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Etne

Etne is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, although it is also sometimes considered to be part of the district of Haugaland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Etnesjøen. Other villages in the municipality include Skånevik and Fjæra. The two largest villages in the municipality are Etnesjøen with 1,159 residents and Skånevik with 594 residents (all figures from 1 January 2015).

The 735 km2 municipality is the 154th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Etne is the 201st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,073. The municipality's population density is 5.8 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 0.8% over the previous 10-year period.

Etne is situated south of the city of Bergen and it borders the municipalities of Kvinnherad, Ullensvang, Sauda, Suldal, and Vindafjord, the latter three are located in the neighboring county of Rogaland.

A Norwegian motion picture called United was shot in Etne with local people as actors.

General information
Etne was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). Originally, Etne encompassed the area around the Etnefjorden and the surrounding valleys. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the neighboring municipality of Skånevik was dissolved and merged into its neighboring municipalities. All of Skånevik located south of the Åkrafjorden and east of the village of Åkra on the north side of the fjord (population: 1,493) was merged into Etne.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Etnefjorden (Eðni). The name is likely derived from the old name for the river "Etneelvi", Atn or Etn. The meaning of the old river name may come from which means "to drive forward" or "to goad" or it might come from  which means "to eat".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 16 December 1983. The official blazon is "Per pale dovetailed azure and argent" (Kløyvt av blått og kvitt med duestjertsnitt). This means the arms have are divided with a vertical line that is dovetailed. The field (background) to the left of the line has a tincture of blue. To the right of the line, the field has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design was chosen to represent the strong unity between the two former municipalities of Skånevik and Etne that were joined to form one municipality in 1965. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland and John Digernes. 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 Etne. It is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
Etne is situated south of the city of Bergen and it borders the municipalities of Kvinnherad and Ullensvang in Vestland county and the municipalities of Sauda, Suldal, and Vindafjord in Rogaland county.

Etne has a varied landscape, extending from the Etnefjorden, Skånevikfjorden, and Åkrafjorden at sea level, through the villages up to the high mountains. In the far north, there is a barren and heavily eroded mountain glacier, Folgefonna, where the municipality's highest point rises 1638 m above sea level. Folgefonna National Park is partially located in Etne. In addition to that national park, Etne has three nature reserves: Brattholmen, Skåno, and Langebudalen. Lakes in the area include Løkjelsvatnet. The famous waterfall Langfossen is located in northern Etne.

History
Recent archeological findings indicate that the area was already inhabited around 500 BC.

Government
Etne 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 Etne 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 Etne (incomplete list):

 * 2000–2007: Amund Enge (H)
 * 2007–2015: Sigve Sørheim (Sp)
 * 2015–2019: Siri Klokkerstuen (Ap)
 * 2019–present: Mette Heidi Bergsvåg Ekrheim (Sp)

Transportation
The European route E134 highway runs the length of the municipality connecting it to the city of Haugesund in the southwest and to Oslo in the east. The highway runs through Etnesjøen and then northeastwards along the Åkrafjorden before crossing into the neighboring municipality of Odda. There are many tunnels along the route, some quite long, including the Åkrafjord Tunnel, Fjæra Tunnel, Markhus Tunnel, and Rullestad Tunnel.

The Eintveitbrua is a bridge in rural Etne that is not connected to the road network. It is considered to be a bridge to nowhere.

Notable people

 * Erling Skakke (1115 at Etne – 1179), a Norwegian Jarl (Earl) during the 12th century
 * Magnus V of Norway (1156 at Etne – 1184), the King during the Civil war era in Norway
 * Jacob Børretzen (1900 in Etne – 1989), a hymnwriter and linguist
 * Ingvar Moe (1936 in Etne - 1993), a poet, novelist, and children's writer
 * Hans Olav Tungesvik (1936 in Skånevik – 2017), a physician and politician
 * Osmund Kaldheim (born 1964), a businessman, civil servant, and politician who grew up in Etne
 * Ivar Bjørnson (born 1977 in Etne), a composer and guitarist for the progressive black metal band Enslaved
 * Anne Lise Frøkedal (born 1981 in Etne), a folk-pop singer-songwriter known by her stage name Frøkedal

title: Etne


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Sveio

Sveio is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. Sveio is a border district that is sometimes considered to be located in the traditional district of Haugalandet since it is located on the Haugalandet peninsula, but it is also considered to be in the traditional district of Sunnhordland since it is located in southern Hordaland county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sveio. Other villages in the municipality include Auklandshamn, Førde, Våga, and Valevåg.

The 246 km2 municipality is the 290th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sveio is the 165th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,732. The municipality's population density is 25.6 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 6.1% over the previous 10-year period.

Sveio is the site of the Ryvarden Lighthouse which marks the western entrance to the Hardangerfjorden. The lighthouse is automated and the old keepers house and building have now been converted into art galleries, the Flókemuseum, and a cafe. The composer Fartein Valen lived much of his life in Valevåg in northern Sveio. Valenheimen, the house he lived in is open to the public and the Fartein Valen Festival is held annually in Sveio.

The Triangle Link bridge-tunnel network is based in northern Sveio, connecting the islands to the north to the mainland. The southern entrance to the Bømlafjord Tunnel is located along the European route E39 highway, just south of the village of Valevåg.

General information
The municipality of Sveio was established in 1865 when the part of Finnås municipality located south of the Bømlafjorden (population: 2,227) and the Vikebygd part of the municipality of Fjelberg (population: 1,062) were joined as the new municipality of Sveen (later the spelling was changed to Sveio). On 1 January 1902, the Vikebygd area (population: 1,092) was separated from Sveio to form its own municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Sveio (population: 1,697) was merged with the neighboring municipality of Valestrand (population: 1,216), the western half of the municipality of Vikebygd (population: 471), and a small part of the municipality of Skjold (population: 24). The part of Skjold was transferred from Rogaland county to Hordaland county on the same date.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Sveio farm (Svíða) since the medieval Sveio Church was built there. The name is identical with the word which means "to singe" or "to burn", referring to an area that was cleared by burning. Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Sveen. On 1 December 1911, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sveio.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 February 1982. The official blazon is "Gules, a fleur-de-lis cleft argent." (På raud grunn ei kløyvd kvit lilje). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a split fleur-de-lis. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms are derived from the historic arms of Jon Gauteson from Sveio, who lived around the year 1500. His family became Norwegian nobility in 1591, and he was the first in his family to use this symbol as part of his arms. The municipal arms were designed by Kolbjørn Ekkje. 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 Sveio. It is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
The municipality is located on the mainland of Norway on the western coast of the county on the Haugalandet peninsula, facing the North Sea to the west. The entrance to the Hardangerfjorden lies along the northern side of the municipality, and the smaller Ålfjorden lies along the eastern border of the municipality. Sveio's southern border is also the county border, bordering the town of Haugesund and the municipality of Tysvær to the south, the municipality of Vindafjord to the east (across the Ålfjorden), and the island municipalities of Bømlo and Stord to the north (across the Hardangerfjorden). The lakes Vigdarvatnet and Stakkastadvatnet lie in the southern part of the municipality, crossing into the neighboring municipalities. The Ryvarden Lighthouse is located on a small point, along the Hardangerfjorden.

Government
Sveio 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 Sveio is made up of 25 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 Sveio:

 * 1865–1867: Jens Johannessen Tvedt
 * 1868–1869: Gunnar Johannessen Røkenes
 * 1870–1873: G.F. Gautessen
 * 1874–1877: Reinert Enerstvedt
 * 1878–1883: Gunnar Johannessen Røkenes
 * 1884–1893: Jakob Stensen Haukås (H)
 * 1894–1901: Ivar Rodvold (H)
 * 1902–1910: Absalon Eritsland (H)
 * 1911–1913: Bendik Bjelland
 * 1914–1916: Mikal Mølstrevold
 * 1917–1922: Peder Hansen (V)
 * 1923–1927: Georg Tveit (V)
 * 1928–1945: Jakob Enerstvedt (H)
 * 1946–1951: Sigurd Hjellum (V)
 * 1952–1955: Harald Unneland (V)
 * 1956–1963: Sigurd Hjellum (V)
 * 1964–1967: Harald Unneland (V)
 * 1968–1969: S. Ludvig Rasmussen (V)
 * 1970–1973: Ingebrigt Rossehaug (KrF)
 * 1974–1978: Harald Straume (Sp)
 * 1978–1979: Olav Vihovde (KrF)
 * 1988–1990: Mikal Møller Hovda (H)
 * 1991–1991: Reinert Rød (KrF)
 * 1992–1999: Magnus Skåden (Ap)
 * 1999–2003: Olav Haugen (KrF)
 * 2003–2011: Jorunn Skåden (Ap)
 * 2011–2015: Ruth Grethe Eriksen (FrP)
 * 2015–2019: Jorunn Skåden (Ap)
 * 2019–2023: Linn Therese Erve (Ap)
 * 2023-present: André Mundal Haukås (H)

Notable people

 * Einar Økland (born 1940 in Sveio), a Norwegian poet, playwright, essayist, and children's writer
 * May Britt Vihovde (born 1958 in Sveio), a politician and former Member of Parliament
 * Sigbjørn Apeland (born 1966), a scientist and musician, who plays organ and harmonium, was raised in Sveio
 * Bjørn Berge (born 1968 in Sveio), a Norwegian guitarist and blues artist
 * Grutle Kjellson (born 1973 in Sveio), a bassist and vocalist in the progressive black metal band Enslaved
 * Agnes Ravatn (born 1983), an author, columnist, and journalist who lived in Valevåg
 * Cecilie Pedersen (born 1990 in Førde), a Norwegian football striker

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

title: Sveio


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Bømlo

Bømlo is a municipality in the southwestern part of Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Svortland. Other villages in Bømlo include Mosterhamn, Rubbestadneset, Lykling, and Langevåg. Most of the municipal residents live on the island of Bømlo, which makes up the majority of the land in the municipality.

