Giske is an island

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

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; en, Møre and Romsdal) is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the town of Molde, while Ålesund is t ...

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 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 t ...

. The municipality lies north-northwest of the town of Ålesund in the traditional district of Sunnmøre. The municipal centre is Valderhaugstrand. Other population centres include the villages of Roald (on Vigra island) and Alnes and Leitebakk (both on Godøya island). The municipality is part of the Ålesund Region. The municipality is the 349th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Giske is the 124th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 8,597. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

is and its population has increased by 17.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Giske Municipality was established on 1 January 1908 when it was separated from the large municipality of Borgund. The initial population of the new municipality was 1,708 and it included the islands of Valderøya, Godøya, and Giske. 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWI ...

. Then on 1 January 1964, the neighbouring Vigra Municipality (on the island of Vigra) was merged into Giske Municipality. The newly enlarged municipality had a population of 4,644.

Name

The municipality is named after the farm and island of '' Giske'' ( non, Gizki), since the first Giske Church was built there. The name is (probably) identical with the word ''gizki'' which means " tablecloth" or " rag" (maybe because the

island An island or isle is a piece of subcontinental land completely surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island in a river or a lake island may be ...

is small and flat).

Coat of arms

The

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 it ...

was granted on 14 June 1985, but it has old roots. It is a gold lion rampant (i.e. in walking position) guardant (i.e. facing the viewer) on a blue shield. The arms are based on the old seal of Erling Vidkunsson, who already used the

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

on his seal in 1355. His family was one of the most wealthy and influential families in the county, and had their origins and estate on Giske.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...

has three parishes () within the municipality of Giske. It is part of the Nordre Sunnmøre prosti (

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 Møre The Diocese of Møre ( no, Møre bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway which geographically consists of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Its bishop is seated at the Molde Cathedral which is located in the county administrative cent ...

Recording Studio

Giske Harbor Hall (Øygardshallen) is an internationally renowned, purpose-built recording studio located on the shore of the Giske island's former harbor. It looks like an old boathouse and also operates as a concert hall. The British band New Model Army recorded its album "From Here" (2019) in this special recording studio.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Giske, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usag ...

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 refer ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or adminis ...

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a s ...

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 a ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality 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 coun ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect 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 as ...

. The municipality falls under the

Møre og Romsdal District Court Møre og Romsdal District Court ( no, Møre og Romsdal tingrett) is a district court located in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. This court is based at four different courthouses which are located in Volda, Ålesund, Molde, and Kristiansund. T ...

and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Giske is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Interestingly, in the 2007 municipal elections, Giske recorded the highest vote for the

Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social te ...

in all of Norway at 43.2 percent. 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 feature ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Giske (incomplete list): *2015–present: Harry Valderhaug ( KrF) *2003-2015: Knut Støbakk (KrF)

Geography

The municipality is composed of four main islands: Giske, which gives its name to the municipality because of its historical importance, Vigra, which is where Ålesund's airport is located, Valderøya, where the municipal administration is located, and Godøya. There are also many smaller islands within its boundaries. The

Alnes Lighthouse Alnes lighthouse was established in 1852 to guide fishing boats safely to the harbor of the small fishing community of Alnes on Godøy island on the west coast of Norway. It is located on the north side of Godøy island in the municipality of Gi ...

, Erkna Lighthouse, and

Storholmen lighthouse Storholmen Lighthouse ( no, Storholmen fyr) is an active lighthouse in the municipality of Giske in Møre og Romsdal county on the west coast of Norway. This remote lighthouse is located on a tiny skerry about due north of the tiny island of ...

are all located on islands in the municipality. The main islands are all connected to the mainland of Norway by a network of tunnels and bridges. Godøy Tunnel connects Godøy to Giske island. Giske Bridge connects Giske island and Valderøy. A

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet ...

connects Vigra island and Valderøy island. All islands are connected to Valderøy island which is where the main Valderøy Tunnel connects the whole municipality to Ellingsøya island in Ålesund Municipality. Finally, the Ellingsøy Tunnel connects that island to the town of Ålesund.

Climate

Giske is situated at the coast and has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb) with very mild winters for the latitude, sometimes with strong winds in winter and late autumn. The average daily high varies from in January and February to in July and August. All-time high is recorded 28 July 2018, while the all-time low is recorded January 2016. Winter lows rarely go below . Coldest month on record was February 1966 with mean , warmest month was August 2003 with mean .

History

Giske is the site o
Mjelthaugen
an ancient burial place dating from the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

. The site was the location of excavations in 1847, 1867 and 1878. Giske is also the place where, according to Snorre Sturlason,

Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagreModern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of N ...

had his hair cut after uniting Norway. The historic Giske Church is also located on the island of Giske.

Notable people

* Tora Torbergsdatter (born 1025 on Giske – ca.1066) a Norwegian royal consort and the mother of two kings of Norway * Peggy Hessen Følsvik (born 1960 in Vigra) a Norwegian trade unionist *

Marianne Synnes Marianne Synnes (born 5 June 1970) is a Norwegian medical laboratory scientist, molecular biologist and politician. Political career Synnes was elected representative to the Storting for the period 2017–2021 for the Conservative Party, f ...

(born 1970 in Vigra) a medical laboratory scientist, molecular biologist and politician

References

External links

*
Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every ye ...

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal 1908 establishments in Norway