Vågsøy is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1964 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now divided between Kinn Municipality and Stad Municipality in the traditional district of Nordfjord in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the town of Måløy. Other population centers in Vågsøy included the villages of Bryggja, Deknepollen, Holvika, Kvalheim, Langeneset, Raudeberg, Refvika, Silda, Tennebø, Totland, Vedvika, and Vågsvåg.

thumb|left|The bay [[Sildegapet]]

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the municipality was the 345th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Vågsøy Municipality was the 175th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 0.3% over the previous 10-year period.

The municipality included the island of Vågsøy, several small surrounding islands, and part of the mainland. The municipality of Vågsøy was the second largest fishing municipality in Norway, and it was home to one of Norway's most modern fish-processing plants.

General information

Historically, Vågsøy Municipality was originally a part of the old Selje Municipality (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1910, Selje Municipality was divided into three separate municipalities as follows:

  • the southern part of the island of Vågsøy plus a portion of the mainland to the east of the island (population: 1,517) became Sør-Vågsøy Municipality
  • the northern part of the island of Vågsøy (population: 1,111) became Nord-Vågsøy Municipality
  • the rest of the old municipality (population: 3,367) continued on as a smaller Selje Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the following areas were merged to form the new Vågsøy Municipality with an initial population of 6,962:

  • The Bryggja-Totland area in the eastern part of Vågsøy Municipality was merged with the neighboring Eid Municipality and Selje Municipality to become the new Stad Municipality.
  • The rest of Vågsøy Municipality was merged with Flora Municipality to the south to create a new (non-contiguous) Kinn Municipality.

Name

thumb|left|200px|Ulvesundet at Måløy

thumb|left|200px|[[Totland Church]]

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island of Vågsøy (). The first element is the genitive case of which means "bay" or "inlet". The last element is which means "island".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of Vågsøy was granted on 27 March 1987 and they were in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon was "Azure, two rudders in bend| argent" (). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a set of two rudders lined up diagonally. 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 arms depict the type of rudders used in the one-man boats which have been used for a long time in this area. This design was chosen to symbolize "steering on land and sea". The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

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

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

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

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

|-

|rowspan="3"|Vågsøy||Nord-Vågsøy Church||Raudeberg||1960

|-

|Sør-Vågsøy Church||Måløy||1907

|-

|Totland Church||Totland||1912

|}

Government

While it existed, Vågsøy 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 Vågsøy Municipality was made up of 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 Vågsøy Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

  • 1964–1965: Marius Larsen (H)
  • 1966–1967: Leif Våge (V)
  • 1968–1969: Leif Iversen (H)
  • 1970–1977: Jon Lillestøl (KrF)
  • 1978–1981: Otto Hoddevik (V)
  • 1982–1983: Jon Lillestøl (KrF)
  • 1984–1987: Rolf Domstein (H)
  • 1988–1993: Olav Horn (Sp)
  • 1994–1995: Anfinn Slinning (KrF)
  • 1996–1999: Liv Henjum (V)
  • 2000–2011: Roger Bernt Silden (Ap)
  • 2011–2015: Morten Andreas Hagen (H)
  • 2015–2019: Kristin Maurstad (Ap)

In 2007, Vågsøy Municipality participated in a trial where the mayor was directly elected. The sitting mayor, Roger B. Silden, received 44.1% of the votes and won the election. His party (the Norwegian Labour Party), however, did poorer than in 2003 and it became the second largest party with only 21.8% of the votes.

Geography

thumb|right|260px|Hendanes

thumb|right|460px|Kannestein

thumb|right|260px|Kråkenes

Vågsøy Municipality encompassed areas on the mainland and islands on the northern and outer shore of the Nordfjorden. The municipality was named after its largest island, Vågsøy. Other populated islands in Vågsøy included Silda, Måløyna, and Husevågøy. The lake Deknepollvatnet was located between the villages of Deknepollen and Tennebø. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Sankta Synneva-hornet, located on the border with Selje Municipality. but the café and exhibition is open in summer and guided tours are available. There is also an exhibition featuring old fishing boats and equipment.