Kvinnherad is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

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, whe ...

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 ...

. 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 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, L ...

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 Herøysund is a village in Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the southeastern shore of the Hardangerfjorden, about half-way between the villages of Husnes (to the south) and Uskedal (to the north). The ...

, Høylandsbygd, Ølve, Sæbøvik, Sundal, Sunde, Uskedal, and Valen. The municipality is the 104th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvinnherad is the 94th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 13,017. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

is and its population has decreased by 2.3% over the previous 10-year period. In the southern part of Kvinnherad you will find the typical fjord landscape of

western Norway 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-administrat ...

. The areas of Mauranger and Rosendal are said to have about the most beautiful fjord landscape of

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 ...

as a whole: narrow fjords, wild water-falls, and the nearby Folgefonna, the third biggest

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 over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...

in Norway.

General information

Ænes kirke, Kvinnherad kommune, Hordaland

The

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 ...

of ''Qvindherred'' 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 Janua ...

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 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWI ...

. On 1 January 1965, the following areas were merged into one large municipality of Kvinnherad: *All of

Skånevik Skånevik is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1965. It included the land surrounding both sides of the Skånevikfjorden and its smaller branches: the Åkraf ...

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 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 junc ...

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 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 peninsu ...

municipality. This removed forty residents and of land area from the municipality.

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 ''Kvinnaherað''. The first element may be derived from the word ''tvinnr'' which means "double" (referring to the two rivers running through Rosendal, the

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 to 1917 it was ''"Kvinnherred"'', and since 1918 it has been spelled ''"Kvinnherad"''.

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 it ...

was granted on 18 June 1982. The arms show the

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river ( main stem); ...

of two blue rivers into one on a white or silver background. The rivers symbolize the many streams and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

s in the municipality, especially the Hattebergselvi and the Melselvi, that come together just before they run into the sea at Rosendal.

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 Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...

has nine parishes () within the municipality of Kvinnherad. It is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (

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 reside ...

) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

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 upright=1.3, mariculture.html" ;"title="Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture">Salmon farming in the sea (mariculture) at Loch Ainort, Isle of Skye, Scotland Fish farming or pisciculture involves commercial animal husbandry, breeding of fish, ...

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roo ...

(

Eidsvik Skipsbyggeri Eidsvik may refer to: Places * Eidsvik, Vestland, a village in Kvinnherad municipality, Vestland county, Norway * Eidsvik, Møre og Romsdal, a village in Ålesund municipality, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway Other * Eidsvik Skipsbyggeri, a sm ...

Hellesøy Verft Hellesøy Verft is a small shipyard in Kvinnherad, 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 Scandin ...

Bergen Group Halsnøy 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 ...

), and lifeboat production (

Umoe Schat-Harding Umoe AS is a privately owned company based in Norway. Jens Ulltveit-Moe founded the company in 1984 and it has since grown into one of the largest, privately owned companies in Norway with a market value of approximately NOK 5 billion. In 2010 th ...

, Norsafe,

Eide Marine Tech Parallel ATA (PATA), originally , also known as IDE, is a standard interface designed for IBM PC-compatible computers. It was first developed by Western Digital and Compaq in 1986 for compatible hard drives and CD or DVD drives. The connectio ...

, 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 Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kvinnherad, are responsible for primary education (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 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 usag ...

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 during the refer ...

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 adminis ...

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 s ...

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 a ...

, 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 coun ...

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 as ...

. The municipality falls under the Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court and the

Gulating Court of Appeal The Gulating Court of Appeal ( no, Gulating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Bergen. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Vestland and Rogaland plus Sirdal Munic ...

Municipal council

The

() of Kvinnherad is made up of 35 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 ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Kvinnherad (incomplete list): *2019–present:

Hans Inge Myrvold Hans Inge Myrvold (born 25 January 1985) is a Norwegian politician for the Centre Party. He became a member of Kvinnherad municipal council in 2011, deputy mayor in 2015 and mayor in 2019. He served as a deputy representative to the Parliament ...

( Sp) *2015-2019: Peder Sjo Slettebø ( H) *2007-2015: Synnøve Solbakken ( Ap) *2003-2007: Bjarne Berge ( LL) *1995-2003: Aksel Kloster (Ap)

Notable people

* Axel Gyntersberg (ca.1525 – 1588 in Kvinnherad) a Norwegian nobleman and feudal overlord *

Johannes Lauritsson Johannes Lauritsson (c. 1540 – c. 1620) was a wealthy Norwegian landowner. Through marriage, he was associated with the prominent Galte family of Jondal in Hardanger.Handegård, Odd (2008), Vår felles slektshistorie. Hardanger, Sunnhordland ...

(ca.1540 – ca.1620) wealthy Norwegian landowner, lived Valen 1563-1578 *

Axel Rosenkrantz Axel Rosenkrantz (12 December 1670 – 14 November 1723) was a Norwegian landowner and baron. Personal life Axel Rosenkrantz was born in Kvinnherad on 12 December 1670 to baron Ludvig Rosenkrantz and Karen Mowat. He was married to Anne God ...

