Lavik is a village in
Høyanger Municipality in
Vestland
Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...
county,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
. The village is located on the northern shore of the
Sognefjorden, approximately north of the city of
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
and about west of the municipal center of
Høyanger
Høyanger () is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Høyanger. Other villages in Høyanger municipality include Austreim, Bjordal, Kyrkjeb� ...
. Lavik is situated about west of the villages of
Kyrkjebø and
Austreim
Austreim is a village in the municipality of Høyanger in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the north shore of the Sognefjorden, about southwest of the municipal center of Høyanger, about east of the village of Kyrkjebø, and ...
, and about southwest of the village of
Vadheim. In 2001, the Lavik area had a population of about 1000 people, with about 285 living in the village of Lavik.
The village of Lavik has historically been a farming community but it has more recently been developing into a transportation hub along the
European route E39 highway, the main highway from
Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...
to
Trondheim
Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...
. Lavik is the northern point of the Lavik to
Ytre Oppedal ferry served by
Fjord1 Nordvestlandske that crosses the
Sognefjorden as part of the E39 highway. This route is served by the
MV Ampere, the world's first battery electric car ferry. There are several services in the small harbour area: a snack bar, a pizzeria, a hotel, and restaurant on the Sognefjorden. There is also a supermarket, a bank, a service station, and several other shops in Lavik.
The village is also home to
Lavik Church and it was historically the
administrative centre of the old municipality of
Lavik from 1838 until 1861. In 1861, Lavik municipality was merged with
Brekke municipality to form
Lavik og Brekke municipality. From 1861 until 1905, the village of Lavik was the administrative centre of that municipality as well. In 1905, the municipality was divided into Lavik and Brekke municipalities once again. The village continued to be the administrative centre of Lavik until 1964 when Lavik municipality was merged into the new municipality of
Høyanger
Høyanger () is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Høyanger. Other villages in Høyanger municipality include Austreim, Bjordal, Kyrkjeb� ...
. The administrative centre of the new municipality was moved to the village of
Høyanger
Høyanger () is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Høyanger. Other villages in Høyanger municipality include Austreim, Bjordal, Kyrkjeb� ...
.
Name
The village area is named after the old ''Ladvik'' farm ( non, Lamvíkum), since
Lavik Church is located there. The first element comes from the Old Norse word ''hlað'' which means "pile" or "load". The second element possibly comes from the Old Norse word ''víkr'' which means "inlet". Historically the spelling has varied greatly. It was ''Laduigh'' in the 16th century, ''Laduig'' in the 17th century, ''Ladvig'' in the 18th century, ''Ladevig'' in the 19th century, and finally ''Lavik'' in the 20th century.
References
Villages in Vestland
Høyanger
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