Hordaland () was a

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 ...

, bordering

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 ...

Buskerud Buskerud () is a former county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardan ...

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

, and

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

and

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, by population. The county government was the

Hordaland County Municipality Hordaland County Municipality ( no, Hordaland fylkeskommune) was the regional governing administration of the old Hordaland county in Norway. The county municipality was established in its most recent form on 1 January 1976 when the law was change ...

, which is located in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

. Before 1972, the city of Bergen was its own separate county, apart from Hordaland. On 1 January 2020, the county was merged with neighbouring

county, to form the new

Vestland Vestland is a county in Norway established on 1 January 2020. The county is located in Western Norway and it is centred around the city of Bergen, Norway's second largest city. The administrative centre of the county is the city of Bergen, where t ...

county.

Name and symbols

Name

Hordaland (

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

: ''Hǫrðaland'') is the old name of the region which was revived in 1919. The first element is the plural

genitive case In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...

of ''hǫrðar'', the name of an old Germanic tribe (see

Charudes The Charudes or Harudes were a Germanic group first mentioned by Julius Caesar as one of the tribes who had followed Ariovistus across the Rhine. While Tacitus' ''Germania'' makes no mention of them, Ptolemy's ''Geographia'' locates the Charu ...

). The last element is ''land'' which means "land" or "region" in the Norwegian language. Until 1919 the name of the county was ''

Søndre Bergenhus amt Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland counties. Hordaland was the third largest county, after Akershus and Oslo, by population. The county government was the Hordaland County Municipal ...

'' which meant "(the) southern (part of) Bergenhus

amt Amt is a type of administrative division governing a group of municipalities, today only in Germany, but formerly also common in other countries of Northern Europe. Its size and functions differ by country and the term is roughly equivalent to ...

". (The old ''Bergenhus amt'' was created in 1662 and was divided into Northern and Southern parts in 1763.)

Flag

Hordaland's flag shows two golden axes and a crown in red. The flag is a banner of 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 ...

derived from the old seal of the guild of St. Olav from Onarheim in

Tysnes Tysnes () is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre is the village of Uggdal. Other population centres in Tysnes include the villages of Våge and Onarhei ...

municipality. This seal was used by the delegates of

Sunnhordland Sunnhordland is a traditional district in the western region of Norway. The district consists of the southern coastal regions of the old Hordaland county (now part of Vestland county). It includes the areas that surround the mouth of the Hardang ...

in 1344 on the document to install king

Haakon V of Norway Haakon V Magnusson (10 April 1270 – 8 May 1319) ( non, Hákon Magnússon; no, Håkon Magnusson, label=Modern Norwegian) was king of Norway from 1299 until 1319. Biography Haakon was the younger surviving son of Magnus the Lawmender, Kin ...

. It was thus the oldest symbol used for the region and adapted as the arms and flag in 1961. The symbols refer to the patron saint of the guild,

Saint Olav Olaf II Haraldsson ( – 29 July 1030), later known as Saint Olaf (and traditionally as St. Olave), was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. Son of Harald Grenske, a petty king in Vestfold, Norway, he was posthumously given the title '' Rex Per ...

, King of Norway, whose symbol is an axe.

Coat of arms

The

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

were officially granted on 1 December 1961. They were designed by Magnus Hardeland, but the general design had been originally used in the

region during the 14th century. In the early 20th century, leaders of the county began using the old arms as a symbol for the county once again. The arms are on a red background and consist of two golden

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has ma ...

s that are crossed with a golden

crown A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...

above them.

