Vågsøy
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| Vågsøy kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: 61°55′16″N 5°11′37″E / 61.92111°N 5.19361°E | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
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| County | Sogn og Fjordane | ||
| District | Nordfjord | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-1439 | ||
| Administrative centre | Måløy | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2007) | Roger Bernt Silden (Ap) | ||
| Area (Nr. 348 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 176 km2 (68 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 171 km2 (66 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 6,288 | ||
| - Density | 37/km2 (95.8/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | -2.7 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 160 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Nynorsk | ||
| Demonym | Vågsøyværing [1] | ||
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| Website | www.vagsoy.kommune.no | ||
Vågsøy is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The municipality's administrative center is the town Måløy. Vågsøy is also the name of the main island in the municipality with an area of 64 km². Other villages in Vågsøy include: Bryggja, Degnepoll, Holvik, Kvalheim, Raudeberg, Refvik, Silda, Tennebø, Totland, Vedvik, and Vågsvåg.
The municipality of Vågsøy is the second largest fishing municipality in Norway, and is home to one of Norway's most modern fish-processing plants.[2]
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[edit] General information
[edit] Name
The Old Norse form of the name was Vágsøy. The first element is the genitive case of vágr which means "bay" and the last element is øy which means "island".
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms of Vågsøy is of modern design. The arms were granted on 27 March 1987. The arms show two rudders, used in the one-man boats which have been used for a long time in the village. The rudders are silver and the background is blue.[3]
[edit] Background
In 1906 the sub-parish (sokn) of Vågsøy, then part of the Selje parish (prestegjeld), was divided into two sub-parishes: Nord-Vågsøy and Sør-Vågsøy within the municipality of Selje.
On 1 January 1910, Selje was split into three municipalities: Nord-Vågsøy (population: 1,111); Sør-Vågsøy (population: 1,517); and Selje (population: 3,367).[4]
On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Vågsøy was created by merging the following areas together:
- Nord-Vågsøy municipality (population: 1,476)
- Sør-Vågsøy municipality (population: 3,926)
- from Selje: the island of Silda, the Hagevik-Osmundsvåg area, and Sørpoll (population: 344)
- from Davik: the islands of Husevågøy, Grindøy, Gangsøy, and Risøy; and all of Davik that was north of the Nordfjord and west of Lefdal (population: 1,216)
The new municipality had an initial population of 6,962.[4][5]
[edit] Churches
The Church of Norway has three churches within the municipality of Vågsøy. It is part of the Diocese of Bjørgvin and the Rural Deanery (Prosti) of Nordfjord.[5]
| Parish (Prestegjeld) |
Sub-Parish (Sogn) |
Church Name | Year Built | Location of the Church |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vågsøy Parish | Vågsøy | Nord-Vågsøy kyrkje | 1960 | Raudeberg |
| Sør-Vågsøy kyrkje | 1907 | Måløy | ||
| Totland kyrkje | 1912 | Totland | ||
| *The 3 sogns were merged into 1 sogn in 2001. Sør-Vågsøy kyrkje is the 'sogn kyrkje'. | ||||
[edit] Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Vågsøy, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a [[mayor
[edit] Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vågsøy is made up of 26 representatives that are elected to every four years. For 2007–2011, the party breakdown is as follows:[6]
| Party Name | Name in Norwegian | Number of representatives |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party | Det Norske Arbeiderpartiet | 6 |
| Progress Party | Fremskrittspartiet | 3 |
| Conservative Party | Høyre | 3 |
| Local Lists | Lokale lister | 1 |
| Red Electoral Alliance | Raud Valallianse | 1 |
| Centre Party | Senterpartiet | 7 |
| Socialist Left Party | Sosialistisk Venstreparti | 1 |
| Liberal Party | Venstre | 4 |
| Total: | 26 |
[edit] Mayor
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. Roger Bernt Silden of the Labour Party (Det Norske Arbeiderpartiet) was re-elected mayor for the 2007–2011 term.
In 2007, Vågsøy participated in a trial where the mayor was directly elected. The sitting mayor, Roger B. Silden, received 44.1% of the votes and won the election. His party (the Norwegian Labour Party), however, did poorer than in 2003 and it became the second largest party with only 21.8% of the votes.
[edit] Geography
Vågsøy is made up of the mainland and islands on the northern and outer shore of the Nordfjord. The municipality is named after its largest island.
The municipalities of Selje (in Sogn og Fjordane county) and Vanylven (in Møre og Romsdal county) border to the north, the municipality of Eid lies to the east, the municipality of Bremanger lies to the south, and the North Sea borders Vågsøy to the west.
