Sunndal (help·info) is a municipality in the Nordmøre region located in the northeast part of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Sunndalsøra. Other villages include Gjøra, Grøa, Hoelsand, Jordalsgrenda, Romfo, Ålvund, Ålvundeidet, and Øksendalsøra. With an area of 1,713 square kilometres (661 sq mi), it is the largest municipality in Møre og Romsdal county. The important occupations in Sunndal include industry (with Hydro Aluminium Sunndal as the biggest employer), public services, retail, and farming.
Sunndal kommune | |
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Municipality | |
![]() View of the Øksendal valley | |
![]() Flag ![]() Coat of arms ![]() Møre og Romsdal within Norway | |
![]() Sunndal within Møre og Romsdal | |
Coordinates: 62°36′46″N 08°38′03″E | |
Country | Norway |
County | Møre og Romsdal |
District | Nordmøre |
Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
• Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
Administrative centre | Sunndalsøra |
Government | |
• Mayor (2009) | Ståle Refstie (Ap) |
Area | |
• Total | 1,713.36 km2 (661.53 sq mi) |
• Land | 1,647.98 km2 (636.29 sq mi) |
• Water | 65.38 km2 (25.24 sq mi) 3.8% |
• Rank | #47 in Norway |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 6,932 |
• Rank | #143 in Norway |
• Density | 4.2/km2 (11/sq mi) |
• Change (10 years) | ![]() |
Demonym | Sunndaling[1] |
Official language | |
• Norwegian form | Neutral |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
ISO 3166 code | NO-1563 |
Website | Official website |
The 1,713-square-kilometre (661 sq mi) municipality is the 47th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway and it is the largest in Møre og Romsdal county. Sunndal is the 143rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,932. The municipality's population density is 4.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (11/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 3.7% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]
The parish of Sunndal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1854, the northern part of the municipality (population: 1,291) was separated to form the new municipality of Øksendal. This left 2,188 residents in Sunndal. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, the neighboring municipalities of Ålvundeid (population: 513) and Øksendal (population: 497) were merged with Sunndal (population: 5,851) to form a new, larger Sunndal municipality. Both Ålvundeid and Øksendal were historically part of the municipality before 1854. Then, on 1 January 1965, the Ålvund-Ålvundfjord area of the neighboring Stangvik Municipality (population: 508) was transferred to Sunndal.[5]
The Old Norse form of the name was Sunndalr. The first element is sunnr which means 'southern' and the last element is dalr which means 'valley' or 'dale'. Before 1870, the name was written Sunddalen (or Sunndalen); during the period from 1870 to 1917, it was spelled Sundalen; and since 1918, it has been spelled Sunndal.[6]
The coat of arms was granted on 12 April 1983. The arms show a Norwegian wormwood (Artemisia norvegica) plant in white on a green background. This species has its main European distribution in Sunndal and Oppdal in the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park and in Trollheimen landscape protected area. Small populations also in Ryfylke, Scotland, and the Ural Mountains, with another subspecies in the mountains of Northern America. It can be found in abundance in many places in the mountains of Sunndal well above tree line.[7][8]
The Church of Norway has four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Sunndal. It is part of the Indre Nordmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre.
Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
---|---|---|---|
Hov | Hov Church | Sunndalsøra | 1887 |
Romfo | Romfo Church | Romfo | 1821 |
Gjøra Chapel | Gjøra | 1935 | |
Øksendal | Øksendal Church | Øksendalsøra | 1894 |
Ålvundeid | Ålvundeid Church | Ålvundeidet | 1848 |
Sunndal is bordered on the west by Nesset Municipality and Tingvoll Municipality, on the north by Surnadal Municipality, on the east by Oppdal Municipality (in Trøndelag county) and on the south by Lesja Municipality (in Oppland county).
In the southern part of the municipality lies the Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park, home to a plentiful amount of impressive muskox. In the northern part is the Trollheimen and Innerdalen landscape protection areas.
The municipality centers around the Sunndalsfjorden and the river Driva. There are also many towering mountains including: Trolla, Storskrymten, Vinnufjellet (with peaks Dronningkrona and Kongskrona), Innerdalstårnet, Salhøa, Såtbakkollen, Skarfjellet, and Vassnebba. The Vinnufossen and Svøufallet waterfalls both lie near the river Driva.
Sunndalsøra has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb). Atlantic lows can produce a strong foehn effect in winter as the air is forced over the mountains surrounding Sunndalsøra. Sunndalsøra has the national record high for January and February. The record high 32.1 °C (89.8 °F) is from July 2014, and the record low −18.9 °C (−2.0 °F) is from February 2010.
Climate data for Sunndalsøra 1991-2020 (6 m, precipitation days 1961-90, extremes 1983-2020) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 19 (66) |
18.9 (66.0) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.2 (72.0) |
28.1 (82.6) |
31.2 (88.2) |
32.1 (89.8) |
31.7 (89.1) |
27.6 (81.7) |
25 (77) |
21.6 (70.9) |
18.3 (64.9) |
32.1 (89.8) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.6 (34.9) |
1.1 (34.0) |
2.9 (37.2) |
6.6 (43.9) |
10.2 (50.4) |
13.1 (55.6) |
15.5 (59.9) |
15.2 (59.4) |
12 (54) |
7.3 (45.1) |
4.3 (39.7) |
1.8 (35.2) |
7.6 (45.8) |
Record low °C (°F) | −16.6 (2.1) |
−18.9 (−2.0) |
−16 (3) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−1 (30) |
0.7 (33.3) |
4 (39) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−11.4 (11.5) |
−16.7 (1.9) |
−18.9 (−2.0) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 91 (3.6) |
84 (3.3) |
79 (3.1) |
59 (2.3) |
58 (2.3) |
80 (3.1) |
72 (2.8) |
100 (3.9) |
94 (3.7) |
93 (3.7) |
88 (3.5) |
100 (3.9) |
998 (39.2) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 135 |
Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[9] |
All municipalities in Norway, including Sunndal, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.[10] The municipality falls under the Møre og Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sunndal is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 | |
Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) | 1 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 27 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 15 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 27 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 16 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 3 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 2 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 27 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 12 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 4 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 27 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 5 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 27 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 19 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 5 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 4 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 20 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 4 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 19 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 5 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 4 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 19 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 4 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 18 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 5 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 17 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 5 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 19 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 3 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 4 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
Free Candidates List (Frie Kandidaters Liste) | 1 | |
Sunndal Free Voters Independent List (Sunndal Frie Velgeres Uavhengige Liste) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 19 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 7 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 21 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 3 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 | |
Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 21 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 4 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 20 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 3 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 5 | |
Total number of members: | 37 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 15 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 8 | |
Total number of members: | 25 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 7 | |
Total number of members: | 16 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 10 | |
Total number of members: | 16 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 11 | |
Total number of members: | 16 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 | |
Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 7 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 5 | |
Total number of members: | 16 | |
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. |
The mayors of Sunndal (incomplete list):
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