History

Hordaland county had been around for more than one thousand years. In the 7th century, the area was made up of many

petty kingdom A petty kingdom is a monarchy, kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the Heptarchy#List of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, numerou ...

s under the

Gulating Gulating ( non, Gulaþing) was one of the first Norwegian legislative assemblies, or '' things,'' and also the name of a present-day law court of western Norway. The practice of periodic regional assemblies predates recorded history, and was fi ...

and was known as ''Hordafylke'' from around the year 900. In the early 16th century, Norway was divided into four ''len''. The

Bergenhus len Bergenhus len was an administrative division of the Kingdom of Norway that existed from 1503 to 1662, with the Bergenhus Fortress in Bergen as its administrative center Norwegian administrative division. The ''len'' was changed to an ''amt'' (distr ...

was headquartered in

and encompassed much of western and northern Norway. In 1662, the ''lens'' were replaced by amts. ''Bergenhus amt'' originally consisted of the present-day areas of Hordaland,

, and

Sunnmøre Sunnmøre (, en, South- Møre) is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities ( no, kommuner) of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal ...

and the far northern

Nordlandene amt Nordland (; smj, Nordlánnda, sma, Nordlaante, sme, Nordlánda, en, Northland) is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway in the Northern Norway region, the least populous of all 11 counties, bordering Troms og Finnmark in the north, Trønde ...

was subordinate to Bergenhus. In the 1680s, Nordlandene and Sunnmøre were split from Bergenhus. In 1763, the ''amt'' was divided into northern and southern parts: ''Nordre Bergenhus amt'' and ''Søndre Bergenhus amt''. When the amt was split, the present day municipality of

Gulen is a municipality in the southwestern part of Vestland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Eivindvik. Other villages in Gulen include Brekke, Byrknes, ...

was split with the southern part ending up in Søndre Bergenhus amt. In 1773, the border was re-drawn so that all of Gulen was located in the northern part. Søndre Bergenhus amt was renamed ''Hordaland fylke'' in 1919. The city of

was classified as a city-county ''(byamt)'' from 1831 to 1972. During that time in 1915, the municipality of Årstad was annexed into Bergen. In 1972, the neighbouring municipalities of Arna,

Fana Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the southeastern part of the municipality of Bergen. The borough was once part of the historic municipality of Fana which was incorporated into Bergen in ...

Laksevåg Laksevåg is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located in the western part of the municipality. Historically, the area was called ''Laxevaag'', and it was a separate municipality until 1972 when it was m ...

and

Åsane Åsane is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the northern part of the city, north of the city centre. Åsane is connected to downtown Bergen by the E16/ E39 highway. The E16 highway continues on t ...

were annexed into the city of Bergen. Also at that same time, the city of Bergen lost its county status, and became a part of Hordaland county.

Government

A county ''(fylke)'' is the chief local administrative area in

. The whole country is divided into 19 counties. A county is also an election area, with popular votes taking place every 4 years. In Hordaland, the government of the county was the

. It included 57 members elected to form a

county council A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries. Ireland The county councils created under British rule in 1899 continue to exist in Irela ...

''(Fylkesting)''. Heading the ''Fylkesting'' was the county mayor ''(fylkesordførar)''. The last county mayor for the

was Anne Gine Hestetun. The county also had a County Governor ''(fylkesmann)'' who was the representative of the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and

Government of Norway The politics of Norway take place in the framework of a parliamentary, representative democratic constitutional monarchy. Executive power is exercised by the Council of State, the cabinet, led by the prime minister of Norway. Legislative power i ...

Lars Sponheim Lars Sponheim (born 23 May 1957) is a Norwegian politician. He was leader of the Liberal Party from 1996 to 2010. He was a member of the Storting from 1993 to 2009, and a government minister from 1997 to 2000 and from 2001 to 2005. He served as Co ...

was the last County Governor of Hordaland. The municipalities in Hordaland were divided among four district courts ''(tingrett)'':

Nordhordland Nordhordland is a traditional district in the western part of Norway. The district consists of the northern portion of the old Hordaland county (now in Vestland county), north of the city of Bergen. It includes the municipalities Alver, Austr ...

, and

Hardanger Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is l ...

. Hordaland was also part of 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 ...

district based in Bergen. :no:Hordaland * Nordhordland District Court:

Askøy Askøy is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island municipality is located in the Midhordland district of the county, sitting in a large group of islands immediately northwest of the city of Bergen. The administrative centre of the ...

