Bremanger

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local Bremangerpollen fjord (Old Norse: Brimangr). The first element is brim which means "breaker wave" or "heavy sea". The last element is angr which means "bay" or "inlet".[7]

The coat of arms was granted on 24 October 1986. The official blazon is "Quartered embowed azure and argent" (Norwegian: Firedelt av blått og sølv med virvelsnitt). This means the arms have are divided into four embowed waves. The field (background) alternates between the four waves. The top and bottom waves have a tincture of blue and the other two waves have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if the arms are made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms symbolize the sea and hydro-electric power, both of which are of great economic importance to the municipality. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[8][9][10]

The Church of Norway has seven parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Bremanger. It is part of the Nordfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Bremanger is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

The mayor (ordførar) of a municipality in Norway is a representative of the majority party of the municipal council who is elected to lead the council. The mayors of Bremanger:[30]

Tongane Coastal Fortress lies on the western end of the island of Rugsundøya near the mouth of the Nordfjorden. This is one of the largest German fortifications which was built in Norway during World War II. The coastal fort was attacked under the well-known Måløy raid, Operation Archery, during Christmas 1941. The majority of the fortification still remains, among other the main cannons and soldier's barracks. The fort at Rugsundøy is situated with a good view over the approach to the town of Måløy and the entrance to Nordfjorden.[33]

The Ålfotbreen glacier, the westernmost glacier in Norway, is located at an elevation of 1,682 metres (5,518 ft) above sea level. Ålfotbreen Glacier can be reached by foot on marked footpaths or walking with a guide. Ålfotbreen Glacier can be seen from the road in the village of Ålfoten. The Gjegnalundsbreen glacier lies northeast of the Ålfotbreen glacier.[33]

The legendary mountain cliff Hornelen is situated straight across the fjord from Vingen rock carving site. Many legends are linked to this mountain which is Europe's tallest sea cliff. It raises 860 metres (2,820 ft) over the sea and is a good landmark for ships. Over the centuries, it has been a well-known sailing mark. The trip to the top of Hornelen takes approximately 3 hours from Hunskår, or 4 hours from Berleneset.[33]

The fishing village of Kalvåg is the largest and best preserved fishing village in Western Norway. In 1860, there were thousands of people working in the large herring fisheries. Today, approximately 500 people live there.

Vamråkbuene is situated in Kalvåg. During the large herring fisheries in the middle of the 18th century, thousands of fishermen visited Kalvåg. Vamråkbuene represents one part of the trading life that the herring fisheries created, and today it is part of the Coastal museum in Vestland.[33]

At the Myklebust hill farm, there is still a working hill farm. The hill farm in Ålfoten is authentic and unique in this part of Norway. Many of the local hill farms have stopped running and following the tradition of moving the livestock to the hill farms in the summer.[33]

The islands of Storøya and Litleøya (Big island and Little island) lie in the sound, providing shelter for the old trading post at Rugsund. The excellent, sheltered harbour centrally located beside the inner shipping fairway along the coast was popular with seafarers. Today, the harbour is very popular with boat tourists who have seriously begun to discover the attractions of this peaceful, idyllic harbour.

Rugsund Handelsstad is a preserved trading post dated back to the 17th century. The historical and restored buildings are clustered around the edge of the sea.[33]

Smørhamn Handelstad (Old Trading Post) is from the 16th century and has been an important junction point for clippers and cutters (sailing boats) between Nordfjord and Bergen. The trading post was important to fishermen and to local inhabitants in the area. Here you could buy everything from sharpening stones, pins, syrup to soap, together with beer and distilled spirits. In 1790, there were approximately 30 houses in Smørhamn. Today, there are a few boat houses and houses. Presently, Smørhamn Handelstad is privately owned and not open to tourists. You can see the trading post from the road and from the sea approximately 4 km from the centre of Kalvåg.[33]

The Rock carvings at Vingen is one of the largest rock carving sites in Northern Europe. Animal carvings, human figures, and many other abstract symbols are sketched on the mountains. The oldest dates back 4,500 years. In all, more than 1,500 figures are registered. Vingen has probably been a cultist meeting place in the region for thousands of years.[33]

If you stop at the grave mounds at Botnane you get a feeling of the Bronze Age. There are altogether 8 mounds dating back to early Stone Age and Bronze Age. Because some of them are so large, it's easy to see them from the road.[33]

Ålfoten Church is the oldest wooden church in Nordfjord. The log timber church was built in 1610 on the site of an earlier stave church. In the small church, its history is still on the walls, which is a testimony to life and destiny of the remote fjord through the ages.[33]

Rugsund Church was built at the beginning of the 1930s. It is a very interesting church and is rich in decoration with wall paintings, Mosaic glass, and carvings. The church was designed by Hans Ditlev F. Linstow. It is often said to be the most beautiful church in Nordfjord.[33]

Vetvika beach, Bremanger, Norway

The poet-priest Claus Frimann lived and worked in Davik. Frimann (1780–1822) established a reading room for the village's young men and women. But he didn't just carry out unselfish activities. In his official capacity he also looked after the large estate and was also known to be rather zealous in collection of debts and land taxes. Frimann is best known as a "poet priest" and he has often been mentioned in the same connection as Petter Dass. The vicarage is situated on the priest's farm estate. Here you can see a memorial column to Claus Frimann at the church.[33]

Grotlesanden is one of the largest sandy beaches in outer Bremanger. Here there is silky soft sand as far as the eye can see.

Vetvika is situated on the north-western side of Bremangerlandet island. Vetvika is accessible only by boat or foot. Vetvika has a beautiful sandy beach and an old graveyard. Vetvika is deserted since the 1950s, but the houses still remain well kept as holiday houses. The largest farm in Bremanger in early times was the farm Solheim at Vetvika. The farm is situated on the northern side of Vetvika.[33]