Bømlo was actively involved in the Shetland bus operation during the Second World War. A 23-year-old male from Bømlo, Nils Nesse, was the first of the Shetland Bus men to be killed.

The 247 km2 municipality is the 289th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Bømlo is the 97th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 12,132. The municipality's population density is 51.5 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 4.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Bømlo was established on 1 July 1916 when the old municipality of Finnås was divided into three smaller municipalities: Bømlo, Bremnes, and Moster. Initially, the municipality encompassed the southern part of the island of Bømlo and it had a population of 1,217. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, the municipalities of Bremnes (population: 4,829) and Moster (population: 1,834) were merged with Bømlo (population: 1,463) which together formed a new, larger municipality called Bømlo. On 1 January 1970, a small area along the Valvatnavågen bay on the island of Stord was transferred from Bømlo to the neighboring Stord Municipality. On 1 January 1995, the islands of Aga, Agasystra, Gisøya, Vikøya, Selsøy, Risøya, and many smaller surrounding islands (population: 225) were transferred from the neighboring Fitjar Municipality to Bømlo. These islands had recently been connected to Bømlo by road bridges which precipitated the municipal transfer.

Name
The municipality is named after the main island of Bømlo (Bymbil). The name is possibly derived from the word bembel which means "navel" or "stomach", referring to the "thick" or "swollen" mountain formation of Siggjo. Another possibility is that the name is referring to, the name of a mythological Norse dwarf. Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Bømmel. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Bømlo.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 29 February 1980. The official blazon is "Gules, a sea-leaf argent" (Eit kvitt sjøblad på raud botn). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is the leaf of a water lily interlaced with a trefoil. 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 trefoil symbolizes the three former municipalities Bremnes, Moster, and Bømlo, which were united in 1963. The water lily leaf was chosen because this heart-shaped design is an old Norwegian heraldic charge. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Bømlo. It is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
The municipality includes about 900 islands, islets, and skerries, although most are very small and uninhabited. The main island is also called Bømlo, and other notable islands in Bømlo municipality include Moster, Otterøya, Spyssøya, Goddo, and Espevær. The municipality lies north of the entrance to the Hardangerfjorden, south of the Selbjørnsfjorden, and west of the Stokksundet. The Innværfjorden is a small fjord that cuts into the island of Bømlo around the village of Rubbestadneset.

The large island of Stord lies to the east. Bømlo is connected to Stord by the Triangle Link, which has made transportation to and from the municipality easier and more effective.

Bømlo is commonly distinguished in respect to residential ares. These areas include Svortland (previously Bremnes), Søra-Bømlo (South-Bømlo), Rubbestadneset, Moster, Finnås, Gilje, Goddo, and Hiskjo. Svortland is the administrative centre where there are stores, a cultural centre, schools and official buildings, and is located a bit north of the centre of the island. Moster is on the other hand more to the east with a high percentage of Christians devoted to at least three different christian denominations.

Siggjo
At 474 m in height, the mountain Siggjo is the highest mountain on the island of Bømlo. The rocks on Siggjo contain large amounts of the igneous rock rhyolite, which was used in the Stone Age to create armament and tools. They have found rhyolite from Siggjo as far north as the Trøndelag region of Norway. Siggjo is a popular attraction among locals and tourists.

Lykling
The Lykling village area has become a popular tourist attraction, mainly due to its history of extensive gold mining in Lyklingeberga. The discovery of gold in 1862 by a young shepherd, led to several constructions being built in the area. These were built by three major companies, mainly financed and run by English businessmen. In addition to the mining constructions, there was also built two hotels, one hotelship, several bakeries, and a number of retail stores. Mining activity started in 1882 and ended in 1910, lasting more than 25 years.

Climate
Bømlo, facing the North Sea, has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb, marine west coast), with few temperature extremes. The wettest season is September – January, and the driest is April–July. The all-time high temperature is 30.9 °C recorded 26 July 2019. The all-time low is -12.6 °C recorded 11 January 1987. The five months June – October have never recorded overnight freezes. The average date for the last overnight freeze (low below 0 °C) in spring is 19 March and average date for first freeze in autumn is 5 December, among the latest in Norway (1981-2010 average). The weather station at Slåtterøy lighthouse has been recording temperature since 1923.

Government
Bømlo 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 Bømlo is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

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

 * 1983–1985: Bjarne Kristiansen (Ap)
 * 1995–1997: Marit Elisebet Totland (KrF)
 * 1997–1999: Ola Ersland (H)
 * 1999–2011: Inge Reidar Kallevåg (H)
 * 2011-2019: Odd Harald Hovland (Ap)
 * 2019–2023: Sammy Olsen (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Morten Helland (KrF)

Culture
Bømlo is regionally known for several musical theatres and other theatrical productions performed in Moster Amfi, a local amphitheatre. The most famous performance, Mostraspelet, surrounds the topics of how Christianity arrived to Norway via Bømlo, late during the first millennium.

In 1975, the island of Espevær became known for its conspirative 'UFO-Ring', a physical imprint to the ground supposedly made from a stationed UFO, which is still visible.

Sports
Many local youths are active in some form of sport or activity, either as a hobby, as part of education, or sometimes even with the specific goal of becoming a professional.

Association football is one of the most popular sports played by the male population on the island. In recent years, there has been an increasing number of female footballers as well. Children often start playing football at an early age, and many play active for several years. As their skills develop, they are systematically graded up (or down) in divisions, a type of ranking system. Notable soccer players, such as Arne Larsen Økland, Geirmund Brendesæter, and Gunnar Meling, started their careers in Bremnes IL, one of the local sports clubs. Former top player and current coach for SK Brann, Mons Ivar Mjelde, had a brief stay at Moster IL.

Other popular sports and activities include team handball, motocross, athletics, shooting sports, social dance, floorball, baton twirling, rhythmic gymnastics, swimming, and martial arts.

Industry and economy
Wärtsilä, Eidesvik Offshore, Brandasund fiskeforedling, and Bremnes Seashore are notable industries, all of which are active in industries somehow related to the ocean. This, as well as tourism and agriculture, constitutes the main industries of Bømlo.

The economy of Bømlo is largely sustained by Eidesvik Offshore, Wärtsilä, fishing industry, tourism and general offshore related work.

Education
There are several schools in the area. They are all named according to their geographical locations, and include Svortland, Gilje, Meling, Folderøy, Våge, Håvik, and Espevær, which comprises students from 1st through 7th grade. Rubbestadneset, Moster, and Hillestveit have students from 1st through 10th grade. Bremnes Ungdomsskule, often abbreviated BUS, is located in Svortland, and gathers most students from 8th through 10th grade. There are two upper secondary schools, Bømlo Vidaregåande skule and Rubbestadnes Vidaregåande Skule (formerly Rubbestadnes Yrkesskule).

There is also a Folk High School, Olavskulen Folkehøgskule, which is located at Finnås.

Transport
An extensive tunnel and bridge system, the Triangle Link, connected Bømlo to the mainland and neighboring island Stord on 30 April 2001. It was officially opened on the latter date by king Harald V of Norway. The system includes the Bømlafjord Tunnel, the Bømla Bridge, and the Stord Bridge. The Norwegian County Road 542 is one of the main roads in Bømlo.

There is also a ferry that goes from Langevåg to Buavåg in Sveio, connecting the southern part of Bømlo to the mainland.