Austevoll Austevoll is a municipality and an archipelago in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Midthordland in Western Norway. The administrative centre is the village of Storebø on the island of Huftarøy. Other vill ...

Austrheim Austrheim is a municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årås. Other villages in the municipality include Austrheim and Kaland. The Mongstad industrial ...

Fedje Fedje is an island municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fedje. The traditional economic activity of the inhabitants is fishing. The municipality is ...

Fjell Fjell is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Midhordland. The municipality consisted of several islands west of the city of Bergen, the major ones being Litlesotra, the northern ...

Fusa Fusa () is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It existed from 1856 until its dissolution in 2020. It was located east of the city of Bergen in the Midhordland region. The administrative centre of the municipality was the ...

Lindås Lindås is a former municipality in the Nordhordland district in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020 when it was merged into the new Alver Municipality. The administrative centre of the ...

Masfjorden Masfjorden is a municipality in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The municipality is located in the Nordhordland district of the county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Masfjordnes. Other villages ...

Meland Meland is a former municipality in the Nordhordland district in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1923 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020 when it was merged into the new Alver Municipality in Vestland county. ...

Modalen Modalen is a municipality in the Nordhordland district in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mo. The other main village in the municipality is Øvre Helland. Most of t ...

, Os,

Osterøy Osterøy is an island municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The municipality encompasses most of the island of Osterøy. The administrative centre of Osterøy is the village of Lon ...

Radøy Radøy is a former municipality in the Nordhordland district of the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1964 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into the new municipality of Alver in Vestland county. The mun ...

Samnanger Samnanger () is a municipality in the Midhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tysse. Other main villages in the municipality include Haga and Bjørkheim in Nordbygda. The ...

, Sund,

Vaksdal is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The administrative centre is the village of Dalekvam. Other villages in Vaksdal include Dalegarden, Flatkvål, Helle, Nesheim, S ...

Voss Voss () is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, Opphe ...

Øygarden Øygarden is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is an island municipality located in the traditional district of Midhordland, stretching along the west coast of the county. The village of Straume is the administrative centre of the ...

, and

(Gulen was actually in neighbouring

county) * Sunnhordland District Court:

Bømlo Bømlo is a municipality in the southwestern part of Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Svortland. Other villages in Bømlo inclu ...

Etne Etne is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Sunnhordland, although it is also sometimes considered to be part of the district o ...

Fitjar Fitjar () is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. Fitjar municipality includes the northern part of the island of Stord and the hundreds of surrounding islands, most ...

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. The administrative centre of the mu ...

Stord Stord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. Stord is sometimes called "Norway in miniature" since it has such a variety of landscapes: coastline, fjords, forests, agricultural ...

Sveio Sveio is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. Sveio is a border district that is sometimes considered to be located in the traditional district of Haugalandet since it is located on the Haugalandet peninsula, but it is also considered to ...

and

* Bergen District Court: the city of

* Hardanger District Court:

Eidfjord Eidfjord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Eidfjord, where the majority of the municipal populatio ...

Granvin Granvin is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it merged with Voss Municipality. The municipality was located in the traditional district of Hardanger. ...

Jondal Jondal is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1863 until its dissolution in 2020 when it became part of Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located on the Folgefonna peninsula ...

Kvam Kvam is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located along the Hardangerfjorden in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Norheimsund. Other larger settle ...

Odda Odda () is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1913 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located in southeastern Hordaland c ...

Ullensvang Ullensvang is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the town of Odda. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Lofthus, Utne, Vikebygd ...

and

Ulvik Ulvik is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality stretches from the Hardangerfjord to the mountains that reach above sea level. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ulvik. The villages of Osa and ...

Most of the municipalities in Hordaland were part of the Hordaland

police district Police district is a form of division of a geographical area patrolled by a police force. The 1885 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' stated: Police forces using this format include: * Chicago Police Department * Baltimore Police Department * York Re ...

and

Solund Solund is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. Solund is the westernmost island municipality in Norway. Holmebåen on the island of Steinsøy is the westernmost point in all of Norw ...

county were also part of the Hordaland police district.

and

were a part of the ''"

Haugaland Haugaland or Haugalandet is a traditional district situated on the western coast of Norway. Haugaland is one of the 15 traditional districts located within the Vestlandet region. Geographically, Haugaland is a peninsula between Bømlafjorden in ...

and

"'' police district, along with eight other municipalities in

county.

