Voss () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

and a traditional district in Vestland

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, 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 ...

. The

administrative center An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, Oppheim,

Stalheim Stalheim is a village in the municipality Voss in Vestland county, Norway. The small village lies along the European route E16 highway in the northeastern part of the municipality. The village sits at a high point in the inner part of the Nær ...

, and Vinje. Vestland

The municipality is the 35th largest by area of Norway's 356 municipalities. Voss is Norway's 77th most populous municipality, with a population of 15,875. Its

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

is and its population has increased by 6.5% over the last 10 years.

Municipal history

The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of Voss was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1867, a small area in northern Voss (population 28) was transferred to the municipality of Hosanger. On 1 January 1868, the municipality's northern district (population 2,009) was separated to form the new municipality of Vossestrand. This left 7,592 residents in Voss. On 21 August 1868, an unpopulated area of northern Voss was transferred to Vossestrand. On 1 January 1885, the western district of Voss (population 2,045) was separated to form the new municipality of Evanger. This left Voss with 5,403 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post- World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Munici ...

. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Voss (population 10,575), the municipality of Vossestrand (population 1,573), and most of the municipality of Evanger (population 1,075) were all merged into a new, larger municipality of Voss. (The rest of Evanger was merged into the new municipality of

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

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

Name

The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

form of the name was ''Vǫrs'', and this might have been the old name of lake Vangsvatnet. If so, the name probably is derived from the word ''vǫrr'', meaning "wave" or "sea" (''-s'' is a common

suffix In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carr ...

in old Norwegian place names).

Coat of arms

Voss's

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was adopted in 2019 for use starting in 2020 after Granvin and Voss merged. The arms were similar to the old arms of Granvin Municipality and used the colors of the old arms of Voss. The arms are red with a white

hardanger fiddle A Hardanger fiddle ( no, hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than ...

''(Hardingfele)'', a Norwegian folk instrument. The area has an active folk-music tradition. The old arms were granted on 8 July 1977. They show a deer on a red background. The arms are based on the seal of Peter, who was the owner of the farm ''Finne'' in Voss, one of the largest farms in Western Norway during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. He used a silver deer on a red background as his personal coat of arms in 1303. His son also used a deer on his seals, as did most of their relatives until 1460. The shape and position of the deer varied, but it always was the main figure. Voss herad.svg, Current arms since 2020 Voss komm.svg, Arms from 1977 to 2019

Churches

The Church of Norway has seven parishes () in Voss. It is part of the

Hardanger og Voss prosti Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or reside ...

) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

History

Voss kyrkje.jpg, View of

Voss Church Voss Church ( no, Voss kyrkje, , or ) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Voss Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vossevangen. It is the church for the Voss parish which is part of the Hardanger og ...

Children's Brass Band (2), Voss.jpg, alt=Local youth perform at the Voss Kulturhus, Local youth perform at th

Voss Kulturhus Voss-girl-photochrom-1900.jpeg, alt=A girl with auburn hair in pigtails poses next to a rude wooden fence. She wears a white ruffled shirt and a long brown dress., A girl of Voss, c. 1900 1940_Bombing_of_Voss,_02.jpg, alt=Fire in Voss after April 1940 bombing., Fire in Voss after April 1940 bombing (Voss church is at far left) After the Operation Weserübung, German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940, Voss was the main point of mobilisation for the Norwegian Army in the west, since the city of

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, secon ...

had already fallen on 9 April. From Bergen and the Hardangerfjord, the Nazis met stiff Norwegian resistance. In Hardanger, some of the Germans climbed up the mountains from Aalvik; the rest went through Granvin. To break down this resistance, the

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German '' Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the '' Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabt ...

bombed Voss on 23 and 24 April, and the surrounding countryside on 25 April. Nine people died in the bombing, which completely destroyed the old wood-built town centre. On 26 April, German forces entered Voss, which remained occupied until 8 May 1945. In 1964, Voss was enlarged with the incorporation of the neighbouring municipalities Vossestrand and Evanger, which had until then been separate municipalities within the traditional district also known as Voss.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Voss, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refe ...

and other social services, zoning,

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal roads. Voss is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elects a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. Voss falls under the Hordaland District Court and the

Gulating Court of Appeal The Gulating Court of Appeal ( no, Gulating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Bergen. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Vestland and Rogaland plus Sirdal Muni ...

