Фёрде: Бұрынғы коммуна, Норвегия

Former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway
the municipality in Norway

Førde is a former municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative center was the town of Førde which in 2016 had 10,255 inhabitants. Other villages in Førde municipality included Bruland, Holsen, Moskog, and Haukedalen. The Øyrane area in the town of Førde was a large industrial/commercial area for the region. The European Route E39 highway passed through the municipality, and it passed by the lake Holsavatnet. Førde Airport, Bringeland was the regional airport, located about from the town centre with flights that connect Oslo and Bergen with Førde. The airport was actually located in neighboring Gaular municipality, just south of the border. The largest hospital in Sogn og Fjordane county, Førde Central Hospital, and the regional offices of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation are located in the town. The International Førde Folk Music Festival is held each summer. The local newspaper is called Firda. At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the municipality is the 189th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Førde is the 93rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 13,092. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 10.6% over the last decade.

Førde was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The original municipality was identical to the Førde parish (prestegjeld) with the sub parishes (sokn) of Førde, Holsen, and Naustdal. On 1 January 1896, the northern sub parish of Naustdal (population: 2,543) was separated from Førde and it became a municipality of its own. This left Førde with 2,903 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the areas of Naustdal south of the Førdefjorden (population: 265) were transferred to Førde municipality.

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Førde farm ( [nominative] and Firði [dative]) since the first Førde Church was built there. The name is identical with the word fjǫrðr which means "firth" or "fjord", referring to the fjord now called Førdefjorden.

The coat of arms was granted on 27 April 1990 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Gules, three plowshares argent, two over one" (På raud grunn tre sølv plogjarn, 2 1). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a set of three plowshares. The charge 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 design was chosen to symbolize the three pillars of the local economy: agriculture, horticulture, and development. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

The municipality of Førde encompasses the valleys that lead away from the inner end of the Førdefjorden. The municipality of Naustdal borders Førde to the north, the municipalities of Jølster, Sogndal, and Balestrand are to the east, Gaular municipality is to the south, and the municipality of Askvoll lies to the west. The two largest lakes are Holsavatnet and Haukedalsvatnet. The rivers Jølstra and Gaula are both partially located in Førde municipality. The Gaularfjellet mountains are located in the east and south of the municipality. The glaciers Grovabreen and Jostefonn are located in the eastern mountainous part of Førde. The westernmost edges of the Jostedalsbreen National Park are located in the Haukedalen valley in Førde.

While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Førde was made up of 27 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Huldefossen: Located approximately from the town of Førde, it is a tall waterfall into the peaceful valley below. Halbrendsfossen: located a short walk from the Førde town center. It is a very powerful waterfall in the spring.