Ullensvang Municipality
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Ullensvang 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 ...
in
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 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 ...
. It is located in the traditional district 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 is l ...
. 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 ...
is the town of Odda. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Lofthus,
Utne Utne is a village in Ullensvang municipality in the Hardanger region of Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern end of the Folgefonn Peninsula, at the confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs ...
,
Vikebygd Vikebygd is a village in Vindafjord municipality in Rogaland 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 port ...
,
Alsåker Alsåker is a village in the municipality of Ullensvang, in Vestland county, Norway. The village lies on the Folgefonn Peninsula, along the shore of the Hardangerfjorden. The village lies about southwest of the village of Utne and about northea ...
, Botnen,
Eitrheim Eitrheim is a village in Ullensvang municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The industrial village is located on a small peninsula near the southern shore of the Sørfjorden, just 3 kilometers (1.9mi) north of the town of Odda. Since 2003, it h ...
, Håra,
Røldal Røldal is a village in the municipality of Ullensvang in Vestland county, Norway. The village lies in the Røldal valley along the Storelva river on the north end of the lake Røldalsvatnet. Røldal is located about southeast of the town of ...
, Seljestad,
Skare Skare or Skarde is a village in Ullensvang municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located about straight south of the town of Odda and about northwest of the village of Seljestad. The village sits at the junction of Norwegian ...
,
Tyssedal Tyssedal is a village in Ullensvang municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the shore of the Sørfjorden (Hardanger), Sørfjorden about north of the town of Odda (town), Odda. Tyssedal is located in an environment in ...
,
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 ...
, Herand,
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 ...
, and
Torsnes Torsnes is a former municipality in Østfold county, Norway. It is the site of Torsnes Church (''Torsnes kirke''). History Torsnes was created by a split from Borge on 1 January 1910. At that time Torsnes had a population of 1,538. On 1 January ...
. The main inhabited part of Ullensvang municipality lies just to the west of
Hardangervidda National Park Hardangervidda National Park ( en, Hardanger Plateau National Park, no, Hardangervidda nasjonalpark), at , is Norway's largest national park. It spans from Numedal and Uvdal in the east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west across the Harda ...
, which covers most of the
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 ...
plateau, Europe's largest mountain plateau. Most inhabitants live in the narrow coastal mountainsides and
valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...
s along the
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 ...
and Sørfjorden. The largest urban areas in Ullensvang are Odda, Kinsarvik, Jondal, and Lofthus. The
Norwegian National Road 13 National Road 13 ( no, Riksvei 13, ) is a national road which runs from the town of Stavanger in Rogaland county to the village of Sogndalsfjøra in Vestland county. The route is long and runs south–north through Rogaland and Vestland count ...
and the
European route E134 European highway E 134 ( no, Europavei 134) is a European highway that crosses Norway starting at Haugesund Airport, Karmøy near the city of Haugesund on the west coast, heading over Haukeli, passing the city of Drammen, and ending in Vass ...
are the two main roads through the municipality. National road 13 crosses the
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 ...
via the
Hardanger Bridge The Hardanger Bridge ( no, Hardangerbrua) is a suspension bridge across the Eidfjorden branch off of the main Hardangerfjorden in Vestland county, Norway. The bridge connects the municipalities of Ullensvang and Ulvik. It replaced a ferry conn ...
in the far northern part of the municipality. The municipality is the 12th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ullensvang is the 104th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 10,881. 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 4.7% over the previous 10-year period. The number of inhabitants has shown a decrease of several hundred people since 1980. This development can be seen in light of the general depopulation of rural
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 ...
. In 2016, the chief of police for
Vestlandet 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-administrative ...
formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station for ''Ullensvang og Eidfjord'' be closed.


General information


Name

The municipality (originally 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 m ...
) is named after the old ''Ullensvang'' farm ( non, Ullinsvangr), since
Ullensvang Church Ullensvang Church ( no, Ullensvang kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Lofthus. It is the church for the Ullensvang parish which is part of the ...
was built there. The first element is the
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 the name of the
Norse god In Germanic paganism, the indigenous religion of the ancient Germanic peoples who inhabited Germanic Europe, there were a number of different gods and goddesses. Germanic deities are attested from numerous sources, including works of literature, ...
''Ullin'' (sideform of
Ullr In Norse mythology, Ullr (Old Norse: ) is a god associated with archery. Although literary attestations of Ullr are sparse, evidence including relatively ancient place-name evidence from Scandinavia suggests that he was a major god in earlier G ...
). The last element is ''vangr'' which means "
field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...
" or "
meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...
". Prior to the 2020 municipal merger, this municipality was called ''Ullensvang herad'', but after the merger it was called ''Ullensvang kommune''.


