Neha Patil (Editor)

Hareid

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Country
  
Norway

District
  
Sunnmøre

Area rank
  
397 in Norway

Area
  
82.32 km²

Local time
  
Thursday 7:02 PM

County
  
Møre og Romsdal

Administrative centre
  
Hareid

Demonym(s)
  
Hareidstøling

Population
  
5,057 (2013)

Official language form
  
Nynorsk

Hareid httpsmediacdntripadvisorcommediaphotos02

Weather
  
6°C, Wind SW at 37 km/h, 80% Humidity

Points of interest
  
Eismeermuseum Aarvak, Overåsanden ‑ Beach, Kvitneset

Hareid is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Hareid. The other main population centers are Brandal and Hjørungavåg.

Contents

Map of Hareid Municipality, Norway

The municipality is situated off the mainland coast of Sunnmøre, on an island named Hareidlandet, which it shared with Ulstein Municipality, the commercial capital of the area. Hareid is regarded as the cultural capital with its annual Hareidsstemne and many choirs. It is also an important traffic hub in Sunnmøre and is connected by ferry to the neighboring island of Sula which in turn is connected to the city of Ålesund and the island of Valderøya. The municipality is connected to the mainland via the Eiksund Bridge and Eiksund Tunnel through Ulstein.

General information

The municipality of Hareid was established on 1 January 1917 when it was separated from Ulstein Municipality to form a municipality of its own. Originally, the municipality included the eastern part of Hareidlandet island and the southwestern part of Sula island. The initial population was 2,310. On 1 July 1958, the southwestern part of the island of Sula (population: 68) was transferred from Hareid Municipality to Borgund Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hareid farm (Old Norse: Haðareið), since the first church (Hareid Church) was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the island Hǫð (now Hareidlandet) and the last element is eið which means "isthmus". The meaning of the name of the island is unknown. It is however speculated that it might be connected to the Norse god Höðr

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 11 January 1985. The arms show three arrowheads as a symbol for the Battle of Hjörungavágr in 986, in which Earl Håkon defeated the Danish Vikings. This battle played an important role in the struggle by Håkon to unite the whole of Norway. Since the battle took place in the municipality, the arrowheads were considered an appropriate symbol.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Hareid. It is part of the Søre Sunnmøre deanery in the Diocese of Møre.

Primary industries

Primary industries such as fisheries and agriculture have traditionally been important ways of life in Hareid, and continue to be so for some of the population.

Industry

In recent years Hareid has developed into a modern industrial municipality with a variety of industries, including furniture, fish farming, offshore and subsea ship systems, and other manufacturers of ship equipment. Many Hareid companies specialize in manufacturing maritime equipment and components, and are part of the maritime cluster of Sunnmøre. Such clusters are considered by the EU to be powerful engines of economic development and drivers for innovation in Europe.

Industrial companies

  • Ekornes (furniture)
  • Hareid Group (electrical systems)
  • Jets (vacuum sanitation)
  • Kvalsvik Produksjon (kitchen furniture)
  • Libra Plast (ship doors)
  • Norway Pelagic (fish processing plant)
  • Rolls Royce Marine (maritime equipment)
  • Spenncon (precast concrete)
  • Stromek (maritime equipment)
  • Vital Base (specialized pillows and cushions)
  • Education

    The town centre of Hareid is home to Hareid elementary school and Hareid junior high school, with two more elementary schools in more rural parts of the municipality.

  • Hareid elementary school, grades 1 through 7
  • Bigset elementary school, grades 1 through 7
  • Hjørungavåg elementary school, grades 1 through 7
  • Hareid junior high school, grades 8 through 10
  • After finishing junior high school in Hareid, students can complete a high school education in one of Hareid's neighbouring communitites such as Ulsteinvik or Ålesund.

    References

    Hareid Wikipedia