Notable people

 * Niels Hertzberg (1759 Finnås – 1841), a priest and politician
 * Gerhard Meidell Gerhardsen (1912 in Finnaas – 1986), an economist
 * Finn Haldorsen (1934 in Rubbestadneset – 2005), a businessman who set up the Rubb group
 * Kjell Habbestad (born 1955 in Bømlo), a contemporary composer
 * Kenneth Sivertsen (1961 in Bømlo – 2006), a musician, composer, poet, and comedian
 * Heine Totland (born 1970 in Moster), a singer
 * Knut Arild Hareide (born 1972 in Rubbestadneset), a politician

Sport

 * Arne Larsen Økland (born 1954 in Bømlo), a former footballer with 280 club caps and 54 for Norway
 * Joakim Våge Nilsen (born 1991 in Bømlo), a footballer with 240 club caps

title: Bømlo


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Stord

Stord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. Stord is sometimes called "Norway in miniature" since it has such a variety of landscapes: coastline, fjords, forests, agricultural land, and mountain areas. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Leirvik, which is also the largest town in the municipality and the whole region of Sunnhordland. Leirvik was declared a town in 1997. Other population centres in the municipality include the large village of Sagvåg and the smaller villages of Litlabø and Grov.

The 144 km2 municipality is the 316th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Stord is the 69th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 19,098. The municipality's population density is 138.9 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 5.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Stordøen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1863, the northern district of the municipality (population: 2,313) was separated to become the new municipality of Fitjar. On 15 May 1868, the southern district of Stordøen located on the mainland (population: 900) was separated to form the new municipality of Valestrand. On 1 January 1898, the southern part of the island of Huglo (population: 117) was transferred from the neighboring municipality of Fjelberg to Stord. On 1 January 1970, the small uninhabited part of the island of Stord along the Valvatnavågen that belonged to Bømlo was transferred to Stord municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the large island of Stord (Storð). The meaning of the name is uncertain, but it may come from the word storð which means "ground" or "earth" (this is an old word that is still used in Icelandic literature). Before 1889, the name was spelled "Stordøen".

Coat of arms
The first coat of arms was adopted on 3 December 1955, but since it did not meet the government regulations, it was not formally approved by the King in council. The blazon is "Azure, a chevron and fire pit argent with flames Or (heraldry)". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a chevron and a fire pit. The chevron and fire pit have a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The flame on the fire pit has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. Due to the fact that it uses two metals for tinctures, it was not approved since it violated heraldic principles. The chevron in the arms is derived from the arms of the Smør family, who used a chevron in their arms. The family was an important noble family in the 14th and 15th century who originated from this area. The flame symbolises the old industries in the village. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

A new coat of arms was designed during the 1980s in order to meet the national heraldry requirements. It was granted on 19 June 1987. The official blazon is "Gules, a holly branch Or" (På raud grunn ein gul kristtorn-kvist). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a holly branch with seven leaves and seven berries. 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 holly was chosen since it is a common tree in the municipality. The arms were designed by Truls Nygaard after an original idea by Harry Herstad. 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 Stord. It is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
Stord is located on the southern half of the island of Stord (the northern part is part of Fitjar Municipality). The municipality also includes the islands of Huglo, Nautøya, and Føyno. The Hardangerfjorden runs along the southern border of the island municipality, separating it from the municipalities of Kvinnherad, Vindafjord, and Sveio. The Langenuen strait runs along the eastern side, separating it from Tysnes municipality. The Stokksundet and Digernessundet straits runs along the western border, separating it from the municipality of Bømlo. The mountain Mehammarsåto is the highest point in the municipality.

History
The battle of Stord was fought on or by this island between the Norwegian king Hakon Haraldsson and the Danish king Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson, supported by Hakon's brother's sons led by Harald "Greycloak" Eiriksson.

Economy
The 3 largest private employers in Stord municipality are: Aker Solutions, Wärtsilä Norway AS and Leirvik AS. Together these three companies employ more than 3000 people.

Aker Solutions, situated south of Leirvik on the peninsula of Eldøyane, is the largest yard in Norway. Aker Solutions has built the biggest oil production platforms in the world, Gullfaks C and Troll.

Transport
An extensive tunnel and bridge system, the Triangle Link, connected Stord to the mainland on 27 December 2000 and to the neighboring island of Bømlo on 30 April 2001. The bridges involved are the Bømla Bridge and Stord Bridge and the tunnel is the Bømlafjord Tunnel. The airport in Stord is Stord Airport, Sørstokken, is located northwest of Sagvåg on the Sørstokken peninsula. On 10 October 2006, Atlantic Airways Flight 670 skidded off the runway at the airport. Four people died.

Healthcare
Stord Hospital is a local hospital for the municipalities in Sunnhordland, with a total of around 50,000 inhabitants. The hospital has specialist health services in medicine, surgery, X-ray, and gynecology. Stord District Psychiatric Center (DPS) is close by and has specialist health services within mental health care for adults and children. Stord ambulance station has premises in the same area and Sunnhordland inter-municipal emergency room is co-located with the hospital.

Government
Stord 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 Stord is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Stord:

 * 1838–1851: Claus Daae
 * 1852–1853: Morten Baade
 * 1853–1853: Christofer Juel Olsen
 * 1854–1857: Mikkel Sjursen Eide
 * 1858–1859: Søren Vincent Hagerup
 * 1860–1861: Nils Christophersen Sundnæs
 * 1862–1863: Thorbjørn Johannessen Eidsvaag
 * 1864–1883: Baard Madsen Haugland (V)
 * 1884–1891: Østen Larsen Eskeland (V)
 * 1892–1897: Per Mikkelsen Lønning (V)
 * 1898–1901: Østen Larsen Eskeland (V)
 * 1902–1907: Peter Vogelius Bredal Deinboll (H)
 * 1908–1931: Ole Olsen Høyland (V)
 * 1932–1934: Nils Økland (V)
 * 1935–1942: Severin Eskeland (V)
 * 1942–1942: Edvard Tjelmeland (NS)
 * 1943–1944: Jon Gjerstad (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Reidar Johannessen (NS)
 * 1945–1955: Ola Høyland (Bp)
 * 1956–1963: Onar Onarheim (H)
 * 1964–1971: Amund Engelsen (V)
 * 1972–1979: Syvert Birkenes (KrF)
 * 1980–1981: Onar Onarheim (H)
 * 1982–1991: Werner Eiler Hagerup (KrF)
 * 1991–2007: Magne Rommetveit (Ap)
 * 2007–2015: Liv Kari Eskeland (H)
 * 2015–2017: Harry Herstad (Ap)
 * 2017–2023: Gaute Straume Epland (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Sigbjørn Framnes (FrP)

Notable people

 * Lars Eskeland (1867–1942), a Norwegian educator, writer, and proponent of Nynorsk
 * Olaf Lange (1875–1965), a Norwegian painter who visualised the complexity of the modern urban life with symbolistic paintings who lived in Stord around 1950
 * Olaf Kullmann (1892–1942), a Norwegian naval officer and then peace activist
 * Magne Rommetveit (1918–2009), a Norwegian lexicographer
 * Ragnar Rommetveit (1924–2017), a Norwegian psychologist and academic
 * Ivar Eskeland (1927–2005), a Norwegian philologist, publisher, translator, biographer, literary critic, newspaper editor, theatre worker, and radio personality
 * Hans J. Røsjorde (born 1941), a politician and County Governor of Oslo and Akershus from 2001 to 2011
 * Jan Kåre Hystad (born 1955), a Norwegian jazz musician who plays saxophone, clarinet, and flute
 * Rune Belsvik (born 1956), a Norwegian novelist, playwright, short story writer, and children's writer
 * Magne Rommetveit (born 1956), a politician and mayor of Stord from 1992–2007
 * Ole Jacob Hystad (born 1960), a Norwegian jazz musician who plays tenor saxophone and clarinet
 * Janove Ottesen (born 1975), a Norwegian musician who sings and plays guitar and barrels
 * Synnøve Macody Lund (born 1976), a Norwegian journalist, film critic, model, and actress
 * Obtained Enslavement (formed 1989 in Stord - 2000), a black metal band from Stord

Sport

 * Geirmund Brendesæter (born 1970), a Norwegian former footballer with nearly 300 club caps
 * Gro Espeseth (born 1972), a former Norwegian footballer with 105 caps for Norway women
 * Odd Christian Eiking (born 1994), a Norwegian cyclist
 * Anders Mol (born 1997), a Norwegian beach volleyball player

title: Stord


text:
Fitjar

Fitjar is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. Fitjar municipality includes the northern part of the island of Stord and the hundreds of surrounding islands, mostly to the northwest of the main island. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fitjar.

