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 ...

in the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 ...

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 ...

. It is located in the traditional district 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 ...

. The administrative centre is the village of

Dalekvam Dale () or Dalekvam is the administrative centre of Vaksdal municipality, in Vestland county, Norway. The village lies at the western end of the Bergsdalen valley, about northeast of the village of Stanghelle on the shore of the Veafjorden. ...

. Other villages in Vaksdal include

Dalegarden Dalegarden is a small village in Vaksdal municipality in Vestland 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 por ...

Flatkvål Flatkvål /fla:kol/ is a village in the Eksingedalen valley in Vaksdal municipality, Vestland county, Norway. The village lies along the river Storelvi, about northeast of the village of Stamneshella. The Modalen Tunnel is located about west ...

, Helle, Nesheim, Stamneshella, Stanghelle, and

Vaksdal is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The administrative centre is the village of Dalekvam. Other villages in Vaksdal include Dalegarden, Flatkvål, Helle, Neshe ...

. The municipality is the 160th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vaksdal is the 205th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,867. 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 decreased by 6.5% over the previous 10-year period. 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-administrati ...

formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Solund be closed.

General information

The municipality of Vaksdal was created on 1 January 1964 after a major municipal restructuring after 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 ...

's recommendations. Vaksdal was formed from the following places: * All of Bruvik municipality, except for the Bruvikbygda area on

Osterøy Osterøy is an island municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The municipality encompasses most of the island of Osterøy. The administrative centre of Osterøy is the village of Lone ...

island (population: 5,264) * The Bergsdalen and

Eksingedalen Eksingedalen or Eksingadalen is a valley that makes up the northeastern part of Vaksdal Municipality in Vestland County, Norway. The Eksingedalen valley stretches over from the Vikafjell mountains all the way to the Inner Osterfjorden. The Eks ...

valleys from the municipality of

Evanger Evanger is a former municipality in the Voss district of the old Hordaland county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1885 until 1964 when it was dissolved and its lands split between two municipalities. The municipality included the eas ...

(population: 251) * The rest of the

valley that was located in the municipality of

Modalen Modalen is a municipality in the Nordhordland district in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mo. The other main village in the municipality is Øvre Helland. Most of t ...

(population: 151)

Name

The municipality was named after the village of

, one of the main villages in the municipality. The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

form of the name was probably ''Vágsdalr''. The first element is the genitive case of ''vágr'' which means " bay" and the last element is ''dalr'' which means "

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

" or "dale". Alternately, the first part of the name could be derived from a local river name spelled ''Vaxa'' or ''Veksa'' which would mean the valley of the river Vaxa/Veksa.

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 16 November 1990. It shows three black shuttles for

weaving Weaving is a method of textile production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. Other methods are knitting, crocheting, felting, and braiding or plaiting. The longitudinal ...

on a yellow background. The shuttles were chosen to represent the

textile industry The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry. Industry process Cotton manufacturi ...

of the municipality. The Dale of Norway company is based here and it is an international company renowned for its wool sweaters. Vaksdal komm.svg, Current arms since 1990 Bruvik komm.svg, Arms from 1960 until 1990

Churches

The Church of Norway has six parishes () within the municipality of Vaksdal. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti ( deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography

The municipality is mountainous, and stretches along both sides of the

Veafjorden Veafjorden (historically, the Vedåfjorden) is a fjord in Vestland county, Norway. The long fjord flows between the mainland and the island of Osterøy in Vaksdal municipality. There is one bridge across the fjord, the Kallestadsundet Bridge n ...

with adjacent valleys. It includes part of the island

. The Kallestadsundet Bridge connects the mainland of Vaksdal to the island of Osterøy. In the north, it includes the valleys of

and Bergsdalen, with its borders extending into the mountains. Major lakes in the municipality include Askjelldalsvatnet and Skjerjavatnet. The main centers of population are Dale (pop. 1174),

(pop. 957), and Stanghelle (pop. 767). Dale and Vaksdal are industrial villages that arose around factories utilising the

hydro-electric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...

power resources provided by the mountainous terrain and rainy climate. The

Bergensbanen The Bergen Line or the Bergen Railway ( no, Bergensbanen or nn, Bergensbana), is a long scenic standard gauge railway line between Bergen and Hønefoss, Norway. The name is often applied for the entire route from Bergen via Drammen to Oslo, w ...

railway line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

between Norway's two largest cities

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

and

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 ...

, and the main road between the same two cities,

European route E16 European route E16 is the designation of a main west-east road through Northern Ireland, Scotland, Norway and Sweden, from Derry to Gävle, via Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, previously by ferry to Bergen, Voss, through the Gudvanga Tunnel and th ...

, run through Vaksdal municipality. The Bergensbanen railway line has the following stations in Vaksdal:

Bogegrend Station Bogegrend Station ( no, Bogegrend holdeplass) is a small railway station located in the village of Bogo in Vaksdal municipality, Vestland county, Norway. The station was served by two daily departures per direction by the Bergen Commuter Rail un ...

Dale Station Dale Station ( no, Dale stasjon) is a railway station located in the village of Dale in Vaksdal municipality, Vestland county, Norway. The station is served by twelve daily departures per direction by the Bergen Commuter Rail operated by Vy, as ...

Stanghelle Station Stanghelle Station ( no, Stanghelle stasjon) is a railway station located at the village of Stanghelle in Vaksdal municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The station is served by twelve daily departures per direction by the Bergen Commuter Rail ...

, and

Vaksdal Station Vaksdal Station ( no, Vaksdal stasjon) is a railway station located in the village of Vaksdal in the municipality of Vaksdal, Vestland county, Norway. The station is located along the Bergen Line. The station is served by twelve daily departures ...

History

Vaksdal was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 after the merger of parts of Bruvik,

, and

municipalities. During the German invasion of Norway during

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 ...

, from 19 April to 24 April, there was heavy fighting within the borders of the present municipality, with German forces advancing along the railway line from Bergen towards

Voss Voss () is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, ...

. The heaviest fighting was for the village of Vaksdal itself, from 19 to 23 April. Further fighting took place at Stanghelle and Dalseid on 23 and 24 April. Three Norwegian soldiers and one civilian, and a larger, but unknown, number of German soldiers fell in Vaksdal.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Vaksdal, 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 Vaksdal is made up of 21 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 Vaksdal (incomplete list): *2007–present: Eirik Haga ( Ap) *1999-2007: Øivind Olsnes ( H)

Notable people

* Harald Langhelle (1890 in Dale – executed 1942) a newspaper editor, politician and

Norwegian resistance The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...

member *

Bjørn Wiik Bjørn Håvard Wiik (born 13 February 1957 in Bruvik, Norway; died 26 February 1999 in Hamburg, Germany) was a Norwegian elementary particle physicist, noted for his role on the experiment that produced the first experimental evidence for gluons ...

(1937 in Bruvik - 1999) a Norwegian elementary particle physicist * Sjur Olsnes (1939–2014) a Norwegian biochemist and academic, grew up in Vaksdal * Helén Eriksen (born 1971 in Dale) a jazz musician, (saxophone and vocals), songwriter and music arranger * Frida Amundsen (born 1992 in Vaksdal) a Norwegian singer and songwriter

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Vestland 1964 establishments in Norway