(1670 in Kvinnherad – 1723) landowner and baron, owned the Barony Rosendal *

Andreas Lavik Andreas Johannessen Lavik (18 August 1854 – 18 December 1918) was a Norwegian revivalist, temperance advocate, magazine editor, farmer, headmaster and politician. Early life and family He was born in Eksingedalen as a son of farmer Johannes ...

(1854–1918) a revivalist, temperance advocate, magazine editor, farmer, headmaster and politician; lived in Kvinnherad from 1885, where he was Mayor for eight years *

Jens Tvedt Jens Tvedt (14 June 1857 – 3 September 1935) was a Norwegian novelist and writer of short stories. He was born in Kvinnherad. He made his literary debut in 1885 with the short story collection ''Inn i Fjordane''. In his stories he often depi ...

(1857 in Kvinnherad – 1935) a Norwegian novelist and writer of short stories *

Gisle Midttun Gisle Midttun (1881–1940) was a Norwegian cultural historian and museologist. He was born in Kvinnherad, and was a brother of philologist Olav Midttun Olav Midttun (8 April 1883 – 5 January 1972) was a Norwegian philologist, biogra ...

(1881 in Kvinnherad – 1940) a Norwegian cultural historian and museologist *

Olav Midttun Olav Midttun (8 April 1883 – 5 January 1972) was a Norwegian philologist, biographer, magazine editor, and the first national program director of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). He was born in Mauranger as a son of teacher J ...

(1883 in Mauranger – 1972) a philologist, biographer and magazine editor * Ragnvald Vaage (1889 in Husnes – 1966) a Norwegian poet, novelist and children's writer *

Sigurd Valvatne Sigurd Valvatne (1 May 1913 – 17 December 2004) was a Norwegian naval officer. He was born in Kvinnherad to Arnfinn Valvatne and Kaia Sundnes. He graduated as naval officer in 1937, and further graduated from submarine training in 1939. Duri ...

DSO DSC (born 1913 in Kvinnherad) a naval officer and submariner *

Frank Meidell Falch Frank Meidell Falch (11 August 1920 – 15 December 2013) was a Norwegian media director. He hailed from Kvinnherad. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany he was arrested by the Nazi authorities in the end of June 1942. He was imprison ...

(1920 in Kvinnherad – 2013) a Norwegian media director and politician *

Egil Myklebust Egil Myklebust (born 9 June 1942) is a Norwegian businessperson and lawyer. Since 2001 he has been chairman of the board of SAS Group. Born in Kvinnherad, Myklebust took a law degree from the University of Oslo in 1967, before starting work with ...

(born 1942 in Kvinnherad) a businessperson and lawyer, CEO of

SAS Group SAS AB (Scandinavian Airlines System Aktiebolag), trading as SAS Group, is an airline holding company headquartered in the SAS Frösundavik Office Building in Solna Municipality, Sweden. It is the owner of the airlines Scandinavian Airlines a ...

* Lars Amund Vaage (born 1952 at Sunde) novelist * Endre Hellestveit (born 1976 in Rosendal) a Norwegian actor *

(born 1985) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Kvinnherad in 2019 * Erlend Bratland (born 1991 in Husnes) a Norwegian singer, won Norske Talenter 2008

Geography

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

Halsnøy Halsnøya or Halsnøy is an island in Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island lies between the Hardangerfjorden and Skånevikfjorden. The island has about 2,300 inhabitants (2008) and it is the most populated island in Kv ...

a. The large Folgefonna National Park, which surrounds the Folgefonna

, 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 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 ...

and

by cutting through the large mountains surrounding Mauranger. The municipality has many large lakes including

Blådalsvatnet Blådalsvatnet is a glacial lake in the municipality of Kvinnherad in Vestland county, Norway. The lake lies just outside the Folgefonna National Park, about north of the village of Indre Matre. The lake is formed by the glacial runoff fro ...

, Juklavatnet, and

Onarheimsvatnet Onarheimsvatnet or Opsangervatnet is a lake in the municipality of Kvinnherad in Vestland county, Norway. The lake is located between the villages of Husnes Husnes is the largest village in Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. ...

. Many of these lakes are utilized for hydroelectric power generation.

Tourism and places of interest

Kvinnherad is a popular

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...

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

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. 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.

Media gallery

File:Rosendal kirke.jpg, Kvinnherad Church in Rosendal File:Rosendal castle west.png, The Barony Rosendal File:Husnes.jpg, Husnes and the Hardangerfjord File:Bondhusbreen.jpg, Bondhusbreen glacier File:Hardangerfjord Kvinnherad.JPG, View from

Gjermundshamn Hatlestrand is a village in Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located along the Hardangerfjorden, northeast of the villages of Husa and Ølve. The village has a ferry port called ''Gjermundshamn'', which has r ...

across the Hardangerfjord, with Varaldsøy island and Folgefonna glacier

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 ye ...

* http://www.kvinnherad.kommune.no * http://www.baroniet.uio.no
Kvinnheradguiden.no

Kvinnheringen.no

Grenda.no

Innsida.no

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