The 142 km2 municipality is the 317th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Fitjar is the 224th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,181. The municipality's population density is 23.7 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 6.7% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Fitje was established as a municipality on 1 January 1863 when it was separated from the large Stord Municipality. Initially, the population of Fitje was 2,313. On 1 January 1868, a small area in the municipality of Finnaas (population: 10) was transferred to Fitje. In 1900, the name was changed to Fitjar. The original municipality included all of the land surrounding the Selbjørnsfjorden.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the area of Fitjar located north of the Selbjørnsfjorden on the islands of Huftarøy and Selbjørn (population: 696) was transferred to the neighboring Austevoll Municipality. On 1 January 1995, the islands of Aga, Agasystra, Gisøya, Vikøya, Selsøy, Risøya, and many smaller surrounding islands (population: 225) were transferred from Fitjar to the neighboring Bømlo Municipality. These islands had recently been connected to Bømlo by road bridges which precipitated the municipal transfer.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Fitjar farm (Fitjar) since the first Fitjar Church was built there. The name is the plural form of which means "meadow along the water" or "lush meadow". Before 1900, the name was written "Fitje".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was adopted during the late 1940s, but they have never been formally granted since they did not meet the formal government design requirements. In 2018, the municipal council of Fitjar formally approved the arms after a change to a national law. The blazon is "Azure, a Viking helmet Or within a orle argent". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a Viking helmet with a thin border around the edge of the shield. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms often have a mural crown depicted above the escutcheon. The helmet and the color are derived from the belief that King Haakon the Good wore a golden helmet at the Battle of Fitjar in 961, which was fought in this municipality. King Haakon died from his wounds. His death and reception in Valhalla are described in the skaldic poem Hákonarmál, composed by the Eyvindr skáldaspillir. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag is orange with a depiction of coat of arms in the centre along with the name of the municipality below the arms.

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

History
King Haakon I of Norway (Haakon the Good) maintained his residence at Fitjar. The Battle of Fitjar (Slaget ved Fitjar på Stord) took place in Fitjar on the island of Stord in the year 961 between the forces of King Haakon I and the sons of his half-brother, Eric Bloodaxe. Traditionally, important shipping routes have passed through the area, and the municipality contains several trading posts dating as far back as 1648. Fitjar was separated from Stord in 1863. There have been discussions about a possible reunion of the two municipalities, but no decision has been made.

Geography
The island municipality of Fitjar lies south of the Selbjørnsfjorden, west of the Langenuen strait, east of the island of Bømlo. The municipality includes over 350 islands, although most are uninhabited. The majority of the residents live on the island of Stord, the northern portion of which is in Fitjar. The southern portion of the island is part of the municipality of Stord. The island municipality of Austevoll lies to the north, across the fjord and the island municipality of Tysnes lies across the Langenuen strait to the east, and the island municipality of Bømlo lies to the west.

Government
Fitjar 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 Fitjar 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 Fitjar:

 * 1864–1865: Johannes Sørfonden
 * 1866–1871: Østen Hageberg
 * 1872–1875: Mikkel Sjursen Eide
 * 1876–1895: Østen Hageberg (H)
 * 1896–1904: Anders Aarbø (H)
 * 1905–1913: Mikal Hageberg (H)
 * 1913–1913: Tharald Vestbøstad (H)
 * 1914–1919: Lars Rydland
 * 1920–1925: Peder Rygg
 * 1926–1928: Lars Rydland
 * 1929–1951: Berje Aarbø (Bp)
 * 1952–1955: Harald Henriksen (V)
 * 1956–1967: Peder Nilsen Aga (V)
 * 1968–1971: Knut L. Rydland (H)
 * 1972–1975: Ole Havn (KrF)
 * 1976–1977: Knut L. Rydland (H)
 * 1978–1979: Finn Havnerås (Ap)
 * 1980–1981: Ingebrigt Sørfonn (KrF)
 * 1982–1983: Alf Gjøsæter (H)
 * 1984–1985: Torvald Ingebrigtsen (Ap)
 * 1986–1987: Ingebrigt Sørfonn (KrF)
 * 1988–1991: Kjell Nesbø (Ap)
 * 1992–1995: Johannes Koløen (H)
 * 1995–1998: Per-Gunnar Bukkholm (KrF)
 * 1998–1999: Odd Bondevik (Sp)
 * 1999–2007: Agnar Aarskog (Ap)
 * 2007–2011: Harald Rydland (KrF)
 * 2011–2019: Wenche Tislevoll (H)
 * 2019–2023: Harald Rydland (KrF)
 * 2023–present: Wenche Tislevoll (H)

Attractions
Fitjar Church was built in 1867 over the site of the old medieval stone church which had been demolished. Stone blocks taken from the old stone church were used as foundations for the present-day church as well as for the walling enclosing the churchyard. Opposite Fitjar Church is Haakon's Park (Håkonarparken), the location of a sculpture of Haakon the Good sculpted by Anne Grimdalen. The statue was erected in 1961 at the one thousand year commemoration of the Battle of Fitjar.

Notable people

 * Andreas Fleischer (1878–1957), a theologian, missionary to China, Lutheran Bishop, and priest in Fitjar Church from 1912-1917
 * Otto Hageberg (1936–2014), a literary historian and academic

title: Fitjar


text:
Tysnes

Tysnes is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre is the village of Uggdal. Other population centres in Tysnes include the villages of Våge and Onarheim. The island municipality is located in a group of islands near the mouth of the Hardangerfjorden. The majority of the municipal population lives on the island of Tysnesøya, the largest island in the municipality.

The 255 km2 municipality is the 283rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Tysnes is the 232nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,910. The municipality's population density is 11.9 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 6.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The historic parish of Tysnæs was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1907, the small portion of Tysnes located on the mainland (population: 67) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Kvinnherad. The municipal borders have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Tysnes farm (Týsnes) since the first Tysnes Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Old Norse god Týr. The last element is which means "headland".

This is probably the only place in Norway named after the god Týr. Several place names around the farm also have sacred meanings: Ve (holy place), Helgastein (holy rock), Godøy (the god's island), and Vevatnet (the holy lake). The old name of the big island of Tysnesøy was Njarðarlǫg (the district of the god Njord). Recently, a sun phenomenon connected to the original Tysnes headland has been discovered, and this seems to be the starting-point of the sacral name complex.

Coat of arms
The first coat of arms for Tysnes was adopted on 28 October 1971 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when a new coat of arms replaced it. The official blazon is "Azure, under a chevron two crossed axes argent" (På blå grunn to sølvfarga kryssede økser med sparre over). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is two crossed axes under a chevron. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms were derived from the seal of the medieval Onarheim guild (Olavsgildet). Onarheim is a village on the island of Tysnesøya which was historically a Viking Age center of power in the Sunnhordland region. The chevron above the axes was added to the municipal arms to distinguish it from the medieval arms and the arms for the old Hordaland county. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag had the same design as the coat of arms.

The old coat of arms was never formally adopted because it was too similar to the coat of arms for Hordaland county and the government refused to approve it. After Hordaland county became part of the new Vestland county, the Hordaland arms were no longer used. Additionally, a law was also changed, giving the municipal councils the ultimate authority to determine their own coats of arms, so Tysnes decided to review their arms. The council debated approving the old arms or choosing to adopt the arms of the old Hordaland county (with different colors). In 2020, the council adopted a new coat of arms based on the old Hordaland arms. The official blazon is "Azure, under a royal crown two crossed axes argent" (På blå grunn to sølvfarga kryssede økser med krone over.). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a two crossed axes under a three pointed crown. 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 design was chosen because it more closely resembled the old Onarheim arms than the previous design. 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 Tysnes. It is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government
Tysnes 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 Tysnes is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Tysnes:

 * 1838–1841: Georg Døderlein Greve
 * 1842–1845: Hans Olsen Bakke
 * 1846–1849: Rudolph Grip Normann
 * 1850–1853: Johan Frederik Voss
 * 1854–1861: Herman Olai Hermandsen
 * 1862–1863: Bård J. Nordbustad
 * 1864–1873: Carl Marius Mohr
 * 1874–1881: Herman Olai Hermandsen
 * 1882–1885: Halvor Gjestland
 * 1886–1889: Ole H. Mevatne
 * 1890–1898: Amund J. Utne
 * 1899–1918: Lars B. Sunde
 * 1918–1934: Aksel Gjersvik
 * 1935–1942: Jens Flornes
 * 1942–1944: Erling Jonsgard (NS)
 * 1944–1945: Reidar Johannessen (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Jens Flornes
 * 1947–1947: Johannes M. Lunde
 * 1948–1955: Torbjørn Onarheim
 * 1956–1959: Johannes Heggland
 * 1960–1967: Martinus A. Færevaag
 * 1968–1971: Johannes Heggland
 * 1972–1979: Leif Andersland
 * 1979–1983: Tor Ottersen (H)
 * 1983–1995: Helge Hauge (Sp)
 * 1995–2003: Lorentz Lunde (Sp)
 * 2003–2011: Helge Hauge (Sp)
 * 2011–2015: Kjetil Hestad (Sp)
 * 2015–2023: Kåre Martin Kleppe (H)
 * 2023-present: Synnøve Bakke (Ap)

Geography
The municipality consists of a group of islands, located south of the city of Bergen where the Hardangerfjorden and the coastal archipelago meet. The Bjørnafjorden lies north of the municipality and the Langenuen strait runs along the western side of the municipality. The largest of these islands, named Tysnesøya, can be reached from the mainland either by ferry to the village of Våge on the north side of the island or by the road bridge constructed on the eastern side of the island. The second largest island is Reksteren, which is connected to Tysnesøya by a small road bridge.

