Sunndal Municipality
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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
Nordmøre Nordmøre (English: North- Møre) is a traditional district in the Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. The area comprises the northern third of the county including the municipalities of Kristiansund, Averøy, Tingvoll, Surnadal, Aure, Halsa, ...
region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
located in the northeast part of
Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; en, Møre and Romsdal) is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the town of Molde, while Ålesund is the ...
county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
,
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
administrative center 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 A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or ...
of the municipality is the village of
Sunndalsøra is the administrative centre of Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village of Sunndalsøra lies at the mouth of the river Driva at the beginning of the Sunndalsfjord. Sunndalsøra is surrounded by steep mountains, such a ...
. Other villages include
Gjøra Gjøra is a village in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the river Driva in the inner part of the Sunndalen valley. The village sits about southwest of the municipal and county border with O ...
,
Grøa Grøa is a village in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the river Driva and along the Norwegian National Road 70, about east of Sunndalsøra and about east of Hoelsand. The Vinnufossen water ...
,
Hoelsand Hoelsand or Holssanden is a village in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the river Driva, just west of the Vinnufossen waterfall. The village lies along the Norwegian National Road 70, about e ...
,
Jordalsgrenda Jordalsgrenda is a small village in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway, with approximately 60 inhabitants. The place is located in a small valley along the west side of the Sunndalsfjorden on the highway that runs between the ...
,
Romfo Romfo is a village in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the river Driva in the Sunndalen valley. The Norwegian National Road 70 runs through the village which is most known as the site of Rom ...
,
Ålvund Ålvund is a village in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located at the beginning of the Ålvundfjorden (an extension of the Trongfjorden, about northwest of the village of Ålvundeidet and the Innerdalen valley. ...
,
Ålvundeidet Ålvundeidet is a village in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located at the western end of the Innerdalen valley on an isthmus between two fjords: Ålvundfjorden and Sunndalsfjorden. The village area is ...
, and
Øksendalsøra Øksendalsøra is a village in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the Sunndalsfjorden at the northern end of the Øksendalen valley. The village sits about northwest of the municipal centre of ...
. With an area of , it is the largest municipality in Møre og Romsdal county. The important occupations in Sunndal include industry (with Hydro Aluminium Sunndal as the biggest employer), public services,
retail Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...
, and
farming Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...
. The municipality is the 47th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway and it is the largest in Møre og Romsdal county. Sunndal is the 143rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,932. The municipality's
population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
is and its population has decreased by 3.7% over the previous 10-year period.


General information

The
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 or m ...
of Sunndal 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 1854, the northern part of the municipality (population: 1,291) was separated to form the new municipality of Øksendal. This left 2,188 residents in Sunndal. 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 1960, the neighboring municipalities of Ålvundeid (population: 513) and Øksendal (population: 497) were merged with Sunndal (population: 5,851) to form a new, larger Sunndal municipality. Both Ålvundeid and Øksendal were historically part of the municipality before 1854. Then, on 1 January 1965, the
Ålvund Ålvund is a village in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located at the beginning of the Ålvundfjorden (an extension of the Trongfjorden, about northwest of the village of Ålvundeidet and the Innerdalen valley. ...
- Ålvundfjord area of the neighboring Stangvik Municipality (population: 508) was transferred to Sunndal.


Name

The
Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...
form of the name was . The first element is which means 'southern' and the last element is which means '
valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, 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 'dale'. Before 1870, the name was written ''Sunddalen'' (or ''Sunndalen''); during the period from 1870 to 1917, it was spelled ''Sundalen''; and since 1918, it has been spelled ''Sunndal''.


