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Vang, Innlandet

Vang is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vang i Valdres. Other villages in Vang include Hænsgardane, Nystuen, Øye, Ryfoss, and Tyinkrysset.

The 1505 km2 municipality is the 55th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vang is the 298th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,636. The municipality's population density is 1.2 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 2.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
On 1 January 1838, the prestegjeld of Vang was established as a civil municipality (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1882, a small area of Vang (population: 31) was transferred into the neighboring Øystre Slidre Municipality. The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Vang farm (Vangr) since the first Vang Church was built there. The name is identical to the word which means  "field" or "meadow".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted by royal decree on 26 June 1987. The official blazon is "Azure, within a tressure floury three swords bendwise Or" (På blå grunn tre skråstilte gull sverd omgjevne av gull liljebord). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is three diagonal swords. The arms also have a border line with fleur-de-lis designs (tressure floury) going around the edge of the arms. The charge and border have a tincture of Or which means they are commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms are based on historic descriptions and depictions of the personal arms the a local medieval nobleman Sigvat of Leirhol. He was named as one of the members of the delegation that followed King Håkon V Magnusson to Copenhagen in 1309. Later, he became the local governor of Valdres and Hallingdal (Vang is part of the Valdres region). He played a major role in the development of the region and the arms can be seen on different places, including in the local Vang Church. 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 four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Vang. It is part of the Valdres prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

History
Vang, like the rest of Valdres, was originally populated by migrants from Vestlandet. In 1153, recognizing this, Cardinal Breakspear included these valleys in the Diocese of Stavanger.

The ancient Vang Church was the site of a legal court (thing) held by King Haakon VI in 1368. Here, he settled a boundary dispute. The boundary stone which resulted stands to this day.

High up the slopes of Filefjell is the site of Nystuen, where travellers found refuge as they passed across the divide into Vestlandet. On the other side of the pass, Maristua was erected at the direction of Queen Margaret c. 1390. Although Nystuen is first mentioned in 1627, it is undoubtedly older. These refuges were maintained by the state until 1830.

Smeddalen (Smith's Valley) immediately to the west of Nystuen, was for centuries the site of the church of St. Thomas på Filefjell. The earliest reference to it is in 1615, but it was apparently a stave church, so would have been much older. According to F.N. Stagg "It was reconditioned (c. 1615)… the priest at Vang preached there once a year–on July 2nd… many sought cures for their ailments in the miraculous powers possessed by splinters from its timbers…" A market grew up near the church as a result of the 2 July service. "Horses were traded, races run, heavy drinking indulged in and many a fight ensued." Markets continued to be held near the church until the 19th century, but as a result of fighting and general unrest in connection with the market days the church was torn down in 1808. A new church was built on the site in 1971.

Government
Vang 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 Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vang 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 Vang (incomplete list):

 * 1945-1945: Helge Ellingbø (LL)
 * 1945-1945: Endre Holien (LL)
 * 1946-1948: Torstein Hamre (LL)
 * 1948-1952: Nils Thune (LL)
 * 1952-1959: John Opdal (LL)
 * 1960-1968: Ove W. Kvien (LL)
 * 1968-1975: Jørgen Garstad (LL)
 * 1976–1995: Erling Øraker (Sp)
 * 1996-2011: Knut Haalien (Sp)
 * 2011–2023: Vidar Eltun (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Jørand Ødegård Lunde (LL)

Geography
Vang is bordered to the north by the municipalities of Lom and Vågå, to the east by Øystre Slidre, to the southeast by Vestre Slidre, to the south by Hemsedal (in Buskerud county), and to the west by Lærdal and Årdal (in Vestland county).

Vang is part of the Valdres region in central, southern Norway. This region is situated between the Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal valleys.

Vang municipality is 56 km on a north–south axis and 47.3 km on an east–west axis. The highest point is Kalvehøgde with a height of 2208 m above sea level.

Three-quarters of the region is above 900 m. About 13 percent of the municipality is covered by water, including Lakes Fleinsendin, Slettningen and Vangsmjøsa. The lowest point is 363 m above sea level. The river Begna has its headwaters in the Filefjell area of Vang.

Attractions

 * The Vang stone
 * The Ryfossen waterfall
 * The Sputrefossen waterfall

Trivia
The Veblen and Bunde farmsteads were the homes of the parents of Thorstein Bunde Veblen, from where they emigrated a year before the birth of their son.

Notable people

 * Christopher Andreas Holmboe (1796 in Vang – 1882), a philologist, orientalist, and numismatist
 * Johannes Belsheim (1829 in Thorpegardane – 1909), a teacher, priest, translator, and biographer
 * Nils Nilsen Thune (1880 in Vang – 1950), a Norwegian jurist and civil servant
 * Torstein Høverstad (1880 in Vang – 1959), an educator, teacher educator, school historian, and government scholar

title: Vang, Innlandet


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Eigersund

Eigersund is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is in the traditional district of Dalane. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Egersund. The town was known for its pottery factory (closed in 1979) and it is among Norway's biggest fishing ports. The villages of Helleland, Hellvik, and Hestnes are also in Eigersund.

The island of Eigerøya lies just off shore from Egersund. The island has several well-known businesses and attractions including the Eigerøy war memorial from World War II.

The 432 km2 municipality is the 228th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Eigersund is the 80th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 15,011. The municipality's population density is 38.7 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 2.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The rural parish surrounding the town of Egersund was established as the municipality of Egersund landdisstrikt (Egersund rural district) on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1839, the northwestern district of Augne (population: 825) was separated to form its own municipality. On 12 December 1868, a small area of Eigersund municipality (population: 41) was transferred to neighboring Sokndal. In 1947, an area of Eigersund immediately surrounding the town of Egersund (population: 515) was transferred to the town of Egersund and another area in Sokndal (population: 7) was transferred to Eigersund.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers in Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the town of Egersund (population: 3,787) was merged with the surrounding municipalities of Eigersund (population: 4,664), Helleland (population: 851), and the Gyadalen and Grøsfjel areas of Heskestad (population: 114). The new municipality was also called Eigersund. On 1 January 1967, the Tjørn farm (population: 10) was transferred from Eigersund to Sokndal.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Eigersundet strait (Eikundarsund). The first element is the genitive case of the name of the island of Eikund (now Eigerøya). The name of the island comes from the word which means "oak" followed by the suffix -und which means "plentiful of" (i.e. "the island covered with oak trees"). The last element is which means "strait" or "sound".

Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Egersund. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Eigersund. The town of Egersund within the municipality, however, did not change and it kept the old spelling. The form of the name spelled without the diphthong [ei] (Egersund) is the Danish language form of the name and at that time the municipal name was changed to use the Norwegian language form. The town kept the old spelling for historic purposes.
 * "Egersund" vs. "Eigersund"

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 20 October 1972. The official blazon is "Vert, an oak leaf Or" (På grønn bunn et opprett gull eikeblad). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is an oak leaf. The oak leaf 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 are canting arms since the name is derived from Eikundarsund and the eik part means "oak". Oaks are also very common in the municipality. The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Eigersund. It is part of the Dalane prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

History
The place is mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's writings. Later, Christian IV set up a battery there.

Government
Eigersund 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 Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Eigersund is made up of 31 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 Eigersund:

 * 1838–1839: Torger Andersen Fotland
 * 1840–1841: Peder Torgersen Skadberg
 * 1842–1843: Bernt Theophiliussen Bowitz
 * 1844–1845: Tønnes Johnsen Årstad
 * 1846–1849: Jonas Sigmundsen Slettebø
 * 1850–1853: Tønnes Johnsen Årstad
 * 1854–1855: Trond Årstad
 * 1856–1859: Anders Torgersen Tengs
 * 1860–1861: Ole Sivertsen Svanes
 * 1862–1863: Anders Torgersen Tengs
 * 1864–1865: Reinert Larsen Skjelbred
 * 1866–1867: Anders Torgersen Tengs
 * 1868–1869: Ole Sivertsen Svanes
 * 1870–1873: Anders Torgersen Tengs
 * 1874–1875: Anders Andersen Ege
 * 1876–1879: Anders Torgersen Tengs
 * 1880–1881: Salve Petersen Koldal
 * 1882–1883: Anders Torgersen Tengs
 * 1884–1887: Lars Bernhard Hansen Åse
 * 1888–1893: Ingvald Årstad
 * 1894–1895: Tønnes Olsen Svanes
 * 1896–1897: Ole Andreas Pedersen Slettebø
 * 1898–1907: Ingvald Årstad
 * 1908–1910: Halvard Mjølsnes
 * 1911–1913: Erik Stefanussen Heigrestad
 * 1914–1916: Anders Larsen Øglend
 * 1917–1919: Hans Ommundsen Slettebø
 * 1920–1922: Anders Larsen Øglend
 * 1923–1925: Hans Ommundsen Slettebø
 * 1926–1931: Trygve Eie
 * 1932–1937: Hans Ommundsen Slettebø
 * 1938–1942: Trygve Eie
 * 1946–1956: Jonas Severin Rodvelt
 * 1956–1964: Tønnes Lædre
 * 1965–1967: Sem Varhaug (Sp)
 * 1967–1967: John Munkejord (H)
 * 1968–1971: Tor Friestad (KrF)
 * 1971–1971: Erling Bergundhaugen (Ap)
 * 1972–1975: Rasmann Polden (Sp)
 * 1976–1983: Bjørn Bårdsen (KrF)
 * 1984–1987: Jostein Sirevåg (KrF)
 * 1988–1989: Olaf Aurdal (H)
 * 1990–1996: Jan Petter Rasmussen (Ap)
 * 1996–1996: Solveig Ege Tengesdal (KrF)
 * 1996–2003: Marit Myklebust (Ap)
 * 2003–2007: John Skaara (H)
 * 2007–2011: Terje Jørgensen, Jr. (H)
 * 2011–2015: Leif Erik Egaas (H)
 * 2015–2023: Odd Stangeland (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Anja Hovland (H)

Geography
Eigersund extends from the North Sea coast to the border of Agder county. It borders the municipalities of Hå and Bjerkreim to the north and Sokndal to the south. The municipality is centered on the town of Egersund, and includes the island of Eigerøya. The landscape includes many rivers and lakes, as well as woods and several barren rocky and heather-clad moors. The lakes Grøsfjellvatnet, Eiavatnet, Nodlandsvatnet, and Teksevatnet lie in the municipality.

