Balestrand is a
former municipality in
Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane (; English: "Sogn and Fjordane") was, up to 1 January 2020, a county in western Norway, when it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland, the cou ...
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. It was located on the northern shore of the
Sognefjorden
The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...
in the
traditional district of
Sogn
Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway ''(Vestlandet)''. It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestra ...
. The
administrative center
An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...
was the village of
Balestrand. Other villages in the municipality included
Ese,
Kvamme,
LÃ¥ne,
Sæle,
Tjugum
Tjugum is a village in Sogndal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden, at the mouth of the Esefjorden, and near the mouth of the Fjærlandsfjorden. It is located about north of ...
, and
Vetlefjorden.
The municipality was situated at the confluence of the
Fjærlandsfjorden
Fjærlandsfjorden is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. It is a fjord arm that branches off the main Sognefjorden to the north, running through Sogndal Municipality. The long fjord begins at the village of Fjærland in Sogndal, flowing to the so ...
/
Esefjorden
Esefjorden is a fjord arm on the north side of the Sognefjord in the municipality of Sogndal in Vestland county, Norway. The fjord is about long and its mouth is just west of the mouth of the larger Fjærlandsfjord. The village of Balestrand is ...
and the main
Sognefjorden
The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...
. The major industries in the municipality were
tourism
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
and
farming
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
. Balestrand became popular early due to the interest of artists, such as
Hans Gude
Hans Fredrik Gude (March 13, 1825August 17, 1903) was a Norwegian romanticist painter and is considered along with Johan Christian Dahl to be one of Norway's foremost landscape painters. He has been called a mainstay of Norwegian National Roma ...
,
Kjartan Lauritzen
Kjartan ( Icelandic: ; Faroese: ) is a masculine given name found in the Nordic countries, most prominently in Iceland and Norway. The Old Norse name ' was a shortening of ', from sga, Muirchertach, the name of an Irish king whose daughter Mel ...
,
Alfred Heaton Cooper
Alfred Heaton Cooper (1863–1929) was an English watercolour artist. He is known for his landscapes of the English Lake District and Norway, and for illustrating several travel guidebooks.
__NOTOC__
Life and work
Cooper was born in Halliwell, ...
,
Hans Dahl
Hans Dahl (19 February 1849 – 27 July 1937) was a Norwegian painter. Hans Dahl was most known for his paintings of Norwegian fjords and surrounding landscapes.
Background
Hans Dahl was born in the village of Granvin, on the Hardangerf ...
, and
Johannes Flintoe
Johannes Flintoe (1786/87, Copenhagen - 27 January 1870, Copenhagen) was a Danish-born painter of Norwegian ancestry. He is known for his landscapes, costume studies and historical scenes. His works play a significant role in the transition to rom ...
. Their paintings of the scenery around Balestrand inspired visitors, and Balestrand maintains its connection with art. Other industries include made-to-order kitchen interiors, local apple juice, and ''Nesseplast'' which produces industrial
plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...
. The
Norwegian County Road 13
County Road 13 ( no, Fylkesvei 13) did run between the village of Dragsvik in Sogndal Municipality and the village of Moskog in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway.
Until 2010, the long road was part of National Road 13 but admi ...
runs through the municipality.
At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the municipality is the 231st largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Balestrand is the 370th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,272. The municipality's
population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
is and its population has decreased by 5.1% over the last decade.
In 2016, the chief of police for
Vestlandet
Western Norway ( nb, Vestlandet, Vest-Norge; nn, Vest-Noreg) is the region along the Atlantic coast of southern Norway. It consists of the counties Rogaland, Vestland, and Møre og Romsdal. The region has no official or political-administrative ...
formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Balestrand be closed.
General information
![Kvamsøy kyrkje sett frå land](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Kvams%C3%B8y_kyrkje_sett_fr%C3%A5_land.JPG)
Balestrand was established as a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in 1850 when the three sub-parishes () of
Vangsnes
Vangsnes is a village located in the municipality of Vik in Vestland county, Norway. It's located on a relatively flat and fertile peninsula that juts out on the south side of the Sognefjorden, roughly at the midpoint of the fjord which is Norway' ...
