Førde is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now part of Sunnfjord Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnfjord in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the town of Førde. Some notable villages in the municipality included Bruland, Holsen, Moskog, and Haukedalen. The Øyrane area within the town of Førde was a large industrial/commercial area for the region.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the municipality was the 190th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Førde Municipality was the 93rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 10.6% over the previous 10-year period.

The European Route E39 highway passed through the municipality, and it passed by the lake Holsavatnet. Førde Airport, Bringeland was the regional airport, located about from the town centre with flights that connect Oslo and Bergen with Førde. The airport was actually located in the neighboring Gaular Municipality, just south of the border. The largest hospital in Sogn og Fjordane county, Førde Central Hospital, and the regional offices of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation are located in the town. The International Førde Folk Music Festival is held each summer. The local newspaper is called Firda.

General information

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

On 1 January 1896, the northern sub-parish of Naustdal (population: 2,543) was separated from Førde Municipality to become the new Naustdal Municipality. This left Førde Municipality with 2,903 residents.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the areas of Naustdal Municipality that were located south of the Førdefjorden (population: 265) were transferred to Førde Municipality.

thumb|left|[[Førde Church]]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) was named after the old Førde farm ( <nowiki>[</nowiki>nominative<nowiki>]</nowiki> and <nowiki>[</nowiki>dative<nowiki>]</nowiki>) since the first Førde Church was built there. The name is identical with the word which means "firth" or "fjord", referring to the fjord now called Førdefjorden.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 27 April 1990 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Gules, three plowshares argent, two over one" (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a set of three plowshares. 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 design was chosen to symbolize the three pillars of the local economy: agriculture, horticulture, and development. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway had two parishes () within Førde Municipality. It was part of the Sunnfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

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

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

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

|-

|Førde||Førde Church||Førde||1885

|-

|rowspan="2"|Holsen og Haukedalen||Haukedalen Church||Haukedalen||1885

|-

|Holsen Church||Holsen||1861

|}

Geography

thumb|right|Lake Haukedalsvatnet

Førde Municipality encompassed the valleys that led away from the inner end of the Førdefjorden. Naustdal Municipality bordered Førde to the north, the municipalities of Jølster, Sogndal, and Balestrand were to the east, Gaular Municipality was to the south, and Askvoll Municipality was to the west. The two largest lakes in the municipality were Holsavatnet and Haukedalsvatnet. The rivers Jølstra and Gaula were both partially located in Førde Municipality. The Gaularfjellet mountains were located in the east and south of the municipality. The glaciers Grovabreen and Jostefonni were located in the eastern mountainous part of Førde Municipality. The westernmost edges of the Jostedalsbreen National Park were located in the Haukedalen valley in Førde Municipality. The highest point in the municipality was the tall Grovabreen glacier. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Førde Municipality was made up of 27 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor () of Førde Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

  • 1838–1839: Andreas Gunnerus Lind
  • 1840–1841: Dr. Heinrich Rachlev
  • 1842–1845: S. Steen
  • 1846–1849: J.F. Boyesen
  • 1850–1858: Rev. Søren Hjelm Friis
  • 1858–1869: Th. F. Christensen
  • 1870–1874: C.J. Steen
  • 1875–1881: Nils Hafstad
  • 1882–1893: Albert Steen
  • 1894–1895: G.B. Thune
  • 1896–1897: Ole Martinus Erdal
  • 1898–1904: Johannes Kvaal
  • 1905–1914: Ole Martinus Erdal
  • 1914–1933: Olai Tefre
  • 1934–1945: A.G. Holsen
  • 1946–1951: Lars Hustveit
  • 1952–1963: Bertel Flaten (V)
  • 1963–1968: Erik Hagen (Sp)
  • 1968–1979: Reidar Tveit (V/DLF)
  • 1980–1981: Helge Barstad (H)
  • 1982–1983: Lars Gunnar Lie (KrF)
  • 1984–1987: Sverre Øygard (Sp)
  • 1988–2003: Aud Viken (Ap)
  • 2003–2003: Wilhelm Sandal (KrF)
  • 2003–2011: Nils Gjerland (Sp)
  • 2011–2019: Olve Grotle (H)

Attractions

Waterfalls

  • Huldefossen: Located approximately from the town of Førde, it is a tall waterfall into the peaceful valley below.
  • Halbrendsfossen: located a short walk from the Førde town center. It is a very powerful waterfall in the spring.

Notable people

Sister cities

Førde has sister city agreements with the following places:

  • La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States.
  • Kent, Washington, United States. Each year two students ages 14–17 are exchanged between the two cities to be youth ambassadors of their country.

See also

  • List of former municipalities of Norway

References

  • NRK Municipality encyclopedia
  • Førde Folk Music Festival also in English, Deutsch and francais
  • Firda (local newspaper)