Eigerøya
Eigerøya is an island off the coast of Egersund. The island is connected to the mainland over Eigerøy bridge, which was completed in 1951. The island's coastline is characterized by a number of small bays, as well as Lundarviga. Eigerøya is divided almost in two of the large bay of Lundarviga. The island is surrounded by a number of small islets. Eigerøy Lighthouse and Vibberodden Lighthouse are both located along the shores of Eigerøya.

Transportation
European route E39 runs through the municipality, passing the village of Helleland. The Sørlandet Line runs through the municipality, stopping at Egersund Station and Hellvik Station.

Notable people

 * Michael Birkeland (1830 in Eigersund – 1896), a historian, civil servant, and politician
 * Peter C. Assersen (1839 in Egersund – 1906), a civil engineer and Rear Admiral in US Navy
 * Bernt B. Lomeland (1836 in Helleland – 1900), a school teacher and lay minister
 * Elisabeth Fedde (1850–1921), a Lutheran Deaconess who lived in Egersund from 1895
 * Anna Bugge (1862 in Egersund – 1928), a Norwegian & Swedish feminist, lawyer, diplomat, and politician
 * Jacob Thorkelson (1876 in Egersund – 1945), a US Congressman from Montana
 * Jack Nielsen (1896 in Egersund – 1981), a Norwegian tennis player and six-time national champion
 * Paulus Svendsen (1904 in Egersund – 1989), a literary historian, wrote biographies of Western philosophers
 * Thorbjørn Feyling (1907 in Egersund – 1985), a ceramist with Stavangerflint AS
 * Johnny Stenberg (born 1925 in Eigersund - 1990), a politician who was mayor of Meråker from 1966-1973
 * John Olav Larssen (1927 in Hellvik – 2009), an evangelical preacher and missionary
 * Gunnar Kvassheim (born 1953 in Eigersund), a Norwegian journalist and politician
 * Bengt Sæternes (born 1975 in Egersund), a former footballer with 478 club caps and 7 for Norway

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

title: Eigersund


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Sandnes

Sandnes is a city and municipality in Rogaland, Norway. It lies immediately south of Stavanger, the 4th largest city in Norway, and together the Stavanger/Sandnes area is the third-largest urban area in Norway. The urban city of Sandnes lies in the extreme western part of the vast municipality and it makes up about 5% of the total land area of the municipality.

Sandnes is part of the traditional district of Jæren. The western part of the municipality is very urbanized while the eastern part of the municipality is very rural. The municipality is divided into 13 boroughs and the administrative centre is located in the borough of Trones og Sentrum, a borough in the city. There are several villages in the rural parts of the municipality including Hommersåk, Høle, Foss-Eikeland, Stokka, Forsand, Lysebotn, and Vatne.

The 1041 km2 municipality is the 109th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sandnes is the 7th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 83,382 in 2023. The municipality's population density is 84.3 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 20.8% over the previous 10-year period.

History
The small port village of Sandnes was granted ladested (small seaport city) status in 1860. On 6 April 1861, the small city was separated from the municipality of Høyland to form a separate self-governing municipality of its own. Initially, the municipality had 440 residents.

On 1 July 1957, a small part of Høyland municipality (population: 18) was transferred to the city of Sandnes.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the city and municipality of Sandnes (population: 3,961) was merged with the municipality of Høyland (population: 20,353) and parts of the municipalities of Høle (population: 926) and Hetland (population: 2,077).

In 2014, the Storting decided that the number of municipalities in Norway would be lowered. If the municipalities of Sandnes, Stavanger and Sola were to merge, a new municipality would be formed called Nord-Jæren, after the name of the geographical location the municipalities are located in. After the city council said no to the merge, proposals for Forsand to merge with Sandnes were enacted instead.

On 1 January 2017, a small 350 daa area on the southwestern edge of the village of Solakrossen was transferred from Sandnes municipality to the neighboring municipality of Sola.

On 1 January 2020, most of the neighboring municipality of Forsand was merged with Sandnes to form one large municipality called Sandnes.

Name
The municipality (and city) is named after an old Sandnæs farm, since the city was built on its grounds. The first element is which means 'sand' or 'sandy beach' and the last element is  which means 'headland'. The farm was located at the end of the Gandsfjorden where the city centre is located today.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 21 April 1972. The arms show a white piece of pottery on a green background. Pottery was chosen since it was one of the main industries in the late 18th century. The symbol is a leirgauk, which in English would be a ceramic cuckoo bird (leir(e), 'clay, ceramic' and gauk/gjøk, 'cuckoo bird'). The ceramic Sandnes cuckoo (sandnesgauk) is an ocarina or simple flute which was made by the potteries in Sandnes and used to advertise their products. Later it also became a nickname for people from Sandnes.

Geography
The municipality lies in the Jæren region and stretches 90 km nearly from the west coast of Norway to the rugged mountainous interior. The city of Sandnes is located at the base of the Stavanger Peninsula, about 15 km south of the city of Stavanger, and these two cities have expanded so as to form a conurbation. The municipality of Sola is located to the west, Klepp and Time, Gjesdal to the south, Sirdal and Bykle to the east, Strand and Hjelmeland to the northeast, and Stavanger to the northwest. The fjord Gandsfjorden is situated north–south at the west end of the municipality and the Høgsfjorden and Lysefjorden dominate the eastern part of the municipality. The international airport for Sandnes/Stavanger is situated in Sola, just to the west of Sandnes.

Prior to 2020 (when the municipality was enlarged), the city-municipality of Sandnes was divided into 13 boroughs: Austrått, Figgjo, Ganddal, Hana, Høle, Lura, Malmheim og Soma, Riska, Sandved, Stangeland, Sviland, and Trones og Sentrum.

The landscape of western Sandnes is quite flat. On the long west coast there are several beaches and further inland the land is raised to form low plains with some small peaks rising up to 400 to 500 m above sea level. From Stavanger and Sandnes it is approximately one hour by car to alpine and skiing resorts. In Sandnes there are some easily accessible small mountain peaks, such as Dalsnuten and Lifjell, with a view over the Sandnes/Stavanger area. The renowned Lysefjorden is also easily accessible by car or boat. The lake Frøylandsvatnet, the river Figgjoelva, and the mountain Hanafjellet are all located in Sandnes.

The Lysefjorden in the eastern part of the municipality is surrounded by very steep 1000 m tall cliffs such as Kjerag and Preikestolen, with the Lysefjord Bridge crossing the fjord near the western end. The famous Kjeragbolten boulder and Kjeragfossen waterfall are located along the inner part of the fjord. The village of Lysebotn lies at the eastern end of the fjord. The lake Nilsebuvatnet is located high up in the mountains, north of Lysebotn on the border of Strand and Forsand municipalities. It is regulated for hydroelectric power use at the Lysebotn Hydroelectric Power Station.

Climate
Sandnes is in a common urban area with Stavanger and thus the weather station for the international airport of Stavanger Sola is the closest weather station to Sandnes proper.

Situated on the south west coast of Norway, the local climate is greatly influenced by the temperate water in the North Sea, and Atlantic lows giving mild westerlies also in winter. This creates warmer temperatures throughout the year compared to other cities at similar latitudes, and also gives plentiful precipitation in the form of rain, especially in late autumn and winter. Sandnes is a little bit more inland than the airport so thus may have slightly warmer summer days and cooler winter nights as a result.

According to Köppen climate classification, Sandnes experiences a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) with five months with a mean temperature above 10 C. Spring and early summer is the driest season. The all-time high 33.5 C at the airport was recorded August 1975. The warmest high recorded in the Stavanger area is 34.4 C at the weather station Stavanger-Våland (72 m) in July 2018. The warmest month on record at Stavanger Airport is August 2002 with mean 19.3 °C and average daily high 23.2 °C. The all-time low -19.8 C was recorded January 1987. The coldest month on record is February 1963 with mean -5 °C and average daily low -9.6 °C. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below 0 °C) in spring is April 20 and average date for first freeze in autumn is October 31 giving a frost-free season of 193 days (Stavanger Airport Sola 1981-2010 average).

