Kvinnherad

Kvinnherad is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, along the Hardangerfjorden. The municipality was the 5th in size in former Hordaland county.[3]

Kvinnherad kommune
Municipality
View of the Husnes area
Coat of arms
Vestland within
Norway
Kvinnherad within Vestland
Coordinates: 59°55′41″N 06°02′13″E
CountryNorway
CountyVestland
DistrictSunnhordland
Established1 Jan 1838
Administrative centreRosendal
Government
 • Mayor (2019)Hans Inge Myrvold (Sp)
Area
 • Total1,090.75 km2 (421.14 sq mi)
 • Land1,042.67 km2 (402.58 sq mi)
 • Water48.08 km2 (18.56 sq mi)  4.4%
Area rank104 in Norway
Population
 (2020)
 • Total13,071
 • Rank92 in Norway
 • Density12.5/km2 (32/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
-0.9%
Demonym(s)Kvinnhering[1]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-4617
Official language formNynorsk[2]
Websitekvinnherad.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rosendal. The largest village is Husnes, with about 6,000 people living in or near the village. Other villages include Ænes, Åkra, Dimmelsvik, Eidsvik, Hatlestrand, Herøysund, Høylandsbygd, Ølve, Sæbøvik, Sundal, Sunde, Uskedal, and Valen.

The 1,091-square-kilometre (421 sq mi) municipality is the 104th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvinnherad is the 92nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 13,071. The municipality's population density is 12.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (32/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 0.9% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]

In the southern part of Kvinnherad you will find the typical fjord landscape of western Norway. The areas of Mauranger and Rosendal are said to have about the most beautiful fjord landscape of Hardanger as a whole: narrow fjords, wild water-falls, and the nearby Folgefonna, the third biggest glacier in Norway.[3]

General information
View of the Sæbøvik area
View of Halsnøy Abbey
The 13th century Ænes Church

The parish of Qvindherred was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1907, a small area northwest of the villages of Ølve and Husa (population: 67) was transferred from neighboring Tysnes municipality to Kvinnherad. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the following areas were merged into one large municipality of Kvinnherad:[6]

  • All of Skånevik municipality located north of the Skånevikfjorden-Åkrafjorden and west of the Åkra area (population: 1,189)
  • All of Fjelberg municipality (population: 2,308)
  • All of the old Kvinnherad municipality (population: 5,831)
  • All of Varaldsøy municipality, except for the Mundheim area, (population: 511)

On 1 January 2013, the southwestern part of the Folgefonna peninsula (south of Kysnesstranda) was transferred from Kvinnherad to the neighboring Jondal municipality. This removed forty residents and 37.1 square kilometres (14.3 sq mi) of land area from the municipality.[7]

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Kvinnaherað. The first element may be derived from the word tvinnr which means "double" (referring to the two rivers running through Rosendal, the administrative centre of the municipality). The last element is herað which means "district" or "municipality". The municipality name has been spelled several ways throughout history. Before 1889, the name was written "Quindherred", then from 1889-1917 it was "Kvinnherred", and since 1918 it has been spelled "Kvinnherad".[8]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 18 June 1982. The arms show the confluence of two blue rivers into one on a white or silver background. The rivers symbolize the many streams and rivers in the municipality, especially the Hattebergselvi and the Melselvi, that come together just before they run into the sea at Rosendal.[9]

Churches

The Church of Norway has nine parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Kvinnherad. It is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Churches in Kvinnherad
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
Fjelberg og EidEid ChurchEidsvik1824
Fjelberg ChurchFjelbergøya1722
HatlestrandHatlestrand ChurchHatlestrand1885
Husnes og HolmedalHolmedal ChurchUtåker1815
Husnes ChurchHusnes1874
Valen ChurchValen1978
KvinnheradKvinnherad ChurchRosendalc. 1250
UskedalenUskedalen ChurchUskedal1914
VaraldsøyVaraldsøy ChurchVaraldsøy1885
ÆnesÆnes ChurchÆnesc. 1200
ØlveØlve ChurchØlve1861
ÅkraÅkra ChurchÅkra1735

