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Austevoll Municipality Austevoll kommune
Municipality
Austevold herred  (historic name) Østervold herred  (historic name)
Bekkjarvik harbour
FlagCoat of arms
Vestland within Norway
Austevoll within Vestland
Coordinates: 60°02′16″N 05°16′06″E / 60.03778°N 5.26833°E / 60.03778; 5.26833
Country	Norway
County	Vestland
District	Midhordland
Established	1 Jan 1886
• Preceded by	Sund Municipality
Administrative centre	Storebø
Government
• Mayor (2023)	Bente Kari Sletten Taranger (H)
Area
• Total	117.22 km (45.26 sq mi)
• Land	114.27 km (44.12 sq mi)
• Water	2.95 km (1.14 sq mi)  2.5%
• Rank	#323 in Norway
Population
• Total	5,297
• Rank	#177 in Norway
• Density	46.4/km (120/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	+9.5%
Demonym	Austevolling
Official language
• Norwegian form	Nynorsk
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-4625
Website	Official website
Data from Statistics Norway

Austevoll is a municipality and an archipelago in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Midthordland in Western Norway. The administrative centre is the village of Storebø on the island of Huftarøy. Other villages include Årland, Austevollshella, Bakkasund, Bekkjarvik, Birkeland, Haukanes, Husavik, Kolbeinsvik, Otterå, Våge, and Vinnes.

The municipality consists of hundreds of islands located southwest of the city of Bergen. The municipality is considered to be among the ports in the world with the largest ocean-going fishing trawler fleet. Since the 1980s, the offshore oil industry and fish farming industry have both grown to be important industries in Austevoll.

The 117-square-kilometre (45 sq mi) municipality is the 323rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Austevoll is the 177th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,297. The municipality's population density is 46.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (120/sq mi) and its population has increased by 9.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Austevoll was established on 1 January 1886 when it was separated from the municipality of Sund. The initial population for the new municipality of Austevoll was 2,396.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the southern part of the islands of Selbjørn and Huftarøy (population: 696) was transferred from Fitjar Municipality to Austevoll. This put the whole Austevoll archipelago in the municipality of Austevoll.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Austevoll farm (Old Norse: Austrvǫllr) since the first Austevoll Church was built there. The farm is now part of the village of Austevollshella. The first element is austr which means "east". The last element is vǫllr which means "meadow" or "field". The municipality has changed the spelling of its name three times. Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Østervold or Østevold. In 1889, the spelling was changed to Austevold. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Austevoll.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 30 November 1984. The official blazon is "Azure, four herrings argent in bend 1-2-1" (Norwegian: På blå bunn fire kvite silder på skrå oppover, 1-2-1). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a set of four herring swimming diagonally up to the left. The charg 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 shoal of herring was chosen for the arms since herring fishing is a very important part of the local economy. The arms were designed by John Digernes. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Austevoll. It is part of the Fana prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography

Austevoll consists of 667 islands off the west coast of Western Norway. The municipality has a total land area of 114.23 square kilometres (44.10 sq mi) and a coastline of 337 kilometres (209 mi). It lies south of the Korsfjorden, west of the Bjørnafjorden, and north of the Selbjørnsfjorden. The highest point in Austevoll is the mountain Loddo, reaching 244 metres (801 ft) above sea level. The Marstein Lighthouse lies in the northwestern part of the municipality.

Largest islands

1. Huftarøy
2. Selbjørn
3. Hundvåko
4. Stolmen
5. Storekalsøy
6. Møkster

Neighbours

The island municipality shares water borders with the municipality of Øygarden to the north, Bergen and Bjørnafjorden municipalities to the northeast, Tysnes municipality to the east, and Fitjar and Bømlo municipalities to the south. The North Sea lies to the west of Austevoll.

Demographics

Of the 667 islands, only eight are populated year-round. About 29% of the inhabitants live in densely populated areas. About 28% of the inhabitants are under the age of 17, which is 4.4% over the national average. About 4.7% of the inhabitants are 80 years or older.