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 8 November 1979. The arms are red with a horizontal gold stripe across the middle, with three gold
fleur-de-lis The fleur-de-lis, also spelled fleur-de-lys (plural ''fleurs-de-lis'' or ''fleurs-de-lys''), is a lily (in French, and mean 'flower' and 'lily' respectively) that is used as a decorative design or symbol. The fleur-de-lis has been used in the ...
designs (two above the stripe, one below). The municipal arms are derived from the arms of
nobleman Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...
from the area, Sigurd Brynjulvsson Galte, and they can be seen on his gravestone dating back to 1302 at the local church. As it is the oldest
gravestone A headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a stele or marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. It is traditional for burials in the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, among others. In most cases, it has the deceased's name, da ...
in the church, the arms were well known in the village, hence the choice for the arms of this
knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...
as municipal arms. On 1 January 2020, the arms were modified by changing the colors from red and gold to blue and white after a large municipal merger. Ullensvang komm 2020.svg, Current arms since 2020 Ullensvang komm.svg, Arms from 1979 to 2019


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 eight parishes () within the municipality of Ullensvang. 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 ...
.


History

On 1 January 1838, the large
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
Kinsarvik Kinsarvik is a village in the municipality of Ullensvang in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located at the end of a small bay at the confluence of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord, where they join to form the main branch of the Hardang ...
was established as a municipality (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). The large parish was made up of the main parish and the annex of Ullensvang. On 1 January 1869, Ullensvang became the main parish and Kinsarvik became an annex to Ullensvang. At this time the municipality changed its name to ''Ullensvang''. On 1 January 1882, a small area of Ullensvang (population: 22) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Vikør. On 1 July 1913, the municipality of Ullensvang was divided into three parts: the northwestern part became Kinsarvik Municipality, the southern part became Odda Municipality, and the rest remained as Ullensvang Municipality, albeit much smaller. This left Ullensvang with 1,941 residents. 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 1964, the following areas were merged into one large municipality: all of Ullensvang Municipality, all of
Eidfjord Municipality 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 ...
, and most of Kinsarvik Municipality (except for the Lussand-Kvanndal area which went to
Granvin Municipality 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. ...
). The newly enlarged municipality was named Ullensvang. On 1 January 1965, the Åsgrenda area of
Kvam Municipality 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 settl ...
(population: 61) was transferred to Ullensvang. This new, large municipality of Ullensvang that was created in 1964-1965 was not long-lived. On 1 January 1977, the area that once was
Eidfjord Municipality 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 ...
became its own municipality once again. This left Ullensvang with 3,937 residents. On 1 January 2020, the three neighboring municipalities 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 ...
,
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 Ullensvang were merged into a new, larger Ullensvang Municipality. At that time, 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 ...
was moved from the village of
Kinsarvik Kinsarvik is a village in the municipality of Ullensvang in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located at the end of a small bay at the confluence of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord, where they join to form the main branch of the Hardang ...
to the larger town of Odda. On 1 January 2022, the Ytre Bu area of Ullensvang (population: 24) was transferred to the neighboring
Eidfjord Municipality 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 ...
.


Geography

The municipality of Ullensvang is located on the shores of the
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 ...
and the Sørfjorden and it stretches all the way up to 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 ...
glacier inside
Folgefonna National Park Folgefonna National Park ( no, Folgefonna nasjonalpark) is a national park in Vestland county, Norway. The park is located on the Folgefonna peninsula and it spans the municipalities of Kvinnherad, Etne, and Ullensvang. The national park was ope ...
on the Folgefonna peninsula in the western part of the municipality. It continues up to the vast
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 ...
plateau in the east, including part of the
Hardangervidda National Park Hardangervidda National Park ( en, Hardanger Plateau National Park, no, Hardangervidda nasjonalpark), at , is Norway's largest national park. It spans from Numedal and Uvdal in the east and Røvelseggi and Ullensvang in the west across the Harda ...
. The lakes Kvensjøen and
Veivatnet Veivatnet is a lake in the municipality of Ullensvang in Vestland county, Norway. The lake lies on the vast Hardangervidda plateau, inside Hardangervidda National Park Hardangervidda National Park ( en, Hardanger Plateau National Park, no, Ha ...
as well as the mountain
Hårteigen Hårteigen is a characteristic mountain in Vestland county, Norway. It sits on and is visible from most parts of the vast Hardangervidda plateau. The mountain is located in the municipality of Ullensvang, and it is inside the Hardangervidda Natio ...
are all located in Ullensvang on the plateau.


Climate

The lowland areas of Ullensvang near the Hardanger fjord has a temperate
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
(marine west coast climate, Cfb in the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
). The average daily high range from in January and February to in July. The driest season is April - August, while the wettest is October - March. The all-time high temperature is recorded 28 July 2019; the all-time low is recorded 9 February 1966. The weather station Ullensvang Forsøksgard has been recording temperature since 1865.


Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Ullensvang, 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 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 (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 elects 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
Hordaland District Court Hordaland District Court ( no, Hordaland tingrett) is a district court (Norway), district court located in Vestland county, Norway. This court is based at two different courthouses which are located in Bergen and Lofthus, Vestland, Lofthus. The co ...
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 ...
.


