Fjell Municipality

Fjell Municipality
Fjell kommune
Fjeld herred  (historic name)
View of the village of Misje
Hordaland within Norway
Fjell within Hordaland
Coordinates: 60°20′50″N 05°02′49″E / 60.34722°N 5.04694°E / 60.34722; 5.04694
CountryNorway
CountyHordaland
DistrictMidhordland
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Disestablished1 Jan 2020
 • Succeeded byØygarden Municipality
Administrative centreStraume
Government
 • Mayor (2015–2019)Marianne S. Bjorøy (Ap)
Area
 (upon dissolution)
 • Total
148.17 km2 (57.21 sq mi)
 • Land141.19 km2 (54.51 sq mi)
 • Water6.98 km2 (2.69 sq mi)  4.7%
 • Rank#355 in Norway
Highest elevation341.1 m (1,119 ft)
Population
 (2019)
 • Total
26,166
 • Rank#43 in Norway
 • Density176.6/km2 (457/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
 +21.7%
DemonymsFjellsoknar
Fjellsokning[2]
Official language
 • Norwegian formNynorsk
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1246[4]

Fjell is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The 148.17-square-kilometre (57.21 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now part of Øygarden Municipality in the traditional district of Midhordland in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the village of Straume. Other villages in the municipality included Ågotnes, Fjell, Foldnes, Knappskog, Knarrvika, Kolltveit, Landro, and Sekkingstad.

The municipality consisted of several islands west of the city of Bergen, the major ones being Litlesotra, the northern part of Store Sotra, Bildøyna, Bjorøyna, Misje, and Turøyna. Due to the opening of the Sotra Bridge to the mainland in 1971 and its proximity to the city of Bergen, the population more than tripled, growning from less than 7,000 to over 26,000 by the time of its dissolution in 2020. This resulted in major traffic jams over the bridge every day. The highway that leads to Bergen has reduced the traveling time to only fifteen minutes from the municipal centre at Straume on Litlesotra to the center of Bergen.

At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the 148.17-square-kilometre (57.21 sq mi) municipality was the 355th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Fjell Municipality was the 43rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 26,166. The municipality's population density was 176.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (457/sq mi) and its population had increased by 21.7% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]

General information

The parish of Fjæld (later spelled Fjell) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the islands of Misje and Turøyna (population: 404) were transferred from Herdla Municipality to Fjell Municipality.[7]

On 1 January 2020, there was a large municipal merger including three neighboring municipalities. Fjell Municipality, Sund Municipality, and Øygarden Municipality were merged into a new, much larger Øygarden Municipality.[8] Historically, this municipality was part of the old Hordaland county. On 1 January 2020, Hordaland county became a part of the newly-formed Vestland county (after Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane counties were merged).[9]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Fjelde farm (Old Norse: Fjall) since the first Fjell Church was built there. The name is identical to the modern Norwegian word fjell which means "mountain". The oldest form of the name was Undir Fjalli which means "under/below the mountain".[10] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Fjæld or Fjeld. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Fjell.[11]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was adopted by the municipal council on 27 April 1957 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The blazon is "Azure, a seagull volant argent over a fess sable dancetty topped and wavy with three bars wavy argent beneath". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a seagull flying over three triangular black mountain shapes over three wavy lines. The seagull and wavy lines have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. A mural crown was often displayed above the shield. The arms were designed to show the geography of the municipality, specifically the sea (shown with three wavy lines) and the steep mountains (shown with three black triangular shapes). The seagull shown above the mountains is a common bird in the area. The arms are canting since the name of the municipality means "mountain". The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland, but they were never formally approved by the government because they did not meet the Norwegian heraldic guidelines for coats of arms.[12][13]

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Fjell Municipality. It is part of the Vesthordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Churches in Fjell Municipality
Parish (sokn) Church name Location of the church Year built
Fjell Fjell Church Fjell 1874
Foldnes Church Foldnes 2001
Landro Church Landro 1977

Geography

Fjell was an island municipality located entirely on islands off the coast of the mainland Bergen Peninsula. It covered many islands in a large archipelago that stretched from Sund Municipality in the south to Fedje Municipality in the north. The largest island in Fjell Municipality was Sotra, although only the northern half of the island is part of the municipality. The second-largest island was Litlesotra, where the largest village area in Fjell is located (the village of Straume). The small island of Bildøyna is located between those two islands. The small island of Geitanger lies north of Bildøyna and the small island of Bjorøyna lies to the south. Bjorøyna is not connected to the rest of the municipality by road, but there is the undersea Bjorøy Tunnel that connects it to the mainland of Bergen Municipality. On the western side of Sotra, the smaller islands of Algrøyna, Lokøyna, and Syltøyna are located. On the north end of Sotra lies the small islands of Misje and Turøyna.[14]

The highest point in the municipality was the 341.1-metre (1,119 ft) tall mountain Liatårnet on the island of Sotra, just southeast of the village of Fjell.[1] Sund Municipality was located to the south, Bergen Municipality was located to the east, Askøy Municipality was to the northeast, and Øygarden Municipality was located to the northwest. The North Sea was located to the west.

