Kvam

Kvam is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located along the Hardangerfjorden in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Norheimsund. Other larger settlements in the municipality include Øystese, Bru, Ålvik, Tørvikbygd, Omastranda, and Mundheim. Historically, the municipality was named Vikør.[3]

For other uses, see Kvam (disambiguation).

Kvam herad
Municipality
View of Norheimsund in Kvam
Coat of arms Vestland within Norway
Kvam within Vestland
Coordinates: 60°22′12″N 06°08′38″E
Country	Norway
County	Vestland
District	Hardanger
Established	1 Jan 1838
Administrative centre	Norheimsund
Government
• Mayor (2019)	Torgeir Næss (Ap)
Area
• Total	616.93 km^2 (238.20 sq mi)
• Land	580.40 km^2 (224.09 sq mi)
• Water	36.53 km^2 (14.10 sq mi)  5.9%
Area rank	188 in Norway
Population  (2020)
• Total	8,457
• Rank	126 in Norway
• Density	14.6/km^2 (38/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	1.2%
Demonym(s)	Kvemming, kvemmingen, kvemmingar, kvemmingane[1]
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-4622
Official language form	Nynorsk[2]
Website	kvam.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

The 617-square-kilometre (238 sq mi) municipality is the 188th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvam is the 126th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 8,457. The municipality's population density is 14.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (38/sq mi) and its population has increased by 1.2% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]

General information

View of the village of Norheimsund

View of Vikøy Church

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Hvammr, identical with the word hvammr which means "(small) valley", possibly referring the Steinsdalen valley west of Norheimsund.[6] Before 1911, the municipality was named Vikør, which comes from the Old Norse word Vikøyar. It was the name of the farm on which the old Vikøy Church was located.[7]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 27 November 1981. The blue and silver arms are designed to look like the Fyksesund, a narrow fjord in the municipality. The shape of the fjord is that it is narrower in the middle and this is symbolized in the design of the coat-of-arms.[8]

Churches

The Church of Norway has four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Kvam. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Churches in Kvam

Parish (sokn)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Strandebarm	Strandebarm Church	Bru	1876
Vikøy	Norheimsund Church	Norheimsund	1992
	Vikøy Church	Vikøy	1838
Øystese	Øystese Church	Øystese	1868
Ålvik	Ålvik Church	Ålvik	1962

Geography

View of the Steinsdalsfossen waterfall

Old road in Kvam

Kvam municipality borders the municipality of Voss to the north and east; Vaksdal, Samnanger, and Bjørnafjorden to the west; and the Hardangerfjorden to the south. The Fyksesund fjord branches off the main fjord and heads north into the municipality. The Fyksesund Landscape Park surrounds the inner part of the Fyksesund, north of the Fyksesund Bridge. The largest lakes are Bjølsegrøvvatnet and Holmavatnet. In addition a portion of Hamlagrøvatnet is located in Kvam. The Kvamskogen plateau lies west of Norheimsund and is home to hundreds of holiday cabins. The Steinsdalsfossen waterfall, located in Steine is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway.

History

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1951	5,530	—
1960	6,525	+18.0%
1970	9,017	+38.2%
1980	8,733	−3.1%
1990	8,773	+0.5%
2000	8,592	−2.1%
2010	8,360	−2.7%
2019	8,441	+1.0%
Source: Statistics Norway.

The old parish of Vikør was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). According to the 1835 census, the parish had a population of 2,321.[9] On 1 January 1882, a small area of Ullensvang municipality (population: 22) was transferred to Vikør. In 1912, the municipality changed its name from "Vikør" to "Kvam".[10]

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the Åsgrenda area on the Folgefonna peninsula (population: 61) was moved from Kvam to the neighboring Ullensvang Municipality. On the same date, Kvam also gained a considerable amount of territory, making it a much larger municipality. The following places were merged, giving the new Kvam municipality a population of 9,119.[11]

• Most of Kvam municipality (population: 6,759) except for Åsegrenda which was moved to Ullensvang
• The part of Jondal municipality that was located on the northwest side of the Hardangerfjord, around the village of Tørvikbygd (population: 515)
• Most of Strandebarm municipality (population: 1,545), except for the Kysnesstranda area which went to Jondal
• The Mundheim area of Varaldsøy (population: 300).

