Kvam is 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 ...

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,

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 ...

. The municipality is located along the Hardangerfjorden in the traditional district of Hardanger. The

administrative centre 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 is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality is the village of Norheimsund. Other larger settlements in the municipality include

Øystese Øystese is a village in the municipality of Kvam in Vestland county, Norway. It is located along the Hardangerfjord about east of the municipal centre of Norheimsund. Norwegian County Road 7 passes through the village. The village had a populat ...

, Bru,

Ålvik Ålvik is a village in the municipality of Kvam in Vestland county, Norway. The village "urban area" consists of the settlements of Ytre Ålvik og Indre Ålvik (outer and inner Ålvik) and Vikadal. The settlements are located on either side of a ...

Tørvikbygd Tørvikbygd (coord ) is a village in Kvam municipality Hardanger, Vestland, Norway. The village is located on the west side of Hardanger Fjord, around 13 km south of the community center Norheimsund. The name comes from a farm name: «Tør ...

, Omastranda, and

Mundheim Mundheim is a small village in the municipality of Kvam in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the southern part of the municipality, along the Hardangerfjorden, just northwest of the island of Varaldsøy. The village sits at the junction ...

. Historically, the municipality was named ''Vikør''. The municipality is the 188th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvam is the 126th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 8,497. 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 0.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Name

The

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 ...

form of the name was ''Hvammr'', identical with the word ''hvammr'' which means "(small) valley", possibly referring the Steinsdalen valley west of Norheimsund. Before 1911, the municipality was named '' Vikør'', which comes from the Old Norse word ''Vikøyar''. It was the name of the farm on which the old

Vikøy Church Vikøy Church ( no, Vikøy kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Kvam Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vikøy, a few kilometers south of the municipal centre of Norheimsund. It is one of the ...

was located.

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 27 November 1981. The blue and silver arms are designed to look like the

Fyksesund Fyksesund ( en, Fykse Sound)''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. 2003. Vol. 5. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, p. 696. is a fjord in the municipality of Kvam in Vestland county, Norway. The long fjord is a branch of the main Hardangerfjorden ...

, a narrow

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 ...

in the municipality. The shape of the fjord is that it is narrower in the middle and this is symbolized in the design of the coat-of-arms.

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 ...

has four parishes () within the municipality of Kvam. It is part of the

Hardanger og Voss prosti 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 ...

(

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 ...

Geography

Kvam municipality borders the municipality of

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 ...

to the north and east;

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 ...

, Samnanger, and

Bjørnafjorden Bjørnafjorden is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. It runs through the municipalities of Austevoll, Bjørnafjorden, and Tysnes. The large island of Tysnesøya (and many small, surrounding islands such as Reksteren) lie along the south side ...

to the west; and the Hardangerfjorden to the south. The

fjord branches off the main fjord and heads north into the municipality. The Fyksesund Landscape Park surrounds the inner part of the Fyksesund, north of the

Fyksesund Bridge The Fyksesund Bridge ( no, Fyksesundbrua) is a suspension road bridge in Vestland county, Norway. The bridge spans the Fyksesund fjord on Norwegian County Road 7, which goes between the villages of Øystese and Ålvik in the municipality of K ...

. The largest lakes are Bjølsegrøvvatnet and Holmavatnet. In addition a portion of

Hamlagrøvatnet Hamlagrøvatnet is a lake on the border of the municipalities of Voss and Kvam in Vestland county, Norway. The lake is the largest lake in all of Hordaland county. The lake is located about southeast of the village of Dalekvam and about south ...

is located in Kvam. The

Kvamskogen Kvamskogen (lit. ''Kvam forest'') is a mountain plateau in the Hardanger region of Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the municipalities of Samnanger and Kvam Kvam is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located ...

plateau lies west of Norheimsund and is home to hundreds of holiday cabins. The

Steinsdalsfossen Steinsdalsfossen (also called ''Øvsthusfossen'' or ''Øfsthusfossen'') is a waterfall in the village of Steine in the municipality of Kvam in Vestland county, Norway. The waterfall is located about west of the large village of Norheimsund whic ...

waterfall, located in Steine is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway.