Notable people

 * Anders Mowatt of Hugoland (ca. 1530 – ca. 1610 in Tysnes), a Scottish merchant, navy admiral, and landowner
 * Axel Mowat (1592 in Tysnes – 1661), a Norwegian naval officer and land owner becoming Barony Rosendal
 * Karen Mowat (ca. 1630 in Tysnes – 1675), a Norwegian noblewoman, heiress, and landowner of Scottish origins
 * Claus Pavels Riis (1826–1886), a Norwegian author who settled in Tysnes as a landowner and gardener
 * Olav Gurvin (1893 in Tysnes – 1974), a Norwegian musicologist and academic
 * Johannes Heggland (1919 in Tysnes – 2008), a novelist, short story and children's literature writer, playwright, and politician
 * Magnus Aarbakke (born 1934 in Tysnes), a Norwegian judge and Supreme Court Justice from 1994 to 2002

Media
The newspaper Tysnes has been published in Tysnes since 1953.

title: Tysnes


text:
Kvinnherad

Kvinnherad is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, along the Hardangerfjorden. The municipality was the 5th in size in former Hordaland county.

The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rosendal. The largest village is Husnes, with about 6,000 people living in or near the village. Other villages include Ænes, Åkra, Dimmelsvik, Eidsvik, Hatlestrand, Herøysund, Høylandsbygd, Ølve, Sæbøvik, Sundal, Sunde, Uskedal, and Valen.

The 1091 km2 municipality is the 104th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvinnherad is the 93rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 13,058. The municipality's population density is 12.5 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 1.9% over the previous 10-year period.

In the southern part of Kvinnherad you will find the typical fjord landscape of western Norway. The areas of Mauranger and Rosendal are said to have about the most beautiful fjord landscape of Hardanger as a whole: narrow fjords, wild water-falls, and the nearby Folgefonna, the third biggest glacier in Norway.

General information
The parish of Qvindherred was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1907, a small area northwest of the villages of Ølve and Husa (population: 67) was transferred from neighboring Tysnes municipality to Kvinnherad. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the following areas were merged into one large municipality of Kvinnherad:
 * All of Skånevik municipality located north of the Skånevikfjorden-Åkrafjorden and west of the Åkra area (population: 1,189)
 * All of Fjelberg municipality (population: 2,308)
 * All of the old Kvinnherad municipality (population: 5,831)
 * All of Varaldsøy municipality, except for the Mundheim area, (population: 511)

On 1 January 2013, the southwestern part of the Folgefonna peninsula (south of Kysnesstranda) was transferred from Kvinnherad to the neighboring Jondal municipality. This removed forty residents and 37.1 km2 of land area from the municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old name for the area (Kvinnaherað). The first element may be derived from the word tvinnr which means "double", likely referring to the two rivers running through Rosendal, the administrative centre of the municipality. The last element is which means "district" or "countryside". The municipal name has been spelled several ways throughout history. Before 1889, the name was written Quindherred, then in 1889 the spelling was "modernized" to Kvinnherred. At that time, all municipalities in Norway were titled (which was used similarly to the word "municipality"), so it was formally named Kvinnherred herred, which looked a little repetitive. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Kvinnherad.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 18 June 1982. The official blazon is "Argent, a pall wavy azure" (På kvit grunn ein blå gaffelkross laga med bølgjesnitt). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The ordinary is a pall with wavy edges. The design of the arms show the confluence of two blue rivers into one on a white or silver background. The rivers symbolize the many streams and rivers in the municipality, especially the Hattebergselvi and the Melselvi, that come together just before they run into the sea at Rosendal. The arms were designed by Truls Nygaard, after a proposal by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has nine parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Kvinnherad. It is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Economy
The economy of Kvinnherad is based on the rich water resources within its boundaries. This includes power production, aluminium production (Sør-Norge Aluminium), fish farming, shipbuilding (Eidsvik Skipsbyggeri, Hellesøy Verft, Bergen Group Halsnøy), and lifeboat production (Umoe Schat-Harding, Norsafe, Eide Marine Tech, Noreq). These industries are spread throughout the municipality.

Kvinnherad has two local newspapers, Kvinnheringen and Grenda, as well as a local TV channel, TV Sydvest.

Government
Kvinnherad 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 Kvinnherad is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Kvinnherad:

 * 1838–1845: Elias Børge Unger
 * 1846–1849: Christian Lerche Dahl
 * 1850–1851: Gabriel Andreas Heiberg
 * 1852–1855: Samson Torsen Stueland
 * 1856–1857: Christian Lerche Dahl
 * 1858–1861: Hans H. Helland
 * 1862–1862: O. Matthiesen
 * 1862–1865: Ole L. Berget
 * 1866–1867: Lars Olsen Skeie
 * 1868–1869: Hans H. Helland
 * 1870–1873: Clemmet Gerhardsen Roalstveit
 * 1874–1875: Michael L. Langballe
 * 1876–1881: Ole Andreas Olsen (V)
 * 1882–1885: Godskalk Knudsen Aarsand (V)
 * 1886–1893: Andreas Lavik (MV)
 * 1894–1898: Ivar Arnesen (V)
 * 1899–1916: Axel Lea (V)
 * 1917–1941: Ingemar Traavik (Bp)
 * 1942–1945: Einar Tvedt (NS)
 * 1945–1949: Ingemar Traavik (Bp)
 * 1949–1955: Lars Eikeland (V)
 * 1956–1959: Magnus Aksnes (V)
 * 1960–1963: Knut Skaaluren (Sp)
 * 1964–1971: Berge Sæberg (Sp)
 * 1972–1975: Jens Arnesen (H)
 * 1976–1979: Berge Sæberg (Sp)
 * 1980–1985: Jens Arnesen (H)
 * 1986–1993: Thorleif J. Hellesøy (Sp)
 * 1994–1995: Eirik Meyer Eide (KrF)
 * 1995–2003: Aksel Kloster (Ap)
 * 2003–2007: Bjarne Berge (LL)
 * 2007–2015: Synnøve Solbakken (Ap)
 * 2015–2019: Peder Sjo Slettebø (H)
 * 2019–2021: Hans Inge Myrvold (Sp)
 * 2021–2023: Hilde Enstad (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Vegard Bjørnevik (H)

Geography
The municipality is located along the large Hardangerfjorden, mostly on the southeast side of the fjord on the Folgefonna peninsula, but also a small part on the other side. It includes several notable islands in the fjord including Varaldsøy, Fjelbergøya, Borgundøya, and Halsnøya.

The large Folgefonna National Park, which surrounds the Folgefonna glacier, is partially located in Kvinnherad. The northern part of the municipality is often referred to as Mauranger. It is the area surrounding the Maurangsfjorden. The notable Bondhusbreen glacier is located just south of that fjord, near the village of Sundal. The Jondal Tunnel and Folgefonna Tunnel both connect Mauranger with neighboring Odda and Jondal by cutting through the large mountains surrounding Mauranger.

The municipality has many large lakes including Blådalsvatnet, Juklavatnet, and Onarheimsvatnet. Many of these lakes are utilized for hydroelectric power generation.

Tourism and places of interest
Kvinnherad is a popular tourist location because of its natural landscape as well as several places of interest. The most notable of which include Kvinnherad Church, the Bondhusbreen glacier, the shipping mural in Høylandsbygd, and Radiohola. Rosendal, the administrative centre of the municipality, is the site of the greatest tourist attraction in Kvinnherad: the Barony Rosendal. The Barony is the only one of its kind in Norway. It is a museum, which offers valuable information about the Union with Denmark, an important period of Norwegian history. It was one of the locations of the 1958 film "The Vikings" starring Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and Ernest Borgnine. Many of the citizens of Kvinnherad/Hardanger, Norway were used as extras.

Notable people

 * Axel Gyntersberg (ca.1525 – 1588 in Kvinnherad), a Norwegian nobleman and feudal overlord
 * Johannes Lauritsson (ca.1540 – ca.1620), a wealthy Norwegian landowner who lived Valen 1563-1578
 * Axel Rosenkrantz (1670 in Kvinnherad – 1723), a landowner and baron who owned the Barony Rosendal
 * Andreas Lavik (1854–1918), a revivalist, temperance advocate, magazine editor, farmer, headmaster, and politician who lived in Kvinnherad from 1885 where he was Mayor for eight years
 * Jens Tvedt (1857 in Kvinnherad – 1935), a Norwegian novelist and writer of short stories
 * Gisle Midttun (1881 in Kvinnherad – 1940), a Norwegian cultural historian and museologist
 * Olav Midttun (1883 in Mauranger – 1972), a philologist, biographer, and magazine editor
 * Ragnvald Vaage (1889 in Husnes – 1966), a Norwegian poet, novelist, and children's writer
 * Sigurd Valvatne DSO DSC (born 1913 in Kvinnherad), a naval officer and submariner
 * Frank Meidell Falch (1920 in Kvinnherad – 2013), a Norwegian media director and politician
 * Egil Myklebust (born 1942 in Kvinnherad), a businessperson, lawyer, and CEO of SAS Group
 * Lars Amund Vaage (born 1952 at Sunde), a novelist
 * Endre Hellestveit (born 1976 in Rosendal), a Norwegian actor
 * Hans Inge Myrvold (born 1985), a Norwegian politician and mayor of Kvinnherad in 2019
 * Erlend Bratland (born 1991 in Husnes), a Norwegian singer who won Norske Talenter in 2008

title: Kvinnherad


text:
Jondal

Jondal is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The 247 km2 municipality existed from 1863 until its dissolution in 2020 when it became part of Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located on the Folgefonna peninsula in the Hardanger district, on the eastern shore of the Hardangerfjorden. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Jondal. Other villages in Jondal include Herand, Kysnesstranda, and Torsnes.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 247 km2 municipality is the 305th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Jondal is the 386th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,108. The municipality's population density is 4.7 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 4.9% over the last decade.