Location
Sandnes is located on the west coast of Norway. Here are some distances from the city of Sandnes to other major cities in Norway: • Stavanger 12 km

• Vigrestad 40 km

• Kristiansand 155 km

• Bergen 170 km

• Arendal 281 km

• Oslo 305 km

• Ålesund 400 km

• Trondheim 570 km

• Tromsø 1360 km

Government
Sandnes 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 Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sandnes is made up of 49 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. Elections are always held two years from the parliamentary elections. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Sandnes:

 * 1861-1864: Jan Adolph Budde
 * 1864-1864: Anders Tvedt
 * 1864-1864: Gabriel Sandved
 * 1865-1866: Abraham Hobberstad
 * 1866-1867: Sven Njeldson Oftedahl
 * 1867-1868: Mauritz Kartevold
 * 1869-1870: Gabriel Sandved
 * 1871-1873: Mauritz Kartevold
 * 1873-1875: Jonas Eivindson Lura
 * 1875-1876: K.M. Sørensen
 * 1876-1877: Sven Njeldson Oftedahl
 * 1877-1877: Martin Nygaard
 * 1878-1878: Svend O. Mouland
 * 1878-1879: Sven Svendson Haaland
 * 1879-1880: K.M. Sørensen
 * 1880-1882: Sven Njeldson Oftedahl
 * 1882-1882: Svend O. Mouland
 * 1883-1884: Ole Svendsen
 * 1885-1885: Andreas O. Anfindsen
 * 1886-1888: Ole Svendsen
 * 1889-1890: Petter Simon Øgland
 * 1890-1891: Samuel Jonasson Sandved
 * 1891-1895: Petter Simon Øgland
 * 1895-1896: Lars Adamson Sporaland
 * 1896-1897: Olaf Anfindsen (V)
 * 1898-1898: O.C. Østraadt (H)
 * 1899-1901: Olaf Anfindsen (V)
 * 1902-1902: O.C. Østraadt (H)
 * 1903-1903: Olaf Anfindsen (V)
 * 1904-1904: O.C. Østraadt (H)
 * 1905-1905: Olaf Anfindsen (V)
 * 1906-1907: O.C. Østraadt (H)
 * 1908-1912: L.O. Nygaard (AvH)
 * 1913-1913: Thorvald S. Øglænd (AvH)
 * 1914-1915: L.O. Nygaard (AvH)
 * 1916-1916: Thorvald S. Øglænd (AvH)
 * 1917-1919: Enok Berge (AvH)
 * 1920-1921: Thorvald S. Øglænd (AvH)
 * 1922-1929: Lars Øglænd (V)
 * 1929-1934: Johan Martinson Haga (Bp)
 * 1935-1936: Monrad Øksnevad (Bp)
 * 1936-1938: Gunvald Rasmussen (V)
 * 1938-1941: Edvard Astad (Ap)
 * 1941-1941: Monrad Øksnevad (Bp)
 * 1945-1945: Gunvald Rasmussen (V)
 * 1946-1947: Louis Torgersen (Ap)
 * 1947-1948: Tollef Fjermestad (Ap)
 * 1948-1949: Andreas J. Båstøl (Ap)
 * 1950-1950: Jakob Skretting (Ap)
 * 1950-1951: Gunvald Rasmussen (V)
 * 1952-1953: Andreas J. Båstøl (Ap)
 * 1953-1955: Louis Torgersen (Ap)
 * 1955-1956: Gunvald Rasmussen (V)
 * 1956-1957: Arthur O. Berge (KrF)
 * 1958-1959: Kristian Rønneberg (Sp)
 * 1960-1961: Audun Schance Olsen (V)
 * 1962-1963: Torleiv Tengs-Pedersen (H)
 * 1964-1964: Audun Schance Olsen (V)
 * 1965-1967: Lars Vatsendvik (V)
 * 1968-1969: Lauritz B. Sirevåg (H)
 * 1970-1971: Arne Tunheim (V)
 * 1972-1973: Beint Bentsen (KrF)
 * 1974-1977: Arne Sandnes (H)
 * 1978-1979: Odd Arnøy (KrF)
 * 1980-1981: Arne Sandnes (H)
 * 1982-1985: Sigurd Aarsland (KrF)
 * 1986-1990: Roald G. Bergsaker (H)
 * 1991-1993: Geir Mykletun (KrF)
 * 1994-2007: Jostein W. Rovik (H)
 * 2007-2011: Norunn Østråt Koksvik (H)
 * 2011-2023: Stanley Wirak (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Kenny Rettore (H)

Economy
Sandnes hosts a large array of retail shops of most kinds and is used by the neighbouring municipalities appreciating the service and wide range of selections. Sandnes is known as Norway's bicycle city, mainly due to the fact that the bicycle manufacturer Øglænd DBS was situated here for decades. The city offers a variety of routes for everyday riders and tourists. Since 1996, a public bicycle rental program has been in operation in the city.

The city has a vibrant industrial base, mainly in the Ganddal area in the south and the Lura and Forus area in the north along the municipal boundary with Stavanger. There is significant activity related to oil exploration in the North Sea and also some IT-related companies. In this suburban region between Sandnes and Stavanger, malls and department stores have also been established. Among these malls is one of Norway's biggest malls, Kvadrat, meaning 'square' (although it is not square shaped anymore as it has expanded several times since it opened in 1984).

Around 30% of the population is employed in Stavanger (Q4 2004). Sandnes was formerly known as the pottery town of Norway – due to the important ceramics industry based on the extensive occurrence of clay in the surroundings. The Vatneleiren military base is also located in Sandnes, just outside Vatne.

Culture, sports, and education
Since 2016, the primary football team, Sandnes Ulf, has played in the second tier, 1. divisjon, of Norwegian professional football.

Sandnes is also known for its Rugby League team, Sandnes Raiders which has supplied the Norwegian national team with players.

The major tourist attraction in Sandnes is the Science Factory (Vitenfabrikken). It is a 4000 m2 science museum with science and art exhibitions, a planetarium, sun telescopes, and chemistry experiments.

Sandnes is the only city in Norway which is a member of the World Health Organization's network of Healthy Cities. Sandnes and Stavanger were chosen along with Liverpool, United Kingdom, to be a European Capital of Culture for 2008.

Higher education facilities include Sandnes Upper Secondary School, Gand Upper Secondary School, Akademiet Upper Secondary School, and Vågen Upper Secondary School. In 2010 Forus Upper Secondary School and parts of Lundehaugen merged to become Vågen. Lundehaugen still exists as a middle school.

The city is also home to the VID Specialized University Sandnes campus, a private Christian college.

Churches
The Church of Norway has nine parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Sandnes. It is part of the Sandnes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger. The main church for the city is Sandnes Church, which is the seat of the deanery which covers the whole municipality.

Notable people

 * Karen Grude Koht (1871 in Høyland – 1960) educationalist, essayist and feminist pioneer
 * Theodor Thjøtta (1885 in Sandnes – 1955) physician, dealt with bacteriology and serology
 * Elise Ottesen-Jensen (1886 in Hoyland − 1973) sex educator, journalist and anarchist
 * Aaslaug Aasland (1890 in Sandnes – 1962) politician, Minister of Social Affairs, 1948 to 1953
 * Toralv Øksnevad (1891 in Høyland – 1975) politician, journalist, newspaper editor and radio personality - the "voice from London" during WWII
 * Sigrid Stray (1893 in Sandnes – 1978) barrister and proponent of women's rights
 * Soffi Schønning (1895–1994) operatic soprano, lived in Sandnes in later life
 * Kasper Idland MM, (1918 in Figgjo – 1968) Norwegian heavy water saboteur in 1943
 * Kåre Berven Fjeldsaa (1918 in Sandnes – 1991) ceramic designer, early user of stoneware
 * Tormod Førland (1920 in Høyland – 1995) chemist, worked on inorganic and physical chemistry
 * Arne Sandnes (1925-2006) politician, mayor of Sandnes in the 1970s
 * Roald G. Bergsaker (born 1942) sports official and politician, mayor of Sandnes, 1986 to 1990 and Rogaland county mayor, 1999 to 2007
 * Julie Ege (1943 in Sandnes – 2008) actress and model
 * Ivar Braut (born 1956 in Sandnes) a theologian and priest, the Bishop of Stavanger, 2017-2019
 * Roger Rasmussen (born ca.1965 in Sandnes) stage name Nattefrost, vocalist and founder of Carpathian Forest, a black metal band
 * Mette Grøtteland (born 1969 in Sandnes) first female fighter pilot, Royal Norwegian Air Force
 * Kjartan Salvesen (born 1976 in Sandnes) winner of Norwegian Idol TV series in 2004
 * Thomas Dybdahl (born 1979 in Sandnes) singer-songwriter
 * Anh Vu (born 1986 in Sandnes) singer and actress
 * Annette Obrestad (born 1988) professional poker player; won the 2007 World Series of Poker Europe aged 18; lives in Sandnes

Sport

 * Bjarne Berntsen (born 1956 in Sandnes) a former football player with 33 caps with Norway and coach with Norway women (2005–2009), Viking FK, and Sandnes Ulf
 * Anne Brit Skjæveland (born 1962) retired heptathlete, lives in Sandnes
 * Linda Medalen (born 1965 in Sandnes) former footballer, 152 caps with Norway women
 * Gjert Ingebrigtsen (born 1966) sports coach, father and coach of sons Henrik, Filip and Jakob; lives in Sandnes
 * Rolf Bae (1975 in Sandnes – 2008) Arctic adventurer and mountaineer
 * Arild Haugen (born 1985) former strongman, currently a professional boxer; lives in Sandnes
 * Stine Borgli (born 1990 in Sandnes) racing cyclist
 * 1500-metre runner brothers:
 * Henrik Ingebrigtsen (born 1991 in Sandnes), competed at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics
 * Filip Ingebrigtsen (born 1993 in Sandnes), competed at the European and World Athletics Championships
 * Jakob Ingebrigtsen (born 2000 in Sandnes), two gold medals at the 2018 European Athletics Championships, Olympic champion over 1500 meters in Tokyo 2020.

title: Sandnes


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Ponzu

Ponzu (ポン酢) is a citrus-based sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine. It is tart, with a thin, watery consistency. Ponzu shōyu or ponzu jōyu (ポン酢醤油) is ponzu with soy sauce (shōyu) added, and the mixed dark brown product is widely referred to as simply ponzu.

The term originally came into the Japanese language as ponsu as a borrowing of the now obsolete Dutch word pons, meaning punch as in a beverage made from fruit juices. The sour nature of this sauce led to the final -su being written with the character su (酢), meaning "vinegar".

Ponzu is made by simmering mirin, rice vinegar, katsuobushi flakes (from tuna), and seaweed (kombu) over medium heat. The liquid is then cooled, strained to remove the katsuobushi flakes, and finally the juice of one or more of the following citrus fruits is added: yuzu, sudachi, daidai, kabosu, or lemon.

Commercial ponzu is generally sold in glass bottles, which may have some sediment. Ponzu shōyu is traditionally used as a dressing for tataki (lightly grilled, then chopped meat or fish) and also as a dip for nabemono (one-pot dishes) such as shabu-shabu. It is used as a dip for sashimi. In the Kansai region, it is offered as a topping for takoyaki.

title: Ponzu


text:
Haugesund

Haugesund is a municipality and town on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. As of December 2023, the municipality of Haugesund has a population of 37,855. The vast majority of the population (37,008) live in the Haugesund urban area in the municipality's southwest. The Haugesund urban area also extends into neighboring Karmøy municipality and has a combined population of 46,359. Haugesund is the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern Vestland. The majority of the municipality outside this area is rural or undeveloped.