,
Tjugum
Tjugum is a village in Sogndal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden, at the mouth of the Esefjorden, and near the mouth of the Fjærlandsfjorden. It is located about north of ...
, and
Mundal in the northwestern part of the large
Leikanger
Leikanger () is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center was the village of Hermansverk, which also was the ...
municipality were separated to form the new municipality of Balestrand. The initial population of the municipality was 2,122. In 1861, the Mundal sub-parish was renamed ''
Fjærland
Fjærland or Mundal is a village in Sogndal Municipality, at the end of the Fjærlandsfjorden, in Vestland county, Norway. The Fjærlandfjorden is a branch going north off the Sognefjorden, the longest fjord in Norway. The village area is located ...
''.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the
Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II.
It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...
. On 1 January 1964 the municipalities of
Vik Vik (Old Norse: vÃk) means wick or bay in Norwegian and Swedish (''vig'' in Danish), and it may refer to the following:
Places Iceland
*VÃk à Mýrdal, a village in southern Iceland
Iran
*Vik, Iran, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran
Norway
*V ...
,
Leikanger
Leikanger () is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center was the village of Hermansverk, which also was the ...
, and Balestrand changed their boundaries in a land trade. The sub-parish of Vangsnes (population: 189) was transferred from Balestrand to
Vik Vik (Old Norse: vÃk) means wick or bay in Norwegian and Swedish (''vig'' in Danish), and it may refer to the following:
Places Iceland
*VÃk à Mýrdal, a village in southern Iceland
Iran
*Vik, Iran, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran
Norway
*V ...
, Balestrand gained the sub-parish of Kvamsøy (population: 389) from
Vik Vik (Old Norse: vÃk) means wick or bay in Norwegian and Swedish (''vig'' in Danish), and it may refer to the following:
Places Iceland
*VÃk à Mýrdal, a village in southern Iceland
Iran
*Vik, Iran, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran
Norway
*V ...
, and
Leikanger
Leikanger () is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center was the village of Hermansverk, which also was the ...
gained the Hella-Eitorn area (population: 31) from Balestrand. Balestrand had a population of 1,606 after the changes were completed.
The Fjærland area of Balestrand had always been isolated from the rest of the municipality, and only accessible by boat. In 1995, the
Frudal Tunnel
The Frudal Tunnel ( no, Frudalstunnelen) is a road tunnel along the Norwegian National Road 5 in the municipality of Sogndal in Vestland county, Norway. The tunnel begins at the Frudalen farm, goes through the mountains under the Frudalsbreen ...
was completed connecting Fjærland to neighboring
Sogndal
Sogndal is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansverk is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other villages i ...
municipality (not to the rest of Balestrand). This caused discussions about Fjærland's municipal future. On 1 January 2000, the entire sub-parish of
Fjærland
Fjærland or Mundal is a village in Sogndal Municipality, at the end of the Fjærlandsfjorden, in Vestland county, Norway. The Fjærlandfjorden is a branch going north off the Sognefjorden, the longest fjord in Norway. The village area is located ...
in northern Balestrand was transferred to
Sogndal
Sogndal is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansverk is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other villages i ...
municipality.
On 1 January 2020, Balestrand Municipality ceased to exist. The far western Nesse area of Balestrand was transferred to the neighboring
Høyanger Municipality
Høyanger () is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Høyanger. Other villages in Høyanger municipality include Austreim, Bjordal, Kyrkjebø ...
and the rest of Balestrand was merged with the neighboring municipalities of
Leikanger
Leikanger () is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center was the village of Hermansverk, which also was the ...
and
Sogndal
Sogndal is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansverk is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other villages i ...
to form a much larger municipality called Sogndal.
Name
The compounded name ''Balestrand'' was created in 1832 by the Norwegian writer
Henrik Wergeland
Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (17 June 1808 – 12 July 1845) was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the develop ...
. The first element is the name of the old farm Bale ( non, Bali) and the last element is "strand" ( non, strönd) which means "
beach
A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
". The name of the farm is identical with the word ''bali'' which means "hillside along a beach".
