Jølster 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 village of Skei. Other villages in the municipality included Helgheim, Ålhus, Vassenden, and Langhaugane.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the municipality was the 167th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Jølster Municipality was the 260th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 3.3% over the previous 10-year period.

Jølster was located at the centre of the old Sogn og Fjordane county and was known for its rich cultural traditions in home crafts, folk music, song, dancing, and creative arts. Agriculture was the largest industry in the municipality. The principal attraction in Jølster was the scenery, with easy access to the glaciers Grovabreen, Jostedalsbreen, and Myklebustbreen. Jølster was home to part of the largest glacier of continental Europe, the Jostedalsbreen as well as a clear green lake named Jølstravatnet. The trout caught in Jølstravatn were renowned throughout Norway and beyond.

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

General information

thumb|left|[[Helgheim Church in Jølster]]

thumb|left|Jølstravatn

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

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the farm area of Førde in the neighboring Breim Municipality (population: 38) was transferred to Jølster Municipality.

On 1 January 2020, Jølster Municipality, Førde Municipality, Naustdal Municipality, and Gaular Municipality were merged to form the new Sunnfjord Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) was named after the local river Jølstra () since it runs through the lower parts of the municipality. The may be derived from the word which means "noise", likely referring to the noise and rumble of the river.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 22 July 1983 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Gules, a cross fleury Or" (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a cross fleury. The cross has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms are loosely inspired by the medieval arms of Audun Hugleiksson who was from Hegranes in Jølster. He was a medieval nobleman (died in 1302) who built Audunborg, one of only two private stone castles in Norway. On his seals, he used a shield with a rose that was surrounded with double tressure -. He also used the fleur-de-lis as ornamentation throughout his castle. The arms of Jølster were derived from this tressure and the fleur-de-lis. The modern arms were designed by Elsa Norunn Håheim Nydal who based it off an idea by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway had two parishes () within Jølster 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 Jølster Municipality

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

|-

|Helgheim||Helgheim Church||Helgheim||1877

|-

|rowspan="2"|Ålhus||Vassenden Church||Vassenden||2002

|-

|Ålhus Church||Ålhus||1795

|}

Government

While it existed, Jølster Municipality was 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 was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. 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 Jølster Municipality was made up of 25 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 Jølster Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

  • 1838–1841: Thor Hansen Veiteberg
  • 1842–1843: Samuel N. Dvergsdal
  • 1844–1847: Anders J. Aalhus
  • 1848–1855: Michael Fasting
  • 1856–1857: Samuel N. Dvergsdal
  • 1858–1861: Anders J. Aalhus
  • 1861–1863: Ludvig G. Klakegg
  • 1864–1871: Nils O. Øvrebø
  • 1872–1873: Anders K. Myklebust
  • 1874–1875: Anton K. Øygard
  • 1876–1877: Bendikt J. Nedrebø
  • 1878–1879: Anders K. Myklebust
  • 1880–1889: Sjur B. Heggheim
  • 1890–1891: Ole O. Viken
  • 1892–1899: Nils S. Dvergsdal
  • 1900–1909: Sjur B. Heggheim
  • 1910–1919: Thor H. Veiteberg, Jr.
  • 1920–1929: Ludvig D. Klakegg
  • 1929–1936: Nils O. Øvrebø
  • 1936–1942: Anton K. Øygard
  • 1942–1945: Arne Egge (NS)
  • 1945–1951: Anton K. Øygard
  • 1952–1965: Nils J. Helgheim (Sp)
  • 1966–1973: Erling Slåtten (LL)
  • 1974–1981: Sverre P. Befring (Sp)
  • 1982–1985: Anders Helgheim (LL)
  • 1986–1987: Arne Sandnes (Ap)
  • 1988–1991: Normann Aarseth (KrF)
  • 1992–1995: Knut O. Øygard (Sp)
  • 1995–2011: Gerd Dvergsdal (Sp)
  • 2011–2019: Oddmund Klakegg (Sp)

Geography

thumb|View from Eikåsnipa towards Jølstravatnet.

The Jølstravatnet lake split the municipality in half, which created a centre of population at each end of the lake: Skei in the eastern end of the lake and Vassenden () in the western part, where the river Jølstra starts. A small end of the lake Breimsvatnet crosses over into Jølster Municipality. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Snønipa, on the border with Gloppen Municipality.

Another Norwegian painter and graphic artist, Ludvig Eikaas, is closely connected to Jølster. The artist grew up in Jølster, but later moved to Oslo. He is among other things famous for his non-figurative art and portraits/self-portraits.

The Eikaas Gallery was originally an old dairy farm in Ålhus that was purchased by the municipality of Jølster and converted to a modern art gallery. The collection contains about 300 works of art by Ludvig Eikaas.