Eidfjord

Eidfjord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Eidfjord, where the majority of the municipal population lives. The other major population centre in the municipality is the village of Øvre Eidfjord.

View of the Kjeåsen mountain farm
View of Vøringfossen and Måbødalen
This article is about the municipality in Hardanger, Norway. For the village in this municipality, see Eidfjord (village).
Eidfjord kommune
Municipality
View of the Måbødalen valley
View of the Måbødalen valley
Flag of Eidfjord kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Eidfjord kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Eidfjord kommune
Vestland within
Norway
Eidfjord within Vestland
Eidfjord within Vestland
Coordinates: 60°26′06″N 07°16′38″E
CountryNorway
CountyVestland
DistrictHardanger
Established1 Jan 1891
 • Preceded byUlvik Municipality
Disestablished1 Jan 1964
 • Succeeded byUllensvang Municipality
Re-established1 Jan 1977
 • Preceded byUllensvang Municipality
Administrative centreEidfjord
Government
 • Mayor (2019)Anders Vatle (Sp)
Area
 • Total1,498.25 km2 (578.48 sq mi)
 • Land1,388.66 km2 (536.16 sq mi)
 • Water109.59 km2 (42.31 sq mi)  7.3%
 • Rank#57 in Norway
Population
 (2022)
 • Total937
 • Rank#336 in Norway
 • Density0.7/km2 (2/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −2.1%
DemonymEidfjøre[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNynorsk
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-4619
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

Eidfjord is situated at the end of the Eid Fjord, an inner branch of the large Hardangerfjorden. The village of Eidfjord is a major cruise ship port of call. Eidfjord has several tourist sites, like the Sima Power Plant which is built into the mountain itself, the Måbødalen valley, and the Vøringsfossen waterfall which has a free fall of 182 metres (597 ft). Large parts of the Hardangervidda (Europe's largest mountain plateau) are located in Eidfjord. The Hardangervidda Natursenter, a visitors centre and museum for Hardangervidda National Park, is located in Øvre Eidfjord.

The 1,498-square-kilometre (578 sq mi) municipality is the 57th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Eidfjord is the 336th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 937. The municipality's population density is 0.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (1.8/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 2.1% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station for Ullensvang og Eidfjord be closed.[5]

General information
View overlooking the village of Eidfjord
View of a hotel in Eidfjord village
Old Eidfjord Church
The Fjords within.

The parish of Graven (later spelled "Granvin") was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). This large municipality/parish included two annexes: Ulvik and Eidfjord. On 1 January 1859, Ulvik became the main parish, making Granvin and Eidfjord annexes to Ulvik, and the name of the large municipality was changed from Graven to Ulvik.[6]

On 1 May 1891, the municipality of Ulvik was divided into three separate municipalities: the eastern part became the municipality of Graven (population: 1,331) and the southeastern part became the new municipality of Eidfjord (population: 1,018). This left Ulvik as a much smaller municipality. In 1895, a small part of Eidfjord (population: 3) was transferred back to Ulvik.[6]

Eidfjord existed as a municipality from 1891 until 1964 when a major municipal merger took place as a result of municipal reform in Norway due to the Schei Committee. The municipality of Eidfjord (population: 983), most of the municipality of Kinsarvik (population: 1,513), and the municipality of Ullensvang (population: 2,358) were all merged into one large municipality that was named Ullensvang. This merger was not well-liked by the population of Eidsfjord, and so on 1 January 1977, part of the merger was undone, and the area of the "old" Eidfjord municipality (population: 1,223) was separated to form its own municipality once again.[7][6]

On 1 January 2022, the roughly 7-square-kilometre (2.7 sq mi) Ytre Bu area of Ullensvang Municipality (population: 24) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Eidfjord.[8][9]

Name

The municipality (originally the annex parish) is named after the Eid Fjord (Old Norse: Eiðafjörðr) since the first Eidfjord Church was built there. The first element comes from the old Eid farm (Old Norse: Eiðar). The name of the farm derives from the word eið which means "isthmus", referring to the land between the fjord and the lake Eidfjordvatnet. The last element is fjörðr which means "fjord".[7][10]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 13 July 1984. The official blazon is "Azure, a reindeer antler argent" (Norwegian: På blå grunn eit kvitt reinsdyrgevir). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a reindeer antler. The antler has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The reindeer antler was chosen because the first known settlers of the area were reindeer hunters. The reindeer has been important for the population in the Hardangervidda area for many centuries. The antler also symbolizes the rivers that run from the mountain into the fjord. The arms were designed by John Digernes. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[11][12][13]

See also: the coats of arms of Porsanger, Rendalen, Tromsø, Vadsø, and Vågå

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Eidfjord. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Churches in Eidfjord
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
EidfjordEidfjord ChurchEidfjord1981
Old Eidfjord ChurchEidfjord1309

Geography

Eidfjord municipality sits at the innermost part of the Hardangerfjorden and it stretches inland to include part of the vast Hardangervidda plateau. Part of the Hardangervidda National Park lies in the municipality. Eidfjord municipality borders Ullensvang Municipality to the southwest, the municipalities of Nore og Uvdal and Hol (both in Viken county) to the east, and Ulvik Municipality to the north.