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

General information
The municipality of Jondal was established on 1 January 1863 when it was separated from the large municipality of Strandebarm. Initially, Jondal had a population of 1,663.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, there were two changes that effected Jondal municipality: the part of Jondal located on the northwestern side of the Hardangerfjorden (population: 515) was transferred to Kvam Municipality and the Kysnesstranda area of Strandebarm municipality (population: 100) was transferred to Jondal.

Then on 1 January 2013, the southwestern part of the Folgefonna peninsula (south of Kysnesstranda) was transferred to Jondal from the neighboring Kvinnherad Municipality. This added forty new residents and 37.1 km2 of land area to the municipality.

On 1 January 2020, the three neighboring municipalities of Jondal, Odda, and Ullensvang were merged. The new municipality was named Ullensvang and its administrative centre is the town of Odda.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Jondalen valley (Jónardalr) which runs through the municipality and it is where the village of Jondal is located. The first element is an old river name (now called Jondalselvi). The meaning of the river name is unknown. The last element is which means "valley" or "dale".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 27 November 1987 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Gules, three boathooks bendwise issuant from sinister base Or" (På raud grunn tre skrått framveksande gule båtshaker). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a set of three boat hookss lined up diagonally. 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. This design was chosen to symbolise the importance of sailing and shipping along the Hardangerfjord. Historically, Jondal has been known for its shipyards and sailing college. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen. 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 Jondal. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
Jondal was located on the southeast side of the Hardangerfjorden on the Folgefonna peninsula. It was bounded by the large Folgefonna glacier to the southeast (inside Folgefonna National Park). The lake Juklavatnet was located on the municipal border with Kvinnherad. The 10 km long tunnel runs under the glacier from Jondal to Mauranger in Kvinnherad.

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

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Jondal was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Jondal (incomplete list):
 * 2007–2009: Sigrid Brattabø Handegard (Sp)
 * 2009–2019: Jon Larsgard (Sp)

Notable people

 * Herborg Kråkevik, a singer and actress
 * Bjørg Hope Galtung, the mayor of Jondal from 1979 to 1993 (only leaving to sit in the national Parliament)

title: Jondal


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Odda

Odda is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located in southeastern Hordaland county, surrounding the southern end of the Sørfjorden. The administrative centre was the town of Odda, which was also the main commercial and economic centre of the entire Hardanger region. Other villages in the municipality included Botnen, Eitrheim, Håra, Røldal, Seljestad, Skare, and Tyssedal.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 1616 km2 municipality was the 42nd largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Odda is the 150th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,025. The municipality's population density is 4.8 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 1.8% over the last decade.

In 1927, Erling Johnson, working at Odda Smelteverk, invented a process to produce three-component, NPK fertilizers. This process is now known as the Odda process.

General information
The municipality of Odda was established on 1 July 1913 when the southern district of Ullensvang was separated out to form its own municipality. Initially, Odda had 3,077 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipality of Røldal (population: 676) was merged into Odda, bringing the total population of the new municipality to 10,163 residents.

On 1 January 2020, the three neighboring municipalities of Jondal, Odda, and Ullensvang were merged. The new municipality is called Ullensvang and its administrative centre is the town of Odda.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Odda farm (Oddi) since the first Odda Church was built there. The name is identical with the word which means "headland".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 8 October 1982 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Azure, an arrowhead argent" (På blå grunn ein opprett sølv pilodd). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is an arrowhead (pilodd) that is pointing upwards. The arrowhead has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms are somewhat canting arms since the name of the municipality means headland or point. However, the arrowhead was also chosen because it symbolises power and movement. This is seen as reflecting the strength of will of the community and also the production of hydroelectric power and the important industries based on it. The colors are interpreted as representing the white of the Folgefonna glacier and the snowcapped mountains surrounding Odda and the blue of the fjord cutting deep into the landscape to reach 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 had four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Odda. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

History
The Røldal Stave Church was built in the years 1200–1250 in the present-day village of Røldal. This was one of the oldest structures in the municipality.

During the 19th century, Odda became a significant tourist destination. Visits ranged from English pioneers around 1830 to the German Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II, who visited Odda every year between 1891 and 1914. This led to the construction of several hotels in the municipality.

Odda Municipality was centred on the modern town of Odda which grew up around smelters built at the head of the Sørfjorden branch of the Hardangerfjord in the mid-twentieth century, drawing migrants from different parts of Norway.

The carbide production and the subsequent production of cyanamide was started in 1908 after the water power plant was operational and provided the necessary electricity for the arc furnaces. The plant was the largest in the world and remained operational till 2003 shortly after the plant was sold to Philipp Brothers Chemicals Inc. The Norwegian government tried to get the site recognized together with other industrial plants as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2010 an international report stated: What makes Odda smelteverk so important and central to the application of Norway’s hydro power sites and pioneer chemical industry as a World Heritage Site is the fact that here in an internationally unique way the physical remains of an early chemical production process are still present.

Dialect
Odda grew up around this smelter in the early-twentieth century, drawing migrants from different parts of Norway. As a result, there developed a new dialect, a mixture of that spoken in the home regions of the migrants - a phenomenon termed by linguists "a Koiné language". The town of Odda and neighboring village of Tyssedal - which arose in the same time and socio-economic circumstances as those of Odda - provided valuable insights to linguists studying this phenomenon. The researcher Paul Kerswill conducted an intensive study of the Norwegian spoken in the two communities, relating them to very different geographical origins: The workers in Odda came predominantly (86%) from western Norway. In Tyssedal only about one third came from western Norway; one third came from eastern Norway; and the rest from other parts of the country. The dialects that evolved in these two communities were radically different from each other, though spoken at a short geographical distance from each other.

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

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Odda was made up of 27 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Odda:

 * 1913–1919: Johannes Apold
 * 1920–1922: Guttorm Narum
 * 1923–1925: Olav O. Aga
 * 1926–1931: Karl Bøthun
 * 1932–1941: Lars Nilsen Hjelle
 * 1945–1945: Jakob Pettersen
 * 1946–1951: Johan Slåttelid
 * 1952–1971: Sverre Indrebø
 * 1972–1979: Einar Tveit
 * 1980–1985: Leiv Stensland
 * 1986–1995: Knut Erdal
 * 1995–2007: Toralv Mikkelsen
 * 2007–2011: Gard Folkvord
 * 2011–2015: John Opdal
 * 2015–2019: Roald Aga Haug

Geography
Odda municipality was very mountainous and the settlements were all located in valleys. Because of the many mountains, there were many large waterfalls including Låtefossen, Espelandsfossen, and Tyssestrengene. There are also many large lakes such as Sandvinvatnet, Votna, Valldalsvatnet, Røldalsvatnet, Ringedalsvatnet, Langavatnet, and parts of Ståvatn. On top of the high mountains in western Odda is the vast Folgefonna glacier, including the Buarbreen glacier near the town of Odda. Part of Folgefonna National Park is in Odda. The western part of the municipality sits on top of the southern part of the Hardangervidda plateau, which also includes part of the Hardangervidda National Park. The mountains Kistenuten and Sandfloegga are located on the plateau.

Transportation
The municipality sat at a crossroads of two major roads. The European route E134 highway runs east–west through Odda municipality, cutting through many mountains in the Røldal Tunnel, Horda Tunnel, Austmannali Tunnel, and Haukeli Tunnel. The other main road is the Norwegian National Road 13 which runs north–south through the municipality. The two roads run together from Seljestad to Håra. At Eitrheim, the Folgefonna Tunnel connects Odda to the neighboring area of Mauranger in Kvinnherad Municipality, cutting through the mountains under the Folgefonna glacier.

Health care
Odda Hospital provides health services to the inhabitants of Hardanger. The ambulance station, Folgefonn DPS Odda and the municipal hospital are also located in the hospital area. The population can also receive health services at local health stations.

