| Former | yes |
|---|---|
| Idnumber | 1227 |
| County | Hordaland |
| District | Hardanger |
| Capital | Jondal |
| Established | 1 Jan 1863 |
| Preceded | Strandebarm Municipality |
| Disestablished | 1 Jan 2020 |
| Succeeded | Ullensvang Municipality |
| Demonyms | Jondøl Jondøling |
| Language | Nynorsk |
| Mayor | Jon Larsgard |
| Mayor party | Sp |
| Mayor as of | 2009–2019 |
| Elevation max | 1644 m |
| Area rank | 305 |
| Area total | 247.08 km² |
| Area land | 234.73 km² |
| Area water | 12.35 km² |
| Area water percent | 5 |
| Population as of | 2019 |
| Population rank | 387 |
| Population total | 1087 |
| Population density | 4.4 km² |
| Population increase | 6.4 |
| Coordinates | 60°16′06″N 06°19′45″E |
Jondal is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The 247.08-square kilometre (95.40-square mile) municipality existed from 1863 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now part of Ullensvang Municipality in the traditional district of Hardanger in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the village of Jondal. Other villages in the municipality included Herand, Kysnesstranda, and Torsnes.
Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 247.08-square kilometre (95.40-square mile) municipality was the 305th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Jondal Municipality was the 387th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,087. The municipality's population density was 4.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (11 /sq mi) and its population had increased by 6.4% over the previous 10-year period.[1][2]
General information
The municipality of Jondal was established on 1 January 1863 when the large Strandebarm Municipality was divided as follows:[3]
- the eastern district which was mostly east of the Hardangerfjorden (population: 1,663) became the new Jondal Municipality
- the western district which was mostly west of the Hardangerfjorden (population: 2,200) remained as a smaller Strandebarm Municipality
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, there were two changes that effected Jondal municipality: the part of Jondal located on the northwestern side of the Hardangerfjorden (population: 515) was transferred to Kvam Municipality and the Kysnesstranda area of Strandebarm Municipality (population: 100) was transferred to Jondal Municipality.[3]
Then on 1 January 2013, the southwestern part of the Folgefonna peninsula (south of Kysnesstranda) was transferred to Jondal from the neighboring Kvinnherad Municipality. This added forty new residents and 37.1 square kilometres (14.3 sq mi) of land area to the municipality.[4]
On 1 January 2020, Jondal Municipality, Odda Municipality, and Ullensvang Municipality were merged. The new municipality was named Ullensvang Municipality and its administrative centre is the town of Odda.[5] Historically, this municipality was part of the old Hordaland county. On 1 January 2020, the newly-enlarged Ullensvang Municipality became a part of the newly-formed Vestland county (after Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane counties were merged).[6]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Jondalen valley (Old Norse: Jónardalr) which runs through the municipality and it is where the village of Jondal is located. The first element is an old river name Jón (now called Jondalselvi). The meaning of the river name is unknown. The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".[7]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 27 November 1987 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Gules, three boathooks bendwise issuant from sinister base Or" (Norwegian: På raud grunn tre skrått framveksande gule båtshaker). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a set of three boat hooks lined up diagonally. 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. This design was chosen to symbolise the importance of sailing and shipping along the Hardangerfjord. Historically, Jondal Municipality has been known for its shipyards and sailing college. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[8][9][10]
Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Jondal Municipality. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jondal | Jondal Church | Jondal | 1888 |
Geography
Jondal Municipality was located on the Folgefonna peninsula in the Hardanger district, on the eastern shore of the Hardangerfjorden. It was bounded by the large Folgefonna glacier to the southeast (inside Folgefonna National Park). The highest point in the municipality was the 1,644-metre (5,394-foot) tall point at the top of the Folgefonna glacier.[11] The lake Juklavatnet was located on the municipal border with Kvinnherad Municipality. The 10-kilometre (6.2-mile) long tunnel runs under the glacier from Jondal to Mauranger (in Kvinnherad Municipality).
