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 (; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in the northernmost part of Western Norway, Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the Molde (town), town of M ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The municipality lies north-northwest of the town of Ålesund in the traditional district of

Sunnmøre Sunnmøre (, ) is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities () of Fjord, Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Sande, Haram, Stranda Mu ...

. The municipal centre is Valderhaugstrand. Other population centres include the villages of

Roald Roald is a village in Giske Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located on the northern part of the island Vigra. Roald is located about north of the city centre of Ålesund. It is connected to the mainland via two u ...

(on

Vigra Vigra is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1890 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Giske Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnmøre. The administrative centre ...

island) and

Alnes Alnes is a small village in Giske Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the (isolated) north side of the island of Godøya, about northwest of the village of Leitebakk. The rest of the island's population is located ...

and

Leitebakk Leitebakk or Leitebakken is a small village on the island of Godøya in Giske Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located about southeast of the isolated village of Alnes, where Alnes Lighthouse is located. Leitebak ...

(both on

Godøya Godøya is an island in Giske Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The island is famous for its beautiful nature, dominated by the tall mountain ''Storhornet'' and the large lake ''Alnesvatnet''. The island had 1,151 residents in 2 ...

island). The municipality is part of the

Ålesund Region The Ålesund Region (, ) is a metropolitan region in Møre og Romsdal county in western Norway. It consists of a number of municipalities that are centered around the city of Ålesund Ålesund () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in M ...

. The municipality is the 350th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Giske Municipality is the 126th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 8,691. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

is and its population has increased by 12.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Giske Municipality was established on 1 January 1908 when it was separated from the large Borgund Municipality. The initial population of the new municipality was 1,708 and it included the islands of

Valderøya Valderøya is an island off the west coast of Norway. It is part of Giske Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county. The island had 4,153 residents in 2017. The island is connected to the city of Ålesund to the south via the Valderøy Tunnel to ...

, and

Giske Giske may refer to: Places *Giske Municipality, a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway *Giske (island), a island within Giske Municpiality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway *Giske (village), a village within Giske Municpiality in Møre ...

. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee () 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. Then on 1 January 1964, the neighbouring

Vigra Municipality Vigra is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1890 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Giske Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnmøre. The administrative centr ...

(including 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 located on the island of ''

'' (), since the first

Giske Church Giske Church () is a 12th-century marble parish church of the Church of Norway in Giske Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the south side of the island of Giske, about northwest of the town of Ålesund. It is the ...

was built there. The name comes from the word which means "

tablecloth A tablecloth is a cloth used to cover a table. Some are mainly ornamental coverings, which may also help protect the table from scratches and stains. Other tablecloths are designed to be spread on a dining table before laying out tableware and ...

" or " rag" (maybe because the

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

is small and flat).

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 14 June 1985, but it has old roots. The official

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"

Azure Azure may refer to: Color * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 * ...

, a lion

rampant In heraldry, the term attitude describes the ''position'' in which a figure (animal or human) is emblazoned as a Charge (heraldry), charge, a Supporter (heraldry), supporter, or as a Crest (heraldry), crest. The attitude of a heraldic figure alwa ...

guardant Or"'' (). This means the arms have a blue

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

(background) and the

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is a lion that is

(i.e. in walking position) and guardant (i.e. facing the viewer). The lion has a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms are based on the old seal of

Erling Vidkunsson Erling Vidkunsson (1293–1355) was the Norwegian nobleman and regent of Norway. He received the position of High Justiciar (''drottsete'') of the country. He was Lord of Bjarkøy and Giske and was probably the most important and wealthy Norwe ...

who was using the

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

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. The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

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

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Møre The Diocese of Møre () 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 center of Molde. , the Bisho ...

Recording Studio

Giske Harbor Hall () is an internationally renowned, purpose-built recording studio located on the shore of a former harbor on the island of Giske. 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

Giske Municipality is responsible for

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

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

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

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. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

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

economic development In economics, economic development (or 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 object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. 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, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the

Sunnmøre District Court Sunnmøre District Court () is a district court in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The court is based at two different courthouses in Ålesund and Volda. The court existed for hundreds of years until 2021, but it was re-established in 2025. Case ...

and the

Frostating Court of Appeal The Frostating Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Trondheim. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. These areas constitute the ...

