Fedje is an island municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the traditional district of Nordhordland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fedje. The main economic activity of the inhabitants for a long time has been fishing. The municipality consists of the main island of Fedje which is also surrounded by about 125 smaller islands and rocks mostly north of the main island. The name Fedje applies both to the main island, the main village, and to all the islands and rocks as a whole municipality.
The 9.27-square-kilometre (3.58sqmi) municipality is the 355th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Fedje Municipality is the 351st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 521. The municipality's population density is 56.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (146/sqmi) and its population has decreased by 7.5% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
General information
Map of FedjeVillage of Fedje
Historically, the islands of Fedje belonged to the prestegjeld of Lindås. In 1910, the northwestern part of Lindås Municipality was separated to become the new Austrheim Municipality (which at that time also included Fedje). On 1 January 1947, all of Austrheim Municipality located west of the Fedjefjorden (population: 920) was separated to become the new Fedje Municipality. The borders have not changed since the establishment of the municipality.[7]
Historically, this municipality was part of the old Hordaland county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Vestland county (after Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane counties were merged).[8]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Fedje farm (Old Norse: Feðjar) since the first Fedje Church was built there. The name comes from the word faþa (Gothic: 𐍆𐌰𐌸𐌰) which means "fence" or "wall". The meaning here refers to a row of islands or archipelago, separating the inshore waters (now called the Fedjefjorden) from the ocean.[9]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 13 July 1990. The official blazon is "Azure, two oars argentin bend issuant from the base sinister" (Norwegian: På blå grunn to skrått framveksande sølv årar). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a pair of oars aligned diagonally one above the other. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This symbolizes the rich boating history of this island municipality. The arms were designed by Even Jarl Skoglund. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[10][11][12]
Fedje has an elementary school, and a junior high school, both of which are situated in the center of the island, and in the same building. The school is also used as a movie theater twice a week.
History
Kræmmerholmen.
There are traces of human activity on Fedje from as long as 4,000 years ago. In the 18th century, the village of Fedje was an important trading place, with the small island of Kræmmerholmen being the location where the trading took place. Kræmmerholmen was reopened in 1991, and was a restaurant/hotel/museum area, but closed in September 2008. Fedje was previously a substantial producer of peat. The peat led to the construction of a railway. The railway was given up together with the peat industry in 1920.
During the Second World War Fedje was occupied by over 300 German soldiers. There are still remains of the German cannons and bunkers all over the island, especially in the western part close to the traffic station, which is actually built on the remains of a German radar station.
In February 1945, the German U-boatU-864 was sunk by the Royal Navy submarine HMSVenturer outside western Fedj, the only instance in history of a submarine being sunk by another submarine while both were submerged. The wreck of the U-boat was discovered in 2003 lying in 150 metres (490ft) of water, 2nmi (3.7km; 2.3mi) west of Fedje.[13] Its cargo included 67 short tons (61 t) of mercury which was being shipped to Japan. Contained in 1,857 rusting steel bottles in the vessel's keel, the mercury was discovered to be leaking out and currently poses a severe environmental threat. The rusting mercury bottles, the delicate condition of the wreck, and the presence of live torpedoes aboard it make the raising or salvage of U-864 extremely hazardous, and it has instead been proposed that the wreck be entombed.[14]
On 12 January 2007, M/V Server sunk outside Fedje. The ship leaked oil and caused major environmental damage. But due to intensive efforts to clean the coves and beaches, very few traces can be found today.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Fedje Municipality is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Fedje Municipality 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:[33][34]
In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Fedje be closed.[35] The municipality is now covered by the Nordhordland police station with is part of the West Police District.
Geography
View of Fedjebjørnen
The highest point in the municipality is the 42.16-metre (138.3ft) tall mountain Fedjebjørnen located on the island of Fedje.[1]. The largest lake is Storevatnet.
Islands
Other than the main island of Fedje, the best known smaller island is called Holmengrå, which is the site of the 35-metre (115ft) tall Holmengrå Lighthouse. In the southern part of Fedje which is called Stormark, there is a lighthouse called Hellisøy Lighthouse, maybe the most famous feature in the municipality. Hellisøy Lighthouse was built in 1855. The 32.3-metre (106ft) tall tower is painted red and white. The islands of Fedje are all located on the western side of the Fedjefjorden.
Population
The population of the island community is decreasing due to the high percentage of people over 60 years (25% as of 1 January 2003), and because many people decide to move from the island, many because of the lack of work. The island municipality is also not connected to the national road network, so people must use an airplane or boat to get to other parts of Norway.
Most of the people live on the lagoon-like northern part of the island in the village of Fedje where there is a grocery store, Fedje Church, and the ferry quay. Fedje Municipality was historically inhabited by fishermen and whalers. These days many are working on commercial ships or in the oil industry. By doing so they can still live on the island without having to work there.
The main sporting activity on Fedje is football, which can be played on the football grounds in the eastern part of the island. The football ground is also the home ground of the local football team called Fedje A-lag. The club is currently playing in the Norwegian 6th division.
Swimming is also popular, as there is a beautiful beach located on Fedje, which is to be found in the centre of the island on the shoreline of LakeHusavatnet. The water is clean and brackish, as it has a small opening to the sea which makes the tide flush it with sea water from time to time.
The island is supplied with power, telephone, and internet cables from an underwater cordless router to the mainland. A ferry, crossing 20 times a day, connects Fedje to the mainland. The voyage lasts for about 30 minutes. Fedje is about a 1-hour 40 minute drive (including a 30-minute ferry voyage) from the city of Bergen.
Notable people
Gisle Handeland (born 1943 in Fedje), a Norwegian politician who was county mayor of Hordaland from 1993-2003
Vidar Kleppe (born 1963), a somewhat controversial Norwegian politician who was brought up in Fedje
↑Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
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