The 72.68 km2 municipality is the 338th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Haugesund is the 28th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 37,855. The municipality's population density is 553.5 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 5.9% over the previous 10-year period.

The Haugesund urban area, which extends into the neighboring municipality of Karmøy, makes up about 15.5 km2 of the municipality. 8,884 people of the urban area live in Karmøy. Only about 1,000 residents of Haugesund municipality that live in the 57 km2 rural portion of the municipality.

Location
The town is situated on a strategically important sound, the Karmsundet, through which ships could pass without traversing heavy seas. In the early years, the coastal waters off Haugesund were a huge source of herring, and the town grew accordingly. Despite being barely a village back then, King Harald Fairhair lived at Avaldsnes, very close to the modern town of Haugesund. In the last decades, the town, like its neighbours, has been turning towards the petroleum industry, with the herring being long gone.

During the last 20 years, the municipality has established its position as the main trading centre for the Haugaland region and southern parts of Vestland county. It has several relatively large shopping centres, however, this has led to a decline of the trade and shopping activity in the town centre.

The Haugesund Region, a statistical metropolitan area, which consists of the municipalities Karmøy, Haugesund, Tysvær, Sveio and Bokn, has a population of approximately 100,000 people (as of 2009).

History
Despite being a fairly young town, the areas surrounding Haugesund were lands of power during the Viking Age. Harald Fairhair was the first king of Norway. He had his home in Avaldsnes, also known as Homeland of the Viking Kings, only 8 km (4.9 mi) from the present town. After his death in c. 940, it is believed Fairhair was buried at Haraldshaugen, a burial mound adjacent to the Karmsundet strait. This site is the namesake of the town and municipality of Haugesund. The national monument at Haraldshaugen was raised in 1872, to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of the Battle of Hafrsfjord in 872. The Battle of Hafrsfjord has traditionally been regarded as when western Norway was unified under a single monarch for the first time.

Haugesund has a strong historical bond to the sea and especially the herring. In the earlier years, the coastal waters of Haugesund were a huge source for fishing herring, and the town grew accordingly. The protective straits of Smedasund and Karmsund gave the town potential to grow in both fishing and shipping. Even to this day, Karmsund is one of Norway's busiest waterways. The town is still growing geographically even though the population has increased only moderately the last decade. In modern times the herring are depleted and the town is turning towards the petroleum industry, like its neighbouring town to the south, Stavanger.

Municipal history
The urban village area of Haugesund (population: 1,066) was declared to be a "town" and it was separated from the surrounding municipality of Torvastad on 1 February 1855 to become a separate municipality of its own. On 1 January 1911, a small urban area of Skåre (population: 3,847) that directly abutted the town of Haugesund was transferred to Haugesund. On 1 January 1958, the remainder of the municipality of Skåre was merged with the town of Haugesund, creating a larger Haugesund municipality. On 1 January 1965, the island of Vibrandsøy (population: 70) was transferred from Torvastad municipality to Haugesund.

Etymology
The municipality (and the town) is named after the Haugesundet strait (Haugasund), which is named after the old Hauge farm (Haugar). The first element is the plural genitive case of which means "hill" or "mound". The last element is which means "strait" or "sound".

Coat of arms
The original coat of arms was granted on 29 December 1862 and it was in use until 5 March 1930 when a new coat of arms was approved. The arms were designed as a painting of a harbour scene. The old arms showed three full herring barrels sitting on land and an anchor leaning against the barrels. In the background, the ocean harbour is showing along with three seagulls flying in the sky. Often, it was shown with a gold mural crown above the shield. The old arms showed the importance of herring fishing and processing in the town. The three barrels also represented the three parts of the municipality: the mainland and the islands of Hasseløy and Risøy. The arms were designed by A. Fenger Krog.

A new coat of arms was granted on 5 March 1930 to replace the old arms and to symplify them for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the town. The blazon is "Azure, three seagulls volant argent per fess surmounted by a mural crown Or" (I blått tre flyvnde sølv måker). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a set of three seagulls lined up vertically. 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 seagulls and blue color were chosen to represent the importance of the sea. The new arms from 1930 removed the herring barrels from the old arms due to the decline in the importance of that industry. The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Geography and climate
Haugesund municipality has a coastline with the North Sea, however, the island of Karmøy and the archipelago of Røvær shelter it from the rough waters of the ocean. The Karmsundet strait, located between Karmøy and Haugesund used to be very strategically important, since ships could pass without having to sail through heavy sea. Haugesund's city centre has a distinctive street layout, similar to those found in Kristiansand and Oslo. The municipality includes several islands. Risøy and Hasseløy are densely built, and connected to the mainland by bridges. Røvær which lies further out and consists of a number of islands, is also populated and connected to the mainland by ferry. Vibrandsøy and its neighboring islands are now mainly a recreational area. Røværsholmen Lighthouse sits just off the coast of the main Røvær island. The lakes Vigdarvatnet and Stakkastadvatnet are located in the municipality.

Haugesund has an oceanic climate (Cfb, marine west coast) with rainy winters and mild and pleasant summers. The all-time high 31.2 C was recorded July 2019, and the all-time low -16.6 C was set in January 2010 (extremes since 2003). The wettest time of year is autumn and winter, while April–July is the driest season. Haugesund Airport is situated in Karmøy municipality, about 8 km from the town of Haugesund, and it has been recording weather data since 1975.

Cityscape
Haugesund City Hall was built in 1931, celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2006. The pink city hall, designed by Gudolf Blakstad and Herman Munthe-Kaas, is one of the finest neo-classical buildings in Norway, and has been elected the most beautiful building in Haugesund. It is also included in the new Norwegian edition of the game Monopoly after it was successful in a national vote. The building may not be altered in any way without permission from the national preservation agency. It overlooks the town square and a park which was inaugurated on 28 August 1949.

During the last 20 years, the municipality has established its position as the main trading centre for the Haugaland region and southern parts of Vestland county. It has several relatively large shopping centres, however, this has led to a decline of the trade and shopping activity in the town centre.

There are several churches in the town of Haugesund including Vår Frelsers Church, Udland Church, Rossabø Church, and Skåre Church.

Government
Haugesund 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 Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Haugesund is made up of 49 representatives that are elected every four years. The government is located at the Haugesund City Hall. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Haugesund:

 * 1855–1856: Tønnes Eide
 * 1857–1858: Gudmund Halleland
 * 1859–1860: Peder A. Høydahl
 * 1861–1866: Ludolf J. Eide
 * 1867–1867: Østen Kolstø
 * 1868–1868: Ditlev Møller
 * 1869–1871: E. M. Fredriksen
 * 1872–1872: Jens H. Hansen
 * 1873–1874: Ludolf J. Eide
 * 1875–1876: Arne Lothe
 * 1877–1877: Ludolf J. Eide
 * 1878–1878: Jens H. Hansen
 * 1879–1879: Hans J. Steensnæs
 * 1880–1880: Arne Lothe
 * 1881–1881: Ludolf J. Eide
 * 1882–1882: Jens H. Hansen
 * 1883–1883: Hans J. Steensnæs	(V)
 * 1884–1884: Jens H. Hansen (V)
 * 1885–1885: Hans J. Steensnæs (MV)
 * 1886–1886: Hans J. Kyvik
 * 1887–1887: J. Ferdinand Jacobsen
 * 1888–1888: Jacob Kielland
 * 1889–1889: Frithjof Eide (V)
 * 1890–1890: Hans J. Steensnæs (MV)
 * 1891–1891: Svend Jacobsen (MV)
 * 1892–1892: Johan Aubert
 * 1893–1893: Svend Jacobsen (MV)
 * 1894–1895: Hakon Magne Wrangell (MV)
 * 1896–1896: Hans Steen (MV/H)
 * 1897–1897: Hakon Magne Wrangell (MV)
 * 1898–1898: Hans Steen (MV/H)
 * 1899–1899:Hakon Magne Wrangell (MV)
 * 1900–1900: Thomas Haaland (MV)
 * 1901–1901: Erich Lindøe (MV)
 * 1902–1903: Thomas Haaland (MV)
 * 1904–1904: Rasmus G. Hagland (V)
 * 1905–1907: Ola Bertelsen (V)
 * 1908–1908: Svend Lindøe (AvH)
 * 1909–1909: Valentin Valentinsen (V)
 * 1910–1910: Thomas Haaland (LL)
 * 1911–1911: Magne Rønnevig (V)
 * 1912–1912: Carl J. Dueland (Ap)
 * 1913–1913: Bernt Seland (V)
 * 1914–1914: Svend Lindøe (AvH)
 * 1915–1916: Valentin Valentinsen (V)
 * 1917–1917: Lars O. Meling (V)
 * 1918–1918: Kristian Holgersen (V)
 * 1919–1919: Carl J. Westerlund (Ap)
 * 1920–1921: Peder Haugen (FV)
 * 1922–1922: Carl J. Westerlund (Ap)
 * 1923–1924: Gabriel Faye (FV)
 * 1925–1925: Christian Haaland (H)
 * 1926–1926: Clement Gerhardsen (FV)
 * 1927–1927: Edvard Velde (NSA)
 * 1928–1931: Christian Haaland (H)
 * 1932–1935: H. Karluf Hanssen (V)
 * 1936–1936: Søren Caspersen (Ap)
 * 1937–1937: Martin Olaussen (Ap)
 * 1938–1938: Ingvald Førre (Ap)
 * 1939–1940: Sigurd Lie (H)
 * 1941–1941: Eystein Jenssen (LL)
 * 1942–1945: Jacob Kyvik (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Hans Jacobsen (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Sigurd Lie (H)
 * 1946–1947: Nils E. Nilsen (Ap)
 * 1948–1949: Einar Osland (V)
 * 1950–1950: Karl Sørensen (V)
 * 1951–1951: Andreas Gullhaugen (Ap)
 * 1952–1952: Karl Sørensen (V)
 * 1953–1953: Rasmus Bakkevig (H)
 * 1954–1954: Karl Sørensen (V)
 * 1955–1955: Gunnar Fredrik Hellesen (H)
 * 1956–1957: Karl Sørensen (V)
 * 1958–1959: Gunnar Fredrik Hellesen (H)
 * 1960–1961: Karl Sørensen (V)
 * 1962–1963: Stener Askeland (H)
 * 1964–1965: Jens Edvard Haugland (V)
 * 1966–1967: Stener Askeland (H)
 * 1968–1969: Jens Edvard Haugland (V)
 * 1970–1971: Olle Johan Eriksen (H)
 * 1972–1973: Jens Edvard Haugland (V)
 * 1974–1975: Olle Johan Eriksen (H)
 * 1976–1977: Ola Foldøy (KrF)
 * 1978–1983: Olle Johan Eriksen (H)
 * 1984–1987: Edvard Ringen, Jr. (H)
 * 1988–1989: Einar Steensnæs (KrF)
 * 1990–1991: Nils J. Storesund (Ap)
 * 1992–1993: Einar Steensnæs (KrF)
 * 1993–1995: Turid Dalland (H)
 * 1995–2001: Finn Martin Vallersnes (H)
 * 2001–2015: Petter Steen Jr. (H)
 * 2015–2023: Arne-Christian Mohn (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Nils Konrad Bua (H)

