Sola is a

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' ...

and a

Seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 49 ...

county,

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 ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Jæren Jæren is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Rogaland county, Norway. The other districts in Rogaland are Dalane, Ryfylke, and Haugalandet. Jæren is one of the 15 districts that comprise Western Norway. At about , Jæren is the large ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the village of

Solakrossen Solakrossen or Sola is the administrative center of Sola municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located at the south end of the Hafrsfjorden on the Stavanger Peninsula, just northwest of the city of Sandnes. The large Stavang ...

. Other villages include

Tananger Tananger is a large village and urban area in Sola, Norway, Sola municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The urban area is located on the west side of the Stavanger Peninsula between the North Sea and the Hafrsfjorden. It lies about southwes ...

Hålandsmarka Hålandsmarka is a village in Sola municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located in the southwestern part of the municipality, about west of the village of Stenebyen. Hålandsmarka is known for a great seaside view of most of ...

Sørnes Sørnes is a village in Sola municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located at the southeastern end of the Hafrsfjorden, about southwest of the city of Stavanger. The village is a part of the larger Stavanger/Sandnes metropo ...

, and

Stenebyen Tjelta or Stenebyen is a village in Sola municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located in the south part of the municipality, about southeast of the village of Hålandsmarka. The village has a population (2019) of 1,004 and a ...

. Stavanger Airport is located in Sola, just a short distance from the large

Stavanger/Sandnes Stavanger/Sandnes is the third largest urban area in Norway. It consists of the densely built-up areas in the municipalities of Stavanger, Sandnes, Sola, and Randaberg, most of which are located on the Stavanger Peninsula, its surrounding islan ...

metropolitan area. The municipality is the 342nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sola is the 41st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 28,315. 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 15.2f% over the previous 10-year period. Bilde 2

In the western part of Sola, there are of long, sandy beaches facing the North Sea. The usually suitable

wind Wind is the natural movement of atmosphere of Earth, air or other gases relative to a planetary surface, planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heatin ...

and

wave In physics, mathematics, engineering, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from List of types of equilibrium, equilibrium) of one or more quantities. ''Periodic waves'' oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium ...

s make the sandy beaches a popular place for

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind-propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the Californian aerospace and surf culture. Windsurfing gain ...

General information

The municipality of Sola was established in 1930 when the old municipality of Håland was split into Sola (south of the

Hafrsfjorden Hafrsfjord or Hafrsfjorden is a fjord in the Stavanger Peninsula in Rogaland county, Norway. The long fjord forms the border between the municipalities of Stavanger and Sola. On the west side of the fjord is the large village of Tananger, on t ...

) and

Madla Madla is a borough of the Stavanger (city), city of Stavanger which lies in the southwestern part of the large municipality of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway. It lies in the western part of the city, along the coast of the Hafrsfjorden. T ...

(north of the Hafrsfjorden). Initially, Sola had 3,372 residents. On 1 January 2017, a small area on the southwestern edge of the village of

was transferred from

Sandnes Sandnes () is a city and municipality in Rogaland, Norway. It lies immediately south of Stavanger, the 4th largest municipality in Norway, and together the Stavanger/Sandnes area is the third-largest urban area in Norway. The urban city of Sand ...

municipality to Sola.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

) is named after the old ''Sola'' farm () since the first

Sola Church Sola Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sola Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Solakrossen. It is the church for the Sola parish which is part of the Tungenes prosti (deanery) in the Dio ...

was built there. The meaning of the name is uncertain. One possibility is that it comes from the word which means "

sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

". Historically, the name was also spelled ''Sole''.

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 12 February 1982. 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 * ...

, two bars double

embowed Embowed () is a term in heraldry and architecture which means: *''curved like a bow'' (when applied to fish, animals or heraldic charges) *''bent'' (when applied to the human arm or leg), or *''having an arch or arches'' but, in the Anglophone h ...

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

"'' (). 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 set of two curved bars that look like

waves United States Naval Reserve (Women's Reserve), better known as the WAVES (for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), was the women's branch of the United States Naval Reserve during World War II. It was established on July 21, 1942, ...

. The charge 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 ...

which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue color symbolizes the sea and the white/silver color symbolizes the whitecaps of the waves washing up to the long, shallow, sandy

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from Rock (geology), rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle beach, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological s ...

es along the ocean in the municipality. The arms were designed by the painter Roald Kyllingstad. 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 four parishes () within the municipality of Sola. It is part of the

Tungenes prosti This list of churches in Rogaland is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Stavanger in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Rogaland county. The diocese is based at the Stavanger Cathedral in the city of Stavanger (city) ...