History

The old

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of ''Vikør'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January ...

law). According to the 1835 census, the parish had a population of 2,321. On 1 January 1882, a small area of Ullensvang municipality (population: 22) was transferred to Vikør. In 1912, the municipality changed its name from "Vikør" to "Kvam". 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 1965, the Åsgrenda area on the Folgefonna peninsula (population: 61) was moved from Kvam to the neighboring Ullensvang Municipality. On the same date, Kvam also gained a considerable amount of territory, making it a much larger municipality. The following places were merged, giving the new Kvam municipality a population of 9,119. * Most of Kvam municipality (population: 6,759) except for Åsegrenda which was moved to Ullensvang * The part of Jondal municipality that was located on the northwest side of the Hardangerfjord, around the village of

(population: 515) * Most of

Strandebarm Strandebarm is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The original municipality was large, spanning both sides of the central part of the Hardangerfjorden. It also included the island of Varaldsøy. Over time, the municipa ...

municipality (population: 1,545), except for the

Kysnesstranda Kysnesstranda is a village in the Ullensvang municipality, Vestland county, Norway. The village lies along the southern shore of the Hardangerfjorden. The village lies about south of the village of Jondal. History Kysnesstranda was historicall ...

area which went to Jondal * The

area of

Varaldsøy Varaldsøy is an island (and village) in the municipality of Kvinnherad in Vestland county, Norway. The island is the largest island in the Hardangerfjorden. Most of the inhabitants live on the southern tip of the island in the village of Vara ...

(population: 300).

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kvam, 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 Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

, senior citizen 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

Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court ( no, Haugaland og Sunnhordland tingrett) is a district court located in Vestland and Rogaland counties in Norway. This court is based at two different courthouses which are located in Haugesund and Leir ...

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 ...

. In 2007, Kvam participated in a trial where the mayor was directly elected. The sitting mayor, Astrid Selsvold, won the election with 26.7% of the votes.

Municipal council

The

() of Kvam is made up of 27 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 council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Kvam (incomplete list): *2019–present: Torgeir Næss ( Ap) *2015-2019: Jostein Ljones ( Sp) *2011-2015: Asbjørn Tolo ( H) *2003-2011: Astrid Farestveit Selsvold (Ap)

Notable residents

Johannes Skaar Johannes Nilssøn Skaar ( (also spelled ''Johannes Nilsson Skaar'')) (15 November 1828 – 13 December 1904) was a Norwegian bishop and hymnologist. Skaar was born in Øystese, Kvam, Norway in 1828. He received his cand.theol. degree in ...

(1828 in Øystese – 1904) Bishop of the

Diocese of Nidaros Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Trøndelag county in Central Norway and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. Since 10 September 2017, the Bishop of Nidaros is Herborg ...

Jon Flatabø Jon Flatabø (April 7, 1846 – February 10, 1930) was a Norwegian writer of popular literature at the beginning of the 20th century. Flatabø was born in Vikør (now Kvam) in the Hardanger district, and was educated as a teacher. Later he worke ...

(1846 in Kvam – 1930) a Norwegian writer of popular literature *

Nils Nilsson Skaar Nils Nilsson Skaar (March 28, 1852 – June 12, 1948) was a Norwegian teacher, farmer, editor, and parliamentary representative from the Fykse Sound in the municipality of Kvam in Hordaland county.Hamsun, Knut. 1994. ''Knut Hamsuns Brev'', vol. ...

(1852 in Kvam – 1948) a Norwegian teacher, farmer, editor and politician * Ingebrigt Vik (1867 in Øystese – 1927) a distinguished Norwegian sculptor * Jakob Nilsson Vik (1882 in Kvam – 1960) a Norwegian farmer, dairy manager and politician *

Svein Rosseland Svein Rosseland (March 31, 1894, in Kvam, Hardanger – January 19, 1985, in Bærum) was a Norwegian astrophysicist and a pioneer in the field of theoretical astrophysics. Biography Svein Rosseland was born in Kvam, in Hardanger, Norway. Rossel ...