Transport
Haugesund Airport, located on the island of Karmøy to the southwest of Haugesund in Karmøy municipality, has year-round flights to Oslo and Gdańsk in addition to some seasonal and charter destinations. The Norwegian airline Coast Air was based at Haugesund airport, but filed for bankruptcy on 23 January 2008.

The European Route E39 bypasses Haugesund to the east, passing through Aksdal. The European Route E134 leads eastwards to Drammen outside Oslo.

The bus station in Haugesund is located at Flotmyr on the east side of the downtown area. Long-distance bus services are available to Stavanger, Bergen, and Oslo. The local bus transport is operated by Vy Buss, on a contract with Kolumbus.

The town is connected to the island of Utsira by car ferry, and to the islands of Røvær and Feøy by passenger ferry. Until 2008, the Newcastle–Bergen–Stavanger ferry operated here as well.

Healthcare
Haugesund Hospital provides specialist health services to around 180,000 inhabitants in North Rogaland, Sunnhordland, Hardanger and Ryfylke. The hospital offers services in both medicine and surgery, radiology / X-ray, childbirth / maternity, gynecology and fertility, habilitation and specialized treatment in mental health care. There are also more than 10 public and private health centers in the municipality for either general or specialized care, including the Privatsykehuset Haugesund.

Culture
Haugesund is the main cultural centre for its region, and is home to several festivals, the largest being the Norwegian International Film Festival and Sildajazz, an international jazz festival with approximately 70 bands and close to 200 concerts. Every August, The Norwegian Trad-jazz festival, the Sildajazz is held. Both local and international musicians are presented at the Sildajazz.

In the summer of 2004, the annual rock festival, ""RockFest"" started. It attracted local, national and international pop and rock bands, such as Elton John, Madcon, DumDum Boys and Kaizers Orchestra. The festival started as a part of the celebration of Haugesund's 150 year anniversary. In 2009, the last Rockfest was held, and got replaced by a new concept in 2010; Haugesund Live. Haugesund Live is a series of individual concerts, and has featured bands such as the Baseballs, Kim Larsen and Mötley Crüe.

The Norwegian International Film Festival has since 1973 been held in Haugesund, premiering and showing international and Norwegian films. The Amanda Award, Norway's variation of the Oscars, has been held in Haugesund since 1985 in concurrence with the film festival.

Haugesunds Avis is a daily newspaper published in Haugesund, but with branches in Bømlo, Kopervik, Odda, Sauda and Stord. Founded in 1895, it is today owned by the investment group Mecom Group, and is as such part of the media group Edda Media. In 2006, Haugesunds Avis had a circulation of 33 448. As of 2007, the executive editor is Tonny Nundal. The newspaper owns the local radio channel Radio 102.

Churches
The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Haugesund. It is part of the Haugaland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

Education
The main campus of Stord/Haugesund University College is located in Haugesund. Established in 1994, it is the result of the merger between Haugesund Nursing College, Stord Teachers College, and Stord Nursing College. The university college has approximately 2700 students and 260 employees, thus making it one of the smallest university colleges in Norway.

The county of Rogaland operates four high schools in Haugesund. The schools Skeisvang and Vardafjell prepare pupils for further for college or university studies. The schools Haugaland and Karmsund are vocational high schools. In addition, the private Haugesund Toppidrettsgymnas has a sports-oriented high school program.

The municipality has seven pure elementary schools of grades 1 to 7 (Saltveit, Gard, Austrheim, Solvang, Lillesund, Rossabø, and Brakahaug), two pure middle schools of grades 8 to 10 (Haraldsvang and Håvåsen) and three grade 1 to 10 schools (Hauge, Røvær, and Skåredalen). In addition, the Breidablik school offers elementary and middle school courses to new foreigners and refugees. The two private schools are Steinerskolen offering a Waldorf education program, and Danielsen, a Christian school offering courses for grades 8 and 9.

Football (soccer)
The strongest local football team is FK Haugesund that has stayed in the Norwegian Premier League since 2010. The team plays its home matches at Haugesund Stadion.

Other local football teams are Vard Haugesund, Djerv 1919 and SK Haugar.

Other sports

 * Haugesund IL, athletics.
 * Haugesund Seagulls, ice hockey
 * Haugesund Turnforening, gymnastics

Twin towns – sister cities
Haugesund has sister city agreements with the following places:
 * 🇫🇮 Ekenäs, Uusimaa, Finland
 * 🇩🇪 Emden, Lower Saxony, Germany
 * 🇩🇰 Søllerød, Hovedstaden, Denmark
 * 🇸🇪 Ystad, Skåne, Sweden

Each of the sister cities (with exception of Emden) has given its name to a street in Haugesund. The streets are located in the same area near the border to the neighbouring municipality.

Notable people

 * Hanna Brummenæs (1860-1942), a pioneering female shipping company owner and City Councillor
 * Eivind Nielsen (1864–1939), a painter and illustrator of children's books
 * Egil Eide (1868–1946), a silent film actor and director
 * Henrik Børseth (1885–1970), an actor
 * Ellen Sinding (1899–1980), an actress and dancer
 * Tollak B. Sirnes (1922–2009), a physician, psychiatrist, and pharmacologist
 * Olle Johan Eriksen (1923–1999), a politician who was mayor of Haugesund in the 1970s
 * Odd Langholm (born 1928), an economist and historian of economic thought
 * Jacob Stolt-Nielsen (1931–2015), an entrepreneur who founded Stolt-Nielsen, a parcel tanker firm
 * Hanne Krogh (born 1956), a singer and actress, won the Eurovision Song Contest 1985
 * Jon Fosse (born 1959), an author and dramatist
 * Turid Birkeland (1962–2015), a cultural executive and former politician
 * Steffen Kverneland (born 1963), an illustrator and comics writer
 * Kjetil Steensnæs (born 1976), a jazz musician who plays guitar, dobro, and banjo
 * Captain Frodo (born 1976), a Guinness World Record breaking contortionist who lives in Australia
 * Gunhild Stordalen (born 1979), a physician and environmental advocate
 * Susanne Sundfør (born 1986), a singer-songwriter and record producer

US emigrants

 * Gunvald Aus (1851–1950), an engineer who built the Woolworth Building in New York City
 * Hannah Kallem (1865-1937), an American Army nurse who served in the Spanish–American War
 * Martin Edward Mortensen (1897–1981), the son of an emigrant from the village of Skjold near Haugesund, was listed as father on Monroe's birth certificate. A statue of Marilyn Monroe by Nils Aas stands in the harbour of Haugesund.
 * Sigmund R. Petersen (born ca.1940), a rear admiral and fourth Director of the NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps, who emigrated in 1948 to the USA

Sport

 * Stig Traavik (born 1967), a former judoka at 1992 Summer Olympics and diplomat.
 * Egil Østenstad (born 1972), a former footballer with 334 club caps and 18 for Norway
 * Trygve Nygaard (born 1975), a retired footballer with over 300 club caps
 * Kenneth Høie (born 1979), a former football goalkeeper with 330 club caps
 * Svein Oddvar Moen (born 1979), a Norwegian football referee
 * Susanne Wigene (born 1978), a middle and long-distance runner
 * Christian Grindheim (born 1983), a retired footballer with 530 club caps and 54 for Norway
 * Tor Arne Andreassen (born 1983), former footballer, played 334 games with FK Haugesund
 * Alexander Søderlund (born 1987), a footballer with over 300 club caps and 32 for Norway
 * Sven Erik Bystrøm (born 1992), a Norwegian road bicycle racer
 * Tommy Langaker (born 1994), a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete, first Norwegian Black Belt World Champion under IBJJF

title: Haugesund


text:
Sokndal

Sokndal is the southernmost municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Dalane. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hauge. Other villages in Sokndal include Li, Rekefjord, Sogndalsstranda, and Åna-Sira.

Sogndalsstranda is a picturesque, old fishing village, which may have inspired the municipality in becoming Norway's first member of Cittaslow. The Jøssingfjorden, known for the Altmark Incident, is also located in Sokndal.