Geography

Hordaland is semi-circular in shape. It is located on the western coast of Norway, split from southwest to northeast by the long, deep

Hardangerfjorden The Hardangerfjord ( en, Hardanger Fjord) is the fifth longest fjord in the world, and the second longest fjord in Norway. It is located in Vestland county in the Hardanger region. The fjord stretches from the Atlantic Ocean into the mountain ...

, one of

's main

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Ice ...

s and a great tourist attraction. About half of the National park of

Hardangervidda Hardangervidda ( en, Hardanger Plateau) is a mountain plateau (Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Vestfold og Telemark, and Viken counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold ye ...

is in this county. The county also includes many well-known

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

s, such as Vøringsfossen and Stykkjedalsfossen. It also includes the

Folgefonna Folgefonna is a collective term for three plateau glaciers in the Hardanger region of Vestland county, Norway. They are located on the Folgefonna peninsula in the municipalities of Ullensvang, Kvinnherad, and Etne. The three glaciers are: * Nord ...

and

Hardangerjøkulen Hardangerjøkulen ( en, Hardanger Glacier) is the sixth largest glacier in mainland Norway. It is located in the municipalities of Eidfjord and Ulvik in Vestland county. It is located about northeast of the village of Eidfjord, about south of ...

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 ...

s. More than 60% of the inhabitants live in

and the surrounding area. Other urban or semi-urban centres include

Leirvik Leirvik is a town and the administrative centre of Stord municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The town lies along the southern coast of the large island of Stord, along the Hardangerfjorden. The town gained "town status" in 1997. The town ...

and

Municipalities

# Os #

# Sund #

Districts

Mauranger Mauranger is the northernmost district of Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The district is centered on the Maurangsfjorden on the western side of the vast Folgefonna glacier. Mauranger consists of the villages of Sundal, Au ...

Midhordland Midhordland or Midthordland is a traditional district in the Vestlandet region of Norway. It consists of the central-west portion of the old Hordaland county (now part of Vestland county), mostly including the islands and coastal fjord areas sur ...

* Stril *

Strilelandet Strilelandet is a loosely defined district in Vestland county, Norway. It is normally defined as Nordhordland and Midhordland except for Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland ...

Cities

Parishes

* Alversund * Arna *

Ask Ask is the active verb for a direct question. Ask may also refer to: Places * Ask, Akershus, a village in Gjerdrum municipality, Viken county, Norway * Ask, Buskerud, a village in Ringerike municipality, Viken county, Norway * Ask, Vestland, a ...

