Askøy 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 the ...

. The island municipality is located in the

Midhordland Midhordland or Midthordland is a traditional district in the Vestlandet region of Norway. It consists of the central-west portion of the old Hordaland county (now part of Vestland county), mostly including the islands and coastal fjord areas sur ...

district of the county, sitting in a large group of islands immediately northwest of the city of

Bergen 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 o ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the urban village of

Kleppestø Kleppestø is the administrative centre of the municipality of Askøy in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the southern coast of the island of Askøy. The village of Florvåg lies just north of Kleppestø and the village of S ...

on the southeastern shore of the island of Askøy. The municipality is the 328th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Askøy is the 36th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 29,816. 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 increased by 13.8% over the previous 10-year period. Since the opening of the

Askøy Bridge The Askøy Bridge ( no, Askøybroen) is a suspension bridge that crosses the Byfjorden between the municipalities of Bergen and Askøy in Vestland county, Norway. It is long and has a main span of . Its span was the longest for any suspension b ...

connecting it to the mainland of Bergen in 1992, the population has increased rapidly. Its population growth among the highest in Norway. Most of the population growth is due to migration from Bergen and the surrounding districts of

Nordhordland Nordhordland is a traditional district in the western part of Norway. The district consists of the northern portion of the old Hordaland county (now in Vestland county), north of the city of Bergen. It includes the municipalities Alver, Austr ...

and

General information

The parish of ''Askøen'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1879, a small area of the neighboring municipality of

Fana Fana is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough makes up the southeastern part of the municipality of Bergen. The borough was once part of the historic municipality of Fana which was incorporated into Bergen ...

(population: 18) was transferred to Askøen. On 1 January 1904, a small area near the village of Hanevik (population: 32) was transferred from Askøen to the neighboring municipality of Alversund. On 1 July 1918, the southern (mainland) portions of Askøy (population: 6,957) were separated from the municipality to form the new municipality of

Laksevåg Laksevåg is a borough of the city of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. The borough is located in the western part of the municipality. Historically, the area was called ''Laxevaag'', and it was a separate municipality until 1972 when it was m ...

. This split left Askøy with 4,822 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 Hanevik area (population: 193) on the island of

Askøy Askøy is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island municipality is located in the Midhordland district of the county, sitting in a large group of islands immediately northwest of the city of Bergen. The administrative centre of the ...

was transferred to Askøy from the municipality of

Meland Meland is a former municipality in the Nordhordland district in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1923 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020 when it was merged into the new Alver Municipality in Vestland county. ...

. Also on that date, the old municipality of

Herdla Herdla is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1871 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality encompassed a large group of about 2,000 islands and skerries covering about of land area ...

was dissolved. The parts of Herdla on the island of Askøy and the island of

(population: 1,564) were also transferred to Askøy. This boundary adjustment put the entire island of Askøy, the island of Herdla, and many tiny surrounding islands in the municipality of Askøy.

Name

The first element is the name "Askøy" came from the old '' Ask'' farm ( non, Askr) and the last element is ''øy'', meaning "island". The name of the farm is identical with the word ''askr'', meaning " ash tree". Until 1918 the name was written as ''"Askøen"''.

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 28 September 1961. The arms are a

canting ' (IPA: , VOS Spelling: ''tjanting'', jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦛꦶꦁ, Tjanting) is a pen-like tool used to apply liquid hot wax ( jv, ) in the batik-making process in Indonesia, more precisely ''batik tulis'' (lit. "written batik"). Traditional '' ...

showing an ash tree ''(ask)'' on an island ''(øy)'' with waves of the sea in the base of the shield.

Churches

The Church of Norway has five parishes () within the municipality of Askøy. It is part of the Vesthordland prosti deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Culture

Askøy is home to several sports teams. Askøy Fotballklub is an

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

club, formed in 1999 by the merger of Florvåg Idrettsforening and Kleppestø Fotball. The club has a large number of teams, of which the majority are junior football teams. The men's senior team plays in the Norwegian third division . The oldest sports club on the island is Ask Idrettslag, mainly an

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

club, founded in 1928. The music festival Lost Weekend is held on the island every summer in Kollevågen. The festival, first held in August 2001, attracts a large number of minor

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

bands. The festival has been threatened by economic trouble several times. In the village of Strusshamn are old wooden houses, dating back to the early 19th century. Strusshamn then served as a quarantine harbour for

. Today, Strusshamn is one of the cultural capitals of Askøy, with a lot of activities and a

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 thes ...

of its own showing life on Askøy in earlier times.

Geography

Askøy is an island municipality including the main island of

and the minor island of

as well as many small surrounding islands. The municipality is surrounded by three

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, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...

Hjeltefjorden Hjeltefjorden is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. The long fjord runs north–south between many islands leading from the open ocean to the city of Bergen. It passes through the municipalities of Fedje, Øygarden, Alver, and Askøy. Its nam ...

to the west and north, Byfjorden to the east, and

Herdlefjorden Herdlefjorden is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. The long fjord runs between the islands of Holsnøy (in Alver Municipality) and Askøy (in Askøy Municipality). The fjord connects with the Salhusfjorden and the Byfjorden on the southea ...

to the northeast. The municipality borders Alver to the northeast,

to the southeast, and

Øygarden Øygarden is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is an island municipality located in the traditional district of Midhordland, stretching along the west coast of the county. The village of Straume is the administrative centre of the ...

to the west. Askøy has one of the fastest growing populations in Norway due to an influx of new inhabitants from the Bergen,

and

after the opening of the

in 1992. North of Askøy lies the island of

, a popular recreational area on the site of the disused German

Herdla Airport Herdla Airport ( no, Herdla flyplass; german: Flugplatz Herdla) was a military air base situated on the island of Herdla in Askøy, Norway. It consisted of two wooden runways, long, respectively, in addition to wharfs for a water aerodrome. Her ...

from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The densely populated part of the municipality is on the south and eastern coasts.

and Strusshamn are located on the southern coast and Florvåg is on the east coast. Florvåg was connected to downtown

for many decades via ferries. The northern and western parts of the island are thinly populated. There is a large lake on the southeast part of the island, called

Askevatnet Askevatnet is a lake in the municipality of Askøy in Vestland county, Norway. The lake lies just northeast of the village of Ask on the eastern side of the island of Askøy. The lake is regulated by a small dam on the southeastern part of th ...

. The tallest mountain on the island is Kolbeinsvarden. The recreation area of Kollevågen lies in the western part of the island.

Settlements

;Ask

Ask is a village in the eastern part of Askøy. Due to its pleasant climate and its convenient location to Bergen, Ask was the location of a ''kongsgård'' (lit. "royal farm"); the very old

Ask Church Ask Church ( no, Ask kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Askøy Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Ask, on the eastern coast of the island of Askøy. It is the church for the Ask parish which ...

and churchyard was also located in Ask. The location where the church was situated from about 1200 until 1741 is today marked by a stone cross. Ask is the saga location for a famous dispute over inheritance between Egill Skallagrímsson and Berg-Önundr. The local dialect of the village also reflects the close ties to Bergen, with the dialect being more similar to that of Bergen than that of the rest of Askøy except the dialect of Florvåg; the connection was reinforced into modern times as the wealthy merchants and other residents of Bergen spent their summer there. Ask has had famous residents up to recent times. Fridtjof Nansen lived in a house near Kongshaugen in a short period.

Amalie Skram Amalie Skram (22 August 1846 – 15 March 1905) was a Norwegian author and feminist who gave voice to a woman's point of view with her naturalist writing. In Norway, she is frequently considered the most important female writer of the Modern Bre ...

lived at Lien at Ask from 1876 to 1878. ;Other settlements Some of the other notable settlements in Askøy include

Abbedisso Abbedisso is a small village in the municipality of Askøy in Vestland county, Norway. It is located along the Herdlefjorden near the northwestern tip of the island of Askøy. The village of Io lies directly to the north on the island of Holsn� ...

, Erdal, Hanevik,

, Skjelviki, and Tveitevåg.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Askøy, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

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 refere ...

and other social services,

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 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 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

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.

Municipal council

The

() of Askøy 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 featur ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Askøy (incomplete list): *2019–present: Siv Høgtun ( H) *2015-2019: Terje Mathiassen ( Ap) *2011-2015: Siv Høgtun (H) *2007-2011: Knut Hanselmann ( FrP) *1999-2007: Kari Manger (Ap) *1994-1999: Øyvind Fluge (

KrF The Christian Democratic Party ( nb, Kristelig Folkeparti, nn, Kristeleg Folkeparti, se, Risttalaš Álbmotbellodat, , KrF) is a Christian-democratic political party in Norway founded in 1933. The party is an observer member of the European Pe ...

) *1990-1993: Oddvard Nilsen (H) *1988-1989: Øyvind Fluge (KrF)

Industry and trade

Askøy is well known for the tasty strawberries from Ask. The seafood industry is also well settled at Askøy. Askøy also houses several boat building companies; the most famous of which are Viksund Yachts of Norway situated in Strusshamn, Viknes situated in Bakarvågen, Selby situated in Strusshamn and NB Marine situated at

. Askøy houses some big industrial facilities such as Hanøytangen, Mjølkeviksvarden, and Storebotn.

Notable people

* Knut Robberstad (1899 in Askøy – 1981) a Norwegian jurist, philologist and academic * Halldor Espelid (1920 in Askøy – 1944) a Norwegian Supermarine Spitfire pilot, escaped from Stalag Luft III, re-captured and shot by the Gestapo *

Ingrid Espelid Hovig Ingrid Espelid Hovig (3 June 1924 – 3 August 2018) was a Norwegian television chef and author of cook books. Through appearances on her cooking show ''Fjernsynskjøkkenet'' over 26 years, between 1970 and 1996,Strømholm, Gøril, ''NRK.no'' (1 ...

(1924 in Askøy – 2018) a television chef and author of cook books *

Arne Tumyr Arne Tumyr (6 March 1933 – 17 February 2023) was a Norwegian journalist, newspaper editor, politician and leader of Stop Islamisation of Norway. Career and activism Tumyr grew up in Ask in Askøy, from where he moved in 1950. He was educated ...

(born 1933) a former journalist, newspaper editor and politician, grew up in Ask * Geir Magnus Nyborg (1951 in Askøy – 2018) a Norwegian media scholar and theologian

Sport

* Trygve Andersen (born 1934 in Askøy) retired footballer, 27 caps for

* Martin Jensen (1942 in Askøy – 2016) a Norwegian triple jumper * Frode Syvertsen (born 1963 in Askøy) a speed skater, competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway {{DEFAULTSORT:Askoy Municipalities of Vestland 1838 establishments in Norway