Halsnøya or Halsnøy is an

island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...

Kvinnherad Kvinnherad is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, along the Hardangerfjorden. The municipality was the 5th in size in former Hordaland county. The administrative centre of the mu ...

municipality in

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 ...

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 t ...

. The island lies between 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 ...

and

Skånevikfjorden Skånevikfjorden is a fjord in Norway. The long fjord runs through Etne and Kvinnherad municipalities in Vestland county and in Vindafjord municipality in Rogaland county. The fjord is fed by several smaller fjords such as the Åkrafjorden, E ...

. The island has about 2,300 inhabitants (2008) and it is the most populated island in

municipality. Prior to 2008, it was the most populated island in Norway without a direct connection to land, but the

Halsnøy Tunnel The Halsnøy Tunnel ( no, Halsnøytunnelen) is a subsea road tunnel which connects the island of Halsnøy to the mainland in Kvinnherad Municipality in Vestland county in Norway. The northern end of the tunnel is at Sunde, just south of Husnes ...

opened that year, finally connecting it to the mainland by road. There is a regular ferry connection from southern Halsnøy to the neighboring islands of

Fjelbergøya Fjelbergøya is an island in Kvinnherad Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island lies on the south side of the Hardangerfjorden, between the islands of Borgundøya (to the south) and Halsnøya (to the northeast). These three neighb ...

and

Borgundøya Borgundøya or Borgundøy is an island in Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The island lies in the Hardangerfjorden, immediately south of the island of Fjelbergøya. The island has about 79 residents (in 2017), with about four ...

, located just south of Halsnøy.

History

The island was the site of the

Halsnøy Abbey Halsnøy Abbey (''Halsnøy kloster'') was a house of Augustinian Canons located on the island of Halsnøy on the Hardangerfjord at Kvinnherad in Vestland, Norway. History Halsnøy Abbey was one of the richest monasteries in medieval era Norway ...

(closed in 1536), which once was one of the richest monasteries in Norway. Today it is a highly popular tourist attraction. In 1896, one of the oldest boats recovered in Norway was found in the Toftevåg bay on the north side of the island. It was reconstructed to full-scale in 2006, and a monument was erected at the location of the recovery.

Urban areas and industry

Halsnøy is usually divided into two unofficial zones by its locals: "utøyo" (''the outer island'') and "innøyo" (''the inner island''). The "outer island" district consists of the villages of

Sæbøvik Sæbøvik is a village in Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the narrow, western part of the island of Halsnøya, about west of the village of Høylandsbygd and immediately east of the village of Eids ...

and Eidsvik, located on the narrow northwestern part of the island. The "inner island" district is usually considered as the village area of

Høylandsbygd Høylandsbygd is a village in Kvinnherad municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the eastern part of the island of Halsnøya. It is one of the largest urban areas on the island, just after Sæbøvik and Eidsvik. Whil ...

and the larger, more rural, and rugged southeastern part of the island. Høylandsbygd is one of Western Norway's shipping capitals.

Tourism and places of interest

Halsnøy is a popular place for

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

s, especially from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Some of its most popular tourism attractions include

Radiohola Radiohòla (literal: ''the radio cave'') is a natural shelter used by the Norwegian resistance during the Second World War. It served as a hiding place for a radio that brought news from the British, during a time of which radios were banned and the ...

, the

, and the Høylandsbygd shipping mural.

Notable residents

Some famous people from Halsnøy include: * Tor Bjarne Bjelland, drummer for

Trucks A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...

and Robert Post *

Johannes Eide Johannes Malvin Georgsson Eide, usually spelled Johs G. Eide (born 30 October 1937) is a Norwegian businessman, entrepreneur and shipbuilder. He is one of the founding owners, and former CEO of Eide Marine Services. Early life and career Johan ...

, shipping magnate and decorated local activist * Bjarte Agdestein, one of the creators of Oscar-winning short film

The Danish Poet ''The Danish Poet'' ( no, Den danske dikteren) is a 2006 animated short film written, directed, and animated by Torill Kove and narrated by Liv Ullmann. A co-production of the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) and Mikrofilm AS of Norway, it has ...

References

External links