Municipal council

Voss's municipal council is made up of 43 representatives who are elected to four-year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featu ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Voss (incomplete list): *2011–present: Hans-Erik Ringkjøb ( Ap) *2007-2011: Gunn Berit Lunde Aarvik (Ap) *1999-2007: Bjørn Christensen (Ap) *1992-1999: Ragnhild Skjerveggen ( Sp) *1984-1991: Peder Vangsnes (Ap) *1976-1983: Anders S. Ringheim (Sp) *1972-1975: Nils Mugaas (Ap) *1964-1971: Lars Nesheim Hovda (Sp) *1960-1963:

Arne Nilsen Arne Nilsen (21 January 1924 – 16 April 2020) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was Minister of Local Government from 1978 to 1979, as well as Minister of Social Affairs from 1979 to 1981. He was also President of the Odelst ...

(Ap)

Geography and climate

Voss is in the innermost part of Bolstadsfjorden and includes the valleys that head inland from there. Voss has several large lakes: Evangervatnet, Hamlagrøvatnet, Lønavatnet, Oppheimsvatnet, Torfinnsvatnet, and Vangsvatnet. In the north, Voss reaches to the Nærøydalen valley, which leads to the Nærøyfjorden. The

Stalheimsfossen Stalheimsfossen is a waterfall located in the village of Stalheim in Voss Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The waterfall has one tall horsetail drop. The famous Stalheim Hotel Stalheim is a village in the municipality Voss in Vestland ...

waterfall near

sits just above that valley. The Raundalen valley in the east is the main route of the Bergensbanen railway line, which connects eastern and western Norway. Voss has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freez ...

(Dfb in the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

if is used as winter threshold. If the original is used, then Voss will be classified as an oceanic climate (Cfb). The wettest time of year is October - January, and the driest season is April - July. The all-time high temperature is recorded 24 July 2014; the all-time low is recorded 8 January 2010.

Tourism

Voss is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, forests, lakes and fast-flowing whitewater rivers. This has led to its development as a notable center of skiing, water sports, skydiving, paragliding and other adventure sports. Every year in the last week of June the area hosts the

Ekstremsportveko Ekstremsportveko (Extreme Sports Week), or "Veko" as it is commonly called by the locals, is a festival held annually in Voss, Norway. Established in 1998 by Einar Raa Nilsen, Frode Solbakk, Øyvind Kindem and Even Rokne,

(Extreme Sports Week), which is regarded as the world's premier

extreme sports Action sports, adventure sports or extreme sports are activities perceived as involving a high degree of risk. These activities often involve speed, height, a high level of physical exertion and highly specialized gear. Extreme tourism overl ...

festival. Bømoen, the local airstrip, is home to Skydive Voss, one of the largest dropzones in Norway, as well as a gliding club. The rivers provide various levels of white water, attracting kayaking, rafting and river boarding. Kite surfing and para-bungee may be seen on lake Vangsvatnet. The ski area, to the north of the town, is accessible via a cable car, Hangursbanen. There is also chair lift access from Bavallen, a short distance northeast of Voss. The town's proximity to the Sognefjord and its position between Bergen and

Flåm Flåm is a village in the Flåmsdalen valley which is located at the inner end of the Aurlandsfjorden, a branch of Sognefjorden. The village is located in Aurland Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. In 2014 its inhabitants numbered 350. ...

on the

scenic railway Scenic railroad (American English) or Scenic railway (British English) may refer to: *Heritage railways operating leisurely train tours of sights such as mountain scenery, historic areas, and foliage tours *Scenic gravity railroad, early terminol ...

have made it popular with tourists. One of the sights on the road to Flåm is the waterfall Tvindefossen. The Voss Museum displays several old farmsteads, including a larger-than-life stone statue of Lars O. Kindem. Next to the open-air part, there is a museum with over 20,000 items from traditional farm life.