The 295 km2 municipality is the 267th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sokndal is the 219th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,324. The municipality's population density is 12.4 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 1.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Soggendal (later Sokndal) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1845, the small lading place of Sogndal (population: 348) was separated from Sokndal as a municipality of its own. This left Sokndal with 2,819 residents. On 12 December 1868, a small part of Sokndal (population: 41) was transferred to neighboring Eigersund municipality. On 1 July 1944, the small lading place of Sogndal (population: 311) was reincorporated into Sokndal. In 1947, a small area in Sokndal (population: 7) was transferred to Eigersund. On 1 January 1967, the Tjørn farm (population: 10) was transferred from Eigersund to Sokndal.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Soknedalen valley (Sóknardalr) since the first Sokndal Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the river name Sókn (now Sokno). That river name is derived from the verb which means "to seek" or "to strive for". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". Thus, the meaning is "the valley with the river which seeks (finds/forces) its way". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Soggendal or Sogndal. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sokndal.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 8 July 1988. The official blazon is "Or, three pickaxes bendwise sable" (I gull tre svarte hakker, 2-1). 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 pickaxes with two over one. This design was chosen to symbolize the importance of mining and agriculture in the municipality. The arms were designed by John Digernes from Haugesund. 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 Sokndal. It is part of the Dalane prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

Geography
The municipality is the southernmost in Rogaland county. The North Sea lies to the south and west, the river Sira and the Åna fjord lie to the southeast (separating it from Flekkefjord in Agder county), the municipality of Lund lies to the east and north, and the municipality of Eigersund lies to the northwest. The lakes Grøsfjellvatnet and Eiavatnet both lie on the northern border of the municipality. The coastline of Sokndal is fairly smooth, although there are two larger fjords which cut into the municipality: the Rekefjorden and Jøssingfjorden. The Lille Presteskjær Lighthouse marks the entrance to the Rekefjorden. The southeastern part of the municipality is very rocky and rugged. As part of Magma Geopark, much of the landscape is characteristic and open. It is the site of the large Tellnes mine, a large producer of titanium.

Economy
At Tellnes, just east of Hauge i Dalane, there is an ilmenite mine run by Titania AS, supplying 10% of the world production of ilmenite (a type of titanium). It's also the world's largest opencast ilmenite mine.

Government
Sokndal 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 Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sokndal 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 (ordfører) of Sokndal (incomplete list):

 * 1972–1975: Claus Egil Feyling (H)
 * 1999–2007: Gudmund Holmen (Ap)
 * 2007–2011: Dag Sørensen (Ap)
 * 2011–2019: Trond Arne Pedersen (KrF)
 * 2019–2023: Jonas Andersen Sayed (KrF)
 * 2023-present: Bjørn-Inge Mydland (Sp)

Notable people

 * Carl Adolph Dahl (1769 at Aave in Rekefjord – 1819), a Norwegian jurist and politician
 * Hans Reidar Holtermann (1895 in Sokndal - 1966), a military officer who commanded of Hegra Fortress in WWII
 * Rolf Johan Lenschow (1928 in Hauge i Dalane – 2014), a Norwegian civil engineer and professor in concrete construction
 * Frank Tønnesen (born 1972 in Sokndal), a Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist who goes by the stage name Tønes
 * Vibeke Stene (born 1978 in Sokndal), a Norwegian gothic metal soprano and actress
 * Siri Seglem (born 1983 in Sokndal), a handball player with 23 caps with Norway women

title: Sokndal


text:
Lund, Norway

Lund is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Dalane. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moi. Other villages in Lund include Eik and, Heskestad. European route E39 and the Sørlandet Line both pass through Lund. Moi Station is a railway station in Lund.

The 408 km2 municipality is the 237th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lund is the 223rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,206. The municipality's population density is 9.1 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Lunde (later spelled Lund) 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 1965, most of the municipality of Heskestad (population: 547) was merged with Lund to form a much larger municipality of Lund.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Lund farm (Lundr) since the first Lund Church was built there. The name is identical to the word which means "grove" (but here maybe "sacred grove"). Before 1889, the name was written "Lunde".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 14 December 1984. The official blazon is "Vert, three acorns in pall stems conjoined Or" (I grønt tre gull eikenøtter i trepass). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a cluster of three acorn with their stems connected. 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 acorns symbolize the many oak trees in the municipality, as well as many toponyms and names of farms, which start with Eik (oak), such as Eik, Eike, and Eikeland. There are three acorns to represent the three main population centres in the municipality (Moi, Hovsherad, and Ualand/Heskestad). The arms were designed by Svein Arild Berntsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Lund. It is part of the Dalane prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

Government
Lund 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 Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Lund (incomplete list):

 * 1981–1991: Kjell Erfjord (KrF)
 * 1999–2007: Kjell Erfjord (KrF)
 * 2007–2011: Olav Hafstad (Ap)
 * 2011–2015: Pål Anker Ravndal (KrF)
 * 2015–2019: Olav Hafstad (Ap)
 * 2019–2020: Hogne Skjerpe (H)
 * 2020–2023: Magnhild Eia (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Gro Helleland (KrF)

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Lund 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.

Geography
The municipality of Lund lies in southeastern Rogaland county, along the border with Agder county. The municipality of Sokndal lies to the south, Eigersund lies to the west, Sirdal (in Agder) to the north/northeast, and Flekkefjord (also in Agder) to the east. The lake Lundevatnet lies on the southeastern border of Lund. The lake Hovsvatnet lies in the central part of Lund, north of Moi. The lakes Grøsfjellvatnet and Teksevatnet lie on the western borders of Lund.

Notable people

 * Erik Vullum (1850 in Lund – 1916), a Norwegian journalist, writer and politician
 * Pete Sanstol (1905 in Moi – 1982), a Norwegian professional boxer from Canada
 * Magnhild Eia (born 1960), a Norwegian politician, former deputy mayor of Lund
 * Boye Brogeland (born 1973 in Moi), a Norwegian professional bridge player
 * Børge André Rannestad (born 1973 in Moi), a retired Norwegian football midfielder
 * Emil Nikolaisen (born 1977 in Moi), a musician, bandleader, & singer of Serena-Maneesh
 * Hilma Nikolaisen (born 1982 in Moi), a Norwegian musician, singer and bass guitar player

title: Lund, Norway


text:
Bjerkreim

Bjerkreim is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Dalane. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vikeså. Other villages in the municipality include Bjerkreim and Øvrebygd.

Nature has been generous in giving Bjerkreim many idyllic places, making Bjerkreim a good place to live by living in a countryside environment, but still relatively close to a major city, Stavanger. Bjerkreim has one of the most important salmon rivers in Norway, Bjerkreimselva. The most important livelihoods are agriculture and small-scale industries.

The 651 km2 municipality is the 173rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Bjerkreim is the 236th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,848. The municipality's population density is 4.9 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Birkrem was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1965, there were many municipal changes in Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On that date, the Nedre Maudal area of Bjerkreim (population: 40) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Gjesdal.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Bjerkreim farm (Bjarkarheimr), since the first Bjerkreim Church was built there The first element is the genitive case of which means "birch". The last element is which means "homestead" or "farm". Before 1889, the name was written "Birkrem".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 11 July 1986. The official blazon is "Vert, a birch branch with six leaves and four catkins argent" (På grøn grunn ein opprett sølv bjørkekvist med sju blad og fire raklar). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a vertical branch from a birch tree which has six leaves and four catkins. 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 since the name of the municipality is derived from the Norwegian word for birch, bjørk, thus the arms are canting. 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 Bjerkreim. It is part of the Dalane prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

Government
Bjerkreim 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 Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal. A notable local politician is Olaf Gjedrem, mayor from 1979 to 1993 and later a member of the national parliament.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Bjerkreim is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The executive committee of the council has 5 members, who also make up the authority's planning and economic committee. The mayor of Bjerkreim leads both the council and the executive committee. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Bjerkreim:

 * 1838–1839: Thønnis Tollefson Bjerkreim
 * 1840–1841: Rasmus Rasmusson Osland
 * 1842–1843: Omund Adsem
 * 1844–1845: Erik Erikson Espeland
 * 1846–1849: Erik A. Lauperak
 * 1850–1853: Sigbjørn Hytland
 * 1854–1855: Omund Adsem
 * 1856–1865: Christian Larsson Kløgetvedt
 * 1866–1869: Ole V. Sagland
 * 1870–1879: Christian Larsson Kløgetvedt
 * 1880–1881: Jonas K. Vigesaa
 * 1882–1893: Tollef Carlsen Laksesvela
 * 1894–1897: Tollef Asbjørnsen Gjedrem
 * 1898–1899: Tønnes Tollefsen Bjerkrheim
 * 1899–1901: Tollef Carlsen Laksesvela
 * 1902–1904: Sem Johan Jonassen Vaule
 * 1905–1919: Gitle A. Birkrem
 * 1920–1922: Peder Carlson Skjæveland
 * 1923–1925: Arne Gjedrem
 * 1926–1934: Karl Laksesvela
 * 1935–1940: Arne Gjedrem
 * 1945–1947: Arne Gjedrem
 * 1948–1955: Martin Veen
 * 1956–1963: Karl L. Skjæveland
 * 1964–1966: Martin Veen
 * 1966–1975: Tolleiv Gjedrem
 * 1976–1979: Lloyd Vaule
 * 1980–1993: Olaf Gjedrem (KrF)
 * 1994–1999: Gunnhild Vassbø
 * 1999–2003: Asbjørn Gjedrem
 * 2003–2007: Asbjørn Ramsli (Sp)
 * 2007–2015: Marthon Skårland (H)
 * 2015–2019: Torbjørn Ognedal (Sp)
 * 2019–2023: Kjetil Slettebø (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Tone Vaule (Ap)

Geography
Bjerkreim municipality lies at the northern end of the hilly, rugged Dalane district, just south of the very flat Jæren district. There are several large lakes in Bjerkreim including Austrumdalsvatnet, Byrkjelandsvatnet, Hofreistæ, and Ørsdalsvatnet.

Transportation
The main means of transportation to Bjerkreim is via the European route E39 highway which passes through the municipality from south to north. The municipality lies in the southwestern part of the country. The distance to the nearest airport, Stavanger airport in Sola, is approximately 40 minutes by car.

