Høyanger

Infobox_Kommune
name = Høyanger

---

idnumber = 1416
county = Sogn og Fjordane
landscape = Sogn
capital = Høyanger
language = Nynorsk
demonym = Høyangring


munwebpage = www.hoyanger.kommune.no
governor = Kjartan Longva (Ap)
governor_as_of = 2003
arearank = 121
area = 908
arealand = 838
areapercent = 0.28
population_as_of = 2004
populationrank = 213
population = 4,550
populationpercent = 0.10
populationdensity = 5
populationincrease = -5.4
lat_deg = 61 | lat_min = 11 | lat_sec = 17 | lon_deg = 5 | lon_min = 53 | lon_sec = 44
utm_zone = 32V | utm_northing = 6787727 | utm_easting = 0333141 | geo_cat = adm2nd

Audio|Hoeyanger.ogg|Høyanger is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Høyanger, which has 2221 inhabitants (2006). Other villages in Høyanger include Lavik, Kyrkjebø, Austreim, and Vadheim. Høyanger was created on 1 January 1964 when the municipalities of Kyrkjebø and Lavik were merged.

Høyanger is known for being one of the first industrial towns in Norway leveraging its steep mountains surrounding the town giving excellent conditions for producing hydroelectricity needed for electrolysis. The main product being produced in Høyanger was aluminium.

General information

Name

The name originally belonged to an arm of Sognefjord (now called Høyangsfjord). The first element is "høy" which means "hay" and the last element is "angr" which means "fjord". The word "høy" is probably referring to the green hillsides along the fjord.

Coat-of-arms

The coat of arms is from modern times. The arms were granted on 15 May 1987. It shows three flames as a symbol for the local aluminium industry. Aluminium is melted and purified in Høyanger, due to the cheap hydroelectric energy that is locally available. The colors represent waterpower (blue) and aluminium (silver). [cite web|url=http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/h/hoyanger.htm|author=Norske Kommunevåpen|date=1990|title=Nye kommunevåbener i Norden|accessdaymonth=11 June|accessyear=2008]

Background

"Ladevig" was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The municipality was created to be identical to the Ladevig parish "(prestegjeld)".

In 1858 the district of Klævold (population: 1,645) was separated from Lavik to constitute a municipality of its own. This left Ladevig with a population of 2,042. (The name of Klævold was changed to Kirkebø on 1 July 1890 and later changed to Kyrkjebø in 1917).

In 1861 Lavik (population: 926) was merged with Brekke municipality (population: 898), located across the Sognefjord. The municipality was then named Lavik og Brekke.

In 1862 the sub-parish "(sokn)" of Bø in the western part of the municipality was removed from Lavik og Brekke and merged with the Øn and Hyllestad sub-parishes "(sokn)" from Askvoll to form a new municipality which was named Hyllestad.

On 1 January 1875, a part of Klævold with 90 inhabitants was moved to Lavik og Brekke.

On 1 January 1905, the municipality was split into two separate municipalities: Lavik (population: 1,182) and Brekke (population: 982).

On 1 January 1964, a new municipality named Høyanger was created. It consisted of the former municipalities of Lavik (population: 894) and Kyrkjebø (population: 4,742) along with the Nybø and Nygjerdet farms in Vik.cite web|first=Dag|last=Jukvam|publisher=Statistics Norway|title=Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen|date=1999|url=http://www.ssb.no/emner/00/90/rapp_9913/rapp_9913.pdf no icon ]

Today's municipality is identical to the Lavik parish "(prestegjeld)" which is made up of the sub-parishes "(sokns)" of Høyanger, Kyrkjebø, Lavik, and Bjordal og Ortnevik.cite web|url=http://www.emigration.no/sff/emigration3.nsf/0/326D0346278A5909C1256F570048962C?OpenDocument|title=Some historical data on the 26 Kommunes|first=Oddvar|last=Natvik|date=9 Feb 2005|accessdaymonth=11 June|accessyear=2008]

Churches

The Church of Norway has six churches within the municipality of Høyanger. It is part of the Diocese of Bjørgvin and the Rural Deanery "(Prosti)" of Ytre Sogn.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Høyanger, 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.