Economy

The economy of Kvinnherad is based on the rich water resources within its boundaries. This includes power production, aluminium production (Sør-Norge Aluminium), fish farming, shipbuilding (Eidsvik Skipsbyggeri, Hellesøy Verft, Bergen Group Halsnøy), and lifeboat production (Umoe Schat-Harding, Norsafe, Eide Marine Tech, Noreq). These industries are spread throughout the municipality.

Kvinnherad has two local newspapers, Kvinnheringen and Grenda, as well as a local TV channel, TV Sydvest.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kvinnherad, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.[10] The municipality falls under the Sunnhordland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Kvinnherad is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 2020–2023 [11]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)7
 Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)3
 Green Party (Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne)2
 Conservative Party (Høgre)9
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)2
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)8
 Liberal Party (Venstre)1
 Joint list of the Red Party (Raudt) and the
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)		3
Total number of members:35
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 2016–2019 [12]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)8
 Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)3
 Green Party (Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne)1
 Conservative Party (Høgre)12
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)2
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)6
 Liberal Party (Venstre)1
 Joint list of the Red Party (Raudt) and the
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)		2
Total number of members:35
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 2012–2015 [13]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)9
 Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)5
 Conservative Party (Høgre)11
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)3
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)3
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)1
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
 Population Party (Innbyggjarpartiet)1
Total number of members:35
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 2008–2011 [12]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)7
 Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)5
 Conservative Party (Høgre)4
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)3
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)4
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)1
 Liberal Party (Venstre)5
 Population Party (Innbyggjarpartiet)1
 Cross-Party Common List (Tverrpolitisk samlingsliste)1
 Independent Centre (Uavhengig sentrum)1
Total number of members:35
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 2004–2007 [12]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)8
 Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)8
 Conservative Party (Høgre)4
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)3
 Red Electoral Alliance (Raud Valallianse)1
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)9
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)3
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
 Cross-Party Common List (Tverrpolitisk samlingsliste)7
Total number of members:45
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 2000–2003 [12]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)11
 Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)5
 Conservative Party (Høgre)4
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)5
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)8
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)3
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
 Cross-Party Common List (Tverrpolitisk samlingsliste)7
Total number of members:45
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 1996–1999 [14]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)11
 Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)3
 Conservative Party (Høgre)2
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)4
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)11
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)2
 Liberal Party (Venstre)1
 Cross-party common list (Tverrpolitisk samlingsliste)11
Total number of members:45
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 1992–1995 [15]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)6
 Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)2
 Conservative Party (Høgre)3
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)4
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)13
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)3
 Liberal Party (Venstre)1
 Cross-party common list (Tverrpolitisk samlingsliste)13
Total number of members:45
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 1988–1991 [16]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)11
 Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)3
 Conservative Party (Høgre)8
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)6
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)12
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)3
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
Total number of members:45
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 1984–1987 [17]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)11
 Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)2
 Conservative Party (Høgre)11
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)7
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)10
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)2
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
Total number of members:45
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 1980–1983 [18]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)9
 Conservative Party (Høgre)12
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)8
 Liberal People's Party (Liberale Folkepartiet)1
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)11
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)1
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
 Election list for Halsnøy and the Fjellberg islands
 (Valliste for Halsnøy og Fjellbergøyane)		1
Total number of members:45
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 1976–1979 [19]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)11
 Conservative Party (Høgre)6
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)10
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)12
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)1
 Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and
New People's Party (Nye Folkepartiet)		3
 Hatlestrand's list (Hatlestrand si liste)1
 Ølve's list (Ølve si liste)1
Total number of members:45
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 1972–1975 [20]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)13
 Conservative Party (Høgre)4
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)5
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)11
 Liberal Party (Venstre)6
 Local List(s) (Lokale lister)6
Total number of members:45
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 1968–1971 [21]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)11
 Conservative Party (Høgre)4
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)6
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)11
 Liberal Party (Venstre)6
 Local List(s) (Lokale lister)7
Total number of members:45
Kvinnherad Kommunestyre 1964–1967 [22]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)11
 Conservative Party (Høgre)3
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)5
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)12
 Liberal Party (Venstre)6
Total number of members:37
Kvinnherad Heradsstyre 1960–1963 [23]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)6
 Conservative Party (Høgre)3
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)6
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)12
 Liberal Party (Venstre)10
Total number of members:37
Kvinnherad Heradsstyre 1956–1959 [24]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)2
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)2
 Local List(s) (Lokale lister)33
Total number of members:37
Kvinnherad Heradsstyre 1952–1955 [25]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)4
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)2
 Local List(s) (Lokale lister)34
Total number of members:40
Kvinnherad Heradsstyre 1948–1951 [26]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)5
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)3
 Local List(s) (Lokale lister)32
Total number of members:40
Kvinnherad Heradsstyre 1945–1947 [27]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)8
 Local List(s) (Lokale lister)32
Total number of members:40
Kvinnherad Heradsstyre 1938–1941* [28]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)4
 Conservative Party (Høgre)2
 Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister)4
 Local List(s) (Lokale lister)30
Total number of members:40

