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Vestnes Municipality Vestnes kommune
Municipality
Væstnes herred  (historic name)
View of Vestnes with mountains in the background
FlagCoat of arms
Møre og Romsdal within Norway
Vestnes within Møre og Romsdal
Coordinates: 62°35′04″N 07°01′06″E / 62.58444°N 7.01833°E / 62.58444; 7.01833
Country	Norway
County	Møre og Romsdal
District	Romsdal
Established	1 Jan 1838
• Created as	Formannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centre	Vestnes
Government
• Mayor (2023)	Randi Bergundhaugen (H)
Area
• Total	404.59 km (156.21 sq mi)
• Land	399.23 km (154.14 sq mi)
• Water	5.36 km (2.07 sq mi)  1.3%
• Rank	#239 in Norway
Population
• Total	7,051
• Rank	#142 in Norway
• Density	17.7/km (46/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	+6.4%
Demonym	Vestnesing
Official language
• Norwegian form	Nynorsk
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-1535
Website	Official website
Data from Statistics Norway

Vestnes is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Vestnes is part of the traditional district of Romsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vestnes. Other villages in the municipality include Vikebukt, Vik, Vågstranda, Øverås, Fiksdal, Tomrefjord, and Tresfjord.

The area is known for nature and outdoor pursuits, and has a long history in ship building and maritime crafts. The village of Vestnes (Helland) dates back to early medieval times, and has 24-hour ferry and water taxi service with the town of Molde to the northeast. The ferry takes about 35-minutes each way.

The 405-square-kilometre (156 sq mi) municipality is the 239th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vestnes is the 142nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,051. The municipality's population density is 17.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (46/sq mi) and its population has increased by 6.4% over the previous 10-year period.

History

The municipality of Vestnes was established in the fall of 1838 when the western district of the large Veøy Municipality was separated to form its own municipality (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1899, the southern district of the municipality (population: 1,408) was separated from Vestnes to form the new municipality of Sylte. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of Vestnes (population: 3,895) and Tresfjord, formerly known as Sylte, (population: 1,319) were merged to form a new, larger municipality called Vestnes. On 1 January 2021, the 53-square-kilometre (20 sq mi) Vågstranda area in the northwestern part of Rauma Municipality was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Vestnes.

A Viking barrow burial was uncovered at Villa Farm near Vestnes in 1894. Now in the British Museum's collection in London, the rich grave finds include a pair of oval brooches and other dress accessories, a comb, remnants of a bucket and a box, a bridle-bit, agricultural tools, a bronze bowl, a whalebone plaque, a weaving batten and a whetstone.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Vestnes farm (Old Norse: Vestnes) since the first Vestnes Church was built there. The first element is vestr which means "west". The last element is nes which means "headland". Prior to 1889, the name was written Vestnæs.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 April 1980. The official blazon is "Gules, two piles issuant from dexter Or" (Norwegian: I raudt to gull spissar mot venstre). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is two piles (triangles) extending from the left to the right. The charge 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 designed to symbolize the geography of the municipality: a headland between two fjords—the Tresfjorden and the Tomrefjorden. The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Museums

The Møre og Romsdal Agricultural Museum (Landbruksmuseet for Møre og Romsdal) was established in the municipality at the Gjermundnes Farm in 1979.

Churches

The Church of Norway has five parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Vestnes. It is part of the Indre Romsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre.

Geography

Vestnes is located in an area of great natural splendour on the southern shores of the vast Romsdal Fjord. The Tresfjorden and Tomrefjorden branch off Romsdal Fjord to the south. Vestnes borders Rauma Municipality to the east, as well as Fjord Municipality and Ålesund Municipality to the south. Across the Moldefjorden to the north is Molde Municipality.

Government

Vestnes 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 Møre og Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vestnes is made up of 23 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 mayors (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Vestnes (incomplete list):

• 1870–1873: Walter Scott Dahl (V)
• 1876–1883: Walter Scott Dahl (V)
• 1896-1898: M. P. Sylte
• 1899–1901: Mads Ellingsæter
• 1902–1910: Rasmuss Stokkeland
• 1911–1916: P.L. Legernes
• 1917–1919: Nils K. Bårdsnes
• 1920–1922: Anton J. Nerem
• 1923–1925: Nils K. Bårdsnes
• 1926–1928: Olav Eidhammer
• 1929–1931: Peder P. Gjelsten
• 1932–1934: Olav Eidhammer
• 1935–1937: Einar Helland
• 1938-1941: Kristian K Frostad (V)
• 1941–1945: Olav Rekdal (NS)
• 1945-1951: Kristian K Frostad (V)
• 1951-1956: Einar Aas
• 1956-1957: Olav Tomren
• 1957-1963: Kåre Rekdal (KrF)
• 1964-1971: Peder B. Hjelvik (Sp)
• 1972–1980: Torgeir Stene
• 1980-1980: Ole S. Øveraas
• 1981-1985: Georg Balstad
• 1986-1987: Alf Johan Hustad
• 1987-1999: Petter Inge Bergheim (Sp)
• 1999-2003: Roald Fiksdal (Ap)
• 2003-2007: Knut Magne Flølo (FrP)
• 2007-2015: Øyvind Uren (Ap)
• 2015–2021: Geir Inge Lien (Sp)
• 2021-present: Randi Bergundhaugen (H)

Economy

Vestnes is a relatively good agricultural community with emphasis on livestock and milk production. Vestnes, however, is primarily a manufacturing district. The main industry is the ship-building industry with a number of different companies located in Vestnes. A total of 63% of industry employment (2004) in Vestnes is part of the ship-building industry. Other that shipbuilding, there are several companies in the food, textile and clothing, wood products, furniture, and metal products industries in Vestnes.