(

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 Stavanger The Diocese of Stavanger () is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers all of Rogaland county in western Norway. The cathedral city is Stavanger, where the Stavanger Cathedral is located. The bishop is Anne Lise Ådnøy, who has held the p ...

Geography

The municipality of Sola lies on the west side of the

Stavanger Peninsula Stavanger Peninsula () is a peninsula in Rogaland County, Norway. The peninsula is named for the city of Stavanger, located on its northeastern shore and it includes the most populous parts of the Greater Stavanger urban area. The peninsula ex ...

, south of the

. The municipality sits just about from the centres of the cities of

Stavanger Stavanger, officially the Stavanger Municipality, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the third largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the ...

and

. The island of

Rott Rott may refer to: Places * Rott (Ammersee), a tributary of the Ammersee, in Bavaria, Germany * Rott (Inn, Neuhaus am Inn), a tributary of the Inn at Neuhaus am Inn, in eastern Bavaria, Germany * Rott (Inn, Rott am Inn) a tributary of the Inn at ...

lies just off the western coast of Sola. The Fladholmen Lighthouse lies just off shore of the village of

in northern Sola.

History

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 ...

the

Battle of Hafrsfjord The Battle of Hafrsfjord () was a naval battle fought in Hafrsfjord sometime between 872 and 900 that resulted in the unification of Norway, later known as the Kingdom of Norway (872–1397), Kingdom of Norway. After the battle, the victorious Vi ...

took place in the year AD 872, probably outside Ytraberget.

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 ...

, the first king of Norway, is celebrated for having united Norway at this notable battle. The stone crosses at Tjora date from about the year 1150. In early Christian times, these stone crosses were used as gathering points for religious ceremonies before churches were built. Sola Church Ruins (''Sola ruinkirke'') is the ruins of a Romanesque stone church dating from about the year 1120. The stone church probably replaced an older wooden church in the area. This wooden church was possibly the one that

Erling Skjalgsson Erling Skjalgsson, på Sola (Sola, Rogaland, 975 – Boknafjorden, 21 December 1028, bur. Sola, Rogaland), "Rygekongen", Herse/Høvding i Rogaland, was a Norwegian political leader of the late 10th and early 11th centuries. He has been commonly ...

had built when he converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

at the end of the 10th century. Sola Church overlooked the

Hafrsfjord Hafrsfjord or Hafrsfjorden is a fjord in the Stavanger Peninsula in Rogaland county, Norway. The long fjord forms the border between the municipalities of Stavanger and Sola. On the west side of the fjord is the large village of Tananger, on t ...

and was in use until 1842.The artist Johan Bennetter (1822–1904) used the church as a studio and lived there with his family. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, most of the church was demolished. It was later reconstructed, and the restoration was finished in 1995.

Stavanger Airport, Sola Stavanger Airport (; ), commonly known simply as Sola, is an international airport located in Rogaland county, Norway. The airport is located southwest of the centre of the city of Stavanger inside the neighboring municipality of Sola an ...

was founded in 1937. At Sola airport, the first opposed landing by

paratroopers A paratrooper or military parachutist is a soldier trained to conduct military operations by parachuting directly into an area of operations, usually as part of a large airborne forces unit. Traditionally paratroopers fight only as light inf ...

took place as German Fallschirmjägers from 1st battalion of the 1st Regiment,

7th Flieger Division The 1st Parachute Division () was an elite military parachute-landing division of the German Luftwaffe. For reasons of secrecy, it was originally raised as the 7th Air Division (), before being renamed and reorganized as the 1st Parachute Divisi ...

were dropped on the airfield.

Sola Air Station Sola Air Station () is a base for the Royal Norwegian Air Force. It is located in Sola municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Rescue Helicopter Service is stationed at Sola along with Helicopter Squadron 330. Also located at Sola is Stavang ...

became an important airfield for the Germans during World War II.

Population

Government

Sola 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

Sør-Rogaland District Court Sør-Rogaland District Court () is a district court located in Rogaland and Agder counties in Norway. This court is based at three different courthouses which are located in Stavanger, Sandnes, and Egersund. The court serves the southern part of ...

and the

Gulating Court of Appeal The Gulating Court of Appeal () 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 Municipality in Agder county ...

Municipal council

The

() of Sola is made up of 41 representatives that are elected to four year terms. 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

mayors 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 ...

