Surnadal

The parish of Surnadal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). In 1858, the eastern district (population: 2,684) was separated from Surnadal to form the new Rindal Municipality. This left Surnadal with 3,105 residents. On 1 January 1877, part of Stangvik Municipality (population: 50) was transferred to Surnadal. In 1879, part of Surnadal (population: 83) was transferred to the neighboring Stangvik Municipality. On 1 January 1886, the Møklegjerdet farm (population: 29), just west of the village of Glærem, was transferred from Stangvik to Surnadal. On 1 January 1897, the Sjøflot farm (population: 27) was also transferred from Stangvik to Surnadal. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, all of Åsskard Municipality (population: 1,014) and most of Stangvik Municipality (population: 1,386) were merged with Surnadal Municipality (population: 3,534) to create a new, larger municipality of Surnadal with a total population of 5,934.[6]

View of the Surnadalsfjorden

The municipality is made up by the main valley, Surnadalen through which the river Surna runs. There are also many smaller side valleys including Stor-Bæverdalen, Settemsdalen, Øvstbødalen, Todalen, and Vinddøldalen. The municipality is bordered by the Trollheimen mountain range and Sunndal Municipality to the south, the neighboring Rindal Municipality to the east, Halsa Municipality to the north, and several fjords to the west: Trongfjorden, Stangvikfjorden, and Todalsfjorden. There are three main fjords that cut into the municipality: Åsskardfjorden, Hamnesfjorden, and Surnadalsfjorden.

The landscape is a combination of forests, fjords, and mountains. The highest mountain peak is Snota at 1,668 metres (5,472 ft) above sea level. Other mountains include Vassnebba, Indre Sula and Ytre Sula, Neådalssnota, and Trollhetta. The river Surna runs through the valley from the east to the west, and forms a large delta where it enters the fjord near Surnadalsøra and Skei. This river is rich in salmon, which attract tourists from the rest of the country and abroad. The lakes Foldsjøen and Gråsjøen lie along the border with the municipality of Rindal in the east. The Grønkjølen Nature Reserve lies in the extreme northeast of the municipality.[9]

All municipalities in Norway, including Surnadal, 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 Nordmøre District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Transportation services include ferries to the southwest and the northwest, which lead to the coastal areas of Møre og Romsdal, and a highway to the city of Trondheim to the east.

• Lars Steinar Ansnes, an editor
• Sverre Årnes, a writer and translator
• Hans Hyldbakk, a nationally recognized author of poetry and local history. Surnadal is noted for strong traditions in the field of poetry and folklore.
• Rune Gjeldnes, an explorer
• Øystein Aarseth, also known as "Euronymus", the lead guitarist and found member of the black metal band Mayhem, was born in this county.

• Media related to Surnadal at Wikimedia Commons
• Møre og Romsdal travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)