Sauda

Infobox_Kommune
name = Sauda
idnumber = 1135
county = Rogaland
capital = Sauda
landscape = Ryfylke
governor = Laura Seltveit (Ap)
governor_as_of = 2005
arearank = 195
area = 546
arealand = 509
areapercent = 0.17
population_as_of = 2004
populationrank = 195
population = 4,878
populationpercent = 0.11
populationdensity = 10
populationincrease = -6.2
language = Nynorsk
lat_deg = 59 | lat_min = 41 | lat_sec = 15 | lon_deg = 6 | lon_min = 26 | lon_sec = 14
utm_zone = 32V | utm_northing = 6619403 | utm_easting = 0355740 | geo_cat = adm2nd


munwebpage = www.sauda.kommune.noAudio|Sauda.ogg|Sauda is a municipality and industrial town in the county of Rogaland, Norway.

Sauda was separated from Suldal in 1842.

The Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the farm Sauda (Norse "Sauðar"), since the first church was built there. The name is the plural form of "sauðr" m 'spring, issue of water'.

Until 1918 the name was written "Saude" (or "Søvde").

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms was designed in (1976). The lines represent the hydroelectric generating station located in the municipality.

Population

The town of Sauda is the fifth largest in Rogaland with 4,290 inhabitants (2006), and the city center is home to Northern Europe's largest melting plant, Eramet Norway AS. It is situated in the end of the fjord called Saudafjorden.

History

Archaeological excavation in Saudasjøen shows that people have been living in Sauda since the latest Ice Age. In 1349, the Plague / Black Death wiped out about two thirdsof the population in Sauda, causing a decline in both population and economy. Despite this, the population was increasing during the medieval time, and a new type of industry started to grow. Along the fjord the power from several waterfalls was used to build and run sawmills, and large-scale lumber production was started. People from all over the world, especially from the Netherlands, started to trade with the citizens. This resulted in major ship traffic, giving impetus to further development of the villages and farms in Sauda. By the end of the 19th century, a new type of adventure would change the lives of the inhabitants forever. The mining industry started in the mountains of Hellandsbygd, making Sauda a small industrial town, working place and trading center for the surrounding region. But it wasn't until 1910 the real adventure started. The American company Electric Furnace Company (EFP) began the construction of Europe’s largest smelting plant. This could only be done because of the large number of waterfalls and rivers that made it possible to build power plants situated a short distance from the smelter, which uses large amounts of electricity.

Sauda's time as a farming village was over, and the people of today still live on the foundation of the new town that emerged. By the end of World War II, the Germans had finished building a large Aluminum Melting Plant in Saudasjøen, but the production was moved to Årdal in 1946. The remaining buildings were demolished by the municipality in the 1950s, leaving the industrial area in Saudasjøen empty for decades. In the eighties, a glass production factory was established together with a couple of mechanic production factories. The population of Sauda reached its peak in the mid-1960s, approximately 6,700 inhabitants, but Sauda was not granted township status until the year 1998.

Business activity

The main activity is industry, with large comapnies represented like Eramet, Saint-Gobain, Statkraft, Statnett and Elkem.

Geography

Sauda is located at the end of a fjord, with very mountainous terrain, with mountains like Skaulen (1,560 m), and Kyrkjenuten (1,620 m) in proximity. The town is located only about 2 hours from Stavanger, 3 hours from Bergen, and 5 hours from Oslo. It is also one of the biggest resorts on the west coast of Norway. The town of Sauda is located on flat land, a delta created by the rivers that empty into the fjord just outside the town centre.

Tourism

Sauda has a fabulous nightlife, which is suited for all adult ages. There are young-adult bars, as well as more mature-adult bars accessible. A movie theater, many tourist attractions and restaurants exist as a way of relaxing after skiing. However, the most highly recommended first stop is the après-ski at Sauda Skisenter. Also notable athletes; alpine racers, and summer-winter athletes call Sauda home! Hildeborg Juvet Hugdal, the Worlds Strongest Woman resides in Sauda.

Attractions

*Sauda kyrkje, old white painted wooden church and one of the oldest buildings in Sauda, built in 1866
*Solbrekk kapell, Hellandsbygd kapell and Saudasjøen kapell (Church's)
*The Old Graveyard in Saudasjøen containing tombs of Russian slaves that died when building the Aluminium Melting Plant named Nordag in Saudasjøen during World War II
*Tveittunet in Saudasjøen, old refurbished estate in Saudasjøen
*Jonegarden på Hustveit, old refurbished estate and a lumber mill
*Risvoldtunet, food service, conference center, guided tour on a mini power plant
*The old mines in Allmannajuvet, guided tour
*Sauda Smelteverk, The Melting Plant that is still active. Guided tour after appointment.
*The ruins av Nordag-factory in Saudasjøen
*City center at winter time with heated streets free of snow
*Åbøbyen, the best conserved North-American styled township in Norway
*Honganvikfossen, great falls
*Svandalsfossen, great falls
*Jetegrytene i Åbødalen, rivers and falls
*Sauda museum
*Industriarbeidermuseet, museum about the life of a working man in the 1920s and 1950s
*Fagerheimsaminga, exhibition of carved wooden figures in Saudahallen (The Sauda Hall)
*City walk, arrangement in summer time with a guided tour through the city of Sauda