Knarvik

Not to be confused with Knarrevik or Narvik (town).

Knarvik (or Knarrviki) is the administrative centre of Alver Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the mainland, about 20 km (12 mi) straight north of Bergen at the confluence of four fjords: Osterfjorden (heading east), Sørfjorden (heading southeast), Salhusfjorden (heading southwest), and the Radfjorden (heading northwest). The village of Isdalstø lies immediately north of Knarvik.^[3]

Knarvik
Village
View of the village (looking north)
Knarvik Location of the village Show map of Vestland Knarvik Knarvik (Norway) Show map of Norway
Coordinates: 60°32′43″N 05°16′55″E
Country	Norway
Region	Western Norway
County	Vestland
District	Nordhordland
Municipality	Alver Municipality
Area [1]
• Total	3.48 km2 (1.34 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	38 m (125 ft)
Population  (2019)[1]
• Total	5,875
• Density	1,688/km2 (4,370/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code	5914 Isdalstø

The 3.48-square-kilometre (860-acre) village has a population (2019) of 5,875 and a population density of 1,688 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,370/sq mi). This makes it the largest settlement in the Nordhordland district of Vestland.^[1]

Amfi Knarvik shopping mall

Knarvik videregåande skule

The centre of the village is the site of the Knarvik Senter, the largest shopping centre in Nordhordland with 61 stores. The European route E39 highway runs straight through the village dividing it into two major parts. The northern part is where the large shopping mall is located while the southern part is still in its original state with scattered buildings and shops.

Knarvik has several kindergartens, a junior high school, and a regional high school (Knarvik vidaregåande skule) with more than 1,000 students. The newly built Knarvik Church was completed in 2014 to serve the growing community. Before its completion, residents had to travel up to Alversund Church in the village of Alversund, located about 4 km (2.5 mi) to the north.

Transportation

In recent years population and traffic have increased creating demand for an upgrade of the infrastructure. Rush hour traffic is an increasingly common sight.

Today, Knarvik is connected with Bergen Municipality to the south via the Hagelsund Bridge (finished 1982) and the Nordhordland Bridge (finished 1994). The car ferry connection between Knarvik and Bergen (Knarvik – Steinestø), which historically transported cars and people between the two places was in use up until the completion of the Nordhordland Bridge. That ferry connection was at one time carrying more vehicles than any other car ferry connection in Norway.^[3]

References

1. Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 2019). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
2. "Knarvik" (in Norwegian). yr.no. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
3. Store norske leksikon. "Knarvik" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 24 March 2014.