Media

The newspaper Vestnesavisa is published in Vestnes.

Transportation

The European route E39 highway goes through Vestnes on its way from Sjøholt to Molde. The European route E136 highway goes through Vestnes on its way from Ålesund to Dombås. The two highways intersect and share part of the route through Vestnes. The new Tresfjord Bridge carries the E136 highway over the Tresfjorden rather than the previous roadway that follows the shoreline all the way around the fjord.

Notable people

• Peter L. Rypdal (1909 in Tresfjord – 1988), a fiddler and traditional folk music composer
• Jakob Rypdal (1926 in Tresfjord – 2015), a Norwegian triple jumper
• Terje Rypdal (born 1947), a Norwegian guitarist and composer who lives in Tresfjord
• Lodve Solholm (born 1949 in Vestnes), the county governor of Møre og Romsdal from 2009 to 2018
• Barry Gjerde (born 1951 in Vestnes), a Canadian-Japanese voice actor who works in Japan
• Bjørn Rune Gjelsten (born 1956 in Tomrefjord), a powerboat racer and joint owner of Wimbledon F.C.
• Kjetil Rekdal (born 1968 in Vestnes), a football manager and a former footballer with 484 club caps and 83 for Norway
• Bernt Hulsker (born 1977), a retired footballer with over 250 club caps who grew up in Vestnes

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. "Vedtak om grensejustering mellom kommunane Rauma og Vestnes, Møre og Romsdal". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). 21 June 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
8. British Museum collection
9. Rygh, Oluf (1908). Norske gaardnavne: Romsdals amt (in Norwegian) (13 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 217.
10. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
11. "Vestnes, Møre og Romsdal (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
12. ^ Store norske leksikon. "Vestnes" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 25 October 2010.
13. "Landbruksmuseet for Møre og Romsdal, Gjermundnes". Retrieved 19 January 2018.
14. "Gjermundnes" (PDF). Møre og Romsdal fylkeskommune. Vestnes kommune. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
15. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
16. "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
17. "Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
18. ^ "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
19. "Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
22. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
23. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
24. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
25. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
26. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
27. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
28. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
31. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
32. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
33. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
34. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
35. "Ordførarkjedet". Vestnes kommune (in Norwegian). Retrieved 15 April 2023.
36. "Einar Aas ordfører i Vestnes". Tidens Krav (in Norwegian). 13 December 1951. p. 2.
37. "Kåre Rekdal ble gjenvalt til ordfører i Vestnes". Tidens Krav (in Norwegian). 9 December 1959. p. 8.
38. "Bergundhaugen fortsetter som ordfører i Vestnes". NRK (in Norwegian). 14 September 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
39. Smith-Meyer, Trond, ed. (12 May 2012). "VestnesAvisa". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
40. Barry Gjerde at IMDb. Retrieved 23 March 2021.

External links

• Media related to Vestnes at Wikimedia Commons
• Møre og Romsdal travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)
• Vestnes official web site

v t e Møre og Romsdal county, Norway
Main article: Møre og Romsdal Capital: Molde County government: Møre og Romsdal County Municipality County lists: County Governors Villages Churches
	Towns & cities	Kristiansund (1742) Molde (1742) Ålesund (1824) Åndalsnes (1996) Fosnavåg (2000) Ulsteinvik (2000)
	Municipalities	Nordmøre Aure Averøy Gjemnes Kristiansund Smøla Sunndal Surnadal Tingvoll Romsdal Aukra Hustadvika Molde Rauma Vestnes Sunnmøre Fjord Haram Hareid Herøy Giske Sande Stranda Sula Sykkylven Ulstein Vanylven Volda Ørsta Ålesund
	Former Municipalities in Møre og Romsdal Bolsøy (1838-1964) Borgund (1838-1968) Brattvær (1915-1960) Bremsnes (1897-1964) Bud (1838-1964) Dalsfjord (1924-1964) Edøy (1838-1960) Eid (1874-1964) Eid og Voll (1840-1874) Eide (1897-2020) Eresfjord og Vistdal (1890-1964) Frei (1838-2008) Fræna (1840-2020) Grip (1897-1964) Grytten (1838-1964) Halsa (1838-2020) Haram (2020-2024) Hen (1902-1964) Hjørundfjord (1838-1964) Hopen (1915-1960) Hustad (1918-1964) Kornstad (1897-1964) Kvernes (1838-1964) Midsund (1965-2020) Nesset (1838-2020) Norddal (1838-2020) Rovde (1905-1964) Sandøy (1867-2020) Skodje (1849-1965, 1977-2020) Stangvik (1838-1965) Stemshaug (1914-1965) Stordal (1892-1965, 1977-2020) Straumsnes (1866-1964) Sunnylven (1838-1965) Syvde (1918-1964) Sør-Aukra (1924-1965) Tresfjord (1899-1964) Tustna (1874-2006) Valsøyfjord (1894-1965) Vartdal (1895-1965) Vatne (1902-1965) Veøy (1838-1964) Vigra (1890-1964) Voll (1874-1964) Øksendal (1854-1960) Øre (1838-1965) Ørskog (1838-2020) Ålvundeid (1899-1960) Åsskard (1895-1965)

• Vestnes
• Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal
• 1838 establishments in Norway