* Askøy * Austevoll Church, Austevoll * Austrheim Church, Austrheim * Bekkjarvik Church, Bekkjarvik * Bergen Cathedral, Bergen * Bergsdalen Church, Bergsdalen * Birkeland Church, Birkeland * Biskopshavn Church, Biskopshavn * Bjoastrand * Blomvåg Church, Blomvåg * Bremnes Church, Bremnes * Bruvik Church, Bruvik * Bømlo Church, Bømlo * Old Bømlo Church, Old Bømlo * Bønes Church, Bønes * Dale Church (Vaksdal), Dale * Eid Church (Kvinnherad), Eid * Eidfjord Church, Eidfjord * Old Eidfjord Church, Old Eidfjord * Eidsvåg Church, Eidsvåg * Eksingedal Church, Eksingedal * Emigrant Church, Sletta, Emigrant * Erdal Church, Erdal * Etne * Evanger Church, Evanger * Fana Church, Fana * Fedje Church, Fedje * Finnås * Fitjar Church, Fitjar * Fjelberg Church, Fjelberg * Fjell Church, Fjell * Fjæra Chapel, Fjæra * Foldnes Church, Foldnes * Førde Church (Hordaland), Førde * Fridalen Church, Fridalen * Frøyset Church, Frøyset * Fusa Church, Fusa * Fyllingsdalen Church, Fyllingsdalen * Gjerde Church, Gjerde * Gjerstad Church (Osterøy), Gjerstad * Granvin Church, Granvin * Grindheim Church (Hordaland), Grindheim * Haga Church (Norway), Haga * Hamre Church, Hamre * Hatlestrand Church, Hatlestrand * Haus Church, Haus * Herdla Church, Herdla (Herlø) * Hjelme Church, Hjelme * Old Hjelme Church, Old Hjelme * Holdhus Church, Holdhus * Holmedal Church (Hordaland), Holmedal * Holy Cross Church, Bergen, Holy Cross * Hordabø Church, Hordabø (Bøe) * Hosanger Church, Hosanger * Hundvin Church, Hundvin * Hundvåkøy Church, Hundvåkøy * Husnes Church, Husnes * Hålandsdal Church, Hålandsdal * Jondal Church, Jondal * Kausland Church, Kausland * Kinsarvik Church, Kinsarvik * Knarvik Church, Knarvik * Kvam * Kvinnherad Church, Kvinnherad * Laksevåg Church, Laksevåg * Landro Church, Landro * Landås Church, Landås * Lindås Church, Lindås * Loddefjord Church, Loddefjord * Lygra Church, Lygra * Lykling Church, Lykling * Manger Church, Manger * Masfjorden * Meland Church, Meland * Mjelde * Mo Church (Hordaland), Mo * Moster Church, Moster * Old Moster Church, Old Moster * Myking Church, Myking * Møkster Church, Møkster * Nesheim Church, Nesheim * Nore Neset Church * Norheimsund Church, Norheimsund * Nygård Church, Nygård * Nykirken * Nysæter Church, Nysæter * Odda Church, Odda * Olsvik Church, Olsvik * Onarheim Church, Onarheim * Opdal (Uggdal) * Oppheim Church, Oppheim * Os Church (Hordaland), Os * Ostereidet Church, Ostereidet * Raundalen Church, Raundalen * Reksteren Church, Reksteren * Røldal Stave Church, Røldal (before 1848 in Rogaland) * Salhus Church, Salhus * Samnanger Church, Samnanger * Sandnes Church (Hordaland), Sandnes * Sandvik Church, Sandvik * Seim Church, Seim * Skare Church, Skare * Skjold Church, Bergen, Skjold * Skånevik Church, Skånevik * Slettebakken Church, Slettebakken * Solheim Church (Bergen), Solheim, Bergen * Solheim Church (Masfjorden), Solheim, Masfjorden * St. James's Church, Bergen, St James's * St George's Church, Bergen, St George's * St John's Church, Bergen, St John's * St. Mark's Church, Bergen, St Mark's * St Mary's Church, Bergen, St Mary's * Stamnes Church, Stamnes * Stord Church, Stord * Store-Kalsøy Chapel, Store-Kalsøy * Storetveit Church, Storetveit * Strandebarm Church, Strandebarm * Strandvik Church, Strandvik * Strudshavn * Strusshamn Church, Strusshamn * Stødle Church, Stødle * Støle (Strødle) * Sund Church, Sund * Sundvor Church, Sundvor * Sveio Church, Sveio * Sæbø Church, Sæbø * Sælen Church, Sælen * Søreide Church, Søreide * Takvam Chapel, Takvam * Tveit Church, Hordaland, Tveit * Tysnes Church, Tysnes * Tyssedal Church, Tyssedal * Uggdal Church, Uggdal * Ullensvang Church, Ullensvang * Ulvik Church, Ulvik * Uppheim * Uskedalen Church, Uskedalen * Utne Church, Utne * Vaksdal Church, Vaksdal * Valen Chapel, Valen * Valen Church, Valen * Valestrand Church, Valestrand * Varaldsøy Church, Varaldsøy * Vike Church (Hordaland), Vikw * Vikebygd * Vikøy Church, Vikøy * Vinje Church (Hordaland), Vinje * Voss Church, Voss * Vossestrand * Ytre Arna Church, Ytre Arna * Ytrebygda Church, Ytrebygda * Ænes Church, Ænes * Ølen * Ølve Church, Ølve * Øystese Church, Øystese * Åkra Church (Hordaland), Åkra (Åkre) * Ålvik Church, Ålvik * Årstad Church, Årstad * Åsane Church, Åsane

