Leira is a small village in the
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 ...
of
Volda
Volda is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Volda. Other villages in the municipality include Dravlaus, Fyrde, Straumshamn, Leira, Bjørke, and Gro ...
, in
Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal (; en, Møre and Romsdal) is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the town of Molde, while Ålesund is the ...
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 lies between the villages of
Bjørke
Bjørke is a village in the municipality of Volda, Møre og Romsdal, Norway. The village is located at the innermost part of the Hjørundfjorden, just south of the village of Leira. The village is home to Bjørke Church. The village of Bjørke l ...
and
Viddal, at the end of
Hjørundfjorden
Hjørundfjorden is a fjord in the traditional district of Sunnmøre in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located mostly within the municipality of Ørsta, although part of the mouth of the fjord is in Sykkylven. The long fjord is an arm o ...
. The village is located in the
Sunnmørsalpene mountains, about from the mountains
Skårasalen
Skårasalen is a mountain in the municipality of Ørsta in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The tall mountain has the seventh largest prominence () of all mountains in Norway. The mountain is located about south of the village of Sæbø and ...
(to the northwest),
Jakta
Jakta is a tall mountain in the Sunnmørsalpene mountain range. It is located in the municipality of Ørsta in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Jakta lies south of the nearby mountain Slogen and just across the Hjørundfjorden from the moun ...
(to the northeast),
Kvitegga
Kvitegga is a mountain on the border between the municipalities of Stranda and Volda in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located about southeast of the village of Leira (in Volda) and about west of Hellesylt (in Stranda). The tall Kv ...
(to the southeast), and
Hornindalsrokken
Hornindalsrokken is a tall mountain in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the border of two municipalities: Stranda Municipality and Volda Municipality. The mountain is sometimes also called ''Honndalsrokken'' or sometimes just ' ...
(to the south).
There are about 15–20 residents in Leira, with most residents farming their land. Leira is fairly isolated, with only one road leading to it. The road goes from
Bjørke
Bjørke is a village in the municipality of Volda, Møre og Romsdal, Norway. The village is located at the innermost part of the Hjørundfjorden, just south of the village of Leira. The village is home to Bjørke Church. The village of Bjørke l ...
, through a long tunnel through the mountain, ''Kamben'', before reaching Leira. The road continues along the fjord to Viddal where the road ends. The closest urban area is the village of
Volda
Volda is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Volda. Other villages in the municipality include Dravlaus, Fyrde, Straumshamn, Leira, Bjørke, and Gro ...
, about to the northwest of Leira.
Prior to 2020, the village and surrounding area was part of the neighbouring municipality of
Ørsta
is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre Districts of Norway, region of Western Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Ørsta ( ...
.
Name
The name is derived from the
Norwegian language
Norwegian ( no, norsk, links=no ) is a North Germanic language spoken mainly in Norway, where it is an official language. Along with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a dialect continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regio ...
word ''leire'' which means '
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
'.
References
Volda
Villages in Møre og Romsdal
{{MøreRomsdal-geo-stub