Sunnfjord (municipality)
Sunnfjord kommune | |
---|---|
![]() Aerial view of the town of Førde | |
![]() Sunnfjord within Vestland | |
Coordinates: 61°27′08″N 5°51′26″E / 61.4522°N 5.8572°ECoordinates: 61°27′08″N 5°51′26″E / 61.4522°N 5.8572°E | |
Country | Norway |
County | Vestland |
District | Sunnfjord |
Established | 1 Jan 2020 |
• Preceded by | Naustdal, Førde, Gaular, and Jølster |
Administrative centre | Førde |
Government | |
• Mayor (2021) | Jenny Følling (SP) |
Area | |
• Total | 2,208.13 km2 (852.56 sq mi) |
• Land | 2,065.33 km2 (797.43 sq mi) |
• Water | 142.80 km2 (55.14 sq mi) 6.5% |
• Rank | #27 in Norway |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 22,116 |
• Rank | #56 in Norway |
• Density | 10.7/km2 (28/sq mi) |
• Change (10 years) | ![]() |
Demonym | Sunnfjording[1] |
Official language | |
• Norwegian form | Nynorsk |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
ISO 3166 code | NO-4647 |
Website | Official website |
Sunnfjord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Førde. Other villages in the municipality include Naustdal, Sande, Vassenden, and Skei.
The 2,208-square-kilometre (853 sq mi) municipality is the 27th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sunnfjord is the 56th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 22,116. The municipality's population density is 10.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (28/sq mi) and its population has increased by 5.7% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]
General information
The municipality was established on 1 January 2020 when the old municipalities of Førde, Gaular, Jølster, and Naustdal were merged.
Name
The municipality was named after the traditional district of Sunnfjord, in which it is located. The first part of the name sunn- means "southern" and the last part of the name is fjord, thus it is the southern fjord region (as opposed to the nearby Nordfjord region (the northern fjord region).[5]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was approved in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020. The green arms show a design of four white rivers joining a larger body of water. The rivers symbolize the four main rivers of Sunnfjord: Nausta, Gaula, Anga, and Jølstra. It was meant to symbolize the many waterfalls and rivers in the municipality as well as strength and unity.[6]
Churches
The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Sunnfjord. It is part of the Sunnfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
---|---|---|---|
Førde | Førde Church | Førde | 1885 |
Gaular | Bygstad Church | Bygstad | 1845 |
Sande Church | Sande | 1864 | |
Hestad Chapel | Hestad | 1805 | |
Viksdalen Church | Vik | 1848 | |
Helgheim | Helgheim Church | Helgheim | 1877 |
Holsen og Haukedalen |
Haukedalen Church | Haukedalen | 1885 |
Holsen Church | Holsen | 1861 | |
Naustdal | Naustdal Church | Naustdal | 1891 |
Vevring Church | Indrevevring | 1846 | |
Ålhus | Vassenden Church | Vassenden | 2002 |
Ålhus Church | Ålhus | 1795 |
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Sunnfjord, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elects a mayor.[7] The municipality falls under the Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sunnfjord is made up of 45 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:
Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 11 | |
Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 1 | |
Green Party (Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne) | 2 | |
Conservative Party (Høgre) | 10 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Red Party (Raudt) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 12 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 4 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 45 |
Notable people
Public Service
- Kolbeinn hrúga, a 12th-century Norse chieftain in Orkney, born in Sunnfjord, figures in the Orkneyinga saga
- Audun Hugleiksson (ca.1240–1302) a Norwegian nobleman, grew up in Jølster
- Brita Alvern, was put in trial accused of witchcraft at Indredale Skipreide in Sunnfjord in 1729
- John P. Munson (1860 in Jølster – 1928) a Norwegian-American zoologist and academic
- Ingolf Elster Christensen (1872 in Førde – 1943) a jurist, military officer and politician
- Nikolai Andreas Schei (1901–1985) & Andreas Olai Schei (1902–1989) from Førde, jurists and civil servants
- Leiv Erdal (1915 in Naustdal – 2009) a military officer, bailiff and politician
- Åsmund Reikvam (born 1944 in Førde) a Norwegian professor in medicine and former politician
- Arild Stubhaug (born 1948 in Naustdal) a mathematician, poet and biographer
- Anlaug Amanda Djupvik (born ca.1965 in Førde) astronomer of star formation and initial mass function
- Bård Vegar Solhjell (born 1971) a former politician and minister, grew up in Sunnfjord
- Himanshu Gulati (born 1988 in Førde) a Norwegian politician
The Arts
- Anders Askevold (1834 in Askvoll – 1900) a painter of landscapes and animals
- Johannes Haarklou (1847 in Haukedalen – 1925) a composer, organist, conductor and music critic
- Hauk Aabel (1869 in Førde – 1961) a comedian and actor in Norwegian and Swedish silent films [9]
- Hjalmar Christensen (1869 in Sunnfjord – 1925) a writer and prominent literary critic
- Ludvig Eikaas (1920 in Jølster – 2010) a Norwegian painter, graphic artist and sculptor
- Gunnar S. Gundersen (1921 in Førde – 1983) or Gunnar S, a modernist painter
- Eldrid Lunden (born 1940 in Naustdal) a poet and Norway's first professor in creative writing
- Arve Furset (born 1964 in Askvoll) a composer, jazz musician and music producer
- Ole Jonny Eikefjord (born 1970 in Førde) a chef, cookbook author and restaurateur
- Kristian Eivind Espedal (born 1975 in Sunnfjord) stage name Gaahl, is a black metal vocalist, musician and painter
- Gunnar Garfors (born 1975) traveller, author, media professional and public speaker; grew up in Naustdal
- Olaug Nilssen (born 1977 in Førde) a novelist, playwright, children's writer and magazine editor
- Marianne Clementine Håheim (born 1987 in Jølster) a Norwegian author
- Thea Hjelmeland (born 1987 in Førde) a Norwegian musician, singer and songwriter
- Iselin Solheim (born 1990 in Naustdal) a Norwegian singer and songwriter
Sport
- Håkon Fimland (1942 in Naustdal – 2016) a Norwegian hurdler and politician
- Martinus Grov (born 1974 in Førde) a retired archer, competed at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics
- Asgeir Årdal (born 1983 in Jølster) a Norwegian cross-country skier, lives in Skei
Gallery
References
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
- ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
- ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
- ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
- ^ Askheim, Svein, ed. (1 November 2018). "Sunnfjord". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ "Symbol og identitet" (in Norwegian). Prosjekt Sunnfjord. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ Hansen, Tore, ed. (12 May 2016). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 6 March 2019.
- ^ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Nordland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
- ^ IMDb Database retrieved 28 August 2020
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