Villages

* Abbedisso * Algrøyna * Alsåker * Alveim * Alver, Norway, Alver * Alverstraumen * Ask, Hordaland, Ask * Askeland, Lindås * Askeland, Radøy * Auklandshamn, Auklandshamn (Økland) * Austbygdi, Osterøy, Austbygdi * Austevollhella * Austmarka * Austrepollen * Austrheim (village), Austrheim * Bakkasund * Bekkjarvik * Birkeland, Hordaland, Birkeland * Blomvåg * Bolstadøyri * Borstrondi * Botnen, Hordaland, Botnen * Breistein * Bru, Hordaland, Bru (Strandebarm) * Bruvik, Hordaland, Bruvik * Bøvågen * Dale, Hordaland, Dale (Dalekvam) * Dalegarden * Dimmelsvik * Djønno * Eidfjord (village), Eidfjord * Eidsvik, Hordaland, Eidsvik * Eikelandsosen * Eitrheim * Erdal, Hordaland, Erdal * Espeland * Etnesjøen, Etnesjøen (Etne) * Evanger (village), Evanger * Fanahammeren, Fanahammeren (Fana) * Fedje (village), Fedje * Finse * Fitjar (village), Fitjar * Fjelberg * Fjell (village), Fjell * Fjæra * Flatkvål * Flesland * Foldnes * Fotlandsvåg * Frekhaug * Fusa (village), Fusa * Fyllingsdalen * Førde, Hordaland, Førde i Hordaland * Hatlestrand, Gjermundshamn Ferry Port * Gjetingsdalen * Granvin (village), Granvin * Grov, Hordaland, Grov * Haga, Hordaland, Haga * Hagavik * Haljem * Hammarsland * Hamre, Osterøy, Hamre * Hanevik * Hatlestrand * Haugland, Radøy, Haugland * Haukanes * Hausvik, Haus * Havrå * Helle, Hordaland, Helle * Hernar * Herøysund * Hjartås * Hjellestad * Holdhus * Holme, Hordaland, Holme * Holmefjord * Horda, Norway, Horda * Hosanger (village), Hosanger * Hundvin * Husa * Husavik, Austevoll, Husavik * Husnes * Hylkje * Høylandsbygda * Indre Arna * Ålvik, Indre Ålvik * Io, Norway, Io * Isdalstø * Jondal (village), Jondal * Kaland, Austrheim, Kaland * Kausland * Kinsarvik * Kjøkkelvik * Kleppestø * Klokkarvik * Knappskog * Knarrevik * Knarrevik, Knarrevik (Knarvrika) * Kolbeinsvik * Kolltveit * Krokeidet * Krossneset * Kvitheim * Kysnesstranda * Laksevåg * Landro, Hordaland, Landro * Langevåg, Hordaland, Langevåg * Lindås (village), Lindås * Litlabø * Loddefjord * Lofthus, Hordaland, Lofthus * Lonevåg * Luro, Hordaland, Luro * Lykling * Manger, Norway, Manger * Masfjordnes * Mathopen * Meland (village), Meland * Milde, Bergen, Milde * Misje * Mo, Hordaland, Mo (Modalen) * Mongstad * Moster * Mosterhamn * Møvik * Mundheim * Møkster * Vinje, Hordaland, Nedre Vinjo * Nesheim, Vaksdal, Nesheim * Nesttun * Huglo, Nord-Huglo * Nordrepollen * Nordvik, Hordaland, Nordvik * Norheimsund * Onarheim * Osa, Norway, Osa * Ostereidet * Osøyro * Reksteren * Ringøy * Rong, Norway, Rong * Rosendal, Norway, Rosendal * Rossland, Norway, Rossland * Rostøy * Rubbestadneset * Røldal * Sagvåg * Salhus, Hordaland, Salhus * Seim, Hordaland, Seim * Sekkingstad * Seljestad, Hordaland, Seljestad * Skare, Skare (Skarde) * Skjelviki * Skogsvåg * Skånevik (village), Skånevik * Sletta, Hordaland, Sletta * Stalheim * Stamneshella * Stanghelle * Steine, Hordaland, Steine * Storebø * Strandvik * Straume, Fjell, Straume * Strusshamn, Hordaland, Strusshamn * Sundal * Sunde, Kvinnherad, Sunde i Sunnhordland * Sveio (village), Sveio * Svortland * Sylta * Sæbø, Hordaland, Sæbø (Sæbøvågen) * Sæbøvik * Søfteland * Søre Øyane * Huglo, Sør-Huglo * Søvik, Os, Søvik * Toska * Trengereid * Tunes, Norway, Tunes * Turøyna * Tveitevåg * Tysse, Hordaland, Tysse * Tyssedal * Tælavåg * Tørvikbygd * Uggdal * Uggdalseidet *

