Vågsøy

General information

Historically, Vågsøy was part of Selje Municipality. On 1 January 1910, the municipality of Selje was split into three separate municipalities: Nord-Vågsøy (population: 1,111); Sør-Vågsøy (population: 1,517); and Selje (population: 3,367). Nord-Vågsøy included the northern half of the island of Vågsøy and Sør-Vågsøy included the southern part of the island.

On 1 January 1964, the new municipality of Vågsøy was created by merging the following areas together:

The new municipality had an initial population of 6,962.

Name

The municipality is named after the island of Vågsøy. The Old Norse form of the name was Vágsøy. The first element is the genitive case of vágr which means "bay" and the last element is øy which means "island".

Coat-of-arms

The Coat of arms of Vågsøy is of modern design. The coat of arms was granted on 27 March 1987. The arms show two rudders, used in the one-man boats which have been used for a long time in the village. The rudders are silver and the background is blue.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Vågsøy. It is part of the Nordfjord deanery in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Vågsøy, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vågsøy is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to every four years. For 2011–2015, the party breakdown is as follows:

Mayor

The mayor (ordførar) of a municipality in Norway is a representative of the majority party of the municipal council who is elected to lead the council. Morten Andreas Hagen of the Conservative Party was elected mayor for the 2011–2015 term.

In 2007, Vågsøy participated in a trial where the mayor was directly elected. The sitting mayor, Roger B. Silden, received 44.1% of the votes and won the election. His party (the Norwegian Labour Party), however, did poorer than in 2003 and it became the second largest party with only 21.8% of the votes.

Geography

Vågsøy is made up of the mainland and islands on the northern and outer shore of the Nordfjorden. The municipality is named after its largest island, Vågsøy. Other populated islands in Vågsøy include Silda, Moldøen, and Husevågøy. The lake Degnepollvatnet is located between the villages of Degnepoll and Tennebø.

The municipalities of Selje (in Sogn og Fjordane county) and Vanylven (in Møre og Romsdal county) border to the north, the municipality of Eid lies to the east, the municipality of Bremanger lies to the south, and the North Sea borders Vågsøy to the west.

Måløy

Måløy attained city status in 1997. It lies along the Ulvesundet strait on the island of Vågsøy, and is joined to the mainland by the 1,224-metre (4,016 ft) long Måløy Bridge, a structure that forms a gateway for all seagoing traffic. The Coastal Steamer (Hurtigruten) has daily departures. The old part of the city lies on the island of Moldøen.

Kannestein

Over thousands of years, ocean waves have ground the rock to the shape it has today. It is located in the village of Oppedal, approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) west of the center of Måløy. Every year many visitors come to Oppedal to take a closer look at the stone. The Kannestein or Kanne Stone was formed by loose stones and the pounding of the waves over a period of thousands of years, and stands today as a 4 to 5 metres (13 to 16 ft) high, narrow-footed rock. This is caused by stones having split loose, which have knocked and gnawed at the rockface until they have become polished and rounded. Loose stones have then worked themselves deeper into the rock. New stones have come, and in time the potholes have become deeper and wider. Several potholes near to each other have been polished for so long that the sides have been rubbed away, leaving just the middle section, such as the Kanne Stone.

Vågsberget trading post

In 1636, trader Didrik Fester from Bergen came to Vågsberget to open a trading business. There was probably trading activity and an inn before Fester’s arrival, and the trading post at Vågsberget has changed hands several times throughout the years. Restoration work is being carried out on Vågsberget, but the café and exhibition is open in summer and guided tours are available. There is also an exhibition featuring old fishing boats and equipment. Vågsberget is now part of the large village of Vågsvåg.

Silda

Silda, the island in Sildagapet bay, is an old fishing community, which in its heyday had a population of 150 who made a living from fishing and farming. Its current winter population is only about 30, while in summer it is host to several hundred people, staying in holiday houses and cabins. The island has a restaurant perched on a rock out in the southern harbor. There are also cabins for rent there. The jetty in Silda’s northern harbor was started in the 1860s and completed in the 20th century. With the exception of a few tractors, the island is "car free", but it has cycling and walking tracks, footpaths and walking terrain. A regular boat service runs to and from Måløy several times a day.

Lighthouses

Vågsøy municipality has four lighthouses. Three of them are open daily and are available for let for short or long periods.

Beaches

Refviksanden Beach is a 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) long beach. Refvika is approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Måløy.