Mayor

The mayors of Kvinnherad (incomplete list):

Geography
Historical population
YearPop.±%
19515,638—    
19605,514−2.2%
197011,811+114.2%
198012,821+8.6%
199013,121+2.3%
200013,196+0.6%
201013,187−0.1%
201913,137−0.4%
Source: Statistics Norway.

The municipality is located along the large Hardangerfjorden, mostly on the southeast side of the fjord on the Folgefonna peninsula, but also a small part on the other side. It includes several notable islands in the fjord including Varaldsøy, Fjelbergøya, Borgundøya, and Halsnøya.[3]

The large Folgefonna National Park, which surrounds the Folgefonna glacier, is partially located in Kvinnherad. The northern part of the municipality is often referred to as Mauranger. It is the area surrounding the Maurangsfjorden. The notable Bondhusbreen glacier is located just south of that fjord, near the village of Sundal. The Jondal Tunnel and Folgefonna Tunnel both connect Mauranger with neighboring Odda and Jondal by cutting through the large mountains surrounding Mauranger.[3]

The municipality has many large lakes including Blådalsvatnet, Juklavatnet, and Onarheimsvatnet. Many of these lakes are utilized for hydroelectric power generation.

Tourism and places of interest

Kvinnherad is a popular tourist location because of its natural landscape as well as several places of interest. The most notable of which include Kvinnherad Church, the Bondhusbreen glacier, the shipping mural in Høylandsbygd, and Radiohola. Rosendal, the administrative centre of the municipality, is the site of the greatest tourist attraction in Kvinnherad: the Barony Rosendal. The Barony is the only one of its kind in Norway. It is a museum, which offers valuable information about the Union with Denmark, an important period of Norwegian history.[3] It was one of the locations of the 1958 film "The Vikings" starring Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh and Ernest Borgnine. Many of the citizens of Kvinnherad/Hardanger, Norway were used as extras.[29]

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Store norske leksikon. "Kvinnherad" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2015-03-30.
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  7. Olsen, Kjartan Wang (2011-12-08). "Jondal overtar Kvinnherad-bygder" (in Norwegian). Hardanger folkeblad. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  8. Rygh, Oluf (1910). Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt (in Norwegian) (11 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 16.
  9. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  10. Hansen, Tore, ed. (2016-05-12). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  11. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Vestland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  12. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  13. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Hordaland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
  14. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  15. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  16. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  19. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  20. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  21. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  22. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  23. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  24. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  25. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  29. "The Vikings". IMDB.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.