In popular culture
The town is used as the backdrop for the fictional town of Edda in the Netflix Norwegian-language drama series Ragnarok.

title: Odda


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Ullensvang

Ullensvang is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the town of Odda. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Lofthus, Utne, Vikebygd, Alsåker, Botnen, Eitrheim, Håra, Røldal, Seljestad, Skare, Tyssedal, Jondal, Herand, Kysnesstranda, and Torsnes.

The main inhabited part of Ullensvang municipality lies just to the west of Hardangervidda National Park, which covers most of the Hardangervidda plateau, Europe's largest mountain plateau. Most inhabitants live in the narrow coastal mountainsides and valleys along the Hardangerfjorden and Sørfjorden. The largest urban areas in Ullensvang are Odda, Kinsarvik, Jondal, and Lofthus. The Norwegian National Road 13 and the European route E134 are the two main roads through the municipality. National road 13 crosses the Hardangerfjorden via the Hardanger Bridge in the far northern part of the municipality.

The 3230 km2 municipality is the 12th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ullensvang is the 104th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,148. The municipality's population density is 3.8 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period. The number of inhabitants has shown a decrease of several hundred people since 1980. This development can be seen in light of the general depopulation of rural Norway.

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

As of Q3 2024, a copy of a stave church is nearing completion, above the centre of Odda.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Ullensvang farm (Ullinsvangr) since the first Ullensvang Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Norse god Ullin (an alternate form of the name Ullr). The last element is which means "field" or "meadow". Prior to the 2020 municipal merger, this municipality was called Ullensvang herad, but after the merger it was called Ullensvang kommune.

Coat of arms
The original coat of arms was granted on 8 November 1979 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when a new version of the arms was put into use. The official blazon was "Gules, a bar Or between three fleur-de-lis of the same" (I raudt ein gull bjelke følgd av tre gull liljer, to over og ei under bjelken). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a horizontal stripe across the middle, with three fleur-de-lis designs (two above the stripe, one below). 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 design of the arms was derived from the arms of Sigurd Brynjulvsson Galte, a medieval nobleman from the area. They can be seen on his gravestone from 1302 at the local church. As it is the oldest gravestone in the church, the arms were well known in the village, hence the choice for the arms of this knight as municipal arms. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

A new coat of arms was granted in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020 after Odda and Jondal municipalities were merged with Ullensvang. The new arms were the same design as the previous arms, but they incorporated the colors from the old arms of Odda Municipality (blue and white instead of red and gold). The official blazon for the new arms is "Azure, a bar argent between three fleur-de-lis of the same" (I blå ein sølv bjelke følgd av tre sølv liljer, to over og ei under bjelken).

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

History
On 1 January 1838, the large parish of Kinsarvik was established as a municipality (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The large parish was made up of the main parish and the annex of Ullensvang. On 1 January 1869, Ullensvang became the main parish and Kinsarvik became an annex to Ullensvang. At this time the municipality changed its name to Ullensvang. On 1 January 1882, a small area of Ullensvang (population: 22) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Vikør. On 1 July 1913, the municipality of Ullensvang was divided into three parts: the northwestern part became Kinsarvik Municipality, the southern part became Odda Municipality, and the rest remained as Ullensvang Municipality, albeit much smaller. This left Ullensvang with 1,941 residents.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the following areas were merged into one large municipality: all of Ullensvang Municipality, all of Eidfjord Municipality, and most of Kinsarvik Municipality (except for the Lussand-Kvanndal area which went to Granvin Municipality). The newly enlarged municipality was named Ullensvang. On 1 January 1965, the Åsgrenda area of Kvam Municipality (population: 61) was transferred to Ullensvang. This new, large municipality of Ullensvang that was created in 1964-1965 was not long-lived. On 1 January 1977, the area that once was Eidfjord Municipality became its own municipality once again. This left Ullensvang with 3,937 residents.

On 1 January 2020, the three neighboring municipalities of Jondal, Odda, and Ullensvang were merged into a new, larger Ullensvang Municipality. At that time, the administrative centre was moved from the village of Kinsarvik to the larger town of Odda. On 1 January 2022, the Ytre Bu area of Ullensvang (population: 24) was transferred to the neighboring Eidfjord Municipality.

Geography
The municipality of Ullensvang is located on the shores of the Hardangerfjorden and the Sørfjorden and it stretches all the way up to the Folgefonna glacier inside Folgefonna National Park on the Folgefonna peninsula in the western part of the municipality. It continues up to the vast Hardangervidda plateau in the east, including part of the Hardangervidda National Park. The lakes Kvensjøen and Veivatnet as well as the mountain Hårteigen are all located in Ullensvang on the plateau.

Climate
The lowland areas of Ullensvang near the Hardanger fjord has a temperate oceanic climate (marine west coast climate, Cfb in the Köppen climate classification). The average daily high range from 3.0 C in January and February to 20.0 C in July. The driest season is April - August, while the wettest is October - March. The all-time high temperature is 33.5 °C recorded 28 July 2019; the all-time low is -14.5 °C recorded 9 February 1966. The weather station Ullensvang Forsøksgard has been recording temperature since 1865.

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

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Ullensvang 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 (ordførar) of Ullensvang:

 * 1838–1841: Nils Koren
 * 1842–1842: Guttorm K. Rogdeberg
 * 1844–1871: Johannes Johannesen Aga
 * 1872–1873: Hans H. Utne
 * 1874–1879: Johannes Johannesen Aga
 * 1880–1895: Johannes Helleland
 * 1896–1897: Torstein Hus
 * 1898–1905: Johannes Helleland
 * 1905–1910: Torstein Hus
 * 1911–1919: Halldor Eidnes
 * 1920–1945: Thorvald H. Utne
 * 1946–1951: Oddmund A. Aarhus
 * 1952–1955: Knut L. Måge
 * 1956–1959: Lars Bergo
 * 1959–1963: Knut L. Måge (V)
 * 1964–1968: Jakob D. Hus
 * 1968–1973: Torgils Lægreid
 * 1974–1976: Tomas Sekse (Sp)
 * 1976–1991: Torolv Hesthamar (Sp)
 * 1991–1995: Lars Haustveit (Sp)
 * 1995–1999: Torgils L. Jåstad (Sp)
 * 1999–2003: Einar Lutro (H)
 * 2003–2019: Solfrid Borge (Sp)
 * 2019–present: Roald Aga Haug (Ap)

Public service

 * Nils Christian Egede Hertzberg (1827 in Ullensvang – 1911), a theologian, educator, and politician
 * Knud Knudsen (1832 in Odda – 1915), one of Norway's first professional photographers
 * Halldor O. Opedal (1895 in Lofthus – 1986), a Norwegian teacher and folklorist
 * Eiliv Austlid (1899 in Ullensvang – 1940), a Norwegian farmer and army officer
 * Torbjørn Mork (1928 in Odda – 1992), a Norwegian physician and civil servant

The Arts

 * Nils Tjoflot (1865 in Tjoflot – 1898), a Norwegian violinist
 * Georg Brochmann (1894 in Ullensvang – 1952), a journalist, writer and playwright
 * Zinken Hopp (1905 in Ullensvang – 1987), a Norwegian author, poet and playwright
 * Claes Gill (1910 in Odda - 1973), a Norwegian author, poet, and actor
 * Anne B. Ragde (born 1957 in Odda), a Norwegian novelist
 * Frode Grytten (born 1960), a Norwegian writer and journalist who grew up in Odda
 * Knut Olav Åmås (born 1968 in Odda), a Norwegian writer, editor, and politician
 * Svein Olav Herstad (born 1969 in Odda), a jazz pianist
 * Leif Einar Lothe (born 1969 in Odda), a Norwegian TV personality who uses the stage name Lothepus
 * Marit Eikemo (born 1971 in Odda), an essayist, novelist, journalist, and magazine editor
 * Rannveig Djønne (born 1974 in Djønno), a Norwegian folk musician

Sport

 * Roger Albertsen (1957–2003), a football midfielder with over 300 club caps and 25 for Norway
 * Håkon Opdal (born 1982 in Odda), a footballer with over 350 club caps and 12 for Norway

Attractions
Ullensvang is Norway's biggest supplier of fruit, especially sweet cherries and apples. Every summer a cherry festival is held at Lofthus, where the Norwegian championship of cherry stone spitting is held. The record is 14.24 m by S. Kleivkaas. Each May, a musical festival is held at Ullensvang Hotel (built in 1846), when musicians from all of Norway come to the village. The famous composer Edvard Grieg spent many summers at Lofthus, and the festival is held in his honor. During the summer, the population is doubled due to tourism. Attractions in addition to the previous mentioned, are the medieval Ullensvang Church at Lofthus (built around 1250) and Kinsarvik Church (built around 1150), several waterfalls such as the Skrikjofossen, the flowering season in May, and museums at Aga, Utne, and Skredhaugen.

title: Ullensvang


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Rudolf von Gottschall

Rudolf Gottschall (von Gottschall since 1877; 30 September 1823 – 21 March 1909) was a German poet, dramatist, literary critic and literary historian.

