Masfjorden

This article is about the municipality in Vestland county, Norway. For the fjord, see Masfjorden (fjord).

Masfjorden is a municipality in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The municipality is located in the Nordhordland district of the county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Masfjordnes. Other villages in the municipality include Frøyset, Hosteland, Matre, and Solheim.

Masfjorden Municipality Masfjorden kommune
Municipality
View of the Haugsværsfjorden
Flag Coat of arms
Vestland within Norway
Masfjorden within Vestland
Coordinates: 60°50′18″N 05°26′55″E
Country	Norway
County	Vestland
District	Nordhordland
Established	1 Mar 1879
• Preceded by	Lindås Municipality
Administrative centre	Masfjordnes
Government
• Mayor (2023)	Erlend Kvamsdal (H)
Area
• Total	556.08 km2 (214.70 sq mi)
• Land	509.47 km2 (196.71 sq mi)
• Water	46.61 km2 (18.00 sq mi)  8.4%
• Rank	#195 in Norway
Population  (2023)
• Total	1,654
• Rank	#297 in Norway
• Density	3.2/km2 (8/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	−2.5%
Demonym	Masfjording[1]
Official language [2]
• Norwegian form	Nynorsk
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-4634[3]
Website	Official website
Data from Statistics Norway

The municipality is centered on the Masfjorden which almost divides the municipality completely into a north side and a south side. A cable ferry crosses the fjord from Masfjordnes to Duesund in the western part of the municipality. The Matre Hydroelectric Power Station is located in the eastern part of the municipality.

The 556-square-kilometre (215 sq mi) municipality is the 195th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Masfjorden is the 297th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,654. The municipality's population density is 3.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (8.3/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period.^[4][5]

General information

Sandnes Church

View of the Haugsdal valley in Masfjorden

The parish of Masfjorden was established as a municipality on 1 March 1879 when it was separated from the large municipality of Lindås. Masfjorden was the northern part of Lindås, and its initial population was 2,336. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Einestrand, Eikebotn, and Kikallen area along the Austfjorden (population: 25) was transferred from Lindås to Masfjorden.^[6]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Masfjorden (Old Norse: Matrsfjǫrðr) since that fjord is a central geographical feature of the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of the old (uncompounded) name of the fjord: Matr. That name is identical to the word matr which means "food". The last element is fjǫrðr which means "fjord" or "firth". Therefore, the meaning of the name is "the fjord that's full of food (fish)". The village of Matre lies at the inner end of the fjord, and that name has a similar origin.^[7]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, three clasps Or in pall" (Norwegian: På raud grunn tre gule heldrer stilte i trepass). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three heldrer, traditional tools made of wood for fastening a rope around a load. 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. They are meant to symbolize unity as well as the importance of forestry. The arms were designed by Rune Garmann. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.^[8][9][10]

See also: Coat of arms of Øyer

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Masfjorden. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. Prior to 2020, the municipality had three parishes (Frøyset, Sandnes, and Solheim).^[11]

Churches in Masfjorden

Parish (sokn)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Masfjorden	Frøyset Church	Frøyset	1937
	Sandnes Church	Masfjordnes	1845
	Solheim Church	Solheim	1881

Government

Masfjorden 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.^[12] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Mayors

The mayors (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Masfjorden (incomplete list):^[13]

• 1879–1880: Erik A. Riisnæs
• 1880–1883: Kristen T. Bergsvik
• 1884–1889: Thorbjørn Frølich
• 1890–1895: Rasmus M. Haugsvær
• 1896–1899: Torgeir R. Haugsvær
• 1900–1901: Rasmus M. Haugsvær
• 1901–1916: Hans Bergersen Wergeland
• 1917–1919: Ivar R. Eikemo
• 1920–1941: Martin H. Matre
• 1942–1945: Gjert Daae
• 1945–1945: Magnus Maurstad
• 1945–1945: Martin H. Matre
• 1945–1950: Magnus Halsøy
• 1999–2003: Helge Haukeland
• 2003–2011: Håkon Matre (H)
• 2011-2023: Karstein Totland (H)
• 2023-present: Erlend Kvamsdal (H)^[14]

