Masfjorden Municipality


Masfjorden is a municipality in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The municipality is located in the Nordhordland district of the county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Masfjordnes. Other villages in the municipality include Frøyset, Haugsvær, Hosteland, Matre, and Solheim.
The municipality is centered on the Masfjorden which almost divides the municipality completely into a north side and a south side. A cable ferry crosses the fjord from Masfjordnes to Duesund in the western part of the municipality. The Matre Hydroelectric Power Station is located in the eastern part of the municipality.
The municipality is the 194th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Masfjorden Municipality is the 298th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 0.1% over the previous 10-year period.
WWW masfjorden.kommune.no

General information

The parish of Masfjorden was established as a municipality on 1 March 1879 when the large Lindaas Municipality was divided into two: the northern part became the new Masfjorden Municipality and the rest remained as a smaller Lindaas Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Einestrand, Eikebotn, and Kikallen area along the Austfjorden was transferred from Lindås Municipality to Masfjorden 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 Masfjorden since that fjord is a central geographical feature of the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of the old name of the fjord: Matr. That name is identical to the word which means "food". The last element is which means "fjord" or "firth". Therefore, the meaning of the name is "the fjord that's full of food ". The village of Matre lies at the inner end of the fjord, and that name has a similar origin.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, three clasps Or in pall". This means the arms have a red field and the charge is three heldrer, traditional tools made of wood for fastening a rope around a load. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. They are meant to symbolize unity as well as the importance of forestry. The arms were designed by Rune Garmann. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish within Masfjorden Municipality. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. Prior to 2020, the municipality had three parishes, but in 2020, they were merged into one parish.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
MasfjordenFrøyset ChurchFrøyset1937
MasfjordenSandnes ChurchMasfjordnes1845
MasfjordenSolheim ChurchSolheim1881

Government

Masfjorden 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 Masfjorden 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 Masfjorden 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:
  • 1879–1880: Erik A. Riisnæs
  • 1880–1883: Kristen T. Bergsvik
  • 1884–1889: Thorbjørn Frølich
  • 1890–1895: Rasmus M. Haugsvær
  • 1896–1899: Torgeir R. Haugsvær
  • 1900–1901: Rasmus M. Haugsvær
  • 1901–1916: Hans Bergersen Wergeland
  • 1917–1919: Ivar R. Eikemo
  • 1920–1941: Martin H. Matre
  • 1942–1945: Gjert Daae
  • 1945–1945: Magnus Maurstad
  • 1945–1945: Martin H. Matre
  • 1945–1955: Magnus Halsøy
  • 1955–1963: Johannes R. Mjanger
  • 1963–1975: Gunnar Daae
  • 1975–1979: Arne A. Hope
  • 1979–1983: Albert A. Kjetland
  • 1983–1987: Einar Kvinge
  • 1987–1999: Kjell Sverre Løvik
  • 1999–2003: Helge Haukeland
  • 2003–2011: Håkon Matre
  • 2011–2023: Karstein Totland
  • 2023–present: Erlend Kvamsdal

Geography

Masfjorden Municipality lies to the east of the Fensfjorden and Austfjorden. The Masfjorden runs east to west bisecting the municipality. The eastern part has mountains and as one heads westward, the land levels out before reaching the fjord in the east. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain ridge Årsdalsryggen, which runs southwards from Høyanger Municipality and into Masfjorden Municipality.
The municipality lies along the west coast in the central part of the county. Gulen Municipality and Høyanger Municipality lie to the north, Modalen Municipality to the east, and Alver Municipality lies to the south and west.
The European route E39 highway runs through eastern Masfjorden Municipality heading north and south. The long Masfjord Tunnel and the long Jernfjell Tunnel are part of the E39 highway which winds its way through some valleys in the mountainous eastern region of Masfjorden.

Notable people