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 tea ...

in all of Norway at 43.2 percent. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, 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 oft ...

Mayors

The

() of Giske is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position: *1908–1916: O.E. Petersen *1917–1919: Knut E. Valderhaug *1919–1923: Nils Giskeødegard *1923–1934: Andreas O. Godøy *1934–1942: Peder Giske *1942–1944: Karl K. Giskegjerde *1945–1951: Karl K. Ytterland *1951–1963: Lars L. Godøy *1963–1967: Karl O. Blindheim ( LL) *1967–1971: Jens Mulelid ( V) *1971–1975: Kjell Furnes ( KrF) *1975–1983: Noralf Støbakk ( KrF) *1983–1987: Elias Kaare Giske ( Sp) *1987–1995: Harald Hole ( H) *1995–1999: Karin Kalvø Giske ( Sp) *1999–2003: Ruth Roald ( H) *2003–2015: Knut Støbakk ( KrF) *2015–2023: Harry Valderhaug ( KrF) *2023–present: Kenneth Langvatn ( H)

Geography

The municipality is composed of four main islands:

, which gives its name to the municipality because of its historical importance,

, which is where Ålesund's airport is located,

, where the municipal administration is located, and

. 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 the north side of the island of Godøya in Giske Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The lighthouse sit ...

, Erkna Lighthouse, and Storholmen lighthouse are all located on islands in the municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Storhornet on the island of

. The main islands are all connected to the mainland of Norway by a network of tunnels and bridges.

Godøy Tunnel The Godøy Tunnel () is a subsea road tunnel which runs between the islands of Giske and Godøy in Giske Municipality, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country locate ...

connects

to the island of

Giske Bridge The Giske Bridge () is a concrete beam bridge between the islands of Valderøya and Giske in Giske Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The bridge is long, the longest span is , and the maximum clearance to the sea is . The bridge ha ...

connects the island of Giske and

. 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 T ...

connects the island of

and Valderøya. All islands are connected to Valderøya which is where the main

Valderøy Tunnel The Valderøy Tunnel () is a subsea road tunnel which runs between the islands of Ellingsøya (in Ålesund Municipality) and Valderøya (in Giske Municipality) in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, i ...

connects the whole municipality to the island of

Ellingsøya Ellingsøya is a island in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. With an area of , Ellingsøya is the second largest island in the municipality after Uksenøya. The island is located northeast of the town of Ålesund, north o ...

Ålesund Municipality Ålesund (, sometimes spelled Aalesund in English) is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal County, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre and the centre of the Ålesund Region. The town of Ålesund is the administrative ce ...

. Finally, the

Ellingsøy Tunnel The Ellingsøy Tunnel () is a subsea road tunnel in Ålesund Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The tunnel runs between the center of the city of Ålesund on the island of Nørve and the village of Hoffland on the island of Ellings� ...

connects that island to the town of

Ålesund Ålesund () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, town in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of Ålesund Municipality. The centre of the town of Ålesund lies on the islands of Hessa, Aspøya, Ålesund, Asp� ...

Climate

Giske is situated at the coast and has a

temperate oceanic climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

(Cfb) with very mild winters for the latitude, sometimes with strong winds in winter and late autumn. 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 . Ålesund Airport Vigra in Giske has been recording since July 1958.

History

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

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

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

Snorre Sturlason Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of th ...

Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair (; – ) 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 Monarchy of Norway, King of Norway. Supposedly, two ...

had his hair cut after uniting Norway. The historic

is also located on the island of Giske.

Notable people

Tora Torbergsdatter Tora Torbergsdatter (, born 1025 – year of death unknown: fl. 1066) was a Norwegian royal consort. She was the mother of two kings of Norway. It is possible, but unconfirmed, that she was also queen of Denmark or Sweden. Biography Tora Torberg ...

(born 1025 on Giske – ca.1066), a Norwegian royal consort and the mother of two kings of Norway *

Peggy Hessen Følsvik Peggy Hessen Følsvik (born 12 November 1960) is a Norwegian trade unionist. She was elected first deputy leader of Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions at the LO congress in 2017. In March 2021, she became the president of the union after th ...

(born 1960 in Vigra), a 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, ...

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

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, 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 year on its web site. All rele ...

{{authority control Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal 1908 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1908