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 latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
was granted on 23 October 1989. It shows the silver-colored
hilt
The hilt (rarely called a haft or shaft) of a knife, dagger, sword, or bayonet is its handle, consisting of a guard, grip and pommel. The guard may contain a crossguard or quillons. A tassel or sword knot may be attached to the guard or pommel. ...
of a
Viking
Vikings ; non, vÃkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...
sword
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
on a blue background.
Churches
The
Church of Norway
The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...
had one parish () within the municipality of Balestrand. It was part of the
Sogn prosti
Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway ''(Vestlandet)''. It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestra ...
(
deanery
A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman 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 residenc ...
) in the
Diocese of Bjørgvin
The Diocese of Bjørgvin ( no, Bjørgvin bispedømme) is one of the 11 dioceses that make up the Church of Norway. It includes all of the churches located in the county of Vestland in Western Norway. The cathedral city is Bergen, Norway's second ...
.
There is also one
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church in Balestrand:
*
''St. Olaf's Church'' (built in 1897) is located in the village of Balestrand.
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Balestrand, are responsible for
primary education
Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...
(through 10th grade), outpatient
health services,
senior citizen
Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...
services,
unemployment
Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (human activity), w ...
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. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...
,
zoning
Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...
,
economic development
In the economics study of the public sector, 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 o ...
, and municipal
road
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
s. 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, rural counci ...
of elected representatives, which in turn elect a
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
.
The municipality falls under the
Sogn og Fjordane District Court
Sogn og Fjordane District Court ( no, Sogn og Fjordane tingrett) is a district court (Norway), district court located in Vestland county, Norway. This court is based at two different courthouses which are located in Førde (town), Førde and Sognd ...
and the
Gulating Court of Appeal
The Gulating Court of Appeal ( no, Gulating lagmannsrett) is one of six Court of appeal (Norway), courts of appeal in the Norway, Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Bergen (city), Bergen. The court has jurisdiction over the cou ...
.
Municipal council
The
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, rural counci ...
of Balestrand is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The
party
A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a 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 often feature f ...
breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
Mayor
The
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a 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 responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
''(ordførar)'' of a municipality in Norway is a representative of the majority party of the municipal council who is elected to lead the council. Harald Offerdal of the
Labour Party was elected mayor of Balestrand for the 2011–2015 term and re-elected to the 2015–2019 term.
Geography
Balestrand was located between the high snow-covered
Gaularfjellet mountain
A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...
s in the center of the beautiful, lush
Sognefjorden
The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...
. Three fjord arms stretch inland, winding through the mountains and dotted with charming hamlets:
LÃ¥nefjorden,
Esefjorden
Esefjorden is a fjord arm on the north side of the Sognefjord in the municipality of Sogndal in Vestland county, Norway. The fjord is about long and its mouth is just west of the mouth of the larger Fjærlandsfjord. The village of Balestrand is ...
, and
Vetlefjorden. The
Fjærlandsfjorden
Fjærlandsfjorden is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. It is a fjord arm that branches off the main Sognefjorden to the north, running through Sogndal Municipality. The long fjord begins at the village of Fjærland in Sogndal, flowing to the so ...
runs along the eastern border of the municipality. The
Jostefonn
The Jostefonn glacier is located in Vestland county, Norway. It covers an area of around in the municipalities of Sunnfjord and Sogndal. Jostefonn was formerly a part of the large Jostedalsbreen glacier, but it is no longer connected to the main ...
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...
sits at the very northernmost part of the municipality.
Balestrand was bordered to the west by the municipalities of
Høyanger
Høyanger () is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Høyanger. Other villages in Høyanger municipality include Austreim, Bjordal, Kyrkjebà ...
and
Gaular
Gaular is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre was the village of Sande. Other villages in the municipality included Bygstad, Hestad, an ...
, to the north by
Førde
Førde is a former municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative center was the town of Førde which in 2016 had 10,255 inhabitants. Other villages in Førde ...
, and to the east by
Sogndal
Sogndal is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansverk is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other villages i ...
and
Leikanger
Leikanger () is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center was the village of Hermansverk, which also was the ...
. Across the
Sognefjorden
The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...
to the south is the municipality of
Vik Vik (Old Norse: vÃk) means wick or bay in Norwegian and Swedish (''vig'' in Danish), and it may refer to the following:
Places Iceland
*VÃk à Mýrdal, a village in southern Iceland
Iran
*Vik, Iran, a village in Zanjan Province, Iran
Norway
*V ...
