Editing Balestrand (section)

==General information==
[[File:Balestrand.jpg|thumb|left|View of Balestrand village (left), the Esefjorden (center), and the Fjærlandsfjorden (right)]]
[[File:Vetlefjorddalen & Bårddalen.JPG|thumb|left|A view to Vetlefjorddalen and Bårddalen from a lookout spot at the top of the serpentine County Road 13]]
[[File:Adelsteen Normann-Munken gård i Esefjorden.jpg|thumb|left|Painting: ''Munken gård i Esefjorden'' by [[Adelsteen Normann]]]]
[[File:Kvamsøy kyrkje sett frå land.JPG|thumb|left|Kvamsøy Church on Kvamsøy island]]
Balestrand was established as a [[List of municipalities of Norway|municipality]] in 1850 when the three sub-parishes ({{lang|no|sokn}}) of [[Vangsnes]], [[Tjugum]], and [[Fjærland|Mundal]] in the northwestern part of the large [[Leikanger]] municipality were separated to form the new municipality of Balestrand. The initial population of the municipality was 2,122. In 1861, the Mundal sub-parish was renamed ''[[Fjærland]]''.<ref name="Dag">{{Cite book |last=Jukvam |first=Dag |year=1999 |title=Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen |url=http://www.ssb.no/emner/00/90/rapp_9913/rapp_9913.pdf |publisher=[[Statistics Norway|Statistisk sentralbyrå]] |language=no |isbn=9788253746845}}</ref>

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the [[Schei Committee]]. On 1 January 1964 the municipalities of [[Vik, Sogn|Vik]], [[Leikanger]], and Balestrand changed their boundaries in a land trade. The sub-parish of Vangsnes (population: 189) was transferred from Balestrand to [[Vik, Sogn|Vik]], Balestrand gained the sub-parish of Kvamsøy (population: 389) from [[Vik, Sogn|Vik]], and [[Leikanger]] gained the Hella-Eitorn area (population: 31) from Balestrand. Balestrand had a population of 1,606 after the changes were completed.<ref name="Dag" />

The Fjærland area of Balestrand had always been isolated from the rest of the municipality, and only accessible by boat. In 1995, the [[Frudal Tunnel]] was completed connecting Fjærland to neighboring [[Sogndal]] municipality (not to the rest of Balestrand). This caused discussions about Fjærland's municipal future. On 1 January 2000, the entire sub-parish of [[Fjærland]] in northern Balestrand was transferred to [[Sogndal]] municipality.<ref name="Dag" />

On 1 January 2020, Balestrand Municipality ceased to exist. The far western Nesse area of Balestrand was transferred to the neighboring [[Høyanger Municipality]] and the rest of Balestrand was merged with the neighboring municipalities of [[Leikanger]] and [[Sogndal]] to form a much larger municipality called Sogndal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nye Sogndal kommune |url=http://www.nye.sogndal.kommune.no/ |access-date=2019-12-08 |language=no}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Vedtak om grensejustering mellom kommunane Balestrand og Høyanger |date=10 December 2018 |url=https://www.regjeringen.no/no/aktuelt/vedtak-om-grensejustering-mellom-kommunane-balestrand-og-hoyanger/id2621794/ |access-date=2019-12-09 |publisher=Regjerning.no |language=no}}</ref>

===Name===
The municipality is named ''Balestrand'', a compound name for the area that was created in 1832 by the Norwegian writer [[Henrik Wergeland]]. The first element is the name of the old ''Bale'' farm ({{langx|non|Bali}}). The farm name is identical to the word {{wikt-lang|non|bali}} which means "grassy hillside". The last element is derived from the word {{wikt-lang|non|strǫnd}} which means "beach" or "shore". Thus the "shore along the grassy hillside."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rygh |first=Oluf |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lN1LAQAAIAAJ |title=Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Bergenhus amt |date=1919 |publisher=W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri |edition=12 |location=Kristiania, Norge |pages=137–138 |language=no |authorlink=Oluf Rygh}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Om Balestrand |url=http://www.balestrand.kommune.no/?side=510 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724180625/http://www.balestrand.kommune.no/?side=510 |archive-date=2011-07-24 |access-date=2010-09-04 |publisher=Balestrand kommune |language=no}}</ref>

===Coat of arms===
The [[coat of arms]] was granted on 23 October 1989. The official [[blazon]] is ''"[[Azure (heraldry)|Azure]], a down-pointing sword [[argent]] issuant from the base"'' ({{langx|no|På blå grunn eit oppveksande nedvend sølv sverd}}). This means the arms have a blue [[field (heraldry)|field]] (background) and the [[charge (heraldry)|charge]] is the [[hilt]] of a [[Viking]] [[sword]]. The charge has a [[tincture (heraldry)|tincture]] of [[argent]] which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design symbolizes an old Viking sword found in the burial mound in Balestrand. The sword is believed to belong to King Bele from [[Frithiof's Saga]]. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen |url=https://www.heraldry-wiki.com/heraldrywiki/index.php?title=Balestrand |access-date=2023-05-28 |publisher=Heraldry of the World}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Balestrand, Sogn og Fjordane (Norway) |url=https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/no-14-18.html |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=Flags of the World}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1989-11-17 |title=Godkjenning av våpen og flagg |url=https://lovdata.no/dokument/LFO/forskrift/1989-11-17-1201 |access-date=2023-05-28 |website=Lovdata.no |publisher=Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet |language=no}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Balestrand kommune, våpen |url=https://foto.digitalarkivet.no/fotoweb/archives/5003-Kommunev%C3%A5pen/Kart%20og%20tegninger%20og%20segl/he10081205030688.tif.info#c=%2Ffotoweb%2Farchives%2F5003-Kommunev%25C3%25A5pen%2F%3Fq%3Dbalestrand |access-date=2023-05-26 |website=Digitalarkivet |publisher=Arkivverket |language=no}}</ref> {{See also|Hægebostad#Coat of arms}}

===Churches===
The [[Church of Norway]] had one parish ({{lang|no|sokn}}) within the municipality of Balestrand. It was part of the [[Sogn prosti]] ([[deanery]]) in the [[Diocese of Bjørgvin]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ style="font-size:medium"|'''''Churches in Balestrand'''''
!Parish ({{lang|no|sokn}})!!Church name!!Location of the church!!Year built
|-
|rowspan="3"|Balestrand||[[Kvamsøy Church]]||[[Kvamsøy, Sogn og Fjordane|Kvamsøy]]||1290
|-
|[[Sæle Church]]||[[Sæle, Sogn og Fjordane|Sæle]]||1903
|-
|[[Tjugum Church]]||[[Tjugum]]||1863
|}

There is also one [[Anglican Communion|Anglican]] church in Balestrand:
*[[St. Olaf's Church, Balestrand|''St. Olaf's Church'']] (built in 1897) is located in the village of Balestrand.