. The Bergensbanen railway line between Norway's two largest cities Oslo and Bergen, and the main road between the same two cities, European route E16, run through Vaksdal municipality. The Bergensbanen railway line has the following stations in Vaksdal: Bogegrend Station, Dale Station, Stanghelle Station, and Vaksdal Station

History
Vaksdal was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 after the merger of parts of Bruvik, Evanger, and Modalen municipalities.

During the German invasion of Norway during World War II, from 19 April to 24 April, there was heavy fighting within the borders of the present municipality, with German forces advancing along the railway line from Bergen towards Voss. The heaviest fighting was for the village of Vaksdal itself, from 19 to 23 April. Further fighting took place at Stanghelle and Dalseid on 23 and 24 April. Three Norwegian soldiers and one civilian, and a larger, but unknown, number of German soldiers fell in Vaksdal.

Government
Vaksdal Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vaksdal is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayor
The mayors (ordførar) of Vaksdal (incomplete list):
 * 1999–2007: Øivind Olsnes (H)
 * 2007–2019: Eirik Haga (Ap)
 * 2019–present: Hege Eide Vik (Sp)

Notable people

 * Harald Langhelle (1890 in Dale – executed 1942), a newspaper editor, politician, and Norwegian resistance member
 * Bjørn Wiik (1937 in Bruvik - 1999), a Norwegian elementary particle physicist
 * Sjur Olsnes (1939–2014), a Norwegian biochemist and academic who grew up in Vaksdal
 * Helén Eriksen (born 1971 in Dale), a jazz musician (saxophone and vocals), songwriter, and music arranger
 * Frida Amundsen (born 1992 in Vaksdal), a Norwegian singer and songwriter

title: Vaksdal


text:
Modalen

Modalen is a municipality in the Nordhordland district in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mo. The other main village in the municipality is Øvre Helland. Most of the residents of Modalen live in the main Modalen valley which extends eastwards from the end of the Romarheimsfjorden.

The small population, combined with a large income from hydro-electric power production, has given the municipality the ability to give all its residents free wireless internet access in the municipality. They also were the first Norwegian municipality to buy a computer for all students in the municipality in 1993.

The 412 km2 municipality is the 236th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Modalen is the 355th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 380 (making it the second smallest municipality in Norway after Utsira). The municipality's population density is 1 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 0.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Modalen was separated from the old municipality of Hosanger on 1 January 1910 to become a separate municipality. Initially, the municipality had 821 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the middle part of the Eksingedalen valley (population: 151) was transferred from Modalen to the municipality of Vaksdal. Also on that date, the Nipo, Dyrkolbotn, and Eitrdalen farm areas (population: 12), located north of the village of Romarheim, were transferred from Modalen to the neighboring municipality of Lindås.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Mo farm (Mór) since the first Mo Church was built there in the Middle Ages. The first element is which means "heath" or "moor". The last element,, was added later and it is derived from the old word which means "valley" or "dale".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 2 November 1984. The official blazon is "Vert, three spades palewise two and one argent" (På græn grunn tre kvite spadar, 2-1). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a set of three spades aligned vertically with the center one sitting lower than the others. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The spades are a symbol for the agriculture and sand digging in the municipality, which historically were of great importance. The arms were designed by Egil Korsnes. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Modalen. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government
Modalen Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Nordhordland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Modalen is made up of 13 representatives that are elected every four years. Modalen is the only municipality in Norway that has a non-partisan council, so all representatives run on local lists rather than by party. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Modalen (incomplete list):
 * 2003–2015: Knut Moe (LL)
 * 2015–2019: Tom Kristian Thorsen (LL)
 * 2019–2023: Kjetil Eikefet (LL)
 * 2023-present: Linda Neset (LL)

Geography
Modalen municipality sits in the central part of Vestland county. It surrounds the innermost part of the Romarheimsfjorden (which is also called the Mofjorden) and the Modalen valley which extends eastwards from the end of the fjord. Both sides of the valley are mountainous, so the municipality is quite isolated with only two roads connecting it to the outside world. Both roads were constructed fairly recently, before that time, the municipality was only accessible by boat or crossing mountains on foot. The Modalen Tunnel was built in 1976 and it connects this valley to the Eksingedalen valley to the south. The other road was finished in 1996, and it follows the fjord heading west to Lindås.

The Modalen valley centers around the river Moelva. The lake Steinslandsvatnet, in the central part of the municipality, is the headwaters of the river. The high mountains that surround the valley provide many sources of hydroelectric power such as the lake Skjerjavatnet.

Modalen borders the municipality of Høyanger to the north and the municipality of Vik to the east, Vaksdal to the south, and Alver and Masfjorden to the west.

The Modalen project
In 2001 Modalen got a 2-megabit broadband connection. The idea was to make Modalen the world's first fully-connected wireless broadband community. Modalen was the first community to undergo an all-broadband project as part of an effort by the Norwegian government to achieve full broadband coverage nationwide by 2004.

