Kvam 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 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 portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. The municipality is located along the

Hardangerfjorden The Hardangerfjord ( en, Hardanger Fjord) is the fifth longest fjord in the world, and the second longest fjord in Norway. It is located in Vestland county in the Hardanger region. The fjord stretches from the Atlantic Ocean into the mountain ...

in the traditional district of

Hardanger Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord and its inner branches of the Sørfjorden and the Eid Fjord. It consists of the municipalities of Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik and Kvam, and is ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of

Norheimsund Norheimsund is the administrative centre of the municipality of Kvam in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern side of the Hardangerfjord, about from the city of Bergen. The village of Øystese lies about to the northeas ...

. Other larger settlements in the municipality include Øystese, Bru, Ålvik, Tørvikbygd, Omastranda, and Mundheim. Historically, the municipality was named ''Vikør''. The municipality is the 188th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvam is the 126th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 8,497. 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 0.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Name

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 ''Hvammr'', identical with the word ''hvammr'' which means "(small) valley", possibly referring the Steinsdalen valley west of Norheimsund. Before 1911, the municipality was named '' Vikør'', which comes from the Old Norse word ''Vikøyar''. It was the name of the farm on which the old Vikøy Church was located.

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 27 November 1981. The blue and silver arms are designed to look like the Fyksesund, a narrow

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Förden and East Jutland Fjorde, Germany, ...

in the municipality. The shape of the fjord is that it is narrower in the middle and this is symbolized in the design of the coat-of-arms.

Churches

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

Geography

Kvam municipality borders the municipality of Voss to the north and east;

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 ...

Samnanger Samnanger () is a municipality in the Midhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tysse. Other main villages in the municipality include Haga and Bjørkheim in Nordbygda. The ...

, and Bjørnafjorden to the west; and the

to the south. The Fyksesund fjord branches off the main fjord and heads north into the municipality. The

Fyksesund Landscape Park Fyksesund Landscape Park is a landscape park in Kvam Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located around the Fyksesund fjord, an arm of the Hardangerfjord. Fyksesund Landscape Park is coordinated by the organisation: ''Landskapspark Horda ...

surrounds the inner part of the Fyksesund, north of the Fyksesund Bridge. The largest lakes are Bjølsegrøvvatnet and Holmavatnet. In addition a portion of Hamlagrøvatnet is located in Kvam. The Kvamskogen plateau lies west of

and is home to hundreds of holiday cabins. The Steinsdalsfossen waterfall, located in Steine is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway.

History

The old

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of ''Vikør'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). According to the 1835 census, the parish had a population of 2,321. On 1 January 1882, a small area of

Ullensvang Ullensvang is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the town of Odda. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Lofthus, Utne, Vikebygd ...

municipality (population: 22) was transferred to Vikør. In 1912, the municipality changed its name from "Vikør" to "Kvam". During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of 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 ...

. On 1 January 1965, the Åsgrenda area on the Folgefonna peninsula (population: 61) was moved from Kvam to the neighboring

Ullensvang Municipality Ullensvang is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the town of Odda. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Lofthus, Utne, Vikebygd, ...

. On the same date, Kvam also gained a considerable amount of territory, making it a much larger municipality. The following places were merged, giving the new Kvam municipality a population of 9,119. * Most of Kvam municipality (population: 6,759) except for Åsegrenda which was moved to

* The part of

Jondal Jondal is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1863 until its dissolution in 2020 when it became part of Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county. It was located on the Folgefonna peninsula ...

municipality that was located on the northwest side of the Hardangerfjord, around the village of Tørvikbygd (population: 515) * Most of Strandebarm municipality (population: 1,545), except for the

Kysnesstranda Kysnesstranda is a village in the Ullensvang municipality, Vestland county, Norway. The village lies along the southern shore of the Hardangerfjorden. The village lies about south of the village of Jondal. History Kysnesstranda was historicall ...

area which went to

* The Mundheim area of

Varaldsøy Varaldsøy is an island (and village) in the municipality of Kvinnherad in Vestland county, Norway. The island is the largest island in the Hardangerfjorden. Most of the inhabitants live on the southern tip of the island in the village of Vara ...