Notable people

 * Knud Spødervold (1791–1848 in Bjerkreim), a lay preacher and leader of the Strong Believers religious movement
 * Olaf Gjedrem (born 1948 in Bjerkreim), a politician and mayor of Bjerkreim (1979–1993)
 * Ragnar Bjerkreim (born 1958 in Bjerkreim), a composer of film scores

title: Bjerkreim


text:
Hå

Hå is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is the southernmost municipality in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Varhaug. Other villages in Hå include Brusand, Hæen, Nærbø, Obrestad, Ogna, Sirevåg, and Vigrestad.

The 258 km2 municipality is the 281st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Hå is the 67th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 19,649. The municipality's population density is 79.3 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 11.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Haa was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1894, the municipality of Haa was dissolved and divided into two new municipalities: Nærbø (population: 1,806) and Varhaug (population: 1,801). 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 Hå was recreated by merging of the neighboring municipalities of Nærbø (population: 3,926), Varhaug (population: 3,454), and Ogna (population: 1,470). In local politics, the divisions between the three previous municipalities remain very visible.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hå farm (Háar or Háir) where the local church priest's parsonage was located. The river running past this farm is similarly named the Hååna, meaning the "Hå river". It is not known if the river is named after the farm or vice versa. The meaning of the original name is uncertain. It is possible that it comes from the plural dative case of the word which means "aftergrass" (the grass that grows after the first crop has been cut down). Ti may also come from the word which means "rowlock" (possibly referring to the shape of the headland on which the farm is located). On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Haa with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Hå, using the letter å instead.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 5 July 1991. The official blazon is "Sable, a winch stand argent." (På svart grunn eit sølv vinsjestativ). This means the arms have a black field (background) and the charge is a winch stand. The winch stand has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. It is a special type of winch that has historically been used in this area to remove stones from the many farm fields. The arms were chosen to symbolize the hard living on the rocky soils of the municipality. A winch of this type (called a "steinbukk") is used locally for the removal of large stones from the soil for agricultural purposes. It's three legs also represent the three previous municipalities of Nærbø, Varhaug, and Ogna that were merged to creat Hå in 1964. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Hå. It is part of the Jæren prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

Government
Hå 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 Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hå is made up of 33 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 Hå (incomplete list - missing 1838-1894):

 * 1964-1967: Erik Årsland (LL)
 * 1968-1969: Erik P. Skretting (LL)
 * 1970-1975: Kjell Lund (LL)
 * 1976-1979: Kåre Sandve (KrF)
 * 1980-1983: Gabriel S. Rimestad (LL)
 * 1984-1985: Mindor Jelsa (LL)
 * 1986-1987: Rasmus Pollestad (KrF)
 * 1988-1989: Kjell Lund (Ap)
 * 1990-1991: Eldar Odland (LL)
 * 1992-1993: Ingvar Gausland (LL)
 * 1994-1995: Tobias Skretting (Sp)
 * 1995-1999: Eldar Odland (Sp)
 * 1999-2003: Gunnar Siqveland (H)
 * 2003-2011: Terje Mjåtveit (LL)
 * 2011-2015: Mons Skrettingland (H)
 * 2015-2023: Jonas Skrettingland (KrF)
 * 2023-present: Andreas Bjorland (KrF)

Geography
Hå municipality is located on the southwestern shore of Norway, along the North Sea. The municipality is located mostly in the very flat, coastal Jæren district. The southeastern part of the municipality begins to get a little hilly and rocky and it marks the border of the Dalane district (located to the south and east). Much of the land in Hå is used for agriculture because of its flat landscape. The river Hååna runs through the municipality. The shoreline of the municipality is marked by the Kvassheim Lighthouse and Obrestad Lighthouse.

Weather
Hå has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb), also known as marine west coast climate. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below 0 °C) in spring is 16 April and average date for first freeze in autumn is 10 November giving a frost-free season of 207 days (1981-2010 average).

Transportation
The Sørlandet Line runs through the municipality, making several stops. The stations in Hå include Brusand Station, Nærbø Station, Ogna Station, Sirevåg Station, Varhaug Station, and Vigrestad Station.

Notable people

 * Jacob Rasch (1669 in Ogna – 1737), the rector of Christiania Cathedral School from 1706 to 1737
 * Sven Aarrestad (1850 in Varhaug – 1942), a writer, politician, and leader in the Norwegian temperance movement
 * Tor Obrestad (1938 in Hå – 2020), a Norwegian novelist, poet, and documentary writer
 * Gunnar Torvund (1948 in Nærbø – 2019), a sculptor
 * Kjell Arild Pollestad (born 1949 in Hå), an author, theologian, philologist, and Dominican priest
 * Magnus Matningsdal (born 1951 in Hå), a judge and a Supreme Court Justice from 1997
 * Helge Torvund (born 1951 in Hå), a psychologist, poet, literary critic, and children's writer
 * Geir Pollestad (born 1978 in Høyland), a politician and government minister
 * Vidar Nisja (born 1986 in Vigrestad), a football midfielder with 324 club caps

title: Hå


text:
Klepp

Klepp is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kleppe. Other villages in Klepp include Klepp stasjon, Orre, Orstad, Pollestad, Verdalen, and Voll. Klepp is a flat and open agricultural landscape. The highest point, Tinghaug, is at 102 m above sea level. There are long stretches of sand beaches along the North Sea coastline in the west.

The 113 km2 municipality is the 324th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Klepp is the 63rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 20,615. The municipality's population density is 201.4 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 13.1% over the previous 10-year period. The population around Kleppe is growing rapidly, mostly in the form of suburban single-family homes, but also in the form of some apartment blocks. There is a shopping mall in Kleppe called Jærhagen.

General information
The old parish of Klep was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The boundaries of the municipality have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Klepp farm (Kleppi) since the first Klepp Church was built there. The name is the dative case of the word kleppr which means "rocky hill". The inscription on the Klepp I Runestone indicates that the name has been in use since the late 10th or early 11th century. Before 1912, the name was written "Klep".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 18 February 1972. The official blazon is "Azure, a Cossack cross Or" (På blå botn ein svevande, utskrådd gul kross). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a Cossack cross. 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 cross on the arms symbolizes the large stone cross at Krosshaug in Klepp. Krosshaug is a grave hill located near the site where the local thing met for centuries. The Old Norse word haugr means "mound", hence the name "kross-haug" is the cross-mound. The cross was considered a representative historic symbol for the municipality. 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 Klepp. It is part of the Jæren prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

History
The earliest traces of population in the municipality have been dated to around 6000 BC. At that time, the land was covered by large oak woods. The large stone cross standing on the grave hill Krosshaug dates from around 1000 AD and is possibly the oldest in Norway. It is adjacent to Tinghaug, the site for a local Thing for many centuries during the Iron Age. Tinghaug probably acted as a site for the local court and assembly for many centuries.

Geography
The municipality is located 25 km south of the city of Stavanger. Neighbouring municipalities are Hå to the south, Time to the south and east, Sola and Sandnes to the north. The coastline is agricultural and consists of, from south to north, the areas Orre, Reve, Bore and Sele.

The long Orrestranda beach, one of the longest sandy beaches in Norway, is in Klepp. The river Figgjoelva empties into the North Sea in Klepp. The small island of Feistein lies off shore and is the site of the Feistein Lighthouse. There are two large lakes in Klepp: Orrevatnet and Frøylandsvatnet.

Transportation
The Sørlandet railway line, historically called the Jæren Line, runs through Klepp along lake Frøylandsvatnet. The village of Klepp stasjon, 3 km east of Kleppe, is built around the train station Klepp Station. The nearby Oksnevadporten Station is the other railway station in Klepp.

Economy
Klepp is the second largest agricultural municipality in Rogaland, with a total of around 600 farms. Kverneland Group, located in Kvernaland, is the largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment in the world.

Sports
The local sports club Klepp IL most notably has a women's football team in the Norwegian top league. Famous players include Dagny Mellgren and the national team captain Ane Stangeland Horpestad. Gymnast Åge Storhaug also represented the club.

Government
Klepp 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 Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Klepp is made up of 31 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 Klepp (incomplete list):

 * 1838–1846: Ingebret Grude
 * 1846–1849: Erik Eriksson Stangeland
 * 1849–1851: Ingebret Grude
 * 1851–1851: Henrik Ødegaard
 * 1852–1855: Johan Garmann Grude
 * 1856–1859: Paul Hauge
 * 1860–1863: Karl Grude
 * 1864–1867: Tore Ellingsen
 * 1868–1869: Johan Garmann Grude
 * 1872–1879: Johan Garmann Grude
 * 1880–1881: Rasmus O. Kleppe
 * 1913–1916: Thore Larsen Braut (V)
 * 1945–1947: A.M. Stangeland
 * 1947–1951: Sven Grude
 * 1951–1955: Ommund Thu
 * 1955–1961: Hans K. Sveinsvoll (Bp)
 * 1971–1981: Enok E. Stangeland (Sp)
 * 1981–1987: Lars Brunes (H)
 * 1987–1991: Asbjørn Kverneland (H)
 * 1991–1999: Ole I. Bore (Sp)
 * 1999–2011: Elfin Lea (H)
 * 2011–2019: Ane Mari Braut Nese (H)
 * 2019–2023: Sigmund Rolfsen (Ap)
 * 2023–present: Kjetil Maudal (FrP)

Parliament
There have been many members of the Parliament of Norway from Klepp. Thore Larsen Braut and Karl K. Kleppe were members of Parliament prior to the Second World War. After the war Lars Storhaug, Oddbjørg Ausdal Starrfelt, and Knut Haus have been members of Parliament.