Notable people

 * Andres Lavik (1852–1941), a farmer, politician, and mayor of Modalen in 1910
 * Olav Nygard (1884 in Modalen – 1924), a poet
 * Johannes Moe (born 1926 in Modalen), an engineer and research administrator

title: Modalen


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Osterøy

Osterøy is an island municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The municipality encompasses most of the island of Osterøy. The administrative centre of Osterøy is the village of Lonevåg in the central part of the island. The largest settlement is the village of Valestrandfossen with 1,219 inhabitants as of 1 January 2016.

Osterøy municipality and Vaksdal Municipality are both located on the island of Osterøy. Osterøy municipality covers most of the island with the mostly uninhabited northeastern part of the island belonging to Vaksdal municipality. Osterøy is located a short distance northeast of the city of Bergen. It is surrounded by the Osterfjorden, Sørfjorden, and Veafjorden. The 19th-century musician and composer Ole Bull had a summer home in Valestrandfossen in Osterøy. The historic Havrå farm is a cluster farm which represents the traditional way of living for farmers. Havrå is located on the southeastern part of the municipality.

The 255 km2 municipality is the 284th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Osterøy is the 131st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 8,152. The municipality's population density is 33.5 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 6.2m% over the previous 10-year period.

Geography

The municipality sits on the island of Osterøy, and it is surrounded by several fjords: Osterfjorden-Romarheimsfjorden, Sørfjorden, and Veafjorden. The highest mountain in the municipality is the 868 m tall Høgafjellet on the municipal border with Vaksdal. The Lonevågen fjord cuts in the center of the island, with the village of Lonevåg sitting at the end of the fjord.

Settlements
Osterøy contains six "urban settlements", as defined by Statistics Norway (with populations listed from 1 January 2016): Valestrandfossen (1,218 inhabitants), Lonevåg (875 inhabitants), Hausvik (655 inhabitants), Haugo (617 inhabitants), Fotlandsvåg (320 inhabitants), and Hamre (217 inhabitants). Other rural settlements in Osterøy include Austbygdi, Bruvik, Gjerstad, and Hosanger.

History
The municipality of Osterøy was created on 1 January 1964 as part of a major municipal merger that was proposed by the Schei Committee. Osterøy was created from parts of four different municipalities that were all dissolved in the merger. The following areas were merged to form the new municipality of Osterøy:
 * all of Haus municipality that was located on Osterøy island (population: 2,327)
 * the Bruvikbygda area of Bruvik municipality that was located on Osterøy island (population: 409)
 * all of Hosanger municipality that was located on Osterøy island (population: 1,616)
 * all of Hamre municipality that was located on Osterøy island (population: 1,166)

Name
The municipality is named after the island of Osterøy (Ostr) since the municipality encompassed most of the island. The first element of the name has an uncertain meaning. It is possible that it comes from the word which means "east". Another interpretation is that it is derived from the word which means "increase" or "surpass", thus it could be referring to the large size of the island. The last element, øy, was added later, but that word comes from the Old Norse word which means "island".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 20 December 1985. The official blazon is "Argent, three axes fesswise azure blades to the base, 2-1" (I sølv tre blå økser med blada ned, 2-1). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a set of three broad axes laying horizontally with their blades facing down, with two axes at the top and one beneath. Broad axes were historically used in the construction of timber houses, which has long traditions in the municipality. Building craftsmen from Osterøy have been known for their solid work throughout the county. The designer was Egil Korsnes who based his design on the idea of Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has five parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Osterøy. It is part of the Åsane prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government
Osterøy Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Osterøy is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Osterøy (incomplete list):
 * 2003–2015: Kari Foseid Aakre (Ap)
 * 2015–2019: Jarle Skeidsvoll (KrF)
 * 2019–present: Lars Fjeldstad (Sp)

Transport
Osterøy is connected to the mainland by a ferry from Breistein to Valestrand, and by a bridge on the far southern end of the island. The ferry named "Ole Bull" is sailing every half-hour from Breistein and Valestrand from early morning to late in the evening. The Osterøy Bridge, finished in 1997, provides Osterøy with its only permanent road connection to the mainland in Bergen municipality. The bridge has a main span of 595 m, the third longest suspension bridge main span in Norway, for a total length of 917 m. Since 2015, the bridge has been toll-free. There are no road connections from Osterøy municipality to the Vaksdal municipality part of Osterøy island. That part of the island has the Kallestadsundet Bridge connecting it to the rest of Vaksdal municipality from the east.

Notable people

 * Jens Frølich Tandberg (1852 in Hausvik – 1922), the bishop of Oslo from 1912 to 1922
 * Ola Raknes (1887–1975), a psychologist, philologist, and non-fiction writer, grew up in Hamre
 * Einar Selvik (born 1979), a musician primarily known for his work with Gorgoroth and for fronting Wardruna
 * Sylvelin Vatle (born 1957), a novelist and children's writer
 * Tore Eikeland, (Norwegian Wiki) (1990-2011), a politician

Sport

 * Mons Ivar Mjelde (born 1967), a former footballer with 287 club caps and coach
 * Erlend Hanstveit (born 1981), a former footballer with 330 club caps
 * Sigrid Borge (born 1995 in Hausvik) a Norwegian javelin thrower

title: Osterøy