History

Fjell Municipality was the location of Fjell Fortress, a World War II German mountaintop fortification designed to command all water approaches to the port of Bergen.[14]

Population

Government

While it existed, Fjell 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.[18] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of theBergen District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Fjell Municipality was made up of 35 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Fjell kommunestyre 2015–2019 [19]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 10
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 4
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
 Sotra List (Sotralista)4
Total number of members:35
Note: On 1 January 2020, Fjell Municipality, Sund Municipality, and Øygarden Municipality were merged to form the new Øygarden Municipality.
Fjell kommunestyre 2011–2015 [20]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 10
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 8
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 13
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
 Sotra List (Sotralista)6
Total number of members:45
Fjell kommunestyre 2007–2011 [19]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 9
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 15
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 Sotra List (Sotralista)6
Total number of members:45
Fjell kommunestyre 2003–2007 [19]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 9
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 13
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
 Sotra List (Sotralista)8
Total number of members:45
Fjell kommunestyre 1999–2003 [19]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 11
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 1
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
 Sotra List (Sotralista)10
Total number of members:45
Fjell kommunestyre 1995–1999 [21]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 9
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 8
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 Sotra List (Sotralista)9
Total number of members:45
Fjell kommunestyre 1991–1995 [22]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 11
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 9
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
 Sotra list (Sotralista)4
 Moderate youth list (Moderat ungdomslist)1
Total number of members:45
Fjell kommunestyre 1987–1991 [23]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 14
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 11
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 9
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and
Liberal People's Party (Liberale Folkepartiet)
1
Total number of members:45
Fjell kommunestyre 1983–1987 [24]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 10
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:35
Fjell kommunestyre 1979–1983 [25]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 8
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 11
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 9
  New People's Party (Nye Folkepartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:35
Fjell kommunestyre 1975–1979 [26]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 10
  New People's Party (Nye Folkepartiet) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
 Cross-party common list (Tverrpolitisk Samlingsliste)3
 Election list for North Fjell (Valliste for Nordre Fjell)1
Total number of members:35
Fjell kommunestyre 1971–1975 [27]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 5
Total number of members:27
Fjell kommunestyre 1967–1971 [28]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 4
Total number of members:27
Fjell kommunestyre 1963–1967 [29]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 9
Total number of members:27
Fjell heradsstyre 1959–1963 [30]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 9
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 1
Total number of members:25
Fjell heradsstyre 1955–1959 [31]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 5
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 11
Total number of members:25
Fjell heradsstyre 1951–1955 [32]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 7
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 7
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 1
Total number of members:24
Fjell heradsstyre 1947–1951 [33]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 8
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 7
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 3
Total number of members:24
Fjell heradsstyre 1945–1947 [34]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 9
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 8
Total number of members:24
Fjell heradsstyre 1937–1941* [35]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 7
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 8
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 8
Total number of members:24
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.

Mayors

The mayor (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Fjell Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people held this position:[36][37]

  • 1838–1843: Nils Arefjord[38]
  • 1844–1853: Mathias Ø. Nordahl[39]
  • 1854–1855: Nils Arefjord[40]
  • 1856–1857: Nils Mikkelsen Kallestad
  • 1858–1861: Nils Arefjord
  • 1862–1867: Erik O. Ekerhovd
  • 1867–1887: H.J.W. Juuhl
  • 1888–1895: Anders Nilssen Langøen
  • 1896–1901: Mathias Nordahl
  • 1902–1913: Mads O. Ramstad
  • 1914–1919: Olai Bjorø
  • 1920–1922: Mads O. Ramstad
  • 1923–1928: Nils O. Pedersen Storesund
  • 1929–1941: Hans Rønnestrand
  • 1941–1944: Asbjørn Gloppestad
  • 1944–1945: Olav Nygård
  • 1945–1945: Hans Rønnestrand
  • 1946–1947: Ole Kristian Bjorøy
  • 1948–1951: Ole H. Fjeld
  • 1952–1957: Mons M. Kobbeltvedt
  • 1958–1965: Ingvald Ulveseth (Ap)
  • 1966–1967: Anders Andås (KrF)[41]
  • 1967–1979: Olav Midttun (KrF)
  • 1979–1983: Torolv Morlandstø (KrF)
  • 1983–1987: Norvald Nesse (H)
  • 1987–1991: Bjørn Christensen (Ap)
  • 1991–2003: Ole G. Fredheim (Ap)
  • 2003–2007: Jan Utkilen (LL)
  • 2007–2010: Lars Lie (H)
  • 2010–2015: Eli Årdal Berland (H)
  • 2015–2019: Marianne Sandahl Bjorøy (Ap)

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  3. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  4. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (9 January 2024). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon.
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  7. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  8. ^ "Vår nye kommune" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  9. ^ Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (1 August 2025). "Vestland". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  10. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1910). Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt (in Norwegian) (11 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. pp. 268 and 277.
  11. ^ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1917. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norge: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 1057–1065. 1917.
  12. ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  13. ^ "Fjell, Hordaland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  14. ^ a b Store norske leksikon. "Fjell – kommune" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 9 December 2014.
  15. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  16. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Folketelling 1960" (PDF) (in Norwegian).
  17. ^ Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet. "Censuses in the Norwegian Historical Data Archive (NHDC)".
  18. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  20. ^ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Hordaland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
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  22. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  23. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  24. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  25. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  26. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  27. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  28. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  29. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  30. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  31. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  32. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  33. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  34. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  35. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  36. ^ Fiva, Jon H; Sørensen, Rune J.; Vøllo, Reidar, eds. (2024). "Local Candidate Dataset" (PDF).
  37. ^ "Arkivkatalog for Fjell Kommune 1838-1964" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Interkommunalt arkiv i Hordaland 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2025.
  38. ^ "Amtsformandskabs-Forhandlinger". Den Norske Rigstidende (in Norwegian). 16 August 1838. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  39. ^ "Amtsformandskabsmøder for Søndre Bergenhus Amt". Bergens Stiftstidende (in Norwegian). 30 June 1850. p. 3. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  40. ^ "Søndre Bergenhus Amtsformandskab Forhandlinger". Bergensposten (in Norwegian). 25 June 1854. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  41. ^ "Ordførarvalg". Gula Tidend (in Norwegian). 4 January 1966. p. 6. Retrieved 18 December 2025.