Eidfjord municipality begins at sea level along the fjord, the valleys leading away from the fjord are surrounded by high mountains which lead up to the alpine plateau called Hardangervidda. The Måbødalen valley is a narrow valley that leads upland to the Vøringfossen waterfall. There are several lakes in Eidfjord including Eidfjordvatnet, Nordmannslågen, and Sysenvatnet. The lakes Halnefjorden, Skaupsjøen, and Tinnhølen are all partially located in Eidfjord. The Hardangerjøkulen glacier is partially located in northern Eidfjord.

History

The parish of Eidfjord was very special because it belonged to the Bishop of Stavanger (and not the Bishop of Bergen as all the other parishes in present-day Vestland county) from 1125 until 1630. The Ancient Diocese of Stavanger was created out of the Ancient Diocese of Bergen and it included all of present-day Rogaland and Agder counties, plus the districts of Hallingdal in Viken county and Valdres in Innlandet county, and the parishes of Røldal and Eidfjord in Vestland county. The reason for including Eidfjord was that the regions of Hallingdal and Valdres belonged to the bishop of Stavanger and the easiest way to reach them from Stavanger was by sailing up the Hardangerfjord to Eidfjord, and then traveling over the Hardangervidda plateau to Hallingdal and Valdres.

Population
Historical population
Year189119001910192019301946195119601970198019902000201020202023
Pop.1,0181,0681,0061,0101,1451,1641,1261,015*1,2081,0701,037958906962
±% p.a.—    +0.53%−0.60%+0.04%+1.26%+0.10%−0.66%−1.15%—    —    −1.21%−0.31%−0.79%−0.56%+2.02%
Note: *Eidfjord was merged into Ullensvang from 1964-1977.
Source: Statistics Norway[14][15] and Norwegian Historical Data Centre[16]

Government

All municipalities in Norway are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[17] The municipality falls under the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Eidfjord is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Eidfjord kommunestyre 2020–2023 [18]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2016–2019 [19]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 8
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2012–2015 [20]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 Cross-Party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste)1
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2008–2011 [19]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
  Joint list of the Conservative Party and the Eidfjord List (Samlingslista Høgre og Eidfjordlista) 2
 Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste)2
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2004–2007 [19]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
 Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste)4
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2000–2003 [19]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
 Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste)5
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1996–1999 [21]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
 Local list (Bygdalista)3
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1992–1995 [22]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 7
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
 Local list (Bygdalista)3
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1988–1991 [23]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 8
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
 Non-political local list (Upolitisk Bygdalista)3
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1984–1987 [24]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 8
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
 Non-political local list (Upolitisk Bygdalista)1
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1980–1983 [25]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 9
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
Total number of members:17
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1960–1963 [26]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 6
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 5
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 2
Total number of members:13
Note: In 1964, Eidfjord became part of Ullensvang Municipality (until 1977 when the merger was reversed).
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1956–1959 [27]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 6
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 5
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 2
Total number of members:13
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1952–1955 [28]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 7
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 5
Total number of members:12
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1948–1951 [29]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 7
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 1
Total number of members:12
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1945–1947 [30]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 6
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 6
Total number of members:12
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1938–1941* [31]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 5
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 7
Total number of members:12
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Mayors

The mayors of Eidfjord (incomplete list):

  • 1999-2003: Anved Johan Tveit (Sp)
  • 2003-2007: Ola B. Hereid (LL)
  • 2007-2019: Anved Johan Tveit (Sp)
  • 2019–present: Anders Vatle (Sp)

Notable people
  • Nils Bergslien (1853–1928), a Norwegian illustrator, painter and sculptor; lived and worked in Eidfjord
  • Benedicte Maurseth (born 1983 in Eidfjord), a Norwegian traditional folk singer and musician

See also

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. Fjelltveit, Ingvild; Raunholm, Per Vidar (20 December 2016). "Foreslår å legge ned 17 lensmannskontor i Vest politidistrikt". NRK Hordaland (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  6. Jukvam, Dag (1999). Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  7. Brekke, Nils Georg; Skaar, Ronny B; Nord, Svein (1993). Kulturhistorisk Vegbok Hordaland. Nord4.
  8. "Eidfjord kommune vert større!" (in Norwegian). Eidfjord kommune. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  9. Lund, Eli (29 April 2019). "Fylkesmannen er positiv til grensejustering - sender forslag på høyring". Hardanger Folkeblad (in Norwegian). Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  10. Rygh, Oluf (1910). Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt (in Norwegian) (11 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 469.
  11. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  12. "Eidfjord, Hordaland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  13. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 30 December 1984. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  14. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  15. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Folketellingen 1960" (PDF) (in Norwegian).
  16. Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet. "Censuses in the Norwegian Historical Data Archive (NHDC)".
  17. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  18. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Vestland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  19. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  20. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Hordaland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  22. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  23. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  24. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  25. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  31. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 10 May 2020.

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