Bremanger Municipality
Bremanger is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village of Svelgen is the administrative centre of the municipality. Other villages include Bremanger, Berle, Davik, Isane, Kalvåg, Rugsund, and Ålfoten. Bremanger is the only municipality in Vestland, which is located in two districts. The northern and eastern parts comprising the villages of Oldeide, Berle, Rugsund, Davik, Isane, and Ålfoten is located in the Nordfjord region, while the villages of Bremanger, Kalvåg, Svelgen, Sørgulen, and Botnane are located in the Sunnfjord region. Politically, the municipality works with the Nordfjord region in the council of Nordfjord municipalities.
The municipality is the 138th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Bremanger Municipality is the 220th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 14.1% over the previous 10-year period.
Bremanger has many tourist destinations such as Kalvåg, which has one of the largest and best-kept waterfront environment in the county, the Grotlesanden ocean beach, the Hornelen mountain, with the tallest sea cliff in Northern Europe, Rock carvings at Vingen, and the old trading stations of Rugsund and Smørhavn. The Bortne Tunnel was completed in 2013 to more easily connect the outer islands of Bremanger to the municipal centre of Svelgen. The Skatestraum Tunnel and Rugsund Bridge connect the islands to the mainland.
General information
The parish of Kinn was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. The northern district of Kinn was established as the prestegjeld of Bremanger within the municipality of Kinn in 1864. On 1 January 1866, the prestegjeld of Bremanger was established as a separate municipality with a population of 1,852. The Bremanger parish was sub-divided into new sub-parishes in the early 1900s. The Midtgulen sub-parish was created in 1903 and Bremangerpollen in 1908.During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Husefest and Breivik farms were transferred from Bremanger Municipality to the neighboring Flora Municipality. On 1 January 1965, the neighboring Davik Municipality was dissolved and most of it was transferred to Bremanger Municipality. All of Davik Municipality located south of the Nordfjorden and all the islands except Husevågøy, Grindøy, Gangsøy, and Risøy were merged into Bremanger Municipality. This added 1,567 residents to the population of Bremanger Municipality, bringing the new total to 5,600.
Historically, this municipality was part of the old Sogn og Fjordane county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Vestland county.
Name
The municipality is named after the local Bremangerpollen fjord. The first element is which means "breaker wave" or "heavy sea". The last element is which means "bay" or "inlet".Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 24 October 1986. The official blazon is "Quartered embowed azure and argent". This means the arms have are divided into four embowed waves. The field alternates between the four waves. The top and bottom waves have a tincture of blue and the other two waves 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 arms symbolize the sea and hydro-electric power, both of which are of great economic importance to the municipality. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.Churches
The Church of Norway has seven parishes within Bremanger Municipality. It is part of the Nordfjord prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.| Parish | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Berle | Berle Church | Berle | 1977 |
| Bremanger | Bremanger Church | Bremanger | 1914 |
| Davik | Davik Church | Davik | 1886 |
| Frøya | Frøya Church | Frøya | 1865 |
| Midtgulen | Midtgulen Church | Midtgulen | 1904 |
| Rugsund | Rugsund Church | Rugsund | 1838 |
| Ålfoten | Ålfoten Church | Ålfoten | 1600 |
Government
Bremanger 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 Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.Municipal council
The municipal council of Bremanger Municipality is made up of 23 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 Bremanger 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:- 1866–1869: Rasmus Andreas Lexau
- 1870–1871: Gullak Vindspoll
- 1872–1873: Nils Øvrebotten
- 1874–1875: Absalon Gulestøl
- 1876–1879: Nils Øvrebotten
- 1880–1880: Eilert O. Nøttingnes
- 1881–1881: Didrik Lexau
- 1882–1890: Eilert O. Nøttingnes
- 1891–1891: Anders Hauge
- 1892–1896: Abraham N. Øvrebotnen
- 1897–1898: Didrik Lexau
- 1898–1913: Kristofer Indrehus
- 1913–1913: Didrik Værøy
- 1914–1914: Augustinus Nordbotten
- 1915–1916: Didrik Værøy
- 1917–1919: Augustinus Nordbotten
- 1920–1928: Henrik Grotle
- 1929–1941: Alf Torvanger
- 1945–1951: Alf Torvanger
- 1952–1959: Reidar Torvanger
- 1960–1965: Mons Monsen
- 1966–1967: Alf Bakke
- 1968–1979: Abraham Øvrebotten
- 1980–1981: Bjarne Haugland
- 1982–1988: Svein Kåre Senneset
- 1988–1996: Roar Førde
- 1996–2004: Einar Kjerpeset
- 2004–2011: Kåre Olav Svarstad
- 2011–2015: Karl Vidar Førde
- 2015–2019: Audun Åge Røys
- 2019–present: Anne Kristin Førde
Geography
Bremanger is bordered to the north by Kinn Municipality and Stad Municipality, to the east by Gloppen Municipality, to the south by Kinn Municipality, and to the west by the North Sea. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Gjegnen.