Villages

Inhabited islands

Gallery

• Bekkjarviksundet, between Selbjørn and Huftarøy.
• Marstein Lighthouse
• Stolmasundet, between Stolmen and Selbjørn.
• Olaf II of Norway from Austevoll Church

Industry

Fishing is the most important industry in Austevoll, as it has been for centuries. Traditionally, fishing has taken place in coastal areas, not far off shore. After decades of overfishing, the herring disappeared in the 1950s. This forced a restructuring of the fishing fleet. Since the 1960s, the shipping companies built bigger ships, and went further out into the seas, and they began fishing for other fish species, not just herring. The overfishing of herring also forced better research on fishing, resulting in the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. Austevoll is the home of the Austevoll Aquaculture Research Station.

Since the early 1980s, the offshore supply industry has emerged in the wake of the offshore Norwegian oil industry. The offshore shipping company DOF, which is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange, has its headquarters at Storebø.

Education

There are five primary schools and one middle school in Austevoll, all run by the municipality. There is also one secondary school, teaching mainly fishing and nautical subjects. This is operated by the Hordaland County Municipality.

Transportation

Austevoll has car ferry connections from Hufthammar on the north tip of Huftarøy to Krokeide in Bergen, and from Husavik on the south tip of Huftarøy to Sandvikvåg in Fitjar. The municipality is also connected by express boats to Bergen in the north, and Stord, Haugesund, and Stavanger in the south. All express boat routes are operated by Norled, and ferry routes are operated by Fosen Namsos.

The islands of Huftarøy and Selbjørn, Selbjørn and Stolmen, and Hundvåkøy and Storekalsøy are connected with bridges. A fourth bridge, connecting Huftarøy and Hundvåkøy, was opened on 17 November 2007. This bridge, which in fact consists of two bridges and two stone fillings, bears the name "Austevollsbrua".

Government

Austevoll 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 Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Austevoll is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms.

From 1995 to 1999 the Socialist Left Party held one seat. In the 1999–2003 election period an all-party female electoral list held one seat in the council. In the 2003-2007 election period The Liberal Party was represented in the municipal council and held one seat. From 2011 to 2015, a coalition of the Progress Party and Center Party held power in the council. The coalition also consisted of the Christian Democratic Party before 2011. In 2011, the coalition won 12 of the 21 seats in the municipal council and had an electoral and political cooperation. The Conservative Party, Labour Party, and Christian Democratic Party make up the opposition.

The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayors (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Austevoll:

Notable people

• Abelone Møgster, (Norwegian Wiki) (1883 in Austevoll – 1975), a merchant and Norwegian resistance fighter
• Magnus Stangeland (born 1941 in Austevoll), a politician, mayor of Austevoll, and entrepreneur
• Knut Fagerbakke (born 1952), a Norwegian politician who was Deputy Mayor of Trondheim
• Ole Rasmus Møgster (1958 – 2010), a Norwegian businessperson with Austevoll Seafood
• Jan Bertin Østervold, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1966 in Skien) known as Jan Thomas, a stylist and actor
• Claus Lundekvam (born 1973), a former footballer with 410 club caps and 40 for Norway
• Helge André Njåstad (born 1980), a Norwegian politician who was mayor of Austevoll from 2003 to 2013

1920 Summer Olympics sailors

• Ole Olsen Østervold (1872–1936)
• Halvor Olai Møgster (1875–1950)
• Jan Olsen Østervold (1876–1945)
• Henrik Østervold (1878 in Austevoll – 1957)
• Kristian Olsen Østervold (1885–1960)
• Rasmus Ingvald Birkeland (1888–1972)
• Halvor Olai Birkeland (1894–1971)

References

1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
3. Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
4. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
5. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
6. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
7. Rygh, Oluf (1910). Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt (in Norwegian) (11 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. pp. 251–252.
8. "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1917. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norge: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 1057–1065. 1917.
9. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
10. "Austevoll, Hordaland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
11. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 30 November 1984. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
12. ^ Statistics Norway (2006). "Tall om Austevoll kommune" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 9 September 2006.
13. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Folketellingen 1960" (PDF) (in Norwegian).
14. Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet. "Censuses in the Norwegian Historical Data Archive (NHDC)".
15. Statistics Norway (1 January 2006). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality". Archived from the original on 21 August 2006.
16. ^ Statistics Norway. "Folke- og bustadteljing 2001" (PDF) (in Norwegian).
17. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
18. "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Vestland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
19. "Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Vestland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
20. ^ "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
21. "Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Hordaland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
22. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
23. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
24. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
25. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
26. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
27. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
28. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
29. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
30. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
31. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
32. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
33. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
34. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
35. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
36. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
37. "Former mayors of Austevoll municipality" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 24 July 2011.
38. "Fattigstyret i Møkster sokn" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 3 October 2011.
39. "Knut Kalvenes" (in Norwegian). Høyre. 2003. Archived from the original on 15 May 2007. Retrieved 19 December 2007.