Coat of arms

The
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
was granted on 12 April 1983. The arms show a Norwegian wormwood (''
Artemisia Artemisia may refer to: People * Artemisia I of Caria (fl. 480 BC), queen of Halicarnassus under the First Persian Empire, naval commander during the second Persian invasion of Greece * Artemisia II of Caria (died 350 BC), queen of Caria under th ...
norvegica'') plant in white on a green background. This species has its main
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an distribution in Sunndal and Oppdal in the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park and in
Trollheimen Trollheimen is a mountain range in Møre og Romsdal and Trøndelag counties in central Norway. The mountain range is part of the Scandinavian Mountains. Etymology The name ('the home of the trolls') was proposed by Håkon Løken and used by ...
landscape protected area. Small populations also in
Ryfylke Ryfylke is a traditional district in the northeastern part of Rogaland county, Norway. The district is located northeast of the city of Stavanger and east of the city of Haugesund and it encompasses about 60% of the county's area. It includes ...
,
Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, and the
Ural Mountains The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...
, with another subspecies in the mountains of
Northern America Northern America is the northernmost subregion of North America. The boundaries may be drawn slightly differently. In one definition, it lies directly north of Middle America (including the Caribbean and Central America).Gonzalez, Joseph. 20 ...
. It can be found in abundance in many places in the mountains of Sunndal well above
tree line The tree line is the edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually cold temperatures, extreme snowp ...
.


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 Sunndal. It is part of the Indre Nordmøre 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 Møre The Diocese of Møre ( no, Møre bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway which geographically consists of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Its bishop is seated at the Molde Cathedral which is located in the county administrative center ...
.


Geography

Sunndal is bordered on the west by
Nesset Municipality Nesset is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre was the village of Eidsvåg. Other population centers included Rausand, Boggestranda, Myklebostad, Eresfjord, and Eikesda ...
and
Tingvoll Municipality Tingvoll is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Tingvollvågen. Other villages include Meisingset, Kvisvik, and Torjulvågen. The municipality co ...
, on the north by Surnadal Municipality, on the east by Oppdal Municipality (in
Trøndelag Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmar ...
county) and on the south by
Lesja Municipality Lesja is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is village of Lesja. Other villages in the municipality include Bjorli, Lesjaskog, ...
(in
Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The co ...
county). In the southern part of the municipality lies the
Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park ( no, Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella nasjonalpark) is a National Park in Norway. It was established in 2002 to replace and enlarge the former Dovrefjell National Park which had been established in 1974. The pa ...
, home to a plentiful amount of impressive
muskox The muskox (''Ovibos moschatus'', in Latin "musky sheep-ox"), also spelled musk ox and musk-ox, plural muskoxen or musk oxen (in iu, ᐅᒥᖕᒪᒃ, umingmak; in Woods Cree: ), is a hoofed mammal of the family Bovidae. Native to the Arctic, i ...
. In the northern part is the
Trollheimen Trollheimen is a mountain range in Møre og Romsdal and Trøndelag counties in central Norway. The mountain range is part of the Scandinavian Mountains. Etymology The name ('the home of the trolls') was proposed by Håkon Løken and used by ...
and
Innerdalen Innerdalen is a valley in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. In 1967, the valley was established as Norway's first nature reserve. The valley and nature reserve begins at the village of Ålvundeidet by the Norwegian Natio ...
landscape protection areas. The municipality centers around the Sunndalsfjorden and the river
Driva The Driva river runs through Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal counties in Norway. The headwaters lie in the Dovrefjell mountains in the south, from where it flows northward, downward through the Drivdalen valley in the municipality of Oppdal. Whe ...
. There are also many towering mountains including:
Trolla Trolla is a village in the municipality of Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Midtbyen borough, along the Trondheimsfjord on the north coast of the Bymarka area. It is about northeast of the village of Langørjan a ...
, Storskrymten, Vinnufjellet (with peaks
Dronningkrona Dronningkrona is a tall mountain peak in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is one of the two peaks on the main mountain Vinnufjellet. Its neighbor peak is Kongskrona, which reaches higher. The peak is located just ...
and
Kongskrona Kongskrona is a tall mountain peak in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is the higher of the two peaks on the main mountain Vinnufjellet. Its neighbouring peak is Dronningkrona, which is about shorter. The name ...
),
Innerdalstårnet Innerdalstårnet or Dalatårnet is a tall mountain on the south side of the Innerdalen valley in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located about southeast of the village of Ålvundeid. The mountain is also known a ...
, Salhøa,
Såtbakkollen Såtbakkollen is a tall mountain in Sunndal Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the Trollheimen mountain range, just north of the Sunndalen valley. It forms the southern end of the "Tårn massif", which also incl ...
, Skarfjellet, and Vassnebba. The
Vinnufossen Vinnufossen or Vinnufallet is the tallest waterfall in Europe and the sixth-tallest in the world. The tall tiered horsetail waterfall is located just east of the village of Sunndalsøra in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county ...
and Svøufallet waterfalls both lie near the river Driva.