Bird life

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

great egret The great egret (''Ardea alba''), also known as the common egret, large egret, or (in the Old World) great white egret or great white heron is a large, widely distributed egret. The four subspecies are found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, an ...

, European hobby, and woodlark.

Notable residents

The Arts

* Christiane Schreiber (1822-1898) a Norwegian portrait painter * Knud Bergslien (1827–1908) painter, art teacher and master artist *

Ola Mosafinn Ola Mosafinn (14 July 1828 – 28 December 1912) was a Norwegian Hardanger fiddle player and composer. Mosafinn is regarded among the more important fiddlers in Norway in the late 19th century. Ola Sjursson was born in Voss in Hordaland Count ...

(1828–1912) a Norwegian

Hardanger fiddle A Hardanger fiddle ( no, hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than ...

player and composer *

Brynjulf Bergslien Brynjulf Larsen Bergslien (12 November 1830 – 19 September 1898) was a noted Norwegian sculptor. Background Bergslien was born in Voss in Hordaland county, Norway. He was a son of Lars Bergeson Bergslien and Kirsten Knutsdotter Gjelle. He was ...

(1830–1898) sculptor *

Nils Bergslien Nils Nilsen Bergslien (26 February 1853 – 18 December 1928) was a Norwegian illustrator, painter and sculptor. Nils Berglien was inspired from the legends, the history of Norway and the west Norwegian mountain landscape. He was known for his nati ...

(1853–1928) an illustrator, painter and sculptor *

Sjur Helgeland Sjur Larsson Helgeland (19 August 1858 − 12 April 1924) was a Norwegian hardingfele fiddler and composer. Biography He was born at Voss in Hordaland, Norway. His parents were Lars Olsson Hirt (1823-1908) and Brita Helgeland (1820-98). He gr ...

(1858−1924) a Norwegian hardingfele fiddler and composer * Lars Tvinde (1886–1973) a stage and film actor *

Lars Fletre Lars Fletre (June 22, 1904 – September 9, 1977) was a prominent Norwegian-American designer and sculptor. Biography Lars Olavson Fletre was born in Vossestrand, Voss, Hordaland, Norway. He was the youngest of seven children born to Ola Odd ...

(1904–1977) a Norwegian-American designer, sculptor and painter * Liv Bernhoft Osa (born 1957) a Norwegian actress IMDb Database
retrieved 06 September 2020 *

Olav Dale Olav Dale (30 October 1958 – 10 October 2014) was a Norwegian composer, orchestra leader and jazz saxophonist. In addition to saxophone he played other woodwinds. He received little formal education in music, but he completed studies at the ...

(1958–2014) a composer, orchestra leader and jazz saxophonist *

Kåre Kolve Kåre Kolve (born 10 August 1964) is a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone), and the older brother of the vibraphonist Ivar Kolve. He is known as bandleader of his own Kåre Kolve Quartet, several album releases and the collaborations within th ...

(born 1964) & Ivar Kolve (born 1967) jazz musicians * Signe Førre (born 1994) a singer, upright bassist and composer

Athletes

20190301 FIS NWSC Seefeld Medal Ceremony 850 6079 Sjur Røthe

* Jon Istad (1937–2012) a biathlete and sport shooter *

Rune Hauge Rune Hauge (born 23 April 1954) is a Norwegian football agent. Hauge represented John Jensen and Pål Lydersen during their transfers to Arsenal in the early 1990s. This would lead to Arsenal manager George Graham becoming embroiled in allegat ...