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Masfjorden is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Masfjorden kommunestyre 2023–2027 ^[15]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	4
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	7
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	3
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	1
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 2019–2023 ^[16]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	4
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	1
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	7
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	1
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	4
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 2015–2019 ^[17]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	4
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	1
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	7
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	2
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	1
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 2011–2015 ^[18]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	3
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	6
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	2
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 2007–2011 ^[17]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	5
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	4
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	2
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 2003–2007 ^[17]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	5
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	1
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	2
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 1999–2003 ^[17]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	6
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	1
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	4
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	1
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 1995–1999 ^[19]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	3
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	4
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	4
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 1991–1995 ^[20]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	4
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	1
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	4
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	4
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	1
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 1987–1991 ^[21]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	5
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	2
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and Liberal People's Party (Liberale Folkepartiet)	2
	Non-political municipal list (Upolitisk bygdeliste)	1
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 1983–1987 ^[22]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	5
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	1
	Cross-party common list (Tverrpolitisk samlingsliste)	1
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 1979–1983 ^[23]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	4
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	3
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	3
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
	Cross-party common list (Tverrpolitisk Samlingsliste)	2
Total number of members:		17

Masfjorden kommunestyre 1975–1979 ^[24]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	2
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	4
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	3
	Cross-party common list (Tverrpolitisk Samlingsliste)	6
Total number of members:		15

Masfjorden kommunestyre 1971–1975 ^[25]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	1
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	14
Total number of members:		15

Masfjorden kommunestyre 1967–1971 ^[26]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	2
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	5
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	8
Total number of members:		15

Masfjorden kommunestyre 1963–1967 ^[27]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	1
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	5
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	7
Total number of members:		15

Masfjorden heradsstyre 1959–1963 ^[28]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	1
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	4
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	8
Total number of members:		15

Masfjorden heradsstyre 1955–1959 ^[29]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	1
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister)	8
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	6
Total number of members:		15

Masfjorden heradsstyre 1951–1955 ^[30]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	14
Total number of members:		14

Masfjorden heradsstyre 1947–1951 ^[31]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	14
Total number of members:		14

Masfjorden heradsstyre 1945–1947 ^[32]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	14
Total number of members:		14

Masfjorden heradsstyre 1937–1941* ^[33]  

Party name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	14
Total number of members:		14
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Population

Historical population
Year	1879	1891	1900	1910	1920	1930	1946	1951	1960	1970	1980	1990	2000	2010	2020	2023
Pop.	2,336	2,336	2,277	2,252	2,240	2,059	1,995	1,928	1,987	1,858	1,915	1,891	1,774	1,635	1,691	1,654
±% p.a.	—	+0.00%	−0.28%	−0.11%	−0.05%	−0.84%	−0.20%	−0.68%	+0.34%	−0.67%	+0.30%	−0.13%	−0.64%	−0.81%	+0.34%	−0.73%
Source: Statistics Norway[4][34] and Norwegian Historical Data Centre[35]

Geography

View of the fjord in eastern Masfjorden

Masfjorden municipality lies to the east of the Fensfjorden and Austfjorden. The Masfjorden runs east to west bisecting the municipality. The eastern part has mountains and as one heads westward, the land levels out before reaching the fjord in the east.

The municipality lies along the west coast in the central part of the county. The municipalities of Gulen and Høyanger lie to the north, the municipality of Modalen to the east, and the municipality of Alver lies to the south and west.

The European route E39 highway runs through eastern Masfjorden heading north and south. The 4.1-kilometre (2.5 mi) long Masfjord Tunnel and the 2.5-kilometre (1.6 mi) long Jernfjell Tunnel (and a few other tunnels) are part of the E39 highway which winds its way through some valleys in the mountainous eastern region of Masfjorden.

Notable people

• Hans Bergersen Wergeland (1861–1931), a Norwegian politician, local mayor, and farmer
• Ludvig Hope (1871–1954), a Norwegian lay preacher, writer, and teacher
• Einar Hope (born 1937), a Norwegian economist
• Bjarne Johannes Hope (1944–2006), a Norwegian civil servant

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. p. 430.
8. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
9. "Masfjorden, Hordaland". Flags of the World. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
10. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 9 December 1990. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
11. "Møteprotokoll" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Bjørgvin bispedømme.
12. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
13. "Masfjorden gjennom århundrer". Scandion.no. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
14. "Kommunestyret 2023-2027". Masfjorden kommune (in Norwegian). Retrieved 21 January 2024.
15. "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Vestland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
16. "Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Vestland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
17. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
18. "Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Hordaland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
22. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
23. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
24. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
25. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
26. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
27. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
31. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
32. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
33. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
34. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Folketellingen 1960" (PDF) (in Norwegian).
35. Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet. "Censuses in the Norwegian Historical Data Archive (NHDC)".

External links

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)