Vestnes Municipality
Template:Short description Template:Infobox kommune
Vestnes is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Vestnes is part of the traditional district of Romsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vestnes. Other villages in the municipality include Vikebukt, Vik, Vågstranda, Øverås, Fiksdal, Tomrefjord, and Tresfjord.
The area is known for nature and outdoor pursuits, and has a long history in ship building and maritime crafts. The village of Vestnes (Helland) dates back to early medieval times, and has 24-hour ferry and water taxi service with the town of Molde to the northeast. The ferry takes about 35-minutes each way.
The Template:Convert municipality is the 238th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Vestnes Municipality is the 144th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,147. The municipality's population density is Template:Convert and its population has increased by 8% over the previous 10-year period.<ref name="ssb pop">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ssb area">Template:Cite web</ref>
History
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The municipality of Vestnes was established in the fall of 1838 when the western district of the large Veøy Municipality was separated to form its own municipality (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1899, the southern district of the municipality (population: 1,408) was separated from Vestnes to form the new Sylte Municipality.<ref name="Dag">Template:Cite web</ref>
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Vestnes Municipality (population: 3,895) and Tresfjord Municipality, formerly known as Sylte Municipality, (population: 1,319) were merged to form a new, larger Vestnes Municipality.<ref name="Dag" />
On 1 January 2021, the Template:Convert Vågstranda area in the northwestern part of Rauma Municipality was transferred into Vestnes Municipality.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Name
[edit]The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Vestnes farm (Template:Langx) since the first Vestnes Church was built there. The first element is Template:Wikt-lang which means "west". The last element is Template:Wikt-lang which means "headland". Prior to 1889, the name was written Vestnæs.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Coat of arms
[edit]The coat of arms was granted on 11 April 1980. The official blazon is "Gules, two piles issuant from dexter Or" (Template:Langx). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is two piles (triangles) extending from the left to the right. 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. The arms are designed to symbolize the geography of the municipality: a headland between two fjords—the Tresfjorden and the Tomrefjorden. The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="snl">Template:Cite SNL</ref>
Museums
[edit]A Viking barrow burial was uncovered at Villa Farm near Vestnes in 1894. Now in the British Museum's collection in London, the rich grave finds include a pair of oval brooches and other dress accessories, a comb, remnants of a bucket and a box, a bridle-bit, agricultural tools, a bronze bowl, a whalebone plaque, a weaving batten and a whetstone.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Møre og Romsdal Agricultural Museum (Template:Lang) was established in the municipality at the Gjermundnes Farm in 1979.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Churches
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The Church of Norway has five parishes (Template:Lang) within Vestnes Municipality. It is part of the Indre Romsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre.
| Parish (Template:Lang) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vestnes | Vestnes Church | Vestnes | 1872 |
| Fiksdal | Fiksdal Church | Fiksdalen | 1866 |
| Tresfjord | Tresfjord Church | Tresfjord | 1828 |
| Vike | Vike Church | Vikebukt | 1970 |
| Vågstranda | Vågstranda Church | Vågstranda | 1870 |
Geography
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Vestnes is located in an area of great natural splendour on the southern shores of the vast Romsdal Fjord. The Tresfjorden and Tomrefjorden branch off Romsdal Fjord to the south. Vestnes borders Rauma Municipality to the east, as well as Fjord Municipality and Ålesund Municipality to the south. Across the Moldefjorden to the north is Molde Municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the Template:Convert tall mountain Sandfjellet, a tripoint on the border of Vestnes Municipality, Fjord Municipality, and Rauma Municipality.<ref name="elev" />
Government
[edit]Vestnes Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.<ref name="ks">Template:Cite SNL</ref> The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Møre og Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