Municipal council

The municipal council "(Kommunestyre)" of Høyanger is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to every four years. For 2007–2011, the party breakdown is as follows:cite web|publisher=Statistics Norway|url=http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/00/01/20/kommvalgform_en/tab-2008-01-29-15-en.html|title=Members of the local councils|accessdaymonth=19 June|accessyear=2008|date=2007] Infobox_Kommunestyre
name = Høyanger
start = 2007
end = 2011
Total = 21
Arbeiderpartiet = 10
Fremskrittspartiet =
Høyre = 4
Kristelig_Folkeparti = 1
Rød_Valgallianse = 2
Rødt =
Senterpartiet = 3
Sosialistisk_Venstreparti =
Venstre = 1
Local_Lists = |

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. The mayor for the 2007-2011 term is Kjartan Longva of the Labour Party "(Det Norske Arbeiderpartiet)". [cite web|author=Høyanger Kommune|title=Mandatfordeling i kommunestyret|date=9 Nov 2007|url=http://www.hoyanger.kommune.no/Modules/article.aspx?ObjectType=Article&Article.ID=2273&Category.ID=653|accessdaymonth=11 June|accessyear=2008 no icon]

Geography

Høyanger forms part of the southern border of Sogn og Fjordane county. The Sognefjord runs through the center of the municipality. Høyanger is bordered to the north by the municipalities of Fjaler and Gaular, to the east by Balestrand and Vik, to the south by Modalen and Masfjorden (in Hordaland county), and to the west by Gulen and Hyllestad.

Høyanger municipality covers an area of about 910 km². Stølsheimen Nature Reserve was created in 1990 in Høyanger. Its 367 km² area stretches from high mountaintops through fertile valleys and sweeps over steep meadows down to the fjord. Høyanger is perhaps best known for its mountain farms and lakes. From the village of Ortnevik there are marked footpaths up to Stølsheimen Park and from the village of Bjordal you may drive up the Stordal road to the summit (2390 feet above sea level).

Economy

Høyanger is a modern industrial community which has grown in pace with the principal employers being Hydro Aluminium and Høyanger Metallverk. Hydroelectricity has played a major role in the development of the area. In addition to manufacturing aluminium, Høyanger supports a varied range of light industry that is backed by retail and service trades. In the rural areas bordering the fjord, farming is the main source of livelihood.cite web|title=Høyanger is a modern industrial community|date=2008|author=Høyanger Kommune|url=http://www.hoyanger.kommune.no/english/article.aspx?ObjectType=Article&Article.ID=1731&Category.ID=826|accessdaymonth=11 June|accessyear=2008] There are currently 115 traditional farms "gårds" in the municipality. Each traditional farms originally had one owner, but most of them have been divided up and sold off over the years, and so there are more than 115 farms in use today.

Transportation

There are good connections with Oslo and Bergen by bus, as well as air and fast boat services. The nearest airport is in Førde, about 50 kilometres away. The village of Lavik is an important junction for traffic to and from Bergen. Høyanger is reached from the neighboring municipality of Balestrand to the east by the "Bjordalstunnelen" which is 7.5 kilometers in length. It is one of the longest tunnels in Europe. Good ferry services across the Sognefjord link the northern and southern sides of the municipality. cite web|author=Høyanger Kommune|title=Høyanger is a modern industrial community|date=2008|url=http://www.hoyanger.kommune.no/english/article.aspx?ObjectType=Article&Article.ID=1731&Category.ID=826|accessdaymonth=11 June|accessyear=2008]

Attractions

In 1986, in Høyanger, Norsk Hydro Aluminium/Høyanger Metallverk opened a museum designed to show what water power has meant both locally and to Norway as a whole. Visitors will get to learn about how the aluminium industry has grown and prospered in the area thanks to the vast energy produced by water.

Near Vadheim is an 18th-century stone bridge called the Ytredal Bridge. It is a popular tourist attraction.

References

External links

* [http://www.hoyanger.kommune.no Official website: Høyanger Kommune] no icon
* [http://www.nrk.no/sfj/leksikon/1233671.html NRK: Fylkesleksikon - Høyanger Kommune] no icon