Solund is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. Solund Municipality is the westernmost island municipality in Norway. Holmebåen on the island of Steinsøy is the westernmost point in all of Norway. Most residents of the municipality live on the main islands of Sula and Ytre Sula. The administrative centre is the village of Hardbakke on Sula island. Some other villages in Solund include Kolgrov on Ytre Sula, Hersvikbygda on Sula, and Losnegard on Losna.

The municipality is the 296th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Solund Municipality is the 347th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 740. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 8% over the previous 10-year period.

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

General information

thumb|left|Aerial view of the islands

thumb|left|View of the Ospa narrows strait

In 1858, the large Gulen Municipality was divided in two. The two parishes () of Solund and Husøy (population: 1,384) became the new Utvær Municipality and the rest of Gulen (population: 3,018) remained as Gulen Municipality.

On 1 January 1888, the Krakken farm (population: 17) on the extreme northeastern part of the island of Sula was transferred from Hyllestad Municipality and eight farms in the Hersvikbygda area (population: 317) on the northern oart of the island Sula were transferred from Askvoll Municipality and they were all added to Utvær Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) was originally named after the old Utvær farm () since the first Utvær Chapel was built there. The first element is which means "outer". The last element is which means "fishing station". The municipality had this name from 1858 until 1 July 1890 when it was renamed Sulen. The new name was chosen since it was the name of the large island of Sula ( or ). The first element comes from the word which means "furrow" or "incision". The last element is a suffix, , which means "a place where it is found", thus it means something like "an island where furrows and incisions are found", likely referring to the jagged, rocky form of the island. In Old Norse times, the sea between Norway and Scotland was called which means "the sea () of Solund."

Historically, the name of the municipality was Utvær. On 1 July 1890, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to Sulen.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 16 February 1990. The official blazon is "Argent, five lozenges azure in fess" (). This means the arms have a field (background) 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 charge is a set of five blue lozenges (diamonds) lined up horizontally. The arms were inspired by the coat of arms of the now-extinct medieval noble family from the island of Losna. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen from Vadsø who based it off an original idea by Hans H. Steinsund. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () (made up of three churches) within Solund Municipality. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

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

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

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

|-

|rowspan="3"|Solund||Hersvik Church||Hersvikbygda||1892

|-

|Husøy Church||Kolgrov||1896

|-

|Solund Church||Hardbakke||1869

|}

Government

Solund 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 Solund Municipality is made up of 15 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 Solund 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:

  • 1858–1861: Johannes Mathiesen
  • 1862–1865: Kristoffer Furrevik
  • 1866–1869: Johannes Mathiesen
  • 1870–1874: Halvor Jensen
  • 1875–1875: Berthel A. Tungodden
  • 1876–1881: Halvor Jensen
  • 1882–1885: Petter Olai Johnsen
  • 1886–1889: Halvor Jensen
  • 1890–1895: Mons A. Aarø
  • 1896–1901: Johannes K. Laagø
  • 1902–1904: Henrik B. Tungodden
  • 1905–1913: Johannes K. Laagø
  • 1914–1919: Paul Takle
  • 1920–1928: Bernt Kverhellen
  • 1929–1940: Johan Færøy
  • 1945–1947: Truls Pollen
  • 1948–1955: Sverre Takle (H)
  • 1956–1959: Anna Herland (V)
  • 1960–1967: Henrik Nybø (V)
  • 1968–1975: Johannes R. Oddekalv (V)
  • 1976–1981: Steinar Krakhellen (H)
  • 1981–1987: Reidar Engevik (KrF)
  • 1988–1991: Sveinung Kråkås (H)
  • 1991–1999: Vigdis Midtbø (Ap)
  • 1999–2003: Steinar Krakhellen (H)
  • 2003–2011: Gunn Åmdal Mongstad (Sp)
  • 2011–2015: Ole Gunnar Krakhellen (H)
  • 2015–present: Gunn Åmdal Mongstad (Sp)

Population

Solund is one of the least populated municipalities in all of Norway. The population of Solund Municipality is scattered among the islands in small villages as follows:

  • Hardbakke - 246 inhabitants
  • Storøy/Dalesund - 139 inhabitants
  • Nesefjord - 89 inhabitants
  • Kolgrov/Trovåg - 62 inhabitants
  • Hjønnevåg - 59 inhabitants
  • Strand/Oddekalv - 53 inhabitants
  • Færøy/Leknessund - 52 inhabitants
  • Hersvikbygda - 42 inhabitants
  • Austrefjord/Dumbefjord - 26 inhabitants
  • Indrevær/Utvær - 11 inhabitants
  • Krakhella - 6 inhabitants
  • Losnegard - 4 inhabitants

Geography

thumb|right|Rock formation in northern Solund

Solund Municipality is an island municipality made up of over 1,000 islands. The two largest islands are Sula and Ytre Sula. Other islands are Losna, Steinsundøyna, Nesøyna, Ospa, Rånøyna, Færøyna, Lågøyna, and Hågøyna. The westernmost point in Norway is Holmebåen in the tiny Utvær islands which are mostly uninhabited. Utvær Lighthouse is located at Utvær. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Krakhellenipa on the island of Sula.

Attractions

thumb|right|[[Utvær Lighthouse]]

thumb|right|Utvær island

Gåsvær

Gåsvær is among the outermost islands of northern Solund. It is far west out at sea between the Lågøyfjorden and the Gåsværosen river outlet. The fishing banks are just off the island's coastline, and Gåsvær most probably has a long history of trade. In 1767, the island had both its own guesthouse and pub. Over the past century, the islanders have made their living from fishing and agriculture, and in more modern times, taking passengers over the waters and tourism. The oldest section of the characteristic main house dates back to the 18th century, while another section was built using timber from a shipwrecked sailing ship.