(1894 in Kvam – 1985) an astrophysicist, pioneered theoretical astrophysics *

Geirr Tveitt Geirr Tveitt (born Nils Tveit; 19 October 1908 – 1 February 1981) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. Tveitt was a central figure of the national movement in Norwegian cultural life during the 1930s. Life Early years Tveitt was born in Be ...

(1908–1981) a Norwegian composer and pianist, family in Kvam *

Gunnar Aksnes Gunnar Aksnes (8 August 1926 in Kvam, Hardanger—31 January 2010 in Bergen, Hordaland) was a Norwegian chemist and poet, the brother of the astronomer Kaare Aksnes, married to Milly Aksnes (b. 1928) Career Aksnes started his studies in 1945 a ...

(1926 in Kvam — 2010) a Norwegian chemist and poet *

Magnus Midtbø Magnus Midtbø (15 December 1942 – 25 February 2010) was a Norwegian trade unionist and politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Ålvik. He took education in electronics, and worked in this field before becoming a leading trade uni ...

(1942 in Ålvik – 2010) a Norwegian trade unionist and politician * Kaj Skagen (born 1949 in Strandebarm) a Norwegian writer * Nils Gunnar Lie (born 1950 in Øystese) a Norwegian television personality *

Torill Selsvold Nyborg Torill Selsvold Nyborg (born 23 February 1952) is a Norwegian nurse, missionary and politician for the Christian Democratic Party. She was born in Kvam as a daughter of electrician Johannes Selsvold (1914–1997) and housewife Dorthea Selsvold ...

(born 1952 in Kvam) a nurse, missionary and politician * Valgerd Svarstad Haugland (born 1956 in Kvam) a teacher, politician and civil servant * Geir Botnen (born 1959 in Kvam) a Norwegian pianist *

Gisle Torvik Gisle Torvik (born 2 June 1975) is a Norwegian jazz musician (guitar) from Tørvikbygd in Hardanger. Career Torvik was born in Bergen, and spent three years studying music at the Nordic Institute of Stage and Studio (Oslo, 1995–98) with a ma ...

(born 1975 in Tørvikbygd) a Norwegian jazz musician, plays guitar *

Torstein Lofthus Torstein Lofthus (born 10 March 1977) is a Norwegian drummer and composer who has been a member of the bands Shining, Elephant9, the Mathias Eick Band, D'Sound, and Ebersson/Zanussi/Lofthus. He is married to Hege Lofthus. Career Lofthus has ...

(born 1977 in Øystese) a Norwegian drummer and composer *

Frank Kjosås Frank Kjosås (born 28 July 1981) is a Norwegian actor of theatre and film, known for ''The Half Brother'', and his role as Norwegian resistance soldier Knut Haukelid in ''The Heavy Water War''. Early life Frank Kjosås was born in Øystese in H ...

(born 1981 in Øystese) a Norwegian actor of theatre and film IMDb Database
retrieved 09 December 2020

Sport

Knut Hjeltnes Knut Hjeltnes may refer to: * Knut Hjeltnes (athlete) Knut Hjeltnes (born December 8, 1951) is a former college coach and track & field athlete from Norway. Hjeltnes, who was born in Øystese, has won 20 National Championships; 11 in Discus th ...

(born 1951 in Øystese) college coach, former shot-putter and discus thrower * Kirsten Melkevik Otterbu (born 1970 in Øystese) a Norwegian marathon runner *

Torgeir Børven Torgeir Børven (born 3 December 1991) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Norwegian club Vålerenga. He has previously played for FC Twente, Brann, Vålerenga, Odd and Rosenborg, and has represented his country ...

(born 1991 in Øystese) a Norwegian footballer with over 240 club caps

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

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 ...

{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Vestland 1838 establishments in Norway