is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative centre is the village of Askvoll. Other villages in the municipality include Holmedal, Kvammen, and Stongfjorden. The most important industries in Askvoll today are Helle Knivfabrikk (a knife factory), Bulandet Fiskeindustri (fish industry), and Sigurd Løkeland Hermetikkfabrikk (a producer of crabs).

The municipality is the 255th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Askvoll Municipality is the 232nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of . The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 0.8% over the previous 10-year period.

The municipality stretches from the Bulandet islands in the west and Sunnfjord Municipality in east. The highest peak is the high mountain Blegja. Alden Mountain (known as the "Norwegian Horse") is located on the island of Alden in Askvoll Municipality. It rises almost vertically out of the sea to a height of above sea level and is visible from more than out at sea.

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Askvoll be closed.

General information

thumb|left|View of Prestmarka

thumb|left|View of the Heilefjell mountains

thumb|left|View of [[Vilnes Church]]

Askvoll was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The original municipality was identical to the Askvoll parish (prestegjeld) with the sub-parishes () of Askvoll, Vilnes, Øn, and Hyllestad.

In 1862, the two southernmost sub-parishes of Øn and Hyllestad (population: 2,475) were separated from Askvoll Municipality and (along with the Bø sub-parish from Lavik Municipality) formed the new Hyllestad Municipality. This left Askvoll Municipality with 2 sub-parishes and a population of 3,065.

On 1 January 1888, several farms in the Hersvikbygda area on the northern part of the island of Sula and the smaller surrounding islands (population: 317) were transferred from Askvoll Municipality to the neighboring Utvær Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Askvoll farm () since the first Askvoll Church was built there. The first element is which means "ash tree". The last element is which means "meadow" or "field". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Askvold. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Askvoll.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 5 January 1990. The official blazon is "Vert, a pierced Latin cross pattée argent" (). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a latin cross with a cross pattée design and a circular hole in the centre. The cross 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 design was chosen to symbolize the Korssundkrossen, an old medieval stone cross found in the municipality. The old cross is connected to several stories of St. Olav. The arms were designed by Kåre Ness. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Local Churches

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

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ style="font-size:medium"|Churches in Askvoll Municipality

!Parish ()!!Church name!!Location of the church!!Year built

|-

|rowspan="7"|Askvoll||Askvoll Church||Askvoll||1863

|-

|Bulandet Chapel||Musøya in Bulandet||1905

|-

|Holmedal Church||Holmedal||1868

|-

|Kvammen Chapel||Kvammen||1977

|-

|Stongfjorden Chapel||Stongfjorden||1908

|-

|Vilnes Church||Vilnes on Atløyna||1674

|-

|Værlandet Chapel||Værlandet||1960

|}

Government

Askvoll 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 of Askvoll Municipality is made up of 21 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 Askvoll 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:

  • 1838–1839: Georg Prahl Harbitz
  • 1840–1841: Kolbein B. Rødseth
  • 1842–1857: Rev. Carl Johan Christie
  • 1858–1863: Mons Andersen Askevold
  • 1864–1867: Rev. Carl Johan Christie
  • 1868–1871: Mathias Villumsen Rødsæth
  • 1872–1873: Jens Olsen Askevold
  • 1874–1879: Kolbein Sørensen Fismen
  • 1880–1907: Ole Sjursen Nordeide
  • 1908–1934: Mathias Kristiansen Stubseid (V)
  • 1934–1942: Olai Einen
  • 1942–1945: Harald Slåttelid (NS)
  • 1945–1945: Olai Einen
  • 1946–1955: Sverre Ringstad (Bp)
  • 1956–1963: Mads Flokenes (V)
  • 1964–1971: Magne Loftheim
  • 1972–1988: Kåre Ness (Sp)
  • 1988–1993: Jorunn Ringstad (Sp)
  • 1993–2003: Kjellaug Veivåg Høyvik (Sp)
  • 2003–2011: Aud Kari Steinsland (Ap)
  • 2011–2017: Frida Melvær (H)
  • 2017–present: Ole André Klausen (H)

Geography

thumb|right|View of Rivedal (and Fjaler municipality on the left side of the fjord)

Askvoll Municipality covers an area of . Of this, are on the mainland while the remaining are made up of islands and skerries along its coastline. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Blægja, located on the border with Sunnfjord Municipality.

Notable people

  • Anders Askevold (1834 in Askvoll – 1900), a painter of landscapes and animal paintings
  • Nikolaus Gjelsvik (1866 in Vevring – 1938), a Norwegian jurist and law professor
  • Arve Furset (born 1964 in Askvoll), a composer, jazz musician (piano, keyboards), and music producer
  • Alexander Breidvik (born 1986 in Askvoll), a TV3 talent contest winner and retired Norwegian footballer

References

  • Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
  • Google map showing Askvoll