Ullensvang

Ullensvang Municipality
Ullensvang kommune
Ullensvang herad  (historic name)
View of Utne in Ullensvang
View of Utne in Ullensvang
Vestland within Norway
Vestland within Norway
Ullensvang within Vestland
Ullensvang within Vestland
Coordinates: 60°18′42″N 06°48′53″E / 60.31167°N 6.81472°E / 60.31167; 6.81472
CountryNorway
CountyVestland
DistrictHardanger
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centreOdda
Government
 • Mayor (2019)Roald Aga Haug (Ap)
Area
 • Total3,229.90 km2 (1,247.07 sq mi)
 • Land2,963.56 km2 (1,144.24 sq mi)
 • Water266.34 km2 (102.83 sq mi)  8.2%
 • Rank#12 in Norway
Population
 (2023)
 • Total11,148
 • Rank#104 in Norway
 • Density3.8/km2 (10/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −2.5%
DemonymsSørfjøre
Sørfjording[1]
Official language
 • Norwegian formNynorsk
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-4618[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

Ullensvang is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the town of Odda. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Lofthus, Utne, Vikebygd, Alsåker, Botnen, Eitrheim, Håra, Røldal, Seljestad, Skare, Tyssedal, Jondal, Herand, Kysnesstranda, and Torsnes.

The main inhabited part of Ullensvang municipality lies just to the west of Hardangervidda National Park, which covers most of the Hardangervidda plateau, Europe's largest mountain plateau. Most inhabitants live in the narrow coastal mountainsides and valleys along the Hardangerfjorden and Sørfjorden. The largest urban areas in Ullensvang are Odda, Kinsarvik, Jondal, and Lofthus. The Norwegian National Road 13 and the European route E134 are the two main roads through the municipality. National road 13 crosses the Hardangerfjorden via the Hardanger Bridge in the far northern part of the municipality.

The 3,230-square-kilometre (1,250 sq mi) municipality is the 12th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ullensvang is the 104th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,148. The municipality's population density is 3.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (9.8/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5] The number of inhabitants has shown a decrease of several hundred people since 1980. This development can be seen in light of the general depopulation of rural Norway.

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station for Ullensvang og Eidfjord be closed.[6]

As of Q3 2024, a copy of a stave church is nearing completion, above the centre of Odda.[7][8]

  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. ^ Fjelltveit, Ingvild; Raunholm, Per Vidar (20 December 2016). "Foreslår å legge ned 17 lensmannskontor i Vest politidistrikt". NRK Hordaland (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  7. ^ https://www.aftenposten.no/norge/i/8qqE1x/stavkyrkja-til-lothepus-skal-faa-altertavle-buddhafigur-og-skjenkeloeyve-eg-har-hatt-lyst-til-aa-byggja-ei-sidan-eg-var-liten. Aftenposten.no. Retrieved 2024-07-17
  8. ^ https://www.nettavisen.no/kjendis/lothepus-om-kritikk-for-kirkebygging-tar-det-ikke-sa-tungt/s/5-95-1911836. Nettavisen.no. Retrieved 2024-07-12