Suldal 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' ...

in the northeast corner of

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 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 ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Ryfylke Ryfylke is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the northeastern part of Rogaland county, Norway. The district, encompassing about 60% of the county's area is located northeast of Stavanger and east of Haugesund. It includes the mainla ...

. Since 1965, 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 Suldal is the village of Sand i Ryfylke (prior to that it was the village of

Suldalsosen Suldalsosen is a village in Suldal municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the northern shore of the river Suldalslågen on the southwestern end of the lake Suldalsvatnet. Suldalsosen historically was a central star ...

). Other villages in Suldal include Erfjord, Jelsa,

Marvik Marvik is a village situated in Suldal municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the Sandsfjorden on the southern coast of the Ropeid peninsula. The village serves as a commercial centre of the peninsula, having a ge ...

Nesflaten Nesflaten is a village in Suldal municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern end of the lake Suldalsvatnet, just west of the smaller village of Roalkvam. Nesflaten lies along the Norwegian National Road 13 whi ...

, Vanvik, and

. The municipality is the 46th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Suldal is the 210th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,815. 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 decreased by 1.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The parish of ''Suledal'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

law). In 1842, the northern district of the municipality (population: 1,584) was separated to become the new municipality of Søvde. This left Suldal with 2,030 residents. 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 ...

. On 1 January 1965, Suldal (population: 1,412) was merged with the neighboring municipalities of

Sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

(population: 1,135) and Erfjord (population: 610) as well as all of the municipality of Jelsa except for the parts on the island of

Ombo Ombo is an island in the municipality of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway. The island is the largest island in the Ryfylke region and the second largest island in Rogaland county. There are several villages on the island, including Jørst ...

(population: 928) and the parts of

Imsland Imsland is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1923 until its dissolution in 1965. The municipality included the area surrounding the inner part of the Vindafj ...

municipality located south of the

Vindafjorden Vindafjorden ( or Vinda Fjord) is a fjord in Rogaland county, Norway. The long fjord is a northern branch off of the main Boknafjorden. The fjord marks the municipal boundaries between Vindafjord, Suldal, and Tysvær. The fjord initially r ...

(population: 61). On 1 January 1978, the parts of

Vindafjord Municipality Vindafjord is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Haugaland. Since 2005, the administrative centre of the municipality has been the village of Ølensjøen (prior to that time it was the village of ...

located southeast of the

on the ''Ropeid'' peninsula (population: 13) was transferred to Suldal.

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 Suledalen valley () since it was a central geographical feature of the municipality. The first element is the plural

genitive case In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive ca ...

of which means "pillar" or "column" (likely referring to the mountain pass Suldalsporten). The last element is which means "

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams over ...

" or "dale". Before 1891, the name was written ''"Suledal"''.

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 11 March 1976. 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 ''"

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

, three bendlets wavy Or"'' (). This means the arms have a red

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 the three diagonal wavy lins. 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 ...

of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The lines represent the local river

Suldalslågen The Suldalslågen (or locally, ''Lågen'') is a river that is located in the municipality of Suldal in Rogaland county, Norway. The long river runs from the lake Suldalsvatnet to the southwest to the village of Sand where it empties into the San ...

which runs through the municipality. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. 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 Suldal. It is part of the

Ryfylke 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 ...

History

The area that is now Suldal municipality has a long history of trade connections to the nearby valley regions to the north and east. The main mountain plateau trade route led east from Suldal municipality over the plateau to the nearby

Setesdal Setesdal (; older name: Sætersdal) is a valley and a traditional district in Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes. The Otra river flows through the val ...

valley in Bykle municipality in

Agder Agder is a counties of Norway, county () and districts of Norway, traditional region in the southern part of Norway and is coextensive with the Southern Norway region. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Au ...

county. Another route led north from Suldal in Rogaland county through the

Røldal Røldal is a village in the municipality of Ullensvang in Vestland county, Norway. The village lies in the Røldal valley along the Storelva river on the north end of the lake Røldalsvatnet. Røldal is located about southeast of the town of ...

area in

Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...

county, and then east into

Vinje Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vest-Telemark which is part of Øvre Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Åmot. Other villages in the muni ...

municipality in

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

county. There has also been found Viking artefacts and graves in Suldal.

Geography

At , Suldal is the largest municipality in

county. The municipality borders three counties:

(north),

(northeast), and

(east). To the north, Suldal is bordered by

Sauda Sauda ''()'' is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Sauda, where most of the population lives. Other villages in the municipality include Saudasjøen and Amdal. Despite being ...

and

Ullensvang Ullensvang is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the Odda (town), town of Odda. Some o ...

municipalities, in the east by

and

Bykle Bykle is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Setesdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bykle (vil ...

, in the south by

Hjelmeland is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hjelmelandsvågen. Other villages in the municipality include Fister, Årdal, ...