[edit] Attractions
[edit] Måløy
Måløy attained city status in 2004. It lies by Ulvesundet sound on the island of Vågsøy, after which the municipality is named, and is joined to the mainland by a 1,224 meter long bridge, an impressive structure that forms a majestic gateway for all sea-going traffic. The Coastal Steamer (Hurtigruten) has daily departures.[2]
[edit] Kannestein
Over thousands of years, ocean waves have ground the rock to the special shape it has today. You find it in the village of Oppedal, approximately 10 kilometers west of the center of Måløy. Every year many visitors come to Oppedal to take a closer look at the stone. The Kannestein or Kanne Stone was formed by loose stones and the pounding of the waves over a period of thousands of years, and stands today as a 4 - 5 metre high, narrow-footed rock. This is caused by stones having split loose, which have knocked and gnawed at the rockface until they have become polished and rounded. Loose stones have then worked themselves deeper into the rock. New stones have come, and in time the potholes have become deeper and wider. Several potholes near to each other have been polished for so long that the sides have been rubbed away, leaving just the middle section, such as the Kanne Stone.[2]
[edit] Vågsberget trading post
In 1636 trader Didrik Fester from Bergen came to Vågsberget to open a trading business. There was probably trading activity and an inn before Fester’s arrival, and the trading post at Vågsberget has changed hands several times throughout the years. Restoration work is being carried out on Vågsberget, but the café and exhibition is open in summer and guided tours are available. There is also an exhibition featuring old fishing boats and equipment.[2]
[edit] Silda
Silda, the island in Sildagapet bay, is an old fishing community, which in its heyday had a population of 150 who made a living from fishing and farming. Its current winter population is only about 30, while in summer it is host to several hundred people, staying in holiday houses and cabins. The island has a very special restaurant perched on a rock out in the southern harbor. There are also cabins for rent there. The impressive jetty in Silda’s northern harbor was started in the 1860s and completed in the 20th century. With the exception of a few tractors, the island is "car free", but it has good cycling and walking tracks, footpaths and excellent walking terrain. A regular boat service runs to and from Måløy several times a day.[2]
[edit] Lighthouses
Vågsøy municipality has four impressive lighthouses. They are situated far out on steep crags with the foaming sea as their nearest neighbour. Three of them are open daily and are available for let for short or long periods.[2]
- Kråkenes Fyr is a workign lighthouse and also a weather station that collects important information. Kråkenes lighthouse, which offers great views of the ocean at Stadhavet, lies at the most northerly point on the island of Vågsøy and is accessible by road. When the weather is stormy it is a tremendous experience to stand at a safe distance from the foaming waves studying the frenzied ocean.
- Skognsnes Fyr is an automatic lighthouse with no road access. It is a one hour walk from Halsør in easy hiking terrain. There are also beautiful views towards Stadhavet. Ytre Nordfjord Turlag runs this lighthouse and offers overnight accommodation and day visits.
- Hendanes Fyr is an automatic lighthouse on the west side of the Torskanger inlet. It is located a short walk from the road and offers beautiful views of Stadhavet and Klovningen.
- Ulvesund Fyr is a lighthouse located south of Stad, 10 kilometers from Måløy in outer Nordfjord. It was built in 1870, and was run by manpower until 1985 when it was turned automatic.[7]
[edit] Beaches
Refviksanden Beach, with its beautiful silver sand, is a 1.5 kilometer long beach that is one of Norway´s finest swimming beaches. Refvik is approximately 10 kilometers from Måløy.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Personnemningar til stadnamn i Noreg" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. http://www.sprakrad.no/Sprakhjelp/Rettskriving_Ordboeker/Innbyggjarnamn.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Vågsøy Kommune". GoNorway.no. http://gonorway.no/norway/counties/sogn-and-fjordande/vaagsoey/763b49bd952047b/. Retrieved on 23 June 2008.
- ^ Hartemink, Ralf (1996). "Norske Kommunevåpen". http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/v/vagsoy.htm. Retrieved on 23 June 2008.
- ^ a b Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF). Statistics Norway. http://www.ssb.no/emner/00/90/rapp_9913/rapp_9913.pdf. (Norwegian)
- ^ a b Natvik, Oddvar (9 February 2005). "Some historical data on the 26 Kommunes". http://www.emigration.no/sff/emigration3.nsf/0/326D0346278A5909C1256F570048962C?OpenDocument. Retrieved on 23 June 2008.
- ^ "Members of the local councils". Statistics Norway. 2007. http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/00/01/20/kommvalgform_en/tab-2008-01-29-15-en.html. Retrieved on 23 June 2008.
- ^ "Lighthouses". Nordfjord.no. http://www.nordfjord.no/index.php?sid=3&eid=217&spid=105&f=08050120&id=3478&mid=010305. Retrieved on 2008-06-26.
[edit] External links
- NRK: Vågsøy Kommune
- Official Site of Vågsøy Municipality
- Silda
Media related to Vågsøy at Wikimedia Commons
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