Notable people

 * Theodor Dahl (1886–1946), a journalist, short story writer, novelist, and poet
 * Asgaut Steinnes (1892–1973), a historian who was the National archivist of Norway from 1933 to 1960
 * Torvald Tu (1893–1955), a poet, playwright, novelist, and writer of humoresques
 * Sigve Tjøtta (born 1930), a mathematician and long-distance runner
 * Åse-Marie Nesse (1934–2001), a philologist, academic, and poet
 * Arne Sølvberg (born 1940), a computer scientist, academic, and expert in information modelling

title: Klepp


text:
Time, Norway

Time is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Bryne. Some villages in the municipality include Kvernaland, Lyefjell, Mossige, and Undheim. Most of Time is fairly flat and it is used for agriculture. The eastern portion of the municipality is more rugged moorland.

The 183 km2 municipality is the 309th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Time is the 66th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 19,781. The municipality's population density is 115.8 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 13.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of "Thime" was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The municipal borders have been slightly changed twice since that time. On 1 January 1970, a small unpopulated area was moved from Time to Gjesdal municipality. Then again on 1 January 1989 another unpopulated area was transferred to Gjesdal. Both times it was to make more room for the growing village of Ålgård.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Time farm (Þímin) since the first Time Church was built there. The meaning of the first element is uncertain. It may come from the Anglo-Saxon word Þínan which means "to get wet" or the Old Norse word which means "thawed" or "melted". Both possible meanings likely refer to the wet and marshy areas in Time. The last element is which means "meadow" or "pasture". Historically, the municipality name was spelled Thime, but the "h" was dropped as the Norwegian language was reformed over time.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 23 December 1977. The blazon is "Gules, a lapwing rising argent" (På raud botn ei sølv vipe med utslegne vengjer). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus). 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. This bird (known as a vipe in Norwegian) was chosen as a symbol for the municipality as it is a typical bird for the area. It is shown with wings upwards to symbolize optimism. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Time. It is part of the Jæren prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

Geography
Time is located in the district of Jæren which is mostly flat and agricultural. The river Figgjoelva marks the northern border of Time with the municipality of Sandnes. The large lake Frøylandsvatnet forms part of the border with the neighboring municipality of Klepp. The landlocked municipality also includes part of the "Høg-Jæren" ("high-Jæren") area which is not flat like the rest of the district. Høg-Jæren is more hilly, rugged, and less densely populated.

Government
Time 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 Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Time 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 (ordfører) of Time (incomplete list):

 * 1838-1840: Ingebret Svennsson Mossige
 * 1919-1924: Nils M. Kverneland (Bp)
 * 1932-1940: Gunnar Aasland (Bp)
 * 1945-1954: Gunnar Aasland (Bp)
 * 1955-1959: Bjarne Undheim (Sp)
 * 1999-2011: Arnfinn Vigrestad (KrF)
 * 2011-2020: Reinert Kverneland (H)
 * 2020-present: Andreas Vollsund (H)

Twin towns/Sister cities
Time has sister city agreements with the following places:
 * Alnwick, Northumberland, England, United Kingdom
 * 🇸🇪 Älmhult, Kronoberg County, Sweden
 * 🇫🇮 Lapinjärvi, Uusimaa, Finland
 * 🇩🇰 Allerød, Zealand, Denmark

Notable people

 * Arne Garborg (1851–1924), a writer who used Landsmål (now known as Nynorsk)
 * Ole Gabriel Kverneland (1854–1941), a ploughsmith and factory owner who founded Kverneland Group
 * Peter Hognestad (1866–1931), a Lutheran theologian, writer, and Bishop of Bjørgvin
 * Fritz Røed (1928–2002), a sculptor who was famous for Sverd i fjell (English: Swords in Rock)
 * Sølve Grotmol (1939–2010), a TV presenter for the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation
 * Janove Ottesen (born 1975), a musician and front figure of Kaizers Orchestra who grew up in Bryne
 * Geir Zahl (born 1975), a musician and guitar player of Kaizers Orchestra
 * Hanne Sigbjørnsen (born 1989), a cartoonist, blogger, and nurse

Sport

 * Sissel Løchen (born 1969), a wheelchair curler, psychiatric nurse, and silver medallist at the 2018 Winter Paralympics
 * Alfie Haaland (born 1972), a former footballer who was raised in Bryne with 264 club caps and 34 for Norway
 * Geir André Herrem (born 1988), a footballer with over 300 club caps
 * Erling Haaland (born 2000), a footballer currently playing for Manchester City

title: Time, Norway


text:
Gjesdal

Gjesdal is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ålgård. Other villages in Gjesdal include Dirdal, Frafjord, Gilja, Gjesdal, and Oltedal. The municipality lies about 25 km to the southwest of the city of Stavanger in southwestern Norway.

The European route E39 highway runs through the western side of the municipality. On the east side of the municipality, the Frafjord Tunnel connects the Frafjord valley with the rest of the municipality.

The 618 km2 municipality is the 187th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Gjesdal is the 95th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 12,302. The municipality's population density is 22 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 11.4% over the previous 10-year period.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Gjesdal farm (Gesdalir) since the first Gjesdal Church was built there. The first element is probably the old name of the local river, but the meaning is uncertain. The last element is the plural form of which means "valley" or "dale".

Before 1889, the name was spelled Gjæsdal, which is the Danish spelling. During the period from 1889 to 1917 it was spelled Gjesdal (Norwegian language version). On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Gjestal. This was changed to mimic the pronunciation of the local dialect (the d in dal is pronounced t because of the voiceless consonant s in front). On 26 June 1964, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality back to Gjesdal as part of a border adjustment that was to take effect on 1 January 1965. This change in spelling was made to bring the name back to the etymologically correct form of Gjesdal.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 15 March 1985. The official blazon is "Azure, a ram's head caboshed argent" (I blått et sølv værhode sett forfra). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is the head of a ram. The ram head 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 ram was chosen as a symbol because sheep breeding and wool manufacturing have both been important throughout the history of Gjesdal. The wool industry was centered in the village of Ålgård where wool, textile, and clothing businesses have thrived. It is also an old heraldic charge, that may be found in a number of 14th century Norwegian seals. It depicts almost identical arms in a seal from 1400 of one Aslak Tordsson. The arms were designed by Kai Wood Moe after a preliminary draft by Jørgen Otteren. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Gjesdal. It is part of the Jæren prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

History
The parish of Gjæsdal was established as a municipality in 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). It originally was much smaller than it is today, centered on the Gjesdalen valley in the western part of the present-day municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965 several areas were merged to form a much larger municipality of Gjesdal:
 * the original municipality of Gjesdal (population: 3,353)
 * the Nedre Maudal area in Bjerkreim municipality (population: 40)
 * the Oltesvik area along the Høgsfjorden in Høle municipality (population: 37)
 * the parts of Forsand municipality south and east of the Frafjorden including Dirdal, Frafjord, Byrkjedal, Øvre Maudal, and Østabødal (population: 621)

On 1 January 1970, an unpopulated area of Time Municipality was transferred to Gjesdal. Then on 1 January 1989, another small, unpopulated area of Time was transferred to Gjesdal.

Government
Gjesdal 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 Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Gjesdal 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 (ordfører) of Gjesdal:

 * 1838-1839: Jesper Tjølsen Ravndal
 * 1840-1841: Lars Svendesen Oftedahl
 * 1842-1843: Christian Davidson Edland
 * 1844-1847: Lars Eriksen Berge
 * 1848-1852: Christian Davidson Edland
 * 1852-1853: Peder Ingebretsen Kyllingstad
 * 1854-1860: Aadne Larsen Søyland
 * 1868-1877: Tore Larsen Bergen
 * 1878-1879: Hans Svendsen Vasse
 * 1880-1885: Jesper Jespersen Ravndal
 * 1886-1887: Torger Johannesen Edland
 * 1888-1889: David Olsen Lihme
 * 1890-1893: Ole S. Aalgaard
 * 1894-1898: Knud R. Kluge
 * 1899-1901: Søren Arnesen
 * 1902-1907: Knud R. Kluge
 * 1908-1916: Sven Nilssen
 * 1916-1919: Knud R. Kluge
 * 1920-1931: Svein Søyland
 * 1946-1961: K.B. Lima
 * 1964-1967: Ingolf Stokkeland
 * 1968-1971: Alf Kyllingstad
 * 1972-1975: Alf Ravndal
 * 1976-1983: Ingolf Stokkeland
 * 1984-1987: Rasmus Flesjå (KrF)
 * 1988-1991: Inger Sirevåg
 * 1992-1999: Svein K. Søyland
 * 2000-2007: Karl Edvard Aksnes (KrF)
 * 2008-2013: Olaug Vervik Bollestad (KrF)
 * 2013-present: Frode Fjeldsbø (Ap)

Geography
Gjesdal municipality is located in the southern part of the Jæren district in Rogaland county. To the north and northwest, Gjesdal borders the municipality of Sandnes, to the east is Sirdal municipality (in Agder county), to the south is Bjerkreim municipality, and to the west is the municipality of Time.

Gjesdal sits at the head of the Høgsfjorden and along the south and east sides of the Frafjorden. The Månafossen waterfall, the largest waterfall in Rogaland county, is located in the Frafjord valley. There are several large lakes in the municipality such as Edlandsvatnet, Flassavatnet, Limavatnet, and Oltedalsvatnet. The Figgjoelva river has its headwaters in Gjesdal also.

Notable people

 * Liv Godin (1918 in Ålgård – 2012), a Norwegian missionary who worked in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
 * Finn E. Kydland (born 1943 in Søyland), an economist who was the winner of Nobel Memorial Prize in 2004
 * Olaug Bollestad (born 1961), a nurse and politician who was mayor of Gjesdal from 2007–2013
 * Dagny Mellgren (born 1978 in Ålgård), a footballer who scored the gold medal goal for Norway at the 2000 Summer Olympics
 * Leo Moracchioli (born 1978 in Ålgård), a multi-instrumentalist heavy metal musician and producer based in Oltedal
 * Håvard Rugland (born 1984 in Ålgård), a Norwegian American football placekicker, known as "Kickalicious"

title: Gjesdal