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 ...

Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, 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 cit ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, 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 ...

. 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 popula ...

, 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, 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 RosenberPopu ...

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 dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlement ...

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 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 ...

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 Hardangerfjord ...

, 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, Icel ...

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 ...

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 ...

(

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 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, ...

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, ...

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 ...

, 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 si ...

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 Fyksesund Landscape Park is a landscape park in Kvam Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located around the Fyksesund fjord, an arm of the Hardangerfjord. Fyksesund Landscape Park is coordinated by the organisation: ''Landskapspark Horda ...

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 is located in Kvam. The Kvamskogen 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 w ...

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 ...

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 Janu ...

law). According to the 1835 census, the parish had a population of 2,321. On 1 January 1882, a small area of

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 ...

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 Munici ...

. On 1 January 1965, the Åsgrenda area on the Folgefonna peninsula (population: 61) was moved from Kvam to the neighboring

Ullensvang Municipality 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, ...

. 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

* The part of

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 ...

municipality that was located on the northwest side of the Hardangerfjord, around the village of Tørvikbygd (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 area which went to

* The

area of Varaldsøy (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 ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

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 during the refe ...

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 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 ...

, 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 o ...

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 counc ...

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 ...

. 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 Lei ...

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 Muni ...

. 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 featu ...

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 i ...

(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 (1846 in Kvam – 1930) a Norwegian writer of popular literature * Nils Nilsson Skaar (1852 in Kvam – 1948) a Norwegian teacher, farmer, editor and politician *

Ingebrigt Vik Ingebrigt Vik (5 March 1867 – 22 March 1927) was a Norwegian sculptor. Vik is regarded as having been one of Norway's greatest sculptors from the first part of the 20th century. Biography Ingebrigt Vik was born in the village of Øystese ...

(1867 in Øystese – 1927) a distinguished Norwegian sculptor *

Jakob Nilsson Vik Jakob Nilsson Vik (March 12, 1882 – 1960) was a Norwegian farmer, dairy manager, and politician. He sat in the Parliament of Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland c ...

(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. Rosse ...

(1894 in Kvam – 1985) an astrophysicist, pioneered

theoretical astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the hea ...

* Geirr Tveitt (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 (1942 in Ålvik – 2010) a Norwegian trade unionist and politician *

Kaj Skagen Kaj Skagen (born October 23, 1949 in Strandebarm) is a Norwegian writer. He received the Riksmål Society Literature Prize The Riksmål Society Literature Prize (''Riksmålsforbundets litteraturpris'') is awarded annually by the '' Riksmåls ...

(born 1949 in Strandebarm) a Norwegian writer * Nils Gunnar Lie (born 1950 in Øystese) a Norwegian television personality * Torill Selsvold Nyborg (born 1952 in Kvam) a nurse, missionary and politician *

Valgerd Svarstad Haugland Valgerd Svarstad Haugland (born 23 August 1956) is a Norwegian teacher, politician and civil servant. She was leader of the Christian Democratic Party in Norway from 1995 to 2004. She was Minister of Children and Family Affairs from 1997 to 20 ...

(born 1956 in Kvam) a teacher, politician and civil servant * Geir Botnen (born 1959 in Kvam) a Norwegian pianist * Gisle Torvik (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 h ...

(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 ...

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

Sport

* Knut Hjeltnes (born 1951 in Øystese) college coach, former shot-putter and discus thrower *

Kirsten Melkevik Otterbu Kirsten Melkevik Otterbu ( May 29 May 1970) is a Norwegian long-distance runner who specializes in the marathon. Biography In the marathon event she finished 28th at the 2005 World Championships, 13th at the 2006 European Championships, 29th ...

(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 ye ...

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