Municipal council

The
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 Ullensvang is made up of 33 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 Ullensvang (incomplete list): *2019–present: Roald Aga Haug ( Ap) *2003-2019: Solfrid Borge ( Sp)


Notable people


Public service

* Nils Christian Egede Hertzberg (1827 in Ullensvang – 1911) theologian, educator and politician * Knud Knudsen (1832 in Odda – 1915) one of Norway's first professional photographers *
Halldor O. Opedal Halldor Olson Opedal (May 26, 1895 – January 17, 1986) was a Norwegian teacher and folklorist from Lofthus in the Hardanger district. Opedal was trained as a teacher and worked in Tyssedal for 37 years. He traveled extensively in the area and c ...
(1895 in Lofthus – 1986) a Norwegian teacher and folklorist *
Eiliv Austlid Eiliv Austlid (6 May 189915 April 1940) was a Norway, Norwegian farmer and army officer who played a pivotal role in assuring the escape of the Norwegian government during the Wehrmacht, German invasion in 1940. Killed in action, he was discredite ...
(1899 in Ullensvang – 1940) a Norwegian farmer and army officer * Torbjørn Mork (1928 in Odda – 1992) a Norwegian physician and civil servant *
la mamma LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
(1971 in Odda) a beautiful mother


The Arts

* Nils Tjoflot (1865 in Tjoflot – 1898) a Norwegian violinist * Georg Brochmann (1894 in Ullensvang – 1952) journalist, writer and playwright *
Zinken Hopp Signe Marie "Zinken" Hopp, née Brochmann (9 January 1905 – 3 September 1987) was a Norwegian writer, poet, playwright. She wrote in several genres: cultural-historical books, poems and travel stories. She translated children's books and was ...
(1905 in Ullensvang – 1987) a Norwegian author, poet and playwright *
Claes Gill Claes Gill (13 October 1910 - 11 June 1973) was a Norwegian writer, poet and actor. Born in Odda, but spent his childhood years in Bergen, before moving to Oslo permanently. His most famous works were the poetry book ''Fragment av et magisk liv'' ...
(1910 in Odda - 1973) a Norwegian author, poet and actor * Anne B. Ragde (born 1957 in Odda) a Norwegian novelist IMDb Database
retrieved 23 August 2020 *
Frode Grytten Frode Grytten is a Norwegian writer and journalist. Born 11 December 1960 in Bergen and a native of Odda, he is the author of the Brage Prize-winning novel ''Bikubesong'' ("Song of the Beehive") as well as other short stories and poems. His wor ...
(born 1960) a Norwegian writer and journalist, he grew up in Odda *
Knut Olav Åmås Knut Olav Åmås (born 19 January 1968) is a Norwegian writer, editor and politician for the Conservative Party. He hails from Odda. He holds a cand.philol. degree in philosophy, having taken his master's thesis on Ludwig Wittgenstein at the U ...
(born 1968 in Odda) a Norwegian writer, editor and politician * Svein Olav Herstad (born 1969 in Odda) a jazz pianist * Leif Einar Lothe (born 1969 in Odda) a Norwegian TV personality, stage name ''Lothepus'' *
Marit Eikemo Marit Eikemo (born 1971) is a Norwegian essayist, novelist, journalist and magazine editor. Eikemo was born in Odda. She edited the book ''Her, no: Møte med unge menneske'' in 1999, and contributed to the essay collection ''Synd.no'' from 2001. ...
(born 1971 in Odda) an essayist, novelist, journalist and magazine editor * Rannveig Djønne (born 1974 in Djønno) a Norwegian folk musician


Sport

*
Roger Albertsen Roger Albertsen (15 March 1957 – 2 March 2003) was a Norwegian football midfielder. Club career At the age of 17 he travelled abroad, playing professionally for Dutch team FC Den Haag. He later played for Feyenoord Rotterdam, KFC Winterslag ...
(1957–2003) a football midfielder with over 300 club caps and 25 for
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 ...
* Håkon Opdal (born 1982 in Odda) a footballer with over 350 club caps and 12 for
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 ...


Attractions

Ullensvang is Norway's biggest supplier of
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
, especially sweet
cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...
and
apple An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
s. Every summer a cherry festival is held at Lofthus, where the Norwegian championship of cherry stone spitting is held. The record is by S. Kleivkaas. Each May, a musical festival is held at Ullensvang Hotel (built in 1846), when musicians from all of Norway come to the village. The famous composer
Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...
spent many summers at Lofthus, and the festival is held in his honor. During the summer, the population is doubled due to
tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...
. Attractions in addition to the previous mentioned, are the medieval
Ullensvang Church Ullensvang Church ( no, Ullensvang kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Lofthus. It is the church for the Ullensvang parish which is part of the ...
at Lofthus (built around 1250) and
Kinsarvik Church Kinsarvik Church ( no, Kinsarvik kyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Kinsarvik. It is the church for the Kinsarvik parish which is part of the Ha ...
(built around 1150), several
waterfalls 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 ...
such as the Skrikjofossen, the flowering season in May, and
museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...
s at Aga,
Utne Utne is a village in Ullensvang municipality in the Hardanger region of Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern end of the Folgefonn Peninsula, at the confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs ...
, and Skredhaugen.


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