Climate

Sunndalsøra has a temperate
oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...
(Cfb). Atlantic lows can produce a strong
foehn A Foehn or Föhn (, , ), is a type of dry, relatively warm, downslope wind that occurs in the lee (downwind side) of a mountain range. It is a rain shadow wind that results from the subsequent adiabatic warming of air that has dropped most of ...
effect in winter as the air is forced over the mountains surrounding Sunndalsøra. Sunndalsøra has the national record high for January and February. The record high is from July 2014, and the record low is from February 2010.


Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Sunndal, 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,
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 (human activity), w ...
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 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 o ...
, 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 counci ...
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 a ...
. The municipality falls under the
Møre og Romsdal District Court Møre og Romsdal District Court ( no, Møre og Romsdal tingrett) is a district court (Norway), district court located in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. This court is based at four different courthouses which are located in Volda (village), Volda ...
and the
Frostating Court of Appeal The Frostating Court of Appeal ( no, Frostating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Trondheim. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. ...
.


Municipal council

The
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 counci ...
() of Sunndal 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 feature f ...
breakdown of the council is as follows:


Mayor

The mayors of Sunndal (incomplete list): *2009–present: Ståle Refstie ( Ap) *2007-2009: Tove-Lise Torve (Ap) *2003-2007: Knut Reinset ( Sp) *1988-2003: Jan Silseth (Ap) *1959-1973: Oskar Edøy (Ap)


Notable people

* Barbara Arbuthnott (1822–1904) a Scottish woman who lived in Sunndal where she engaged in charitable work and wrote about her life *
Hagbard Emanuel Berner Hagbart (or Hagbard) Emanuel Berner (12 September 1839 – 24 January 1920) was a Norwegian lawyer, Liberal Party politician and newspaper editor. He was one of Norway's leading liberal progressives of his time. He represented the Liberal Party a ...
(1839 in Sunndal – 1920) a jurist, politician and newspaper editor * Nils Sletbak (1896 in Sunndal – 1982) a jurist and
theatre director A theatre director or stage director is a professional in the theatre field who oversees and orchestrates the mounting of a theatre production such as a play, opera, dance, drama, musical theatre performance, etc. by unifying various endeavors a ...
*
Oskar Edøy Oskar Edøy (30 August 1916 – 5 April 2008 in Edøy) was a Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party, Labour Party. He was elected to the Parliament of Norway from Møre og Romsdal in 1973, and was re-elected on three occasions. He ...
(1916–2008) a politician, Mayor of Sunndal municipality 1959-1973 * Einar Sæter (1917 in Øksendal – 2010) a triple jumper, resistance member, newspaper editor and writer * Tor Erik Jenstad (born 1956 in Sunndal) a linguist, dictionary editor and traditional Norwegian folk musician * Tove-Lise Torve (born 1964 in Sunndalsøra) a nurse and politician, Mayor of Sunndal municipality 2007-2009


Sport

* Tor Erik Torske (born 1983) a footballer with 275 club caps *
Andrine Hegerberg Andrine Stolsmo Hegerberg (born 6 June 1993) is a Norwegian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Norwegian club K Brann Club career Hegerberg was raised in Sunndal and played for Sunndal Fotball together with her younger sister Ada. In 200 ...
(born 1993 in Sunndalsøra) a footballer *
Guro Reiten Guro Reiten (born 26 July 1994) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a winger for English club Chelsea and the Norway national team. Before joining Chelsea in 2019, she played in Norway for Sunndal, Kattem, Trondheims-Ørn, and ...
(born 1994 in Sunndalsøra) a footballer *
Ada Hegerberg Ada Martine Stolsmo Hegerberg (born 10 July 1995) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Division 1 Féminine club Lyon and the Norway national team. Hegerberg has represented Norway at the youth international l ...
(born 1995) a footballer, brought up in Sunndalsøra


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 ...

Sunndalsnett

Culture in Sunndal on the map
from Kulturnett.no
Sunndal kommune (Municipality of Sunndal)
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Nordmøre Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal 1838 establishments in Norway