, and in the west by

Vindafjord Vindafjord is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Rogaland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Haugaland. Since 2005, the administrative centre of the municipality has ...

. Across the Jelsafjorden and

lie the municipalities 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

Tysvær Tysvær is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Rogaland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Haugalandet Districts of Norway, region. The municipality is located on the Haugalandet peninsula on the northern side ...

. The mountain

Kistenuten Kistenuten is a tall mountain in southern Norway. It is located in the Ryfylkeheiane mountains at the tripoint border of three different counties (and three municipalities): Suldal municipality in Rogaland county, Ullensvang municipality in V ...

is located at the triple border point of Rogaland,

and

. Other mountains in Suldal are

Vassdalseggi Vassdalseggi is the tallest mountain in Rogaland county, Norway. The tall mountain sits on the border of the municipalities of Vinje (in Telemark county) and Suldal (in Rogaland county). Vassdalseggi lies in the Ryfylkeheiane mountains about ...

, the highest mountain in Rogaland,

Trollaskeinuten Trollaskeinuten is a mountain in the municipality of Suldal in Rogaland county, Norway. The tall mountain lies in the mountainous northeastern corner of Suldal, surrounded by the mountains Knoda, Kistenuten, Vassdalseggi, Fitjanuten, and ...

, Snønuten,

Mælen Mælen or Melsnuten is a mountain in the municipality of Suldal in Rogaland county, Norway. The tall mountain lies in the northeastern part of the municipality, about northeast of the village of Nesflaten. The mountain Trollaskeinuten Tro ...

Knoda Knoda is a mountain in southern Norway. The tall mountain lies on the border of the municipality of Suldal (in Rogaland county) and the municipality of Ullensvang (in Vestland county). The mountain lies about southeast of the village of Røl ...

Fitjanuten Fitjanuten is a mountain in southern Norway. The tall mountain lies on the border of the municipality of Suldal (in Rogaland county) and the municipality of Vinje (in Telemark county). The mountain lies just north of the lake Holmavatnet and ...

, Leirnuten, Kaldafjellet, Simlenuten, Steinkilenuten, and Raudberga, all reaching above m.a.s.l. The Sandsfjorden and Hylsfjorden lie within Suldal, as does lake

Suldalsvatnet Suldalsvatnet () is the sixth-deepest lake in Norway. The deep lake lies in the municipality of Suldal in Rogaland county, Norway. The lake is the headwaters of the river Suldalslågen and it sits at an elevation of above sea level. The l ...

. The

Saudafjorden Saudafjord or Saudafjorden is a fjord in Rogaland county, Norway. The fjord stretches from the town of Sauda in the municipality of Sauda in the north to the village of Sand in the municipality of Suldal where the Saudafjorden and Hylsfjorden j ...

lies partially within the boundary of Suldal. The Erfjorden and the lakes Blåsjø, Holmavatnet, and Holmevatnet also lie on the boundary of Suldal.

Economy

The

Ulla-Førre Ulla-Førre is a hydropower complex in Southern Norway. It is situated along the borders of the municipalities of Suldal and Hjelmeland (in Rogaland county) and Bykle (in Agder county), Norway. It has an installed capacity of approximately , a ...

project of building huge hydroelectric dams in the mountains was initiated in the 1960s. At times, the project employed over a thousand people. The finished hydroelectric complex has a total capacity of approximately and produces about yearly.

Government

Suldal 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 Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court 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 Suldal is made up of 19 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 Suldal (incomplete list): *1838-1845: Lars Olsson Kolbeinstveit *1850-1855: Lars Olsson Kolbeinstveit *1856-1859: Njeld Larsen Kolbenstvedt ( V) *1860-1861: Lars Olsson Kolbeinstveit *1862-1863: Njeld Larsen Kolbenstvedt ( V) *1866-1869: Njeld Larsen Kolbenstvedt ( V) *1876-1880: Njeld Larsen Kolbenstvedt ( V) *1886-1889: Ole Osmundsson Berge ( V) *1981-1992: Halvard Bakka ( Sp) *1992-1998: Torkel Myklebust ( Sp) *1998-2000: Eldbjørg Sivertsen ( KrF) *2000-2003: Roar Obrestad ( KrF) *2003-2007: Andreas Drarvik ( Sp) *2007-2015: Torkel Myklebust ( Sp) *2015-2023: Gerd Helen Bø ( Sp) *2023-present: Mads Drange ( Ap)

Notable people

* Rasmus Løland (1861 at Ryfylke – 1907), a journalist, novelist, and children's writer * Trygve Fjetland (1926 in Jelsa – 2013), a businessperson * Hilde Sandvik (born 1970 in Erfjord), a journalist * Inger Bråtveit (born 1978), a novelist and children's writer who grew up in Suldal

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 ...

Map hiking

Ryfylke tourist bureau
{{use dmy dates, date=June 2020 Municipalities of Rogaland 1838 establishments in Norway