Bjørnafjorden is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the Midhordland region of the county. The administrative centre of Bjørnafjorden is the village of Osøyro. Other villages in the municipality include Eikelandsosen, Fusa, Holdhus, Holmefjord, Vinnes, Strandvik, Sundvord, Hagavik, Halhjem, Søfteland, Søre Øyane, and Søvik.[3]
Bjørnafjorden kommune | |
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Municipality | |
![]() View of Os in Bjørnafjorden | |
![]() Coat of arms ![]() Vestland within Norway | |
![]() Bjørnafjorden within Vestland | |
Coordinates: 60.19547°N 5.62225°E / 60.19547; 5.62225 | |
Country | Norway |
County | Vestland |
District | Midhordland |
Established | 1 Jan 2020 |
• Preceded by | Fusa and Os |
Administrative centre | Osøyro |
Government | |
• Mayor (2019) | Trine Lindborg (Ap) |
Area | |
• Total | 517.40 km2 (199.77 sq mi) |
• Land | 487.21 km2 (188.11 sq mi) |
• Water | 30.19 km2 (11.66 sq mi) 5.8% |
• Rank | #205 in Norway |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 25,213 |
• Rank | #47 in Norway |
• Density | 51.7/km2 (134/sq mi) |
• Change (10 years) | ![]() |
Demonym | Bjørnafjording[1] |
Official language | |
• Norwegian form | Nynorsk |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
ISO 3166 code | NO-4624 |
Website | Official website |
The 517-square-kilometre (200 sq mi) municipality is the 205th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Bjørnafjorden is the 47th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 25,213. The municipality's population density is 51.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (134/sq mi) and its population has increased by 17.1% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
The municipality was established on 1 January 2020 when the municipalities of Os and Fusa were merged.[3]
The municipality is named after the local fjord: Bjørnafjorden.[3]
The coat of arms for Bjørnafjorden was adopted in 2019. The blue arms show a gold boat with two curved gold waves beneath it. The waves symbolize the water, but the curved design alludes to rosemaling designs and the local Giant's kettles in Koldal in the municipality.[3]
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Bjørnafjorden. It is part of the Fana prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
---|---|---|---|
Fusa | Fusa Church | Fusa | 1961 |
Holdhus Church | Holdhus | 1726 | |
Hålandsdal Church | Eide in Hålandsdal | 1890 | |
Strandvik Church | Strandvik | 1857 | |
Sundvor Church | Sundvord | 1927 | |
Os | Os Church | Osøyro | 1870 |
Nore Neset Church | Hagavik | 2000 |
All municipalities in Norway, including Bjørnafjorden, 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 elects a mayor.[6] The municipality falls under the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Bjørnafjorden is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:
Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 | |
Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 12 | |
Green Party (Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne) | 3 | |
Conservative Party (Høgre) | 5 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 35 |
Vestland county, Norway | |||
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