Sunnfjord 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' ...

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,

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 Sunnfjord. 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 town of Førde. Other villages in the municipality include

Naustdal Naustdal is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It was located in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre wa ...

, Sande,

Vassenden Vassenden is a village in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located along the river Jølstra on the western shore of the lake Jølstravatnet, and about north of the lake Holsavatnet. The village has a population (2019 ...

, and Skei. The municipality is the 27th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sunnfjord is the 56th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 22,215. 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 4.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality was established on 1 January 2020 when the old municipalities of Førde, Gaular,

Jølster Jølster is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It was located in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre was the vil ...

, and

were merged.

Name

The municipality was named after the traditional district of Sunnfjord, in which it is located. The first element is which means "southern". The last element is which means "

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

", thus it is the southern fjord region (as opposed to the nearby Nordfjord region (the northern fjord region).

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 in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020 when the municipality was established. The arms have a dark green field (background) and the charge is four small vertical stripes meeting in the centre with one large vertical stripe. 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 ...

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 ...

which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms symbolize four rivers joining a larger body of water. The rivers symbolize the four main rivers of Sunnfjord: Nausta, Gaula, Anga, and Jølstra all flowing in to a large

. It was also meant to symbolize the many waterfalls and rivers in the municipality as well as strength and unity.

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 six parishes () within the municipality of Sunnfjord. It is part of the

Sunnfjord prosti Sunnfjord ( - in contrast to Nordfjord) is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Western Norway located in Vestland counties of Norway, county. It includes the List of municipalities of Norway, municipalities of Askvoll, Fjaler, the sout ...

(

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 Bjørgvin.

Government

Sunnfjord 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 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 ...

is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

of Sunnfjord is made up of 37 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 Sunnfjord: *2020-2021: Olve Grotle ( H) *2021-present: Jenny Følling ( Sp)

Climate

Situated slightly inland and along the innermost part of a narrow fjord, Sunnfjord's climate is somewhat colder in winter than places along the outer coast, but also with slightly warmer summer days. Førde is one of Norway's wettest towns. The wettest season is autumn and winter with December as wettest month. The driest season is late spring and summer with May as the driest month. The climate data for Førde is consistent with an oceanic climate with the original Köppen climate threshold of (using the threshold for coldest month as in the United States, Førde would be classified as a humid continental climate). The all-time high is recorded 16 July 2003. The all-time low is .

Notable people

Public service

* Kolbeinn hrúga, a 12th-century Norse chieftain in

Orkney Orkney (), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago off the north coast of mainland Scotland. The plural name the Orkneys is also sometimes used, but locals now consider it outdated. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, ...

who was born in Sunnfjord and is part of the Orkneyinga saga * Audun Hugleiksson (ca.1240–1302), a Norwegian nobleman, grew up in Jølster * Brita Alvern, a woman who was accused of witchcraft and put on trial at the ''Indredale Skipreide'' in Sunnfjord in 1729 * John P. Munson (1860 in Jølster – 1928), a Norwegian-American zoologist and academic * Ingolf Elster Christensen (1872 in Førde – 1943), a jurist, military officer, and politician * Nikolai Andreas Schei (1901–1985) & Andreas Olai Schei (1902–1989), jurists and civil servants from Førde * Leiv Erdal (1915 in Naustdal – 2009), a military officer, bailiff, and politician * Åsmund Reikvam (born 1944 in Førde), a Norwegian professor in medicine and former politician * Arild Stubhaug (born 1948 in Naustdal), a mathematician, poet, and biographer * Anlaug Amanda Djupvik (born ca.1965 in Førde), an astronomer of

star formation Star formation is the process by which dense regions within molecular clouds in interstellar space—sometimes referred to as "stellar nurseries" or "star-forming regions"—Jeans instability, collapse and form stars. As a branch of astronomy, sta ...

and initial mass function *

Bård Vegar Solhjell Bård Vegar Solhjell (born 22 December 1971) is a former Norwegian politician for the Socialist Left Party. He served as Minister of Education from 2007 to 2009, and as Minister of the Environment from 2012 to 2013, both in Stoltenberg's Sec ...

(born 1971), a former politician and minister who grew up in Sunnfjord * Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (born 1974 in Naustdal), a member of the Cabinet of Norway * Himanshu Gulati (born 1988 in Førde), a Norwegian politician

The arts

Anders Askevold Anders Askevold (25 December 1834 – 22 October 1900) was a Norwegian painter. His art was characterized by romantic national expression. He was best known for his fjord landscapes from Western Norway. Biography Anders Monsen Askevold was ...

(1834 in Askvoll – 1900), a painter of landscapes and animals * Johannes Haarklou (1847 in Haukedalen – 1925), a composer, organist, conductor, and music critic * Hauk Aabel (1869 in Førde – 1961), a comedian and actor in Norwegian and Swedish silent films. Retrieved 28 August 2020. * Hjalmar Christensen (1869 in Sunnfjord – 1925), a writer and prominent literary critic * Helene Bergsholm (born 1992 in Førde), an actress * Ludvig Eikaas (1920 in Jølster – 2010), a Norwegian painter, graphic artist, and sculptor * Gunnar S. Gundersen (1921 in Førde – 1983), a

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

painter known as ''Gunnar S'' *

Eldrid Lunden Eldrid Lunden (born 5 October 1940) is a Norwegian poet, and 1996 became Norway's first professor in creative writing, at Telemark University College. She was awarded the Dobloug Prize in 1989, and the Brage Prize honorary award in 2000. She ...

(born 1940 in Naustdal), a poet and Norway's first professor of creative writing * Arve Furset (born 1964 in Askvoll), a composer, jazz musician, and music producer * Ole Jonny Eikefjord (born 1970 in Førde), a chef, cookbook author, and restaurateur * Kristian Eivind Espedal (born 1975 in Sunnfjord), a black metal vocalist, musician, and painter whose stage name is '' Gaahl'' * Gunnar Garfors (born 1975), a traveller, author, media professional, and public speaker who grew up in Naustdal * Olaug Nilssen (born 1977 in Førde), a novelist, playwright, children's writer, and magazine editor * Marianne Clementine Håheim (born 1987 in Jølster), a Norwegian author * Thea Hjelmeland (born 1987 in Førde), a Norwegian musician, singer, and songwriter * Iselin Solheim (born 1990 in Naustdal), a Norwegian singer and songwriter * Peter Førde (born 1988 in Førde), a Norwegian actor

Sport

* Håkon Fimland (1942 in Naustdal – 2016), a Norwegian hurdler and politician * Martinus Grov (born 1974 in Førde), a retired archer who competed at the

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

and

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Asgeir Årdal Asgeir Mandelid Årdal (born 30 November 1983) is a Norwegian cross-country skier. He made his FIS Cross-Country World Cup debut in March 2005 in Drammen, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

(born 1983 in Jølster), a Norwegian cross-country skier who lives in Skei

Gallery

File:Helgheim church 01.jpg, Helgheim church in Jølster File:An der Daleelva oberhalb von Årdal.JPG, At the Daleelva at Årdal File:Råeimsdalen.JPG, Råeimsdalen from Viksdalen near Vallestadfossen File:Blomreina gravplass.jpg, Blomreina gravplass i Førde

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=October 2022 Municipalities of Vestland 2020 establishments in Norway