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Førde is a former municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of
Sunnfjord Sunnfjord ( en, the southern fjord - in contrast to Nordfjord) is a traditional district in Western Norway located in Vestland county. It includes the municipalities of Askvoll, Fjaler, the southernmost parts of Kinn, Sunnfjord, and the souther ...
. The administrative center was the town of Førde which in 2016 had 10,255 inhabitants. Other villages in Førde municipality included Bruland,
Holsen Holsen is a village in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located at the eastern end of the lake Holsavatnet, along County Road 13. The town of Førde lies about to the west, and the village of Haukedalen Haukeda ...
, Moskog, and Haukedalen. The
Øyrane Øyrane is a neighborhood in the town of Førde in the municipality of Sunnfjord in Vestland county, Norway, just west of the town center. The river Jølstra empties into the Førdefjorden just west of Øyrane. History The town of Førde was de ...
area in the town of Førde was a large industrial/commercial area for the region. The
European Route E39 European route E39 is the designation of a north–south road in Norway and Denmark from Klett, just south of Trondheim, to Aalborg via Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand. In total, there are nine ferries, more than any other single road in Eu ...
highway passed through the municipality, and it passed by the lake Holsavatnet.
Førde Airport, Bringeland Førde is a former municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative center was the town of Førde which in 2016 had 10,255 inhabitants. Other villages in Førde ...
was the regional airport, located about from the town centre with flights that connect Oslo and Bergen with Førde. The airport was actually located in neighboring Gaular municipality, just south of the border. The largest hospital in Sogn og Fjordane county,
Førde Central Hospital Førde Central Hospital ( no, Førde sentralsjukehus) is a general hospital situated in the Vie neighborhood for Sunnfjord, Norway. It is the main facility of Førde Hospital Trust, part of Western Norway Regional Health Authority. It has 1300 ...
, and the regional offices of the
Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...
are located in the town. The International Førde Folk Music Festival is held each summer. The local newspaper is called ''
Firda ''Firda'' is a Norwegian daily newspaper, published in Sunnfjord, Norway. History and profile ''Firda'' was founded in 1917 by Kristian Ulltang, who also was its first editor. The paper was published twice per week in the 1960s. Its frequency ...
''. At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the municipality is the 189th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Førde is the 93rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 13,092. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 10.6% over the last decade.


General information

Førde 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). The original municipality was identical to the Førde parish ''(
prestegjeld A ''prestegjeld'' was a geographic and administrative area within the Church of Norway (''Den Norske Kirke'') roughly equivalent to a parish. This traditional designation was in use for centuries to divide the kingdom into ecclesiastical areas tha ...
)'' with the sub-parishes () of Førde, Holsen, and
Naustdal Naustdal is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre was the village of Naustdal, which has 1,188 inhabitants (2017). Other village ...
. On 1 January 1896, the northern sub-parish of
Naustdal Naustdal is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre was the village of Naustdal, which has 1,188 inhabitants (2017). Other village ...
(population: 2,543) was separated from Førde and it became a municipality of its own. This left Førde with 2,903 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the areas of
Naustdal Naustdal is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre was the village of Naustdal, which has 1,188 inhabitants (2017). Other village ...
south of the Førdefjorden (population: 265) were transferred to Førde municipality. On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Førde,
Naustdal Naustdal is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre was the village of Naustdal, which has 1,188 inhabitants (2017). Other village ...
, Gaular, and Jølster were merged to form the new Sunnfjord Municipality.


Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the ''Førde'' farm ( non, Fjǫrðr
nominative In grammar, the nominative case (abbreviated ), subjective case, straight case or upright case is one of the grammatical cases of a noun or other part of speech, which generally marks the subject of a verb or (in Latin and formal variants of Engl ...
and
dative In grammar, the dative case (abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob a ...
) since the first Førde Church was built there. The name is identical with the word ''fjǫrðr'' which means fjord (referring to the fjord now called Førdefjorden).


Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 27 April 1990. It shows three silver plowshares on a red background. They symbolize the three pillars of the local economy: agriculture, horticulture, and development.


