Flora Municipality
Flora is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1964 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now part of Kinn Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnfjord in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the town of Florø. Other villages in the municipality included Eikefjord, Rognaldsvåg, Stavang, Grov, Norddalsfjord, Nyttingnes, Steinhovden, and Brandsøy.
Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the municipality was the 163rd largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Flora Municipality was the 99th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about. The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 3.5% over the previous 10-year period.
The municipality stretched from inner fjords where the mountains ascend to the Ålfotbreen glacier, to the outermost islands off the mainland coast. The town of Florø, at its centre, had industries that developed continuously. Trade and industry in Flora were mainly fishing industry, shipyards, and supply for the oil and gas industry in the North Sea.
General information
Name
The municipality is named after the old Flora farm on the island of Brandsøya, near where the town of Florø was built in 1860. The meaning of the name is somewhat uncertain with a couple of different likely possibilities. The old name, is the accusative case/genitive case of the word which means "floor", from which the names Florø and Florelandet are derived. This Old Norse word is probably derived from a Germanic root word,, meaning "flat ground". Another possibility for the meaning of the name is that it is derived from the word which means "flood" or "deluge". A common misunderstanding is that the name Florø includes the Danish word which means "island" as a suffix that was attached to the farm name Flora. Although not true, it almost led to the town being renamed Florøy in the 1930s.Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 February 1960 for the town of Florø. A few years later on 1 January 1964, the new Flora Municipality was created, including the town of Florø. On 6 October 1967, the old arms of Florø were granted as the arms for Flora Municipality. These arms were in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Gules, three herrings bendwise argent". This means the arms have a red field and the charge is a set of three diagonal herring. 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 three herrings are a symbol for the great local importance of herring fishing for the development and economy of Flora. The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.Background
The old Kinn Municipality was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. The original municipality was identical to the Kinn parish with the sub-parishes of Bru, Kinn Municipality, and Bremanger.On 3 January 1861, the village area of Florø was established as a ladested by royal decree, which removed it from the rural Kinn Municipality and it became an independent Florø Municipality. This left Kinn Municipality with 6,531 residents. On 1 January 1866, the northern district of Kinn Municipality was separated to become the new Bremanger Municipality. After the split, Kinn Municipality was left with 4,679 inhabitants. On 1 January 1923, Kinn Municipality was divided into three separate municipalities: the western area was Kinn Municipality ; the central area was Bru Municipality ; and the southeasternmost inland area was Eikefjord Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the new Flora Municipality was created upon the merger of the following areas:
- the town of Florø
- all of Eikefjord Municipality
- all of Kinn Municipality
- the parts of Bru Municipality that were located north of the Førdefjorden
- the Steindal area of Vevring Municipality
- the Husefest and Breivik farms of Bremanger Municipality
Churches
The Church of Norway had four parishes within Flora Municipality. It was part of the Sunnfjord prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.| Parish | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Bru | Askrova Chapel | Askrova | 1957 |
| Bru | Stavang Church | Stavang | 1957 |
| Eikefjord | Eikefjord Church | Eikefjord | 1812 |
| Kinn | Batalden Chapel | Fanøya | 1907 |
| Kinn | Florø Church | Florø | 1882 |
| Kinn | Kinn Church | Kinn | 12th century |
| Nordal | Nordal Church | Norddalsfjord | 1898 |
Government
While it existed, Flora Municipality was 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 was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.Municipal council
The municipal council of Flora Municipality was made up of 31 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.Mayors
The mayor of Flora Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:- 1964–1971: Odd Færøyvik
- 1972–1975: Mons Monsen
- 1976–1979: Ludvig Botnen
- 1980–1985: Dagfinn Hjertenes
- 1986–1987: Odd Husebø
- 1988–1989: Dagfinn Hjertenes
- 1990–1991: Odd Husebø
- 1992–2003: Kolbjørn Dyrli
- 2003–2011: Bente Frøyen Steindal
- 2011–2015: Bengt Solheim-Olsen
- 2015–2019: Ola Teigen
Geography
Attractions
Kinn
Off the coast is the grassy island of Kinn. The area around Kinn was the central herring area in Norway for the most part of the 19th century. At the height, there lived approximately 15,000 people on Kinn and the surrounding islands in the herring season. Today, there are 15 inhabitants on Kinn.On the island of Kinn, on the edge of the ocean lies the historic Kinn Church from the 12th century. The church, built in Romanesque style, is the oldest church in the Sunnfjord region. It has long been associated with the legend of St. Sunniva. The church choir is the oldest part of the church, and the lectern is the only preserved example of its kind in Scandinavia.
Every year during the third weekend in June, the Kinna Pageant is an historical play about love, hate, fidelity and loyalty to the church and humankind. About 150 actors take part, and audiences of several thousand tourists visit the island to watch the play.
Svanøy
is the southernmost and greenest island in the municipality. The island was the district's most important trade centre last century, and exports and shipping were major activities. A stone cross memorial commemorating King Olav the Holy and a sacrificial site from the Viking Age can be found here.The Svanøy Estate is an old seat of nobility from 1685. It includes of cultivated land and of woodland, as well as a garden.