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Suldal is a municipality in the northeast corner 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 ...
county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. Since 1965, 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 Suldal is the village of Sand i Ryfylke (prior to that it was the village of
Suldalsosen Suldalsosen is a village in Suldal municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the northern shore of the river Suldalslågen on the southwestern end of the lake Suldalsvatnet. Suldalsosen historically was a central star ...
). Other villages in Suldal include Haugsland, Jelsa,
Marvik Marvik is a village in Suldal municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the Sandsfjorden on the southern coast of the Ropeid peninsula. The village is a commercial centre of the peninsula, having a general store, prim ...
,
Nesflaten Nesflaten is a village in Suldal municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern end of the lake Suldalsvatnet, just west of the smaller village of Roalkvam. Nesflaten lies along the Norwegian National Road 13 wh ...
, and
Suldalsosen Suldalsosen is a village in Suldal municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the northern shore of the river Suldalslågen on the southwestern end of the lake Suldalsvatnet. Suldalsosen historically was a central star ...
. The municipality is the 46th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Suldal is the 208th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,784. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 1.6% over the previous 10-year period.


General information

The parish of ''Suledal'' 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). In 1842, the northern district of the municipality (population: 1,584) was separated to become the new municipality of Søvde. This left Suldal with 2,030 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, Suldal (population: 1,412) was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Sand (population: 1,135) and
Erfjord Erfjord is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1914 until 1965. It encompassed the area around the Erfjorden in the southwestern part of the present-day municipality of Suldal. The administrative ...
(population: 610) as well as all of the municipality of Jelsa except for the parts on the island of
Ombo Ombo is an island in the municipality of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway. The island is the largest island in the Ryfylke region and the second largest island in Rogaland county. There are several villages on the island including Jørstad ...
(population: 928) and the parts of
Imsland Imsland is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1923 until its dissolution in 1965. The municipality included the area surrounding the inner part of the Vindafjorden in the present-day municipalitie ...
municipality located south of the Vindafjorden (population: 61). On 1 January 1978, the parts of
Vikedal Vikedal or Vikadal is a village in Vindafjord municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the Sandeidfjorden, about south of the village of Sandeid and about northwest of the village of Imslandsjøen. Vikedal Ch ...
municipality located southeast of the Vindafjorden on the ''Ropeid'' peninsula (population: 13) was transferred to Suldal.


Name

The Old Norse form of the name was ''Súladalr''. The first element is probably the plural
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 ''súla'' which means "pillar" or "column" (and then referring to the mountain pass Suldalsporten) and the last element is ''dalr'' which means " valley" or "dale". Before 1891, the name was written ''"Suledal"''.


Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 March 1976. The arms show three wavy, yellow lines in bend on a red background. The lines represent the local river
Suldalslågen The Suldalslågen (or locally, ''Lågen'') is a river that is located in the municipality of Suldal in Rogaland county, Norway. The long river runs from the lake Suldalsvatnet to the southwest to the village of Sand where it empties into the San ...
which runs through the 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 ...
has four parishes () within the municipality of Suldal. It is part of the
Ryfylke prosti This list of churches in Rogaland is a list of the Church of Norway churches in Rogaland county, Norway. The churches are all part of the Diocese of Stavanger. The diocese is based at the Stavanger Cathedral in the city of Stavanger. The list ...
(
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 Stavanger The Diocese of Stavanger ( no, Stavanger bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers all of Rogaland county in western Norway. The cathedral city is Stavanger, where the Stavanger Cathedral is located. The bishop is Anne Li ...
.


History

The area that is now Suldal municipality has a long history of trade connections to the nearby valley regions to the north and east. The main mountain plateau trade route led east from Suldal municipality over the plateau to the nearby Setesdal valley in Bykle municipality in Agder county. Another route led north from Suldal in Rogaland county through the Røldal area in Vestland county, and then east into Vinje municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county. There has also been found Viking artefacts and graves in Suldal.


