Vanylven 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' ...

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 ...

. It is part of the

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 ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

. 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 ...

is the village of Fiskå. Other villages in the municipality include

Åheim Åheim is a village in Vanylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the shore of the inner part of the Vanylvsfjorden. The Åheimselva river runs through the village from the lake Gusdalsvatnet to the f ...

Åram Åram is a village in Vanylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located on the mainland, about straight north of the municipal centre of Fiskåbygd. The village has a ferry quay with regular connections to the near ...

Rovdane Rovdane is a village in Vanylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located along the Rovdefjorden, about north of the village of Syvde, northeast of the municipal center of Fiskå, and (by road, not counting the ferry's ...

, Eidså,

Slagnes Slagnes is a village in Vanylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the Vanylvsfjorden, about north of the village of Åheim Åheim is a village in Vanylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, ...

, and Syvde. The municipality is the 240th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Vanylven Municipality is the 228th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,026. 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 8.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

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 ...

of ''Vanelven'' 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). The spelling was later changed to Vanylven. On 1 February 1918, the area around the

Syvdsfjorden Syvdefjorden is a fjord in Vanylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The long fjord flows from the village of Syvde to the north until it empties into the Rovdefjorden. The sides of the fjord are mountainous, particularly the ea ...

(population: 1,260) was separated to become the new

Syvde Municipality Syvde is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1918 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vanylven Municipality in the Traditional distri ...

. This left Vanylven Municipality with 1,848 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 1964,

(population: 1,458) and the

Rovdestranda Rovdane is a village in Vanylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located along the Rovdefjorden, about north of the village of Syvde, northeast of the municipal center of Fiskå, and (by road, not counting the ferry's ...

area (population: 436) of

Rovde Municipality Rovde is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1905 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now divided between Sande Municipality and Vanylven Municipality in the traditional district of S ...

were both merged into Vanylven Municipality, giving Vanylven a new population of 3,897. On 1 January 2002, the mainland

area north of

Fiskåbygd Fiskåbygd or Fiskå is a coastal village that is also the administrative centre of Vanylven Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located about southwest of the city of Ålesund, about east of the village of Syvde, a ...

(population: 380) was transferred from Sande Municipality to Vanylven Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the

) is named after the

Vanylvsfjorden Vanylvsfjorden is a fjord in western Norway, on the border of Vestland and Møre og Romsdal counties. The long fjord runs between the mainland of Vanylven Municipality and the Stad peninsula of Stad Municipality, with the islands of Sande Muni ...

(). The meaning of the first element is uncertain, but it may come from the word which means "fishing line" or which mean "dark" or "colorless", referring to the occurrence of

olivine The mineral olivine () is a magnesium iron Silicate minerals, silicate with the chemical formula . It is a type of Nesosilicates, nesosilicate or orthosilicate. The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle (Earth), upper mantle, it is a com ...

in the area. The last element is which is frequently used in the

area in the names of

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 ...

s. It possibly comes from the word which means "low, wet terrain". Historically, the name was written ''Vanelven''. In 1889, the spelling was changed to ''Vannelven''. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to ''Vanylven''.

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 December 1987. 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 ''"

Vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme versio ...

, a pile

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 green

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 pile

(a triangle with curved sides). 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 arms are meant to show how the

meets the sea, surrounded by the fertile green lands of Vanylven. The fertile lands and the sea which is full of

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

are both important industries to the municipality which is why the colors green (land) and silver (sea) were chosen for the arms. The arms were designed by Jostein O. Mo. 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 Vanylven Municipality. It is part of the Søre 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 ...

Geography

Vanylven borders Sande Municipality and Herøy Municipality in the north (across the

Rovdefjorden Rovdefjorden is a fjord (more precisely, a strait) in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The fjord runs through the municipalities of Sande Municipality (Møre og Romsdal), Sande, Herøy Municipality (Møre og Romsdal), Herøy, Vanylven Municipalit ...

Volda Municipality Volda is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre is the Volda (village), village of Volda. Other v ...

lies to the east; and

Stad Municipality Stad is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The municipality includes much of the northern shore of the Nordfjorden as well as the Stad peninsula. The administrative centre of the ...

(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) is located to the south. Vanylven Municipality is located on the mainland of Norway and it is surrounded by several fjords. The

lies to the west and the

to the north. The

cuts into the municipality from the north and it empties into the Rovdefjorden. The Syltefjorden branches off the main Vanylvsfjorden, just past the village of

. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Storeblæja, just north of the border with

Government

Vanylven 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 Vanylven Municipality is made up of 21 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

() of Vanylven Municipality 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: * 1838–1839: Jon J. Sundal * 1840–1843: Nicolai Christian Synnestvedt * 1844–1855: Jon J. Sundal * 1856–1859: Hans A. Thunem * 1860–1863: Bern Krøvel * 1864–1869: Samson Qviebakke * 1870–1871: Bern Krøvel * 1872–1875: Samson Qviebakke * 1876–1877: Matias O. Thunem * 1878–1879: Bernt S. Breiteig * 1880–1895: Matias O. Thunem * 1896–1901: Gerhard K. Fiskå * 1902–1913: Kristian R. Sandnes * 1914–1919: Ola Hellebust * 1920–1925: Andreas M. Osnes * 1926–1931: Petter I. Lien * 1932–1934: John A. Aasen * 1935–1937: Andreas M. Osnes * 1938–1945: John A. Aasen * 1945–1945: Sverre Nybø (H) * 1946–1949: Knut Rønnestad * 1950–1951: Knut A. Thunem * 1952–1955: Anfinn M. Skorge * 1956–1959: Einar Orten * 1960–1961: Sverre Nybø ( H) * 1962–1963: Olav A. Aarø * 1964–1965: Osnes * 1966–1973: Ola Øvregård * 1974–1975: Svein Thunem * 1976–1983: Ragnar Vik * 1984–1987: Jon Arne Lillebø ( KrF) * 1988–2003: Jon Aasen ( Ap) * 2003–2015: Jan Helgøy ( KrF) * 2015–2023: Lena M. Landsverk Sande ( V) * 2023–present: Paul Sindre Vedeld ( Sp) Maria Parr

Notable people

* Jacob Vidnes (1875 in Vanylven – 1940), a trade unionist, newspaper editor, and politician *

Marie Lovise Widnes Marie Lovise Widnes (1 November 1930 – 19 November 2021) was a Norwegian poet, author, singer, composer, and politician. Political career Widnes was born in Vanylven Municipality. She was elected to the Stortinget, Norwegian Parliament from Mø ...

(born 1930 in Vanylven), a poet, author, singer, composer, and politician * Helge Simonnes (born 1955 in Vanylven), an editor and current editor-in-chief of '' Vårt Land'' *

Else Mundal Else Olaug Mundal (born 8 November 1944) is a Norwegian philologist. She was born in Vanylven Municipality and graduated with the cand.philol. degree in 1971. She was appointed as a docent in Norse philology at the University of Oslo in 1977. Be ...

(born 1944 in Vanylven), a philologist and academic *

Maria Parr Maria Parr (born 18 January 1981 in Vanylven Municipality) is a Norwegian children's writer. She studied Nordic Languages and Literature at the University of Bergen. She currently teaches part-time at the high school in Vanylven. Her children ...

(born 1981 in Vanylven), a children's writer

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 Sunnmøre Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal 1838 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1838