Согндал: Муниципалитет в Норвегии

Municipality in Vestland, Norway

Sogndal is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Hermansverk is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other villages include Kaupanger, Kjørnes, Fimreite, Nornes, and Fjærland. Sogndal Airport, Haukåsen is located southwest of Kaupanger. The Norwegian dialect spoken in Sogndal is called sognamål. In 1917, a farmer in Sogndal (Kato Linde) plowed up the Eggja stone, a gravestone with runic inscriptions important for the history of the Old Norse language. The municipality is the 84th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sogndal is the 96th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 12,198. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 10.2% over the previous 10 year period.

Sogndal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The original municipality was identical to the Sogndal parish (prestegjeld) with the sub parishes (sokn) of Stedje, Norane, and Kaupanger. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Tingstad area (population: 5) was transferred from Leikanger Municipality to Sogndal Municipality. On 1 January 2000, the sub parish of Fjærland was transferred from Balestrand Municipality to Sogndal because of the completion of the Frudal Tunnel which connected the previously isolated area of Fjærland to Sogndal rather than Balestrand. On 1 January 2020, a major municipal merger took place. Sogndal Municipality (population: 8,191) was merged with Leikanger Municipality (population: 2,331) and most of Balestrand Municipality (except for the Nesse area which was merged into Høyanger Municipality) to form a much larger municipality called Sogndal. On the same date the administrative centre was moved from Sogndalsfjøra to Hermansverk. Also on that date, the municipality became part of the newly created Vestland county after Sogn og Fjordane and Hordaland counties were merged.

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Sokndalen valley since the historic Stedje Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the river Sókn (now called Sogndalselvi). The river name is derived from the verb sœkja which means "to seek" or "to look for", thus it is "the river which seeks (finds/forces) its way". The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".

The original coat of arms was granted on 14 December 1984 and was used until 31 December 2019. The official blazon is "Azure, a ship's stern issuant Or" (På blå grunn ein oppveksande gull skipsstamn). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is the front of a Viking ship. 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 ship symbolized the nearby naval Battle of Fimreite between King Sverre of Norway and the local King Magnus Erlingsson in the year 1184. The latter was killed in battle together with many nobles of the time. The arms were designed by the artist Inge Rotevatn from Nordfjordeid. The municipal flag had the same design as the coat of arms. A new coat of arms was granted in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020 when the municipality was enlarged. The blazon is "Azure, an S shape argent narrowing to chief". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is an S shaped curve that narrows towards the top of the design. 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 arms symbolize a fjord curving between the mountains. The curving shape is also similar to an "S" which is the first letter of the name of the municipality.

The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Sogndal. It is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The main church of the parish is in Stedje. This is probably one of the oldest church sites in Sogn, probably erected in the first half of the 11th century. The present church was built in 1867, at the same time the old stave church was torn down. A runestone stands near the church, and traces of a Viking settlement have been found nearby. Sogndal has historically had three sub parishes (under Stedje): Kaupanger, Norane, and Fjærland. All three of these are also old church sites. The first churches in Kaupanger and Norane were probably built as early as the 11th century and in Fjærland the original church was built around 1600. The present church in Fjærland was built in 1861 and in Norane in 1863. In Kaupanger, the old Stave church from the 12th century is still standing. Excavations show that this was probably the third church on this site. The church was rebuilt in 1862 and lost most of its original character. But today, as a result of a restoration project you will find the church much as it was prior to 1862. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sogndal is made up of 31 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

With more than 2,000 students in the municipality, Sogndal is the educational center of Vestland County. Students from all over Norway come to Sogndal and they create a high level of activity, which is hard to find in places of similar size. Western Norway University of Applied Sciences is one of the main employers in Sogndal. The Western Norway Research Institute is located within the campus, but it is an independent institution with special expertise in information communication, technology systems, environmental research, and organizational research. In addition to the University College, Sogndal has a large upper secondary school and the oldest continuously running folk high school in the country.

Sogndal is an old dwelling place. Archaeological excavations indicate that people have been living there as far back as 700 BC. The first farms in Sogndal date back to the 1st century AD and findings indicate that these were rich farms. Since ancient time, agriculture has been the most important trade in Sogndal. Traditionally grain cultivation and animal husbandry were the most important, but forestry and fruit growing were also common. Fruit, especially apples, have been grown as far back as there are written sources. In the historical records of King Sverre (12th century) there are words and names indicating that apples have been grown in this area.

Agriculture has always played a major role in the municipality of Sogndal. Traditionally, the industries in Sogndal have been centered around the processing of agricultural and forestry products.

The Kaupanger Industrial Park is home to several large companies. Lerum Industries A/S, a producer of lemonade, syrup, juice, and jam, is a cornerstone company in Sogndal, and it is also the largest factory of its kind in Norway. Gilde is a meat processing company specializing in cured meat products. Together with Lerum it constitutes the majority of the traditional industry in Sogndal. Many of the public service functions for the region are also located in Sogndal.

Fishing permits (for salmon fishing) are sold for use on specific rivers, including Årøy elva.

Sogndal is the shopping and retail center for the surrounding region which has about 30,000 inhabitants. There are about 70 shops in the compact center of Sogndalsfjøra. Many of these shops are located in the new, modern shopping mall called Sogningen Storsenter.

De Heibergske Samlinger – Sogn Folkemuseum and Sogn Fjordmuseum at Kaupanger. It demonstrate life along the Sognefjord in the 18th century to present. Kaupanger stavkyrkje the biggest Stave church in the Sognefjord region, built around 1190. Norsk Bremuseum in Fjærland – a museum with “hands on” activities which has won many awards and where you can learn about snow, ice and glaciers. Den norske bokbyen in Fjærland various second hand bookshops, antique stores, and book cafes.