() of Sola: * 1930–1931: Jakob Svendsen Gimre ( H) * 1931–1931: Gabriel Bore ( Bp) * 1932–1934: Gabriel Joa ( Bp) * 1935–1937: Gabriel Bore ( Bp) * 1938–1941: Gabriel Joa ( Bp) * 1942–1943: Sverre Johansson ( NS) * 1943–1945: Jakob Stokdal ( NS) * 1945–1945: Gabriel Joa ( Bp) * 1946–1947: Gabriel Bore ( Bp) * 1948–1951: Torger Sanne ( LL) * 1952–1959: Gabriel Joa ( Bp) * 1960–1961: Knut Rommetveit ( Sp) * 1962–1963: Leif Sømme ( H) * 1964–1971: Rasmus Reime ( Sp) * 1972–1975: Ole Gabriel Ueland ( Sp) * 1976–1977: Ludvig Klingsheim ( H) * 1978–1979: Andreas Sanne ( KrF) * 1980–1987: Kåre Kvalvik ( H) * 1988–1989: Håkon Rege ( FrP) * 1990–1991: Trygve Ersland ( H) * 1992–1995: Trygg Mæland ( Sp) * 1995–1999: Eli Hellestø ( Sp) * 1999–2011: Håkon Rege ( H) * 2011–2019: Ole Ueland ( H) * 2019–2023: Tom Henning Slethei ( FrP) * 2023-present: Janne Stangeland Rege ( H)

Museums

Museums in Sola include: * The Aviation History Museum * Rogaland ''Krigshistorisk'' Museum, a

museum * ''Kystkultursamlingen i Tananger'', a Maritime collection

Notable people

* Andrew Lawrenceson Smith (ca.1620 - ca.1694), a Scottish craftsman, woodcutter, and painter from the Stavanger renaissance * Andreas Meling (1839 in Sola – 1928), a ship owner, politician, and mayor of Stavanger from 1893 * Rasmus Sørnes (1893 in Sola – 1967), an inventor, clockmaker, and radio technician who made advanced

astronomical clock An astronomical clock, horologium, or orloj is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets. Definition ...

s * Tor Sørnes (1925 in Sola – 2017), an author, politician, and engineer who invented the VingCard * Bjørn Bue (1934 in Sola – 1997), a Lutheran missionary and Bishop of Stavanger from 1986 to 1997 * Håkon Rege (born 1955), a politician and mayor of Sola from 1999 to 2011 * Finn Øglænd (born 1957), an author, poet, and literature critic who grew up at Tananger *

Svein Fjælberg Svein Fjælberg (born 12 January 1959) is a Norwegian former football defender. He played 11 seasons for the Norwegian club Viking, where he won the league twice as well as two cup titles. Fjælberg was capped 33 times for Norway. After his r ...

(born 1959 in Sola), a former footballer with 128 caps with

Viking FK Viking Fotballklubb, commonly known as Viking or Viking Stavanger internationally, is a Norwegian professional football club from the city of Stavanger. The club was founded in 1899. It is one of the most successful clubs in Norwegian football, ...

and 33 with

Rita Eriksen Rita Eriksen (born May 26, 1966, in Sola, Norway) is a Norwegian singer, as solo artist and in the 1990s, as part of the Norwegian singing duo Eriksen with her sibling guitarist and singer Frank Eriksen. Rita Eriksen was also briefly a member of ...

(born 1966 in Sola) & Frank Eriksen (born 1961 in Sola), musicians with Eriksen; a roots, country, and blues band *

Solveig Horne Solveig Horne (born 12 January 1969) is a Norway, Norwegian politician for the Progress Party (Norway), Progress Party who served as Minister of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion, Minister of Children and Equality in the Solberg's Cabinet, ...

(born 1969), a politician and

Minister of Children and Families The Minister of Children and Families (, ) is a Cabinet of Norway, Councilor of State and Chief of Norway's Ministry of Children and Family Affairs. Since 4 February 2025, Lene Vågslid has held the position. The ministry is responsible for policy ...

who lives in Sola *

Camilla Herrem Camilla Herrem (born 8 October 1986) is a Norwegian handball player for Sola HK and formerly the Norway women's national handball team, Norwegian national team. Her international achievements include two Olympic gold medals, three World Champio ...

(born 1986 in Sola), a handball player with 262 caps with Norway women and four Olympic team medals (Gold in London 2012, and in Paris 2024, Bronze in Rio 2016, and in Tokyo 2020)

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 ...

{{use dmy dates, date=June 2020 Municipalities of Rogaland 1930 establishments in Norway Seaside resorts in Norway Jæren