* Uskedal * Utne * Sylta, Utsylta * Utåker * Valen, Kvinnherad, Valen * Valestrand * Valestrandfossen * Valevåg * Vaksdal (village), Vaksdal * Varaldsøy * Vikadal, Hordaland, Vikadal * Vikavågen * Vikebygd, Ullensvang, Vikebygd * Vikøy * Vinnes * Vossevangen * Våga, Hordaland, Våga * Våge, Austevoll, Våge * Våge, Tysnes, Våge * Ytre Arna * Ålvik, Ytre Ålvik * Ænes * Ølve * Øvre Eidfjord * Øystese * Ågotnes * Åkra, Hordaland, Åkra * Årland * Årland, Samnanger, Årland * Årås

Former municipalities

* Alversund (municipality), Alversund * Arna * Bergen landdistrikt * Bremnes * Bruvik (municipality), Bruvik * Eid, Hordaland, Eid * Evanger * Fana (municipality), Fana * Finnås * Fjelberg * Hamre (municipality), Hamre * Haus, Norway, Haus * Herdla * Hjelme * Hordabø * Hosanger * Hålandsdal * Kinsarvik (municipality), Kinsarvik *

* Manger (municipality), Manger * Moster * Mosterøy * Røldal (municipality), Røldal * Skånevik * Strandebarm * Strandvik (municipality), Strandvik * Sæbø (municipality), Sæbø * Valestrand * Varaldsøy (municipality), Varaldsøy * Vikebygd (municipality), Vikebygd * Vossestrand * Ølen * Årstad *

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Hordaland county is Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with: * Lower Normandy, France * Kaunas, Lithuania * Cardiff, Wales * Orkney Islands, Northern Isles, Scotland

Christmas Tree

Since 1949 Hordaland has given a Christmas tree to the Scottish Capital city of Edinburgh this is to remember the help given to Norwegians during World War II by Scottish people, Scots however since 2008 the tree has been sourced in Scotland but has remained a gift from the people of Hordaland.

Notable residents

* Ole Bull (1810–1880), composer, violinist * Tore Eikeland (1990–2011), politician * Edvard Grieg (1843–1907), composer * Nordahl Grieg (1902–1943), writer * C. J. Hambro (1885–1964), politician * Julius Christopher Hammer (1798–1877). priest and politician * Ludvig Holberg (1684–1754), writer * Leif Andreas Larsen ("Shetlands-Larsen") (1906–1990), military officer in World War II * Christian Michelsen (1857–1925), politician * Johan Sebastian Welhaven (1807–1873), writer * Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll (1991-presents), DJ, musician * Alan Olav Walker (1997- presents), DJ, musician

References

External links

County web site

Map of Hordaland
{{Authority control Hordaland, Former counties of Norway History of Vestland 2020 disestablishments in Norway States and territories disestablished in 2020