Austrheim Municipality


Austrheim is a municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årås. Other villages in the municipality include Austrheim and Kaland. The Mongstad industrial area lies along the border of Austrheim and neighboring Alver Municipality. The westernmost point of mainland Norway is Vardetangen which is located in the municipality.
The municipality is the 348th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Austrheim Municipality is the 234th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 1.7% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Historically, the area that is now Austrheim Municipality was a part of the large Lindås Municipality. On 1 January 1910, the northwestern district of Lindås was separated from Lindås to form the new Austrheim Municipality. On 1 January 1947, all of the islands located west of the Fedjefjorden were separated to form the new Fedje Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Straume area on the island of Radøy was transferred from Austrheim Municipality to the new Radøy Municipality.
Historically, this municipality was part of the old Hordaland county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Vestland county.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Austrheim farm since the first Austrheim Church was built there. The first element is which means "east". The last element is which means "homestead" or "village". Until 1889, the village and parish name was written Østereim. After that the spelling was changed to Austreim, using the Nynorsk spelling. On 30 April 1907, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name to Austrheim after a recommendation to change from Postvesenet, the Norwegian postal service. The municipality was established in 1910, but the old Austreim spelling was still used for some time until the new spelling became more commonly used.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 17 February 1989. The official blazon is "Azure, three bars embowed argent". This means the arms have a blue field and the ordinary is a set of three arched bars. The bars have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if the arms are made out of metal, then silver is used. The three bows represent the many bridges in the island municipality. The color blue was chosen to represent the sea and the white/silver was to represent the land. The arms were designed by Svein Skauge. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish within Austrheim Municipality. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
AustrheimAustrheim ChurchAustrheim1865

Government

Austrheim Municipality is responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Austrheim Municipality is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor of Austrheim Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:
  • 1910–1914: Andreas Haraldsen
  • 1915–1919: Nils Fjellanger
  • 1919–1931: Hans Utkilen
  • 1931–1934: Mikal Hjertaas
  • 1934–1937: Jørgen Sætre
  • 1937–1945: Andreas Haraldsen Daae
  • 1946–1951: Samuel Lervåg
  • 1951–1955: Ludvig Martin Daae
  • 1955–1975: Samuel Lervåg
  • 1975–1977: Knut Johannes Risnes
  • 1977–1986: Asbjørn Fjeld
  • 1986–1992: Knut Johannes Risnes
  • 1992–1999: Ole Lysø
  • 1999–2003: Rolf Sandstad
  • 2003–2011: Ole Lysø
  • 2011–2023: Per Lerøy
  • 2023–present: Morten Sognnes

    Police

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station for Austrheim and Fedje be closed.

Economy

The Mongstad industrial complex lies on the border of Austrheim and Lindås. It is the largest oil port and refinery in Norway, is responsible for about 70% of all wet bulk. Many residents of Austrheim work at the facility.

Population

Geography

Austrheim is an island municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county. It is located south of the Fensfjorden, east of the Fedjefjorden, north of the island of Radøy, and west of the Lindås peninsula. The municipality includes the far northwestern tip of the peninsula as well as many islands. The largest island is the island of Fosnøyna, where the municipal centre is located.
Gulen Municipality is located to the north, Fedje Municipality is located on islands to the west, Alver Municipality lies to the south. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Litlåsfjellet, located just west of Mongstad.

Notable people