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 ...
had two parishes () within the municipality of Førde. It was part of the Sunnfjord prosti (
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

The municipality of Førde encompasses the valleys that lead away from the inner end of the Førdefjorden. The municipality of
Naustdal Naustdal is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre was the village of Naustdal, which has 1,188 inhabitants (2017). Other village ...
borders Førde to the north, the municipalities of Jølster,
Sogndal Sogndal is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansverk is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other villages i ...
, and
Balestrand Balestrand is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center was the village of Balestrand. Other villages in th ...
are to the east, Gaular municipality is to the south, and the municipality of
Askvoll is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Askvoll. Other villages in the municipality include Holmedal, Kvammen, and Stongfjorden. The m ...
lies to the west. The two largest lakes are Holsavatnet and Haukedalsvatnet. The rivers Jølstra and
Gaula Gaula or GAULA may refer to: Places * Gaula (Madeira), a civil parish in the municipality of Santa Cruz in the island of Madeira in Portugal * Gaula (Trøndelag), a river in Trøndelag county in Norway * ''Gaula river valley'' or Gauldalen, a vall ...
are both partially located in Førde municipality. The
Gaularfjellet Gaularfjellet is a mountain area in central Vestland county, Norway. The mountains is crossed by the border between the municipalities of Sunnfjord and Sogndal. Norwegian County Road 613 (formerly Norwegian County Road 13, Norwegian National Road ...
mountains are located in the east and south of the municipality. The glaciers Grovabreen and Jostefonn are located in the eastern mountainous part of Førde. The westernmost edges of the Jostedalsbreen National Park are located in the Haukedalen valley in Førde.


Government

The municipal council of Førde was made up of 27 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:


Attractions


Waterfalls

*''Huldefossen'': Located approximately from the town of Førde, it is a tall waterfall into the peaceful valley below. *''Halbrendsfossen'': located a short walk from the Førde town center. It is a very powerful waterfall in the spring.


The Salmon

The Salmon is a long stone sculpture which is Norway's longest individual sculpture. It was created by Jørn Rønnau. It blends naturally in with the green surroundings on the banks of the river Jølstra, close to the Førdehuset cultural centre.


Førdehuset

Førdehuset (literal meaning: the Førde house) is a regional cultural centre, a cornerstone for cultural life in Western Norway. The centre is centrally located in the town of Førde, surrounded by a sports complex, amphitheatre, and is next door to the County Gallery. A multitude of cultural activities are gathered together under one roof - small and large attractions/events the whole year round.


National Tourist Road

Norwegian County Road 13 (Fv13) is one of 18 national tourist roads in Norway because of the nearby waterfalls. From Førde, drivers start on a sightseeing journey with cultural attractions that date from the 19th century to the present day's city environment. The districts of
Holsen Holsen is a village in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located at the eastern end of the lake Holsavatnet, along County Road 13. The town of Førde lies about to the west, and the village of Haukedalen Haukeda ...
and Haukedalen are typical of Western Norwegian farming communities that have created a picturesque cultivated landscape. Rørvik Mountain, the trail with the fascinating stone walls and a marvellous view over Haukedalen. Along Råheimsdalen and Eldalen to the
Gaularfjellet Gaularfjellet is a mountain area in central Vestland county, Norway. The mountains is crossed by the border between the municipalities of Sunnfjord and Sogndal. Norwegian County Road 613 (formerly Norwegian County Road 13, Norwegian National Road ...
mountains, you will see a marvellous waterfall landscape that has been landscaped with paths for visitors. From the top of Gaularfjell mountains, hairpin bends wind down to the Vetlefjorden, an arm of the
Sognefjorden The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...
. The breathtaking contrasts of steep mountainsides, winding roads, and waterfalls are characteristic of Western Norway’s exceptional scenery.


Sunnfjord Museum

The Sunnfjord Museum is one of four district museums in Sogn og Fjordane County. The main courtyard of the outdoor museum is a cluster of 25 restored antiquarian buildings sited in a cultural landscape representative of the same period. These buildings provide an insight into life and lifestyles in the
Sunnfjord Sunnfjord ( en, the southern fjord - in contrast to Nordfjord) is a traditional district in Western Norway located in Vestland county. It includes the municipalities of Askvoll, Fjaler, the southernmost parts of Kinn, Sunnfjord, and the souther ...
districts around the middle of the 19th century. The land tenant's home is on its original site with the interior as it was at the end of the 19th century. In June, July and August, there are daily guided tours through the old buildings.


Notable people


Twin towns — sister cities

Førde is twinned with: *
La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...
, United States. *
Kent, Washington Kent is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest municipality in greater Seattle and t ...
, United States. Each year two students ages 14–17 are exchanged between the two cities to be youth ambassadors of their country.


See also

*
List of former municipalities of Norway This is a list of former municipalities of Norway, i.e. municipalities that no longer exist. When the local council system was introduced in Norway in 1837-38, the country had 392 municipalities. In 1958 the number had grown to a total of 744 rur ...


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 ...

NRK Municipality encyclopedia

Førde Folk Music Festival
also in English, Deutsch and francais
Firda (local newspaper)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forde Sunnfjord Former municipalities of Norway 1838 establishments in Norway 2020 disestablishments in Norway