Fjaler Municipality

General information

Ytre Holmedal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The original municipality was identical to the Ytre Holmedal parish (prestegjeld) with the sub-parishes (sokn) of Holmedal, Dale, and Fjaler. In 1912, the name Ytre Holmedal Municipality was changed to Fjaler Municipality.

On 1 January 1990, some changes were made to the boundaries between Fjaler Municipality, Gaular Municipality, and Askvoll Municipality as follows:

• the areas surrounding the villages of Fure, Folkestad, and Våge (population: 482) in Askvoll Municipality were transferred to Fjaler Municipality
• he areas surrounding the villages of Vårdal, Holmedal, Rivedal, and a part of Hestad (population: 731) in Fjaler Municipality were transferred to Askvoll Municipality
• the parts of Hestad that did not go to Askvoll Municipality (population: 90) were transferred to Gaular Municipality

Historically, this municipality was part of the old Sogn og Fjordane county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Vestland county (after Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane counties were merged).

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) was named Ytre Holmedal, after the old Holmedal farm () since the first Holmedal Church was built there. The meaning of the first element of Holmedal is uncertain, but it may have been an old name for a local river, Holma. It is unknown what the river name meant. The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". The prefix (which means "outer") was added to distinguish the area from its neighbor, Indre Holmedal.

On 6 December 1912, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Fjaler. This new name brought back a very old name for the area (). The name was the ancient name for the fjord (now called the Dalsfjorden). The name comes from the plural form of the word which means "board" or "table". Older forms of the name were Fjalir or Fjalar.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 8 February 1991. The official blazon is "Gules, two arched bridges argent" (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is two arched stone bridges. The charge 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 two bridges symbolize the old, historic bridges in the municipality that are part of the old post road that goes through Fjaler on its way to Trondheim. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn from Nordfjord. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Fjaler Municipality. It is part of the Sunnfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government

Fjaler Municipality is 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. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Fjaler Municipality is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party. |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}} |}}

Mayors

The mayor () of Fjaler Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:

• 1838–1847: Johan Widing Heiberg Landmark
• 1847–1847: Bertel Vonen
• 1847–1855: Peder J. Fossedal
• 1855–1860: P. J. Smith
• 1860–1862: Ola Mathiasson Bakke
• 1863–1868: Peder C. Mork
• 1868–1868: J. Vonen
• 1868–1872: J. Kalstad
• 1872–1876: Mons Davidson Huustvedt
• 1876–1880: P. J. Smith
• 1880–1892: L. Larsen
• 1892–1896: Mons Davidson Huustvedt
• 1896–1898: David Olsen Bakke
• 1899–1904: Ole A. Skarstein
• 1904–1910: David Olsen Bakke
• 1911–1913: Øystein Sørebø
• 1914–1916: Andreas Sande
• 1917–1919: Ola J. Espedal
• 1920–1928: Andreas Sande
• 1929–1934: Knut Bakkelid
• 1935–1940: Ragnvald Fagerheim
• 1941–1942: Søren K. Hauge
• 1945–1945: David M. Hustveit
• 1945–1947: Ragnvald Fagerheim
• 1948–1959: Søren K. Hauge
• 1960–1961: Jonas Mork
• 1961–1963: Aksel Hovland (V)
• 1964–1965: Gustav Stavøstrand (V)
• 1966–1967: Ola Sørebø (V)
• 1968–1971: Andreas Sande (Sp)
• 1972–1975: Arne Barnsnes (Ap)
• 1976–1981: Trygve Bjånes (Ap)
• 1982–1987: Kåre Kleppe (Sp)
• 1988–1989: Magnar Vagstad (Ap)
• 1990–1995: Rasmus Felde (Sp)
• 1995–2002: Arne Kyrkjebø (Ap)
• 2002–2003: Jan Ulltang (Sp)
• 2003–2015: Arve Helle (Ap)
• 2015–2019: Gunhild Berge Stang (V)
• 2019–2023: Kjetil Høgseth Felde (Sp)
• 2023–present: Leif Jarle Espedal (Ap)

Geography

Fjaler Municipality lies to the south of the Dalsfjord in the Sunnfjord region. Askvoll Municipality lies to the north (across the fjord), Sunnfjord Municipality lies to the northeast, Høyanger Municipality lies to the southeast, and both Hyllestad Municipality and Solund Municipality lie to the southwest. The highest point in the municipality is the 812.11 m tall mountain Skredfjellet, located along the border with Sunnfjord Municipality.

Notable people

• Nikka Vonen (1836 in Dale – 1933), an educator, folklorist, and author
• Haldis Halvorsen (1889 in Dale – 1936), a mezzo-soprano opera singer
• Erik Grant Lea (1892–1979), a mythical tycoon and Norwegian ship-owner, banker, insurer, and mill owner who settled in Gjølanger in Fjaler in 1922
• Jakob Sande (1906 in Dale – 1967), a writer, poet, and folk singer who wrote in Nynorsk
• Herbjørn Sørebø (1933 in Fjaler – 2003), a journalist and broadcasting personality

Gallery

File:Gjølanger.jpg|Gjølanger File:Bakka.JPG|A building at Larsbakk in Fjaler File:Tyssedalsvatnet.jpg|Tyssedalsvatnet lake in Fjaler File:Fure fergekai.jpg|Fure ferry quay

References

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