Geography

At , Suldal is the largest municipality in
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 ...
county. The municipality borders three counties: Vestland (north), Vestfold og Telemark (northeast), and Agder (east). To the north, Suldal is bordered by Sauda and Ullensvang municipalities, in the east by Vinje and Bykle, in the south by Hjelmeland, and in the west by Vindafjord. Across the Jelsafjorden and Vindafjorden lie the municipalities of
Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...
and
Tysvær Tysvær is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the Haugalandet region. The municipality is located on the Haugalandet peninsula on the northern side of the Boknafjorden, just east of the towns of Kopervik and Haugesund. Th ...
. The mountain
Kistenuten Kistenuten is a tall mountain in southern Norway. It is located in the Ryfylkeheiane mountains at the tripoint border of three different counties (and three municipalities): Suldal municipality in Rogaland county, Ullensvang municipality in Ves ...
is located at the triple border point of Rogaland, Vestland and Vestfold og Telemark. Other mountains in Suldal are
Vassdalseggi Vassdalseggi is the tallest mountain in Rogaland county, Norway. The tall mountain sits on the border of the municipalities of Vinje (in Vestfold og Telemark county) and Suldal (in Rogaland county). Vassdalseggi lies in the Ryfylkeheiane mounta ...
, the highest mountain in Rogaland,
Trollaskeinuten Trollaskeinuten is a mountain in the municipality of Suldal in Rogaland county, Norway. The tall mountain lies in the mountainous northeastern corner of Suldal, surrounded by the mountains Knoda, Kistenuten, Vassdalseggi, Fitjanuten, and Mælen. ...
, Snønuten,
Mælen Mælen or Melsnuten is a mountain in the municipality of Suldal in Rogaland county, Norway. The tall mountain lies in the northeastern part of the municipality, about northeast of the village of Nesflaten. The mountain Trollaskeinuten Trollas ...
,
Knoda Knoda is a mountain in southern Norway. The tall mountain lies on the border of the municipality of Suldal (in Rogaland county) and the municipality of Ullensvang (in Vestland county). The mountain lies about southeast of the village of Rølda ...
,
Fitjanuten Fitjanuten is a mountain in southern Norway. The tall mountain lies on the border of the municipality of Suldal (in Rogaland county) and the municipality of Vinje (in Vestfold og Telemark county). The mountain lies just north of the lake Holma ...
, Leirnuten,
Kaldafjellet Kaldafjellet is a mountain on the border of Agder and Rogaland counties in southern Norway. The mountain lies on the border of the municipality of Suldal (in Rogaland county) and the municipality of Bykle (in Agder county). The mountain has tw ...
,
Simlenuten Simlenuten or Litlavassnuten is a mountain in Suldal Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The tall mountain is located on the east side of the Kvanndalen valley, just a short distance south of the mountains Kistenuten and Raudberga. See a ...
,
Steinkilenuten Steinkilenuten is a mountain in the municipality of Suldal in Rogaland county, Norway. The mountain lies about southeast of the village of Nesflaten and just southwest of the mountain Kaldafjellet Kaldafjellet is a mountain on the border o ...
, and
Raudberga Raudberga is a mountain in Suldal Municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The tall mountain lies on the east side of the Kvanndalen valley, about south of the mountain Kistenuten. See also *List of mountains of Norway There are 291 peaks ...
, all reaching above
m.a.s.l. Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The com ...
The Sandsfjorden and Hylsfjorden lie within Suldal, as does lake Suldalsvatnet. The Saudafjorden lies partially within the boundary of Suldal. The
Erfjorden Erfjorden is a fjord in the municipalities Suldal and Hjelmeland in Rogaland county, Norway. The long fjord begins at the small village of Tysse in Suldal and heads south past the village of Hålandsosen before making a sharp turn to the west b ...
and the lakes Blåsjø, Holmavatnet, and
Holmevatnet Holmevatnet or Holmevatn is a lake in the Setesdalsheiene area of Norway. It is located in the mountains on the border of the municipalities of Bykle in Agder county and Suldal in Rogaland county. The lake lies just west of the lake Store Urev ...
also lie on the boundary of Suldal.


Economy

The
Ulla-Førre Ulla-Førre is a hydropower complex in Southern Norway. It is situated along the borders of the municipalities of Suldal and Hjelmeland (in Rogaland county) and Bykle (in Agder county), Norway. It has an installed capacity of approximately , an ...
project of building huge hydroelectric dams in the mountains was initiated in the 1960s. At times, the project employed over a thousand people. The finished hydroelectric complex has a total capacity of approximately and produces about yearly.


Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Suldal, 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 Suldal is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:


Notable people

*
Rasmus Løland Rasmus Løland (24 May 1861 – 12 October 1907) was a Norwegian journalist, novelist and children's writer. Biography Rasmus Løland was born on a farm at Ryfylke in Rogaland county, Norway. In the late 1890s, he had travel grants to Germany ...
(1861 at Ryfylke – 1907) a Norwegian journalist, novelist and children's writer *
Trygve Fjetland Trygve Kornelius Fjetland (6 March 1926 – 28 October 2013) was a Norwegian businessperson. He was born in Jelsa, took his secondary education at Rogaland Country Secondary School and graduated with the siv.øk. degree from the Norwegian Schoo ...
(1926 in Jelsa – 2013) a Norwegian businessperson *
Hilde Sandvik Hilde Sandvik (born 30 April 1970) is a Norwegian journalist working in the whole of Scandinavia and based in Bergen. She was born in Erfjord and has a cand.philol. degree from the University of Bergen, majoring in art history. She edited the pe ...
(born 1970 in Erfjord) a Norwegian journalist *
Inger Bråtveit Inger Bråtveit (born 3 October 1978) is a Norwegian novelist and children's literature, children's writer. Bråtveit was born in Bergen, and grew up in Suldal. She made her literary debut in 2001 with the novel ''Munn mot ein frosen fjord''. Fo ...
(born 1978) a Norwegian novelist and children's writer, grew up in Suldal


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 ...

Map hiking

Ryfylke tourist bureau
{{use dmy dates, date=June 2020 Municipalities of Rogaland 1838 establishments in Norway