(born 1954) football agent * Odd Lirhus (born 1956) 1978 World Cup winner in biathlon * Gisle Fenne (born 1963) a former World Cup silver medalist in biathlon * Trond Egil Soltvedt (born 1967) former footballer with 350 caps and 4 for

Hilde Synnøve Lid Hilde Synnøve Lid (born 18 March 1971) is a Norwegian freestyle skier and Olympic medalist. She won a bronze medal in women's aerials at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.Astrid Lødemel (born 1971) a retired alpine skier, 1992 World Cup silver medalist * Gro Marit Istad Kristiansen (born 1978) 2005 World champion in biathlon * Jori Mørkve (born 1980) a Norwegian former biathlete * Alexander Ødegaard (born 1980) a former footballer, with over 350 caps and 4 for

Sjur Røthe Sjur Røthe (born 2 July 1988) is a Norwegian cross-country skier. He is a three-time World champion. Career He made his World Cup debut in March 2009 in Trondheim, but did not finish the race, and collected his first World Cup points in November ...

(born 1988) cross-country skier *

Hilde Fenne Hilde Fenne (born 12 May 1993) is a Norwegian biathlete. Career She took a bronze medal and a silver medal in mixed relay at the 2011 European Youth Winter Olympic Festival, and then two gold medals at the 2012 World Junior Champi ...

(born 1993) a retired biathlete *

Hedda Hosås Hedda Hosås (born 2 March 2001) is a rallycross driver from Norway who currently races for JBXE in the Extreme E Championship. Biography Early career Having initially started in motocross at the age of 15, Hosås got into car racing a yea ...

(born 2001) a rallycross driver

Olympic champions

Voss is a winter sports center and has in recent times been the home of many world-class athletes in several winter sports, most prominently biathlon, but also alpine skiing, nordic skiing and freestyle skiing. In all, athletes from Voss have won 6 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 7 bronze medals at winter Olympic games. Athletes from Voss have been present, representing Norway, at every winter Olympic games except one since 1948 Winter Olympics, the exception being 1972. Kari Traa (Jarvin)

Eirik Kvalfoss Eirik Kvalfoss (born 25 December 1959) is a Norwegian retired biathlete. Life and career He won three medals during the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo: gold in the 10 km sprint, silver in relay and bronze in the 20 km individual. In ...

1984 Winter Olympics The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games ( Serbo-Croatian and Slovene: ''XIV. Zimske olimpijske igre''; Cyrillic: XIV Зимске олимпијске игре; mk, XIV Зимски олимписки иг� ...

( biathlon, sprint) *

Kristen Skjeldal Kristen Skjeldal (born 27 May 1967) is an Olympic champion and cross-country skier from Norway. He has won three olympic medals: two gold and one bronze. He won his first gold medal in the 4 × 10 km relay at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Al ...

, 1992 Winter Olympics ( cross-country skiing, relay) *

Hilde Synnøve Lid Hilde Synnøve Lid (born 18 March 1971) is a Norwegian freestyle skier and Olympic medalist. She won a bronze medal in women's aerials at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fr ...

bronze medal winner in freestyle *

Jan Einar Thorsen Jan Einar Thorsen (born August 31, 1966) is a former Norwegian Alpine skier, active between 1987 and 1994.Jan Einar Thorsen< ...

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fr ...

, bronze medal winner in downhill * Kari Traa,

2002 Winter Olympics The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 ( arp, Niico'ooowu' 2002; Gosiute Shoshoni: ''Tit'-so-pi 2002''; nv, Sooléí 2002; Shoshoni: ''Soónkahni 2002''), was an internationa ...

( freestyle skiing, moguls) *

Egil Gjelland Egil Gjelland (born 12 November 1973) is a former Norwegian biathlete. He is olympic champion in the biathlon relay from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. Egil Gjelland grew up in Voss, the home of many world class biathletes, and sta ...

( biathlon, relay) *

Lars Bystøl Lars Kristian Bystøl (born 4 December 1978) is a Norwegian former ski jumper who competed from 2002 to 2008. His career highlights include an individual gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics, one individual World Cup victory, a gold medal in th ...

2006 Winter Olympics The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially the XX Olympic Winter Games ( it, XX Giochi olimpici invernali) and also known as Torino 2006, were a winter multi-sport event held from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin, Italy. This marked the second ...