[edit]The municipal council (Template:Lang) of Vestnes is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party. Template:Div col Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Div col end
Mayors
[edit]The mayor (Template:Langx) of Vestnes 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:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Div col
- 1838–1841: Henrik Jonsen Remmem<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="VP">Template:Cite book</ref>
- 1842–1843: Arit Bjermeland<ref name="VP" />
- 1844–1845: Nils N. Vestnæs<ref name="VP" />
- 1846–1847: Christen N. Stokkeland<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="VP" />
- 1847–1859: Erik Aslaksen Sylte<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="VP" />
- 1860–1861: Hans Nakken<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="VP" />
- 1862–1869: Ivar Brovold<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="VP" />
- 1870–1873: Walter Scott Dahl (V)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1874–1875: Christofer Domaas<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1876–1883: Walter Scott Dahl (V)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1884–1886: Ivar Brovold<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="VP" />
- 1886–1889: Peder A. Gjelsten<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1889–1891: Mads Ellingsæter<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="VP" />
- 1891–1895: Peder A. Gjelsten<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1896–1898: Martinus P. Sylte<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1899–1901: Mads Ellingsæter<ref name="VP" />
- 1902–1910: Rasmuss Stokkeland
- 1911–1916: P.L. Legernes
- 1917–1919: Nils K. Bårdsnes
- 1920–1922: Anton J. Nerem
- 1923–1925: Nils K. Bårdsnes
- 1926–1928: Olav Eidhammer
- 1929–1931: Peder P. Gjelsten
- 1932–1934: Olav Eidhammer
- 1935–1937: Einar Helland
- 1938–1941: Kristian K Frostad (V)
- 1941–1945: Olav Rekdal (NS)
- 1945–1951: Kristian K Frostad (V)
- 1951–1956: Einar Aas<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1956–1957: Olav Tomren
- 1957–1963: Kåre Rekdal (KrF)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
- 1964–1971: Peder B. Hjelvik (Sp)
- 1972–1980: Torgeir Stene (V)
- 1980–1980: Ole S. Øveraas (Sp)
- 1981–1985: Georg Balstad (KrF)
- 1986–1987: Alf Johan Hustad
- 1987–1999: Petter Inge Bergheim (Sp)
- 1999–2003: Roald Fiksdal (Ap)
- 2003–2007: Knut Magne Flølo (FrP)
- 2007–2015: Øyvind Uren (Ap)
- 2015–2021: Geir Inge Lien (Sp)
- 2021–present: Randi Bergundhaugen (H)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Economy
[edit]Vestnes is a relatively good agricultural community with emphasis on livestock and milk production. Vestnes, however, is primarily a manufacturing district. The main industry is the ship-building industry with a number of different companies located in Vestnes. A total of 63% of industry employment (2004) in Vestnes is part of the ship-building industry. Other that shipbuilding, there are several companies in the food, textile and clothing, wood products, furniture, and metal products industries in Vestnes.<ref name="snl" />
Media
[edit]The newspaper Vestnesavisa is published in Vestnes.<ref name="snl Vestnesavisa">Template:Cite SNL</ref>
Transportation
[edit]The European route E39 highway goes through Vestnes on its way from Sjøholt to Molde. The European route E136 highway goes through Vestnes on its way from Ålesund to Dombås. The two highways intersect and share part of the route through Vestnes. The new Tresfjord Bridge carries the E136 highway over the Tresfjorden rather than the previous roadway that follows the shoreline all the way around the fjord.
Notable people
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- Peter L. Rypdal (1909 in Tresfjord – 1988), a fiddler and traditional folk music composer
- Jakob Rypdal (1926 in Tresfjord – 2015), a triple jumper
- Terje Rypdal (born 1947), a guitarist and composer who lives in Tresfjord
- Lodve Solholm (born 1949 in Vestnes), the county governor of Møre og Romsdal from 2009 to 2018
- Barry Gjerde (born 1951 in Vestnes), a Canadian-Japanese voice actor who works in Japan<ref>Template:IMDb name. Retrieved 23 March 2021.</ref>
- Bjørn Rune Gjelsten (born 1956 in Tomrefjord), a powerboat racer and joint owner of Wimbledon F.C.
- Kjetil Rekdal (born 1968 in Vestnes), a football manager and a former footballer with 484 club caps and 83 for Norway
- Bernt Hulsker (born 1977), a retired footballer with over 250 club caps who grew up in Vestnes
References
[edit]External links
[edit]- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway Template:In lang
- Template:Official site Template:In lang
Template:Use dmy dates Template:Sister bar Template:Møre og Romsdal Template:Authority control