Førde
Førde is a place and a former municipality in the Sunnfjord district of the Norwegian province of Sogn og Fjordane (became part of Vestland in 2020 ). The municipality of Førde was the most populous in Sogn og Fjordane and had had city status since 1997. The county’s largest hospital was also in Førde. As part of the municipal reform in Norway , Førde, Gaular , Jølster and Naustdal were merged to form the new municipality of Sunnfjord on January 1, 2020.
13,092 inhabitants lived on an area of 586 km² (as of January 1, 2019). The municipality number was 1432. The last mayor was Olve Grotle ( H ).
geography
Førde is located at the end of the Førdefjord at the mouth of the Jølstra River, which flows from the Jølstravatnet lake, which is not quite 20 km away . It is surrounded by the Hafstadfjellet, Viefjellet, Førdenipa, Halbrendsnipa and Vieåsen mountains. The municipality bordered Naustdal to the north, Jølster , Sogndal and Balestrand to the east, Gaular to the south and Askvoll to the west .
traffic
Bringeland Airport near Førde (16 km from the city center) connects the region with Oslo and Bergen . The European route E39 from Kristiansand to Trondheim runs through the town. An earlier ferry connection was discontinued.
economy
Due to its central location in the otherwise sparsely populated and agricultural Sogn og Fjordane , Førde is a popular shopping town. There are many car dealerships. Important jobs are also provided by the slaughterhouse, public administration, healthcare, construction companies, a shipyard and a nursing school. There are two hotels open all year round. While there was a decline in population in many municipalities in Sogn og Fjordane, Førde Kommune enjoyed continuous population growth from around 3000 in 1951 to 13.092 on January 1, 2019.
Culture
In July, the Førde Internasjonale Folkemusikkfestival , the largest folk music festival in Norway, with international and Norwegian music takes place in Førde .
In the “Førdehus” cultural center there are regular theater performances by a traveling theater group, cinema performances and temporary exhibitions. There is an indoor swimming pool and a grass soccer field. At the Sunnfjord Museum (9 km east of the city center on the E39) you can experience Norwegian local history up close through old farmhouses. Førde is also the seat of the Sogn og Fjordane Art Museum, which has been housed in a striking building by the CF Møller architecture firm, which has been inspired by the Fylkes glaciers, since 2012.
Personalities from Førde
- Johannes Haarklou (1847–1925), composer, organist and conductor
- Hauk Aabel (1869–1961), actor
- Ingolf Elster Christensen (1872–1943), lawyer, officer, civil servant and politician
- Kjell Opseth (1936-2017), politician
- Himanshu Gulati (* 1988), politician
- Tore Viken Holvik (* 1988), snowboarder
- Cecilie Pedersen (* 1990), soccer player
- Helene Bergsholm (* 1992), actress
- Karoline Erdal (* 1997), biathlete
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Navn på nye kommuner. February 19, 2019, accessed January 10, 2020 (Norwegian).
Coordinates: 61 ° 27 ' N , 5 ° 51' E