( ski jumping, K90)

Public Servants & TV

* Jens Gran Gleditsch (1860–1931) theologian and Bishop of Nidaros *

Johannes Lid Johannes Lid (11 January 1886 – 29 September 1971) was a Norwegian botanist. He was born in Voss, and he married the illustrator Dagny Tande Lid in 1936. He is particularly known for his works on Scandinavian flora, and for his widely used ...

(1886–1971) a Norwegian botanist *

Lars Leiro Lars Leiro (13 April 1914 – 22 March 2005) was a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. He was born in Haus. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Hordaland in 1958, and was re-elected on two occasions. From August to Septe ...

(1914–2005) a Norwegian politician, former Transport Minister *

Svein Blindheim Svein Lavik Blindheim (29 August 1916 – 17 March 2013) was a Norwegian military officer, known for his resistance work during World War II. Personal life Blindheim was born in Voss as a son of educator Severin Nicolai Blindheim (1890–1925) ...

(1916–2013) a military officer, known for his resistance work * Jon Lilletun (1945-2006) politician, Minister of Education and Research, 1997-2001 * Gunnstein Akselberg (born 1949) linguist and academic * Ingvild Bryn (born 1961) a journalist and news anchor for NRK *

Arne Hjeltnes Arne Hjeltnes (born August 9, 1963) is a Norwegian writer, television personality, marketer and politician. He was born in Kristiansand, but grew up in Voss. He now lives in Snarøya in Bærum together with former television host Cathrine Gehrke ...

(born 1963) a writer and presenter for TV2 * Linda Eide (born 1969) a TV and radio presenter, comedian, actor and chat-show host *

Guri Solberg Guri Solberg (born 15 July 1976) is television host at the Norwegian TV station TV 2. She was host of ''Absolutt Underholdning'' in 2004-2005, '' Skal vi danse?'' four times in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2013 (on TV 2), and award ceremonies Amanda Awar ...

(born 1976) TV host at TV2

Norwegian-Americans

Like the rest of Western Norway, Voss saw large-scale emigration, particularly to the United States, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Time Magazine Cover Torkild Rieber

Elling Eielsen Elling Eielsen (September 19, 1804 – January 10, 1883) was a Norwegian-American minister and Lutheran Church leader. He was the first Norwegian Lutheran minister in the United States. Background Eielsen was born and raised on the farm of Sundve ...

(1804–1883) the first Lutheran Church leader in the USA * Iver Lawson (1821–1871) a real estate investor and newspaper publisher * John Anderson (1836–1910) founder and publisher '' Skandinaven'' * Eli Pederson (1837–1909)

Wisconsin State Assembly The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Representatives are elected for two-year terms, e ...

man * Knute Nelson (1843–1923)

US Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

& 12th

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

1893-1895 *

Canute R. Matson Canute R. Matson (April 9, 1843 – January 12, 1903) became Cook County Sheriff in the aftermath of the 1886 Haymarket Square Riot in Chicago. Background Knut Rognald Matson was born on the Opkvitne farm at Voss Parish in Hordaland, Norwa ...

(1843–1903) Sheriff of

Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 2 ...

* Aad J. Vinje (1857–1929) Chief Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court * Thorstein Himle (1857–1925) missionary with the Lutheran Hauge Synod * Ragnvald Nestos (1877–1942) the 13th Governor of North Dakota 1921–1925. *

Torkild Rieber Torkild Rieber (March 13, 1882 – August 10, 1968) was a Norwegian immigrant to the United States who became chairman of the Texas Company ( Texaco). Born in a small town in Norway, Rieber became a seaman at the age of 15. By 1904, he was the ma ...

(1882–1968) chairman of Texaco * Knute Rockne (1888–1931)

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

er and coach, commemorated by a memorial in Vossevangen *

(1904–1977) a designer and sculptor

Science

* Aad Knutsson Gjelle (1768–1840), cartographer

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway
Vossestrand

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Vestland 1838 establishments in Norway Petty kingdoms of Norway