External links

• The dictionary definition of Austevoll at Wiktionary
• Hordaland travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Austevoll travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)
• The gavl-boat "Notmann" sailing under the Selbjørn bridge
• 3-mountain hike in Austevoll in 10 minutes
• Kayaking in Austevoll
• Diving in Austevoll
• AustevollGuide – TourInfo – http://www.austevollguide.no

v t e Vestland county, Norway
Main article: Vestland Capitals: Bergen; Leikanger County government: Vestland County Municipality County lists: County Governors Villages Churches
	Towns and cities	Bergen (1060) Florø (1860) Førde (1997) Leirvik (1997) Måløy (1997) Odda (2004)
	Municipalities	Nordfjord and Sunnfjord Askvoll Bremanger Fjaler Gloppen Kinn Stad Stryn Sunnfjord Sogn Årdal Aurland Gulen Høyanger Hyllestad Lærdal Luster Sogndal Solund Vik Nordhordland Alver Austrheim Fedje Masfjorden Modalen Osterøy Vaksdal Hardanger and Voss Eidfjord Kvam Ullensvang Ulvik Voss Midhordland Askøy Austevoll Bjørnafjorden Bergen Øygarden Samnanger Sunnhordland Bømlo Etne Fitjar Kvinnherad Stord Sveio Tysnes
	Former Municipalities in Vestland Sogn og Fjordane   Balestrand (1850-2020) Borgund (1864-1964) Breim (1886-1964) Brekke (1850-1861, 1905-1964) Bru (1923-1964) Davik (1838-1964) Eid (1838-2020) Eikefjord (1923-1964) Flora (1964-2020) Florø (1861-1964) Førde (1838-2020) Gaular (1838-2020) Hafslo (1838-1963) Hornindal (1867-1965, 1977-2020) Innvik (1838-1965) Jostedal (1838-1963) Jølster (1838-2020) Kinn (1838-1964) Kyrkjebø (1858-1964) Lavik (1838-1861, 1905-1964) Lavik og Brekke (1861-1905) Leikanger (1838-2020) Naustdal (1896-2020) Nord-Vågsøy (1910-1964) Selje (1838-2020) Sør-Vågsøy (1910-1964) Vevring (1838-1964) Vågsøy (1964-2020) Hordaland   Alversund (1885-1964) Arna (1964-1972) Bergen landdistrikt (1838-1877) Bremnes (1916-1963) Bruvik (1870-1964) Eid (1838-1855) Evanger (1885-1964) Fana (1838-1972) Finnås (1838-1916) Fjelberg (1838-1965) Fjell (1838-2020) Fusa (1856-2020) Granvin (1891-2020) Hamre (1838-1964) Haus (1838-1964) Herdla (1871-1964) Hjelme (1910-1964) Hordabø (1924-1964) Hosanger (1838-1964) Hålandsdal (1903-1964) Jondal (1863-2020) Kinsarvik (1838-1869, 1913-1964) Laksevåg (1918-1972) Lindås (1838-2020) Manger (1838-1964) Meland (1923-2020) Moster (1916-1963) Odda (1913-2020) Os (1838-2020) Radøy (1964-2020) Røldal (1838-1964) Skånevik (1838-1965) Strandebarm (1838-1965) Strandvik (1903-1964) Sund (1838-2020) Sæbø (1924-1964) Valestrand (1868-1964) Varaldsøy (1902-1965) Vikebygd (1902-1964) Vossestrand (1868-1964) Ølen (1916-2006) Årstad (1838-1915) Åsane (1904-1972) Note: The former counties of Sogn og Fjordane and Hordaland were merged to form Vestland on 1 January 2020.

• Austevoll
• Municipalities of Vestland
• 1886 establishments in Norway
• Fishing communities in Norway