Vanylven Municipality
Vanylven is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Fiskå. Other villages in the municipality include Åheim, Åram, Rovdane, Eidså, Slagnes, and Syvde.
The municipality is the 240th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Vanylven Municipality is the 228th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,026. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 8.4% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The parish of Vanelven was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. The spelling was later changed to Vanylven. On 1 February 1918, the area around the Syvdsfjorden was separated to become the new Syvde Municipality. This left Vanylven Municipality with 1,848 residents.During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Syvde Municipality and the Rovdestranda area of Rovde Municipality were both merged into Vanylven Municipality, giving Vanylven a new population of 3,897.
On 1 January 2002, the mainland Åram area north of Fiskåbygd was transferred from Sande Municipality to Vanylven Municipality.
Name
The municipality is named after the Vanylvsfjorden. The meaning of the first element is uncertain, but it may come from the word which means "fishing line" or vannr which mean "dark" or "colorless", referring to the occurrence of olivine in the area. The last element is iflir which is frequently used in the Sunnmøre area in the names of fjords. It possibly comes from the word viflir which means "low, wet terrain". Historically, the name was written Vanelven. In 1889, the spelling was changed to Vannelven. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Vanylven.Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 11 December 1987. The official blazon is "Vert, a pile embowed argent". This means the arms have a green field and the charge is a pile embowed. 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 arms are meant to show how the Vanylvsfjorden meets the sea, surrounded by the fertile green lands of Vanylven. The fertile lands and the sea which is full of herring are both important industries to the municipality which is why the colors green and silver were chosen for the arms. The arms were designed by Jostein O. Mo. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.Churches
The Church of Norway has four parishes within Vanylven Municipality. It is part of the Søre [Sunnmøre prosti] in the Diocese of Møre.| Parish | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Vanylven | Vanylven Church | Slagnes | 1863 |
| Syvde | Syvde Church | Syvde | 1837 |
| Rovde | Rovde Church | Rovdane | 1872 |
| Åram | Åram Church | Åram | 1927 |
| Åheim | Saint Jetmund Church | Åheim | 1130 |
Geography
Vanylven borders Sande Municipality and Herøy Municipality in the north. Volda Municipality lies to the east; and Stad Municipality is located to the south.Vanylven Municipality is located on the mainland of Norway and it is surrounded by several fjords. The Vanylvsfjorden lies to the west and the Rovdefjorden to the north. The Syvdsfjorden cuts into the municipality from the north and it empties into the Rovdefjorden. The Syltefjorden branches off the main Vanylvsfjorden, just past the village of Fiskåbygd. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Storeblæja, just north of the border with Volda Municipality.
Climate
Government
Vanylven 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 Sunnmøre District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.Municipal council
The municipal council of Vanylven Municipality is made up of 21 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 Vanylven 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:- 1838–1839: Jon J. Sundal
- 1840–1843: Nicolai Christian Synnestvedt
- 1844–1855: Jon J. Sundal
- 1856–1859: Hans A. Thunem
- 1860–1863: Bern Krøvel
- 1864–1869: Samson Qviebakke
- 1870–1871: Bern Krøvel
- 1872–1875: Samson Qviebakke
- 1876–1877: Matias O. Thunem
- 1878–1879: Bernt S. Breiteig
- 1880–1895: Matias O. Thunem
- 1896–1901: Gerhard K. Fiskå
- 1902–1913: Kristian R. Sandnes
- 1914–1919: Ola Hellebust
- 1920–1925: Andreas M. Osnes
- 1926–1931: Petter I. Lien
- 1932–1934: John A. Aasen
- 1935–1937: Andreas M. Osnes
- 1938–1945: John A. Aasen
- 1945–1945: Sverre Nybø
- 1946–1949: Knut Rønnestad
- 1950–1951: Knut A. Thunem
- 1952–1955: Anfinn M. Skorge
- 1956–1959: Einar Orten
- 1960–1961: Sverre Nybø
- 1962–1963: Olav A. Aarø
- 1964–1965: Osnes
- 1966–1973: Ola Øvregård
- 1974–1975: Svein Thunem
- 1976–1983: Ragnar Vik
- 1984–1987: Jon Arne Lillebø
- 1988–2003: Jon Aasen
- 2003–2015: Jan Helgøy
- 2015–2023: Lena M. Landsverk Sande
- 2023–present: Paul Sindre Vedeld
Notable people
- Jacob Vidnes, a trade unionist, newspaper editor, and politician
- Marie Lovise Widnes, a poet, author, singer, composer, and politician
- Helge Simonnes, an editor and current editor-in-chief of Vårt Land
- Else Mundal, a philologist and academic
- Maria Parr, a children's writer