Kvam Municipality was located to the west and north, Ullensvang Municipality was located to the east, and Kvinnherad Municipality was located to the south.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1863 | 1,663 | — |
| 1865 | 1,663 | +0.0% |
| 1875 | 1,916 | +15.2% |
| 1891 | 2,020 | +5.4% |
| 1900 | 2,191 | +8.5% |
| 1910 | 2,156 | −1.6% |
| 1920 | 2,022 | −6.2% |
| 1930 | 1,910 | −5.5% |
| 1946 | 1,896 | −0.7% |
| 1951 | 1,871 | −1.3% |
| 1960 | 1,744 | −6.8% |
| 1970 | 1,268 | −27.3% |
| 1980 | 1,273 | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 1,266 | −0.5% |
| 2000 | 1,151 | −9.1% |
| 2010 | 1,036 | −10.0% |
| 2019 | 1,108 | +6.9% |
Note: The municipal borders were changed in 1965 and 2013, causing a significant change in the population.
Government
While it existed, Jondal Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), 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.[12] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hardanger District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Jondal Municipality was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Mayors
The mayor (Norwegian Nynorsk: ordførar) of Jondal Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:[13][14]
- 1863–1865: Hans Galtung[14]
- 1866–1875: Ole Evensen Vadsæl[14]
- 1876–1879: Jens Galtung[14]
- 1880–1889: Mikkel Digrebrække[14]
- 1890–1898: Lars Berge[14]
- 1899–1904: Samson Haugen[14]
- 1905–1916: Lars Storaas[14]
- 1917–1919: Lars Eide[14]
- 1920–1934: Hans Halleråker[14]
- 1935–1937: Ola N. Heradstveit[14]
- 1937–1946: Olaf L. Håheim[15]
- 1946–1947: Johannes S. Bakke[16]
- 1947–1951: Theodor Sandven (LL)[17]
- 1951–1967: Johannes S. Bakke (Sp)[18]
- 1967–1975: Lars Vetlesand (LL)
- 1975–1979: Leif Galtung (Sp)
- 1979–1995: Bjørg Hope Galtung (Sp)
- 1995–2007: John Skogseth (Ap)
- 2007–2009: Sigrid Brattabø Handegard (Sp)
- 2009–2019: Jon Larsgard (Sp)
Police
In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Jondal be closed.[19]
Notable people
- Herborg Kråkevik, a singer and actress
- Bjørg Hope Galtung, the mayor of Jondal Municipality from 1979 to 1993 (only leaving to sit in the national Parliament)
See also
References
- ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian)
- ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian)
- ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
- ^ Olsen, Kjartan Wang (2011-12-08). "Jondal overtar Kvinnherad-bygder" (in Norwegian). Hardanger folkeblad. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
- ^ "Ullensvang kommune - den nye kommune i Hardanger" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2017-10-24.
- ^
- ^ Rygh, Oluf (1910). Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt (in Norwegian). 11 ed. Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 507.
- ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ "Jondal, Hordaland". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no. Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 1987-11-27. Retrieved 2023-06-25.
- ^ "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. 2024-01-16. Archived 2019-03-12 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^
- ^ Fiva, Jon H (ed.) (2024). "Local Candidate Dataset"
- ^ Sjurseth, Karl (1937). Hordaland fylke 1837-1937 (in Norwegian). Bergen: Hordaland fylke.
- ^ "Olaf Håheim ny ordfører i Jondal" (in Norwegian). Hardanger. 1938-01-04. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
- ^ "Johs. S. Bakke vald til ordførar i Jondal" (in Norwegian). Hardanger. 1946-01-08. p. 1. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
- ^ "Lærar Th. Sandven ny ordførar i Jondal" (in Norwegian). Hardanger. 1947-12-30. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
- ^ "Johs. S. Bakke ordførar i Jondal" (in Norwegian). Bergens Arbeiderblad. 1951-12-31. p. 14. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
- ^ Fjelltveit, Ingvild & Raunholm, Per Vidar (2016-12-20). "Foreslår å legge ned 17 lensmannskontor i Vest politidistrikt" (in Norwegian). NRK Hordaland. Retrieved 2017-10-24.