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kvam, 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.[12] The municipality falls under the Sunnhordland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

In 2007, Kvam participated in a trial where the mayor was directly elected. The sitting mayor, Astrid Selsvold, won the election with 26.7% of the votes.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Heradsstyre) of Kvam is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Kvam Heradsstyre 2020–2023 [13]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	6
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	4
	Green Party (Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	2
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	3
	Red Party (Raudt)	1
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	8
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	1
Total number of members:		27

Kvam Heradsstyre 2016–2019 [14]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	6
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	3
	Green Party (Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne)	1
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	3
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	9
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	1
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	1
Total number of members:		27

Kvam Heradsstyre 2012–2015 [15]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	4
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	3
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	4
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	4
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	6
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	1
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
	Kvam Cross-Party List (Kvam Tverrpolitiske liste)	3
Total number of members:		27

Kvam Heradsstyre 2008–2011 [14]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	6
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	4
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	5
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	1
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
	The Independents (Dei uavhengige)	3
Total number of members:		27

Kvam Heradsstyre 2004–2007 [14]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	7
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	4
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	4
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	6
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
Total number of members:		27

Kvam Heradsstyre 2000–2003 [14]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	7
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	5
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	7
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
	Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk grendaliste)	2
	Green local list (Grøn bygdeliste)	1
Total number of members:		33

Kvam Heradsstyre 1996–1999 [16]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	8
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	4
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	7
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	12
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
	Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk Grendeliste)	2
Total number of members:		41

Kvam Heradsstyre 1992–1995 [17]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	9
	Progress Party (Framstegspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	7
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	6
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	12
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	4
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	1
Total number of members:		41

Kvam Heradsstyre 1988–1991 [18]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	12
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	9
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	8
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	7
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
Total number of members:		41

Kvam Heradsstyre 1984–1987 [19]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	11
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	10
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	9
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	7
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
Total number of members:		41

Kvam Heradsstyre 1980–1983 [20]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	9
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	10
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	9
	Liberal People's Party (Liberale Folkepartiet)	1
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	8
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	1
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
Total number of members:		41

Kvam Heradsstyre 1976–1979 [21]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	10
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	10
	New People's Party (Nye Folkepartiet)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	10
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	1
Total number of members:		41

Kvam Heradsstyre 1972–1975 [22]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	12
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	4
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	9
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	11
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	5
Total number of members:		41

Kvam Heradsstyre 1968–1971 [23]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	13
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	8
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	8
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	7
Total number of members:		41

Kvam Heradsstyre 1964–1967 [24]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	9
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	3
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	5
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	4
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	4
Total number of members:		25

Kvam Heradsstyre 1960–1963 [25]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	9
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	2
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	6
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	5
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
Total number of members:		25

Kvam Heradsstyre 1956–1959 [26]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	8
	Conservative Party (Høgre)	1
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	6
	Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet)	6
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	4
Total number of members:		25

Kvam Heradsstyre 1952–1955 [27]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	8
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	5
	Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet)	6
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	5
Total number of members:		24

Kvam Heradsstyre 1948–1951 [28]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)	2
	Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet)	3
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	5
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidarar, fiskarar, småbrukarar liste)	1
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	8
Total number of members:		24

Kvam Heradsstyre 1945–1947 [29]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	5
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	4
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidarar, fiskarar, småbrukarar liste)	1
	Local List(s) (Lokale lister)	14
Total number of members:		24

Kvam Heradsstyre 1938–1941* [30]  

Party Name (in Nynorsk)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)	5
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	7
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister)	12
Total number of members:		24

Mayor

The mayors of Kvam (incomplete list):

• 2019–present: Torgeir Næss (Ap)
• 2015-2019: Jostein Ljones (Sp)
• 2011-2015: Asbjørn Tolo (H)
• 2003-2011: Astrid Farestveit Selsvold (Ap)

Notable residents

• Jon Flatabø (1846–1930), writer
• Jon Fosse, a Norwegian author and dramatist
• Valgerd Svarstad Haugland, a Norwegian teacher, politician and civil servant
• Per Øyvind Heradstveit, a Norwegian television journalist and non-fiction writer
• Svein Rosseland, a Norwegian astrophysicist and a pioneer in the field of theoretical astrophysics
• Nils Nilsson Skaar (1852–1948), editor and politician
• Geirr Tveitt, a central figure of the national movement in Norwegian cultural life during the 1930s

References

1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
3. Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (2017-06-20). "Vikøy". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
4. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
5. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
6. Store norske leksikon. "Kvam – kommune i Hordaland" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2014-07-04.
7. Rygh, Oluf (1919). Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Bergenhus amt (in Norwegian) (12 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. pp. 492 and 506.
8. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
9. Registreringssentral for historiske data. "Hjemmehørende folkemengde Hordaland 1801-1960" (in Norwegian). University of Tromsø.
10. Kvam municipality. "Arkivkatalogar" (in Norwegian).
11. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
12. Hansen, Tore, ed. (2016-05-12). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
13. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Vestland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
14. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
15. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Hordaland". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
16. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
21. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
22. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
23. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
24. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
25. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 2020-05-10.

External links

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)