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Gaular is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, 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 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 the village of Sande. Other villages in the municipality included
Bygstad Bygstad is a village in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the Dalsfjorden, about northwest of the innermost part of the fjord. The municipal center, Sande, is about to the sout ...
, Hestad, and Vik. Gaular was sometimes referred to as ''Fosselandet'' (the land of the waterfalls) because it was home to 28 large and small waterfalls. The municipality was centered on the river
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 ...
. The
Viksdalen Vik (also ''Vikja'' or ''Viken'') is a village in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the north shore of the river Gaula, on the eastern end of the lake Viksdalsvatnet. The village was formerly located i ...
valley was located in Gaular. At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the municipality is the 190th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Gaular is the 263rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,027. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 9.8% over the last decade. 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 in Gaular be closed.


General information

The parish of ''Indre Holmedal'' 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 Indre Holmedal 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 ...
)'' which included the sub-parishes () of
Bygstad Bygstad is a village in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the Dalsfjorden, about northwest of the innermost part of the fjord. The municipal center, Sande, is about to the sout ...
, Sande, and Vik. In 1912, the name of the municipality was changed to ''Gaular''. On 1 January 1990, parts of the Hestad area (west of Sunde-Klepp, west of
Bygstad Bygstad is a village in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the Dalsfjorden, about northwest of the innermost part of the fjord. The municipal center, Sande, is about to the sout ...
) were transferred from Fjaler to Gaular. On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Gaular, 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 ...
, and Jølster were merged to form the new Sunnfjord Municipality.


Name

The name ( non, Gaular) is derived from the name of the river
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 ...
. The old name of the area was revived in 1912, prior to that the name of the municipality was ''Indre Holmedal'', meaning the inner part of Holmedal.


Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 24 April 1992. The arms are green with a wavy silver line running straight up and down across the arms. It represents the river
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 ...
which passes through the forested municipality.


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 one parish () within the municipality of Gaular. 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 ...
.


Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Gaular, 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
Sogn og Fjordane District Court Sogn og Fjordane District Court ( no, Sogn og Fjordane 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 Førde (town), Førde and Sognd ...
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 Gaular was made up of 21 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:


Mayor

The mayor ''(ordførar)'' of a municipality in Norway is a representative of the majority party of the municipal council who is elected to lead the council. Mathias Råheim of the
Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...
was elected mayor for the 2011–2015 term and he was re-elected to the 2015–2019 term as well.


Geography

Gaular is located in the central part of Vestland county, 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 ...
region. It is bordered to the north by the municipalities 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 ...
and Førde, to the east by
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 ...
, to the south by Høyanger, and to the west by Fjaler. The Gaula River flows west through the municipality and empties into the Dalsfjorden near the village of
Bygstad Bygstad is a village in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the Dalsfjorden, about northwest of the innermost part of the fjord. The municipal center, Sande, is about to the sout ...
. There are several large lakes that are part of the river Gaula including the lakes Haukedalsvatnet and Viksdalsvatnet. The river begins in 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 to the east of the municipality.


Transportation

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 runs through the centre of Sande south to the city of Bergen, a distance of (with a
ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water taxi ...
between the villages of
Lavik Lavik is a former municipality in the old county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It was located in the western part of the present-day municipality of Høyanger which is in Vestland county. The municipality was mostly on the northern side of the S ...
and Oppedal across 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 Norwegian County Road 13 runs through the eastern part of the municipality.
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 ...
(ENBL) is located at Bringelandsåsen in Gaular municipality.


Attractions


The Salmon Stairs

William T. Potts from Coreen Castle in Ireland initiated the building of the salmon stairs (a type of fish ladder), which were completed in 1871, in return for an agreement made with the farmers that had 25 years of free fishing. The salmon stairs at Osen in Bygstad are the oldest in the world. The stairs consist of 17 pools/stages and has height of around . It is very effective as the salmon are forced to make their way up the stair construction, due to the current below the falls.


National Tourist Road

Fylkesvei 13 (Fv13) is one of 18 national tourist roads in Norway because of the nearby waterfalls. From near the town of 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 is on the road and it has fascinating stone walls and a marvellous view over the Haukedalen valley. 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 Gaularfjellet 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.


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 ...
{{authority control Sunnfjord Former municipalities of Norway 1838 establishments in Norway 2020 disestablishments in Norway