Sogn og Fjordane was up to 1 January 2020 a county in western Norway, when it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland, the county administration was in the village of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality. The largest town in the county was Førde.
Kvinnherad is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland, along the Hardangerfjorden. The municipality was the 5th in size in former Hordaland county.
Rauma is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Romsdal. The administrative centre is the town of Åndalsnes. Other settlements in Rauma include the villages of Vågstranda, Måndalen, Innfjorden, Veblungsnes, Verma, Isfjorden, Eidsbygda, Rødven, Åfarnes, and Mittet. Most settlement in the municipality is located along the fjords and in the Romsdalen valley.
Vik is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located on the southern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Vik is the village of Vikøyri. Other villages in the municipality include Feios, Fresvik, Nese, and Vangsnes.
Luster is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located at the end of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative centre is the village of Gaupne. Other villages in Luster include Fortun, Hafslo, Indre Hafslo, Jostedal, Luster, Nes, Ornes, Skjolden, Solvorn, and Veitastrond.
Lavangen (Norwegian) or Loabák (Northern Sami) is a municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tennevoll. Other villages in Lavangen include Fossbakken and Spansdalen and Kjeiprød, Røkenes, Låternes, Tennevoll, Hesjevika, Soløy, and Å.
The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden, nicknamed the King of the Fjords, is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches 205 kilometres (127 mi) inland from the ocean to the small village of Skjolden in the municipality of Luster.
Urnes Stave Church is a 12th-century stave church at Ornes, along the Lustrafjorden in the municipality of Luster in Vestland county, Norway. It sits on the eastern side of the fjord, directly across the fjord from the village of Solvorn and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the village of Hafslo. It is among the oldest stave churches in Norway, with parts of the lumber construction dating from the latter half of the 11th century. The church was built on basilica plan inspired by medieval Christian churches, with cylindrical columns and semi-circular arches inside.The decoration on capitals of the columns and outside of the church embodies the visual evidence of the Viking culture’s transformation, assimilation, and adoption of Christianity. The north portal of the church is defined as the Urnes style, which contains decorations derived from Norwegian mythology dated back to the 12th century.
Røldal Stave Church is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ullensvang Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Røldal. It is the church for the Røldal parish which is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The brown, wooden stave church was built in around the year 1250 using designs by an unknown architect. The church seats about 130 people and is built in a long church style. The church is a preserved historic museum, but it is still a regularly-used parish church that holds regularly scheduled worship services twice a month.
Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments is an organization focused on conservation preservation in Norway.
Ørnes is the administrative centre of the municipality of Meløy in Nordland county, Norway. The old village is mentioned in documents dating from 1610 when a tenant farmer lived here. It is located along Norwegian County Road 17, about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of the village of Reipå and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north of the village of Eidbukta. The island of Mesøya lies just west of the village. Ørnes is a port of call along the Hurtigruten ferry route between Nesna and Bodø. The newspapers Framtia and Meløyavisa are published in Ørnes.
Hafslo is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The 538-square-kilometre (208 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1963. It is located in the present-day Luster Municipality in the traditional district of Sogn. The former municipality included the villages of Kinsedalen, Ornes, and Kroken on the east side of the Lustrafjorden. It also included the villages of Solvorn, Hafslo, Joranger, and the whole Veitastrond valley on the west side of the Lustrafjorden. The municipality surrounded the lakes Hafslovatnet and Veitastrondvatnet. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Hafslo, where Hafslo Church was located.
Røldal is a village in the municipality of Ullensvang in Vestland county, Norway. The village lies in the Røldal valley along the Storelva river on the north end of the lake Røldalsvatnet. Røldal is located about 35 kilometres (22 mi) southeast of the town of Odda. Røldal was formerly part of the independent municipality of Røldal from 1838 until 1964 when it became a part of Odda municipality. Then in 2020, it became part of Ullensvang. The 13th-century Røldal Stave Church is located here.
Hosanger is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality was located in what is now parts of Alver Municipality and Osterøy Municipality in Vestland county. It originally covered all the lands on both sides of the Osterfjorden-Romarheimsfjorden from the Lonevågen fjord all the way east to the county border at the end of the Modalen valley. Hosanger also included an exclave on the Lindås peninsula surrounding the village of Seim at the southern end of the Lurefjorden. Seim was separated from the rest of Hosanger by part of Lindås Municipality. Over time, the areas of Seim and Modalen were split off from Hosanger. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Hosanger on the island of Osterøy, where Hosanger Church is located.
Lavik og Brekke is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county in Norway. It is in the present-day municipalities of Gulen and Høyanger in Vestland county. It was part of the traditional district of Sogn. The 427-square-kilometre (165 sq mi) municipality was located along the Sognefjorden, at the western end of the fjord, just east of the mouth. The municipality existed from 1861 until 1905. The administrative center of Lavik og Brekke was the village of Lavik. There were two churches in the municipality: Lavik Church in Lavik on the north side of the fjord and Brekke Church in Brekke on the south side of the fjord.
Steinkjer is the administrative centre of the municipality of Steinkjer in Trøndelag county, Norway. The town is located at the northeastern end of the inner-most part of the Trondheimsfjorden, at the mouth of the river Steinkjerelva. In the eastern part of the town, the river of Figgja also flows into the fjord. The town is split in two by Steinkjerelva, creating the two traditional neighborhoods of Nordsia and Sørsia. Both the European route E6 highway and the Nordlandsbanen railway line run through the town, the latter serving the city at Steinkjer Station. Steinkjer Church and Egge Church are both located in the town.
Church building in Norway began when Christianity was established there around the year 1000. The first buildings may have been post churches erected in the 10th or 11th century, but the evidence is inconclusive. For instance under Urnes Stave Church and Lom Stave Church there are traces of older post churches. Post churches were later replaced by the more durable stave churches. About 1,300 churches were built during the 12th and 13th centuries in what was Norway's first building boom. A total of about 3,000 churches have been built in Norway, although nearly half of them have perished. From 1620 systematic records and accounts were kept although sources prior to 1620 are fragmented. Evidence about early and medieval churches is partly archaeological. The "long church" is the most common type of church in Norway. There are about 1620 buildings recognized as churches affiliated with the Church of Norway. In addition, there are a number of gospel halls belonging to the lay movement affiliated with the Church of Norway as well as churches belonging to other Christian bodies. Until the 20th century, most churches were built from wood. 220 buildings are protected by law, and an additional 765 are listed as valuable cultural heritage.
Bygstad is a village in Sunnfjord Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the Dalsfjorden, about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) northwest of the innermost part of the fjord. The municipal center, Sande, is about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the southeast of Bygstad and Førde Airport, Bringeland sits about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of the village.
Solvorn is a village in Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the western shore of the Lustrafjorden, the innermost part of the Sognefjorden. The village sits directly across the fjord from the village of Ornes, where the famous 12th-century Urnes Stave Church is located. The village of Hafslo lies about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the northwest.
Solvorn Church is a parish church in Luster Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Solvorn. It is the church for the Solvorn parish which is part of the Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. The white, wooden church was built in a long church style in 1883 using designs by the architect Waldemar Hansteen. The church seats about 300 people.