The Frøysjøen is the strait between the mainland and the main islands of Bremangerlandet and Frøya. The Gulen fjord branches off of the Frøysjøen, and that fjord splits off into the Nordgulen, Midtgulen, and Sørgulen. On the east end of the municipality is the Isefjord and Ålfotfjorden. Valleys in the municipality include the Førdedalen.
Industry
Bremanger is the largest company in Bremanger. The company's own port facility provides good and regular connections with the main ports of Norway and the rest of Europe. Elkem Bremanger has specialized in the manufacturing of silicon metal, ferrosilicon, and specialty inoculants. Silicon metals are primarily used in electronics, solar, and aluminium industries.The variety of Elkem Bremanger's operations shows the importance it places on both tradition and looking toward the future. The expansion of hydropower resources began in 1917, while the first pig iron production began in 1928. The company then developed and patented several of its production processes, and today manufactures metallurgic products and chemicals for the world market. Much has happened since 1917, but the company is still known for its developmental know-how and state-of-the-art technology.
Russian hackers made a cyberattack on April 7, 2025. They opened a flood gate of the dam in Bremanger, released 500 litres of water per second for four hours.
Attractions
Tongane Coastal Fortress
Tongane Coastal Fortress lies on the western end of the island of Rugsundøya near the mouth of the Nordfjorden. This is one of the largest German fortifications which was built in Norway during World War II. The coastal fort was attacked under the well-known Måløy raid, Operation Archery, during Christmas 1941. The majority of the fortification still remains, among other the main cannons and soldier's barracks. The fort at Rugsundøy is situated with a good view over the approach to the town of Måløy and the entrance to Nordfjorden.Ålfotbreen Glacier
The Ålfotbreen glacier, the westernmost glacier in Norway, is located at an elevation of above sea level. Ålfotbreen Glacier can be reached by foot on marked footpaths or walking with a guide. Ålfotbreen Glacier can be seen from the road in the village of Ålfoten. The Gjegnalundsbreen glacier lies northeast of the Ålfotbreen glacier.Hornelen
The legendary mountain cliff Hornelen is situated straight across the fjord from Vingen rock carving site. Many legends are linked to this mountain which is Europe's tallest sea cliff. It raises over the sea and is a good landmark for ships. Over the centuries, it has been a well-known sailing mark. The trip to the top of Hornelen takes approximately 3 hours from Hunskår, or 4 hours from Berleneset.Kalvåg
The fishing village of Kalvåg is the largest and best preserved fishing village in Western Norway. In 1860, there were thousands of people working in the large herring fisheries. Today, approximately 500 people live there.Vamråkbuene is situated in Kalvåg. During the large herring fisheries in the middle of the 18th century, thousands of fishermen visited Kalvåg. Vamråkbuene represents one part of the trading life that the herring fisheries created, and today it is part of the Coastal museum in Vestland.