Førde Municipality Førde kommune | |
|---|---|
 Førde town center | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Sogn og Fjordane within Norway | |
 Førde within Sogn og Fjordane | |
| Coordinates:61°26′35″N05°54′13″E / 61.44306°N 5.90361°E /61.44306; 5.90361 | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Sogn og Fjordane |
| District | Sunnfjord |
| Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
| • Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
| Disestablished | 1 Jan 2020 |
| • Succeeded by | Sunnfjord Municipality |
| Administrative centre | Førde |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2011–2019) | Olve Grotle (H) |
| Area (upon dissolution) | |
• Total | 585.96 km2 (226.24 sq mi) |
| • Land | 553.01 km2 (213.52 sq mi) |
| • Water | 32.95 km2 (12.72 sq mi) 5.6% |
| • Rank | #190 in Norway |
| Highest elevation | 1,633 m (5,358 ft) |
| Population (2019) | |
• Total | 13,092 |
| • Rank | #93 in Norway |
| • Density | 22.3/km2 (58/sq mi) |
| • Change(10 years) |  +10.6% |
| Demonym | Førdianar[2] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Nynorsk |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1432[4] |
Førde is aformer municipality in the oldSogn og Fjordane county,Norway. The 586-square-kilometre (226 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now part ofSunnfjord Municipality in thetraditional district ofSunnfjord inVestland county. Theadministrative centre was the town ofFørde. Some notable villages in the municipality includedBruland,Holsen,Moskog, andHaukedalen. TheØyrane area within the town of Førde was a large industrial/commercial area for the region.
Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 585.96-square-kilometre (226.24 sq mi) municipality was the 190th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Førde Municipality was the 93rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 13,092. The municipality'spopulation density was 22.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (58/sq mi) and its population had increased by 10.6% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
TheEuropean Route E39 highway passed through the municipality, and it passed by the lakeHolsavatnet.Førde Airport, Bringeland was the regional airport, located about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from the town centre with flights that connectOslo andBergen with Førde. The airport was actually located in the neighboringGaular Municipality, just south of the border. The largest hospital inSogn og Fjordane county,Førde Central Hospital, and the regional offices of theNorwegian Broadcasting Corporation are located in the town. The International Førde Folk Music Festival is held each summer. The local newspaper is calledFirda.
Førde was established as amunicipality on 1 January 1838 (seeformannskapsdistrikt law). The original municipality was identical to the Førdeparish(prestegjeld) with the sub-parishes (sokn) ofFørde,Holsen, andNaustdal.[7]
On 1 January 1896, the northern sub-parish of Naustdal (population: 2,543) was separated from Førde Municipality to become the newNaustdal Municipality. This left Førde Municipality with 2,903 residents.[8]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of theSchei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the areas ofNaustdal Municipality that were located south of theFørdefjorden (population: 265) were transferred to Førde Municipality.[8]
On 1 January 2020, Førde Municipality,Naustdal Municipality,Gaular Municipality, andJølster Municipality were merged to form the newSunnfjord Municipality.[9]
The municipality (originally theparish) was named after the oldFørde farm (Old Norse:Fjǫrðr [nominative] andFirði [dative]) since the firstFørde Church was built there. The name is identical with the wordfjǫrðr which means "firth" or "fjord", referring to the fjord now calledFørdefjorden.[10]
Thecoat of arms was granted on 27 April 1990 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The officialblazon is"Gules, threeplowsharesargent, two over one" (Norwegian:På raud grunn tre sølv plogjarn, 2-1). This means the arms have a redfield (background) and thecharge is a set of threeplowshares. The charge has atincture ofargent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design was chosen to symbolize the three pillars of the local economy:agriculture,horticulture, and development. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[11][12][13]
TheChurch of Norway had two parishes (sokn) within Førde Municipality. It was part of theSunnfjord prosti (deanery) in theDiocese of Bjørgvin.
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Førde | Førde Church | Førde | 1885 |
| Holsen og Haukedalen | Haukedalen Church | Haukedalen | 1885 |
| Holsen Church | Holsen | 1861 |
Førde Municipality encompassed the valleys that led away from the inner end of theFørdefjorden.Naustdal Municipality bordered Førde to the north, the municipalities ofJølster,Sogndal, andBalestrand were to the east,Gaular Municipality was to the south, andAskvoll Municipality was to the west. The two largest lakes in the municipality wereHolsavatnet andHaukedalsvatnet. The riversJølstra andGaula were both partially located in Førde Municipality. TheGaularfjellet mountains were located in the east and south of the municipality. TheglaciersGrovabreen andJostefonni were located in the eastern mountainous part of Førde Municipality. The westernmost edges of theJostedalsbreen National Park were located in theHaukedalen valley in Førde Municipality. The highest point in the municipality was the 1,633-metre (5,358 ft) tallGrovabreen glacier.[1]
While it existed, Førde Municipality was responsible forprimary education (through 10th grade), outpatienthealth services,senior citizen services,welfare and othersocial services,zoning,economic development, and municipalroads and utilities. The municipality was governed by amunicipal council ofdirectly elected representatives. Themayor wasindirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[14] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of theSogn og Fjordane District Court and theGulating Court of Appeal.