.
Attractions
Kvikne's Hotel
Built in the 19th century, the
Kvikne's Hotel is one of the most famous buildings in
Balestrand. The Kvikne family, who own the place, took it over in 1877. Since then the establishment has undergone constant development which continues to this day. There are many new buildings and remodeling and expansion projects have been carried out.
Today, the hotel is a highly modern facility resounding with tradition and culture. With 200 rooms, it is also one of Norway's largest fine hotels catering to tourists. An impressive collection of art and historical pieces is a central feature of the hotel's interior, and one of the elements of its distinct personality.
Kviknes Hotel was made popular for European visitors in the early part of the 20th century by
Kaiser Wilhelm II
Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...
, who often visited there during his
summer vacation
Summer vacation or summer break is a school holiday, school break in summer between school years and the break in the school academic year. Students are off anywhere between three weeks to three months. Depending on the country and district, staff ...
s prior to
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The hotel still possesses the chair he used in their restaurant. The Kaiser is accompanied on the list by a number of emperors, kings, presidents, Prime ministers, film stars, and artists from many countries.
St. Olaf's Church
St. Olaf's Church, also known as the ''English Church'', is an
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church
Church may refer to:
Religion
* Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities
* Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination
* Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship
* C ...
built in the style of a
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts a ...
. The church was completed in 1897 as a memorial to Margaret Green. Margaret, an English lady, came to the fjords as a tourist to hike the mountains. She met, fell in love with and married Knut Kvikne who was an avid mountain man. Being a very pious woman, she wished for an Anglican church in Balestrand. She started the church with her husband, but died before its completion. Sunday services are held during the summer months, being conducted by rotating
vicar
A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...
s from England.
St. Olaf's Church is notable as the inspiration for the chapel in Elsa's coronation scene in the 2013 Disney film
''Frozen''.
Other attractions
*''Songnefjord Aquarium''
*''Balejazz'' summer jazz festival
*''Balestrand Art Village''
*
The Norwegian Museum of Travel and Tourism
The Norwegian Museum of Travel and Tourism is a museum located in Sogndal in Vestland cou
nty, Norway. The main aim of the museum is to exhibit the history of tourism in Norway from the beginning of the boom in the 19th century, and until today. ...
Notable people
*
Christian Garup Meidell (1780 in Balestrand – 1863) a military officer and politician; first Mayor of Leikanger, 1838/9
*
Jakob Sverdrup (1845–1899) a Norwegian bishop and politician, raised in Balestrand
*
Georg Sverdrup
Georg Sverdrup (born Jørgen Sverdrup; 25 April 1770 – 8 December 1850) was a Norwegian statesman, best known as one of the presidents of the Norwegian Constituent Assembly in Eidsvoll in 1814. He was a member of the Norwegian Parliament and ...
(1848 in Balestrand – 1907) a Norwegian-American Lutheran theologian and teacher
*
Edvard Sverdrup Johan Edvard Sverdrup (22 June 1861 – 21 January 1923) was a Norwegian educator, author and church leader. Sverdrup was one of the key theologians in the Church of Norway in the first few decades of the 1900s.
Biography
Sverdrup was born in B ...
(1861 in Balestrand – 1923) a Norwegian educator, author, church leader and a key theologian in the
Church of Norway
The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...
in early 20thC.
*
Anders Johanneson Bøyum (1890 in Balestrand – 1962) a politician, Mayor of Balestrand before and after WWII
*
Trygve Heltveit (1913 in Balestrand – 1985) a Norwegian philologist.
See also
*
List of former municipalities of Norway
This is a list of former municipalities of Norway, i.e. municipalities that no longer exist.
When the local council system was introduced in Norway in 1837-38, the country had 392 municipalities. In 1958 the number had grown to a total of 744 rur ...
References
External links
Municipal fact sheetfrom
Statistics Norway
Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, 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 yea ...
Official Website of BalestrandKviknes Hotel
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Sogndal
Former municipalities of Norway
1850 establishments in Norway
2020 disestablishments in Norway