Tysnes

This article is about the municipality in Western Norway. For the island along the Hardangerfjorden, see Tysnesøy.
Tysnes Municipality
Tysnes kommune
Municipality
The harbour in Våge
The harbour in Våge
Coat of arms of Tysnes Municipality
Coat of arms
Vestland within Norway
Vestland within Norway
Tysnes within Vestland
Tysnes within Vestland
Coordinates: 59°59′54″N 05°34′38″E / 59.99833°N 5.57722°E / 59.99833; 5.57722
CountryNorway
CountyVestland
DistrictSunnhordland
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centreUggdal
Government
 • Mayor (2023)Synnøve Bakke (Ap)
Area
 • Total255.14 km2 (98.51 sq mi)
 • Land245.19 km2 (94.67 sq mi)
 • Water9.93 km2 (3.83 sq mi)  3.9%
 • Rank#283 in Norway
Population
 (2023)
 • Total2,910
 • Rank#232 in Norway
 • Density11.9/km2 (31/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +6.4%
DemonymTysnesing[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNynorsk
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-4616[3]
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

Tysnes (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈtŷːsneːs]) is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sunnhordland. The administrative centre is the village of Uggdal. Other population centres in Tysnes include the villages of Våge and Onarheim. The island municipality is located in a group of islands near the mouth of the Hardangerfjorden. The majority of the municipal population lives on the island of Tysnesøya, the largest island in the municipality.[4]

The 255-square-kilometre (98 sq mi) municipality is the 283rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Tysnes is the 232nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,910. The municipality's population density is 11.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (31/sq mi) and its population has increased by 6.4% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]

General information

[edit]

The historic parish of Tysnæs was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1907, the small portion of Tysnes located on the mainland (population: 67) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Kvinnherad. The municipal borders have not changed since that time.[7]

Name

[edit]

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Tysnes farm (Old Norse: Týsnes) since the first Tysnes Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Old Norse god Týr. The last element is nes which means "headland".[8]

This is probably the only place in Norway named after the god Týr. Several place names around the farm also have sacred meanings: Ve (holy place), Helgastein (holy rock), Godøy (the god's island), and Vevatnet (the holy lake). The old name of the big island of Tysnesøy was Njarðarlǫg (the district of the god Njord). Recently, a sun phenomenon connected to the original Tysnes headland has been discovered, and this seems to be the starting-point of the sacral name complex.[8]

Coat of arms

[edit]
Old arms in use from 1971 until 2020.
Coat of arms in use starting in 2020.

The first coat of arms for Tysnes was adopted on 28 October 1971 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when a new coat of arms replaced it. The official blazon is "Azure, under a chevron two crossed axes argent" (Norwegian: På blå grunn to sølvfarga kryssede økser med sparre over). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is two crossed axes under a chevron. 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. The arms were derived from the seal of the medieval Onarheim guild (Olavsgildet). Onarheim is a village on the island of Tysnesøya which was historically a Viking Age center of power in the Sunnhordland region. The chevron above the axes was added to the municipal arms to distinguish it from the medieval arms and the arms for the old Hordaland county. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag had the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11]

The old coat of arms was never formally adopted because it was too similar to the coat of arms for Hordaland county and the government refused to approve it. After Hordaland county became part of the new Vestland county, the Hordaland arms were no longer used. Additionally, a law was also changed, giving the municipal councils the ultimate authority to determine their own coats of arms, so Tysnes decided to review their arms. The council debated approving the old arms or choosing to adopt the arms of the old Hordaland county (with different colors). In 2020, the council adopted a new coat of arms based on the old Hordaland arms. The official blazon is "Azure, under a royal crown two crossed axes argent" (Norwegian: På blå grunn to sølvfarga kryssede økser med krone over.). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a two crossed axes under a three pointed crown. 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 design was chosen because it more closely resembled the old Onarheim arms than the previous design. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[12][13]

Churches

[edit]

The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Tysnes. It is part of the Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Churches in Tysnes
Parish (sokn) Church name Location of the church Year built
Onarheim Onarheim Church Onarheim 1893
Reksteren og Uggdal Reksteren Church Reksteren 1937
Uggdal Church Uggdal 1876
Tysnes Tysnes Church Våge 1868

Government

[edit]

Tysnes Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[14] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

[edit]