Themunicipal council(Kommunestyre) of Førde Municipality was made up of 27 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by politicalparty.
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 9 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 1 | |
| Green Party(Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 6 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 4 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 27 | |
| Note: On 1 January 2020, Førde Municipality,Jølster Municipality,Gaular Municipality, andNaustdal Municipality were merged to form the newSunnfjord Municipality. | ||
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 8 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 27 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 5 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 27 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 4 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 5 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 2 | |
| Red Electoral Alliance(Raud Valallianse) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 6 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 27 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 10 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 7 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 5 | |
| Red Electoral Alliance(Raud Valallianse) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 35 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 12 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 4 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 5 | |
| Red Electoral Alliance(Raud Valallianse) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 7 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 35 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 11 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 5 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 4 | |
| Red Electoral Alliance(Raud Valallianse) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 9 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 35 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 10 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 7 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 4 | |
| Red Electoral Alliance(Raud Valallianse) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 3 | |
| Total number of members: | 35 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 9 | |
| Progress Party(Framstegspartiet) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 7 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 5 | |
| Liberal People's Party(Liberale Folkepartiet) | 1 | |
| Red Electoral Alliance(Raud Valallianse) | 1 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 7 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 35 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 10 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 6 | |
| New People's Party(Nye Folkepartiet) | 2 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 7 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 35 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 9 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 5 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 5 | |
| New People's Party(Nye Folkepartiet) | 7 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 8 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 35 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 9 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 3 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 4 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 8 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 5 | |
| Total number of members: | 29 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 3 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 5 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 9 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 5 | |
| Total number of members: | 29 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 1 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 5 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 11 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 4 | |
| Total number of members: | 29 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 2 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 3 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 9 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 4 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 6 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 2 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 3 | |
| Farmers' Party(Bondepartiet) | 9 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 5 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 6 | |
| Conservative Party(Høgre) | 1 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 3 | |
| Farmers' Party(Bondepartiet) | 10 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 4 | |
| Total number of members: | 24 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 4 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 3 | |
| Farmers' Party(Bondepartiet) | 6 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 3 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 8 | |
| Total number of members: | 24 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 5 | |
| Farmers' Party(Bondepartiet) | 7 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 4 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 8 | |
| Total number of members: | 24 | |
| Party name(in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeidarpartiet) | 4 | |
| Farmers' Party(Bondepartiet) | 3 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 6 | |
| Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties(Borgarlege Felleslister) | 3 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 8 | |
| Total number of members: | 24 | |
| Note: Due to theGerman occupation of Norway duringWorld War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945. | ||
Themayor (Nynorsk:ordførar) of Førde Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:[32]
The Salmon is a 65 metres (213 ft) long stonesculpture which is Norway's longest individual sculpture. It was created by Jørn Rønnau. It blends naturally in with the green surroundings on the banks of the riverJølstra, close to the Førdehuset cultural centre.[33]
Førdehuset (literal meaning: the Førde house) is a regional cultural centre, a cornerstone for cultural life inWestern Norway. The centre is centrally located in the town of Førde, surrounded by a sports complex,amphitheatre, and is next door to the County Gallery. A multitude of cultural activities are gathered together under one roof - small and large attractions/events the whole year round.[33]
Norwegian County Road 13 (Fv13) is one of 18 national tourist roads in Norway because of the nearby waterfalls. From Førde, drivers start on a sightseeing journey with cultural attractions that date from the 19th century to the present day's city environment. The districts ofHolsen andHaukedalen are typical of Western Norwegian farming communities that have created a picturesque cultivated landscape.
Rørvik Mountain, the trail with the fascinatingstone walls and a marvellous view over Haukedalen. Along Råheimsdalen and Eldalen to theGaularfjellet mountains, you will see a marvellous waterfall landscape that has been landscaped with paths for visitors. From the top of Gaularfjell mountains, hairpin bends wind down to the Vetlefjorden, an arm of theSognefjorden. The breathtaking contrasts of steep mountainsides, winding roads, and waterfalls are characteristic ofWestern Norway’s exceptional scenery.[33]
The Sunnfjord Museum is one of four districtmuseums inSogn og Fjordane County. The main courtyard of the outdoor museum is a cluster of 25 restored antiquarian buildings sited in a cultural landscape representative of the same period. These buildings provide an insight into life and lifestyles in theSunnfjord districts around the middle of the 19th century. The land tenant's home is on its original site with the interior as it was at the end of the 19th century. In June, July and August, there are daily guided tours through the old buildings.[33]
Førde hassister city agreements with the following places:
La Crosse, Wisconsin,United States.Kent, Washington,United States. Each year two students ages 14–17 are exchanged between the two cities to be youth ambassadors of their country.[citation needed]
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
Travel guides from Wikivoyage
Data from WikidataPlaces adjacent to Førde Municipality | |
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