(population: 300).

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kvam, 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 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 roads. 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 Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal. In 2007, Kvam participated in a trial where the mayor was directly elected. The sitting mayor, Astrid Selsvold, won the election with 26.7% of the votes.

Municipal council

The

() of Kvam is made up of 27 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 Kvam (incomplete list): *2019–present: Torgeir Næss ( Ap) *2015-2019: Jostein Ljones ( Sp) *2011-2015: Asbjørn Tolo ( H) *2003-2011: Astrid Farestveit Selsvold (Ap)

Notable residents

* Johannes Skaar (1828 in Øystese – 1904) Bishop of the Diocese of Nidaros * Jon Flatabø (1846 in Kvam – 1930) a Norwegian writer of popular literature * Nils Nilsson Skaar (1852 in Kvam – 1948) a Norwegian teacher, farmer, editor and politician *

Ingebrigt Vik Ingebrigt Vik (5 March 1867 – 22 March 1927) was a Norwegian sculptor. Vik is regarded as having been one of Norway's greatest sculptors from the first part of the 20th century. Biography Ingebrigt Vik was born in the village of Øystese ...

(1867 in Øystese – 1927) a distinguished Norwegian sculptor *

Jakob Nilsson Vik Jakob Nilsson Vik (March 12, 1882 – 1960) was a Norwegian farmer, dairy manager, and politician. He sat in the Parliament of Hordaland Hordaland () was a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland c ...

(1882 in Kvam – 1960) a Norwegian farmer, dairy manager and politician * Svein Rosseland (1894 in Kvam – 1985) an astrophysicist, pioneered

theoretical astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the hea ...

* Geirr Tveitt (1908–1981) a Norwegian composer and pianist, family in Kvam * Gunnar Aksnes (1926 in Kvam — 2010) a Norwegian chemist and poet * Magnus Midtbø (1942 in Ålvik – 2010) a Norwegian trade unionist and politician *

Kaj Skagen Kaj Skagen (born October 23, 1949 in Strandebarm) is a Norwegian writer. He received the Riksmål Society Literature Prize The Riksmål Society Literature Prize (''Riksmålsforbundets litteraturpris'') is awarded annually by the '' Riksmåls ...

(born 1949 in Strandebarm) a Norwegian writer * Nils Gunnar Lie (born 1950 in Øystese) a Norwegian television personality *

Torill Selsvold Nyborg Torill Selsvold Nyborg (born 23 February 1952) is a Norwegian nurse, missionary and politician for the Christian Democratic Party. She was born in Kvam as a daughter of electrician Johannes Selsvold (1914–1997) and housewife Dorthea Selsvold ...

(born 1952 in Kvam) a nurse, missionary and politician *

Valgerd Svarstad Haugland Valgerd Svarstad Haugland (born 23 August 1956) is a Norwegian teacher, politician and civil servant. She was leader of the Christian Democratic Party in Norway from 1995 to 2004. She was Minister of Children and Family Affairs from 1997 to 20 ...

(born 1956 in Kvam) a teacher, politician and civil servant * Geir Botnen (born 1959 in Kvam) a Norwegian pianist * Gisle Torvik (born 1975 in Tørvikbygd) a Norwegian jazz musician, plays guitar * Torstein Lofthus (born 1977 in Øystese) a Norwegian drummer and composer *

Frank Kjosås Frank Kjosås (born 28 July 1981) is a Norwegian actor of theatre and film, known for '' The Half Brother'', and his role as Norwegian resistance soldier Knut Haukelid in '' The Heavy Water War''. Early life Frank Kjosås was born in Øystese ...

(born 1981 in Øystese) a Norwegian actor of theatre and film IMDb Database
retrieved 09 December 2020

Sport

* Knut Hjeltnes (born 1951 in Øystese) college coach, former shot-putter and discus thrower * Kirsten Melkevik Otterbu (born 1970 in Øystese) a Norwegian marathon runner * Torgeir Børven (born 1991 in Øystese) a Norwegian footballer with over 240 club caps

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Vestland 1838 establishments in Norway