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Tysnes is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Tysnes kommunestyre 2023–2027 [15]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 4
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 5
  Industry and Business Party (Industri‑ og Næringspartiet) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
Total number of members:21
Tysnes kommunestyre 2019–2023 [16]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 4
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
Total number of members:21
Tysnes kommunestyre 2015–2019 [17]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 7
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:21
Tysnes kommunestyre 2011–2015 [18]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 6
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:21
Tysnes kommunestyre 2007–2011 [17]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 2
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
 Cross-Party List (Tverrpolitisk liste)2
Total number of members:21
Tysnes kommunestyre 2003–2007 [17]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 4
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 Cross-Party List (Tverrpolitisk liste)2
Total number of members:21
Tysnes kommunestyre 1999–2003 [17]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 4
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 6
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 3
 Cross-Party List (Tverrpolitisk liste)3
Total number of members:23
Tysnes kommunestyre 1995–1999 [19]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 5
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 6
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
Total number of members:23
Tysnes kommunestyre 1991–1995 [20]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 4
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
Total number of members:25
Tysnes kommunestyre 1987–1991 [21]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 10
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:25
Tysnes kommunestyre 1983–1987 [22]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:25
Tysnes kommunestyre 1979–1983 [23]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 6
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
 Election list for Reksteren (Valliste for Reksteren)2
Total number of members:25
Tysnes kommunestyre 1975–1979 [24]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
 Election list for Reksteren (Valliste for Reksteren)2
 Election list for Onarheim (Valliste for Onarheim)4
 Election list for Uggdal (Valliste for Uggdal)9
 Election list for Tysnes and Lunde school districts
 (Valliste for Tysnes og Lunde skulekrets)		10
Total number of members:25
Tysnes kommunestyre 1971–1975 [25]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 25
Total number of members:25
Tysnes kommunestyre 1967–1971 [26]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 25
Total number of members:25
Tysnes kommunestyre 1963–1967 [27]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 20
Total number of members:25
Tysnes heradsstyre 1959–1963 [28]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 21
Total number of members:25
Tysnes heradsstyre 1955–1959 [29]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 22
Total number of members:25
Tysnes heradsstyre 1951–1955 [30]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 32
Total number of members:32
Tysnes heradsstyre 1947–1951 [31]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidarar, fiskarar, småbrukarar liste) 1
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 31
Total number of members:32
Tysnes heradsstyre 1945–1947 [32]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidarar, fiskarar, småbrukarar liste) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 30
Total number of members:32
Tysnes heradsstyre 1937–1941* [33]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 30
Total number of members:30
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Mayors

[edit]

The mayors (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Tysnes:[34]

  • 1838–1841: Georg Døderlein Greve
  • 1842–1845: Hans Olsen Bakke
  • 1846–1849: Rudolph Grip Normann
  • 1850–1853: Johan Frederik Voss
  • 1854–1861: Herman Olai Hermandsen
  • 1862–1863: Bård J. Nordbustad
  • 1864–1873: Carl Marius Mohr
  • 1874–1881: Herman Olai Hermandsen
  • 1882–1885: Halvor Gjestland
  • 1886–1889: Ole H. Mevatne
  • 1890–1898: Amund J. Utne
  • 1899–1918: Lars B. Sunde
  • 1918–1934: Aksel Gjersvik
  • 1935–1942: Jens Flornes
  • 1942–1944: Erling Jonsgard (NS)
  • 1944–1945: Reidar Johannessen (NS)
  • 1945–1945: Jens Flornes
  • 1947–1947: Johannes M. Lunde
  • 1948–1955: Torbjørn Onarheim
  • 1956–1959: Johannes Heggland
  • 1960–1967: Martinus A. Færevaag
  • 1968–1971: Johannes Heggland
  • 1972–1979: Leif Andersland
  • 1979–1983: Tor Ottersen (H)
  • 1983–1995: Helge Hauge (Sp)
  • 1995–2003: Lorentz Lunde (Sp)
  • 2003–2011: Helge Hauge (Sp)
  • 2011–2015: Kjetil Hestad (Sp)
  • 2015–2023: Kåre Martin Kleppe (H)
  • 2023-present: Synnøve Bakke (Ap)[35]

Geography

[edit]

The municipality consists of a group of islands, located south of the city of Bergen where the Hardangerfjorden and the coastal archipelago meet. The Bjørnafjorden lies north