Biography
He was born at Breslau, the son of a Prussian artillery officer. He was educated at the gymnasia in Mainz and Coburg, and subsequently at Rastenburg in East Prussia. In 1841 he entered the University of Königsberg as a law student, but was expelled for his outspoken liberal opinions. The academic authorities at Breslau and Leipzig were equally intolerant towards him, and it was only in Berlin that he found himself free to pursue his studies. During this period he issued Lieder der Gegenwart (“Songs of the present,” 1842) and Zensurflüchtlinge (“Refugees from censoring,” 1843) - the poetical fruits of his political enthusiasm. He completed his studies in Berlin, and took the degree of doctor juris in Königsberg.

His political views continued to stand in the way of his career, and Gottschall gave up the law to devote himself entirely to literature. He met with immediate success, and beginning as a dramaturge in Königsberg with Der Blinde von Alcala (1846) and Lord Byron in Italien (1847), he went on to Hamburg where he occupied a similar position. His political and social sympathies with the revolutionary movement of 1848 were shown in the dramas Wiener Immortellen (1848), Lambertine von Méricourt (1850), and Ferdinand von Schill (1851), as well as in his first collection of poems, Gedichte (1850), and in a lyric epic, Die Göttin, ein hohes Lied vom Weibe (1853).

In 1852 he married Marie, baroness von Seherr-Thoss, and for the next few years lived in Silesia. From this time on, his work became more serene in temper and style. An epic, Carlo Zeno, was followed by a very successful historical comedy (after the style of Scribe), Pitt und Fox (1854), and this by literary and historical studies, whose final titles were: ''Die deutsche National Litteratur des XIX. Jahrhunderts (1892) and Poetik: Die Dichtkunst und ihre Formen'' (1858).

In 1862 he took over the editorship of a newspaper, but in 1864 moved to Leipzig. Gottschall was raised, in 1877, by the king of Prussia to the hereditary nobility with the prefix "von," having been previously made a Geheimer Hofrat by the Grand Duke of Weimar. Down to 1887 Gottschall edited the Brockhaussche Blätter für litterarische Unterhaltung and the monthly periodical Unsere Zeit. He died at Leipzig.

Gottschall was also a noted chess player. The Deutschen Schachbund (DSB) was founded in Leipzig on 18 July 1877 by athletes and intellectuals such as Adolf Anderssen, Rudolf Gottschall, Hermann Zwanziger, Max Lange and Carl Göring. When the next meeting took place on 15 July 1879 in Leipzig (the 1st DSB Congress), sixty-two clubs had become member of the German Chess Federation (DSB). Hofrat von Gottschall became Chairman and Zwanziger the General Secretary.

Works
Gottschall's prolific literary productions cover the fields of poetry, novel-writing and literary criticism. Among his volumes of lyric poetry are Sebastopol (1856), Janus (1873), Bunte Blüten (1891). Among his epics, Carlo Zeno (1854), Maja (1864), dealing with an episode in the Indian Mutiny, and Merlins Wanderungen (1887). Pitt und Fox (1854) was never surpassed by his other lighter dramas, among which may be mentioned Die Welt des Schwindels and Der Spion von Rheinsberg. The tragedies, Mazeppa, Catharine Howard, Amy Robsart and Der Gotze von Venedig, were very successful; and the historical novels, Im Banne des schwarzen Adlers (1875; 4th ed., 1884), Die Erbschaft des Blutes (1881), Die Tochter Rübezahls (1889), and Verkümmerte Existenzen (1892), enjoyed a high degree of popularity. His ''Die deutsche Nationalliteratur des 19. Jahrhunderts (1855), and Poetik'' (1858) commanded the respect of all students of literature. Of his many novels, the first, Im Baune des schwarzen Adlers (1876), is considered by many critics his best. Gottschall was active as an editor and compiler of anthologies.

Gottschall's collected Dramatische Werke appeared in 12 vols. in 1880 (2nd ed., 1884); he also later published many volumes of collected essays and criticisms. See his autobiography, Aus meiner Jugend (1898).

title: Rudolf von Gottschall


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Eidfjord

Eidfjord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Eidfjord, where the majority of the municipal population lives. The other major population centre in the municipality is the village of Øvre Eidfjord.

Eidfjord is situated at the end of the Eid Fjord, an inner branch of the large Hardangerfjorden. The village of Eidfjord is a major cruise ship port of call. Eidfjord has several tourist sites, like the Sima Power Plant which is built into the mountain itself, the Måbødalen valley, and the Vøringsfossen waterfall which has a free fall of 182 m. Large parts of the Hardangervidda (Europe's largest mountain plateau) are located in Eidfjord. The Hardangervidda Natursenter, a visitors centre and museum for Hardangervidda National Park, is located in Øvre Eidfjord.

The 1498 km2 municipality is the 57th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Eidfjord is the 337th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 962. The municipality's population density is 0.7 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 1.1% over the previous 10-year period.

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

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

On 1 May 1891, the municipality of Ulvik was divided into three separate municipalities: the western part became Graven Municipality (population: 1,331) and the southeastern part became the new Eidfjord Municipality (population: 1,018). This left a much smaller Ulvik Municipality in between the two new municipalities. In 1895, a small part of Eidfjord (population: 3) was transferred back to Ulvik Municipality.

Eidfjord existed as a municipality from 1891 until 1964 when a major municipal merger took place as a result of municipal reform in Norway due to the Schei Committee. Eidfjord Municipality (population: 983), most Kinsarvik Municipality (population: 1,513), and Ullensvang Municipality (population: 2,358) were all merged into one large Ullensvang Municipality. This merger was not well-liked by the population of Eidsfjord, and so on 1 January 1977, part of the merger was undone, and the area of the "old" Eidfjord Municipality (population: 1,223) was separated to form its own municipality once again.

On 1 January 2022, the roughly 7 km2 Ytre Bu area of Ullensvang Municipality (population: 24) was transferred to the neighboring Eidfjord Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the annex parish) is named after the Eid Fjord (Eiðafjörðr) since the first Eidfjord Church was built there. The first element comes from the old Eid farm (Eiðar). The name of the farm derives from the word which means "isthmus", referring to the land between the fjord and the lake Eidfjordvatnet. The last element is which means "fjord".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 13 July 1984. The official blazon is "Azure, a reindeer antler argent" (På blå grunn eit kvitt reinsdyrgevir). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a reindeer antler. The antler 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 reindeer antler was chosen because the first known settlers of the area were reindeer hunters. The reindeer has been important for the population in the Hardangervidda area for many centuries. The antler also symbolizes the rivers that run from the mountain into the fjord. 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 Eidfjord. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
Eidfjord Municipality sits at the innermost part of the Hardangerfjorden and it stretches inland to include part of the vast Hardangervidda plateau. Part of the Hardangervidda National Park lies in the municipality. Eidfjord municipality borders Ullensvang Municipality to the southwest, Nore og Uvdal Municipality and Hol Municipality (both in Buskerud county) to the east, and Ulvik Municipality to the north.

Eidfjord Municipality begins at sea level along the fjord, the valleys leading away from the fjord are surrounded by high mountains which lead up to the alpine plateau called Hardangervidda. The Måbødalen valley is a narrow valley that leads upland to the Vøringfossen waterfall. There are several lakes in Eidfjord including Eidfjordvatnet, Nordmannslågen, and Sysenvatnet. The lakes Halnefjorden, Skaupsjøen, and Tinnhølen are all partially located in Eidfjord. The Hardangerjøkulen glacier is partially located in northern Eidfjord.

History
The parish of Eidfjord was very special because it belonged to the Bishop of Stavanger (and not the Bishop of Bergen as all the other parishes in present-day Vestland county) from 1125 until 1630. The Ancient Diocese of Stavanger was created out of the Ancient Diocese of Bergen and it included all of present-day Rogaland and Agder counties, plus the districts of Hallingdal in Buskerud county and Valdres in Innlandet county, and the parishes of Røldal and Eidfjord in Vestland county. The reason for including Eidfjord was that the regions of Hallingdal and Valdres belonged to the bishop of Stavanger and the easiest way to reach them from Stavanger was by sailing up the Hardangerfjord to Eidfjord, and then traveling over the Hardangervidda plateau to Hallingdal and Valdres.

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

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

 * 1999-2003: Anved Johan Tveit (Sp)
 * 2003-2007: Ola B. Hereid (LL)
 * 2007-2019: Anved Johan Tveit (Sp)
 * 2019-2023: Anders Vatle (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Timo Knoch (Ap)

Notable people

 * Nils Bergslien (1853–1928), a Norwegian illustrator, painter and sculptor who lived and worked in Eidfjord
 * Benedicte Maurseth (born 1983 in Eidfjord), a Norwegian traditional folk singer and musician

title: Eidfjord