Etne is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, although it is also sometimes considered to be part of the district of

Haugaland Haugaland or Haugalandet is a traditional district situated on the western coast of Norway. Haugaland is one of the 15 traditional districts located within the Vestlandet region. Geographically, Haugaland is a peninsula between Bømlafjorden in ...

. 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

Etnesjøen Etnesjøen or Etne is the administrative centre of Etne municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located at the inner end of the Etnefjorden, along the European route E134 highway, about south of the village of Skånevik and abou ...

. Other villages in the municipality include

Skånevik Skånevik is a List of former municipalities of Norway, 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 Skånevikfjord ...

and Fjæra. The two largest villages in the municipality are Etnesjøen with 1,159 residents and Skånevik with 594 residents (all figures from 1 January 2015). The municipality is the 154th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Etne is the 201st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,043. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 2% over the previous 10-year period. Etne is situated south of the city of Bergen and it borders the municipalities of Kvinnherad, Ullensvang, Sauda, Suldal, and Vindafjord, the latter three are located in the neighboring county of

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

. A Norwegian motion picture called '' United'' was shot in Etne with local people as actors.

General information

Etne 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 January ...

law). Originally, Etne encompassed the area around the

Etnefjorden Etnefjorden is a fjord on the border between Vestland and Rogaland counties in Norway. The majority of the fjord lies in the municipality of Etne, but a small part of it also lies in the neighboring municipality of Vindafjord in Rogaland county. ...

and the surrounding valleys. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the neighboring municipality of

was dissolved and merged into its neighboring municipalities. All of Skånevik located south of the Åkrafjorden and east of the village of

Åkra Åkra is a former municipality in the traditional district of Haugaland in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1892 until 1965 and it encompassed the central part of the western coast of the island of Karmøy. The administ ...

on the north side of the fjord (population: 1,493) was merged into Etne.

Name

The municipality is named after the

( non, Eðni). The fjord is probably named after an old river name ''Etna'' (now called the "Etneelvi").

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 16 December 1983. The arms are blue on the left and silver/white on the right with a dovetailed

line Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

vertically down the middle. They represent the strong unity between the two former municipalities of

and Etne that were joined to form one municipality in 1965.

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 two parishes () within the municipality of Etne. It is part of the

Sunnhordland prosti Sunnhordland is a traditional district in the western region of Norway. The district consists of the southern coastal regions of the old Hordaland county (now part of Vestland county). It includes the areas that surround the mouth of the Hardang ...

(

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 ...

Geography

Etne is situated south of the city of Bergen and it borders the municipalities of Kvinnherad and Ullensvang in Vestland county and the municipalities of Sauda, Suldal, and Vindafjord in

county. Etne has a varied landscape, extending from the

Skånevikfjorden Skånevikfjorden is a fjord in Norway. The long fjord runs through Etne and Kvinnherad municipalities in Vestland county and in Vindafjord municipality in Rogaland county. The fjord is fed by several smaller fjords such as the Åkrafjorden, E ...

, and Åkrafjorden at sea level, through the villages up to the high mountains. In the far north, there is a barren and heavily eroded mountain glacier, Folgefonna, where the municipality's highest point rises above sea level. Folgefonna National Park is partially located in Etne. In addition to that national park, Etne has three nature reserves: Brattholmen, Skåno, and Langebudalen. Lakes in the area include

Løkjelsvatnet Løkjelsvatnet or Lykilsvatnet is a regulated lake in the municipality of Etne in Vestland county, Norway. The lake lies about east of the village of Etnesjøen Etnesjøen or Etne is the administrative centre of Etne municipality in Vestland ...

. The famous waterfall

Langfossen Langfossen is a waterfall located in Etne Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The waterfall is located about southwest of the village of Fjæra. The water falls down a towering mountain, a total distance of about before the water leaps ou ...

is located in northern Etne.

History

Recent archeological findings indicate that the area was already inhabited around 500 BC.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Etne, 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 services, unemployment 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, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. 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 Leir ...

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 () of Etne is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Etne (incomplete list): *2019–present: Mette Heidi Bergsvåg Ekrheim ( Sp) *2015-2019: Siri Klokkerstuen ( Ap) *2007-2015: Sigve Sørheim (Sp) *2000-2007: Amund Enge ( H)

Transportation

The European route E134 highway runs the length of the municipality connecting it to the city of

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...

in the southwest and to Oslo in the east. The highway runs through Etnesjøen and then northeastwards along the Åkrafjorden before crossing into the neighboring municipality of

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 ...

. There are many tunnels along the route, some quite long, including the

Åkrafjord Tunnel The Åkrafjord Tunnel ( no, Åkrafjordtunnelen) is a road tunnel in Etne municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The long tunnel is located on the European route E134 highway, on the southeastern side of the Åkrafjorden, about northeast of t ...

Fjæra Tunnel The Fjæra Tunnel ( no, Fjæratunnelen) is a road tunnel in Etne municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The long tunnel is located on the European route E134 highway, just southwest of the village of Fjæra. The tunnel was built in 1992 to re ...

Markhus Tunnel The Markhus Tunnel ( no, Markhustunnelen) is a road tunnel in Etne municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The long tunnel is located on the European route E134 highway on the southern shore of the Åkrafjorden, about southwest of the village ...

, and

Rullestad Tunnel The Rullestad Tunnel ( no, Rullestadtunnelen) is a road tunnel in Etne municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The long tunnel is located on the European route E134 highway, about east of the village of Fjæra and about southwest of the vill ...

. The

Eintveitbrua The Eintveit Bridge ( no, Eintveitbrua) is an unused road bridge in Etne municipality in Vestland county, Norway. Access roads were never built to it, and the bridge has stood secluded and without traffic since it was erected. The bridge of conc ...

is a bridge in rural Etne that is not connected to the road network. It is considered to be a

bridge to nowhere A bridge to nowhere is a bridge where one or both ends are broken, incomplete, or unconnected to any roads. If it is an overpass or an interchange, the term overpass to nowhere or interchange to nowhere may be used respectively. There are f ...

Notable residents

Osmund Kaldheim på Sentralbanksjefens årstale 2018 (191140)

* Erling Skakke (1115 at Etne – 1179) a Norwegian

Jarl Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...

(Earl) during the 12th century * Magnus V of Norway (1156 at Etne – 1184) King during the Civil war era in Norway *

Jacob Børretzen Jacob Børretzen (August 30, 1900 – November 17, 1989) was a Norwegian hymnwriter and linguist. Børretzen was born in Enge in Etne, Hordaland County, Norway, the son of Vilhelm Severin Børretzen and Sigrid Børretzen. He was the secretary of N ...

(1900 in Etne – 1989) a Norwegian hymnwriter and linguist * Ingvar Moe (1936 in Etne - 1993) a Norwegian poet, novelist and children's writer *

Hans Olav Tungesvik Hans Olav Tungesvik (22 May 1936 – 16 June 2017) was a Norwegian physician and Member of Parliament for the Christian Democratic Party. Biography Tungesvik was born at Skånevik in Hordaland, Norway. He graduated from the University of Os ...

(1936 in Skånevik – 2017) a Norwegian physician and politician * Osmund Kaldheim (born 1964) a businessman, civil servant and politician, grew up in Etne * Ivar Bjørnson (born 1977 in Etne) composer and guitarist for the

progressive black metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...

band Enslaved * Anne Lise Frøkedal (born 1981 in Etne) stage name ''

Frøkedal Anne Lise Frøkedal known by her stage name Frøkedal is a folk-pop, singer-songwriter from Norway. Previously known as a member of acclaimed Norwegian bands Harry's Gym and "I Was A King", in 2015 she debuted as a solo artist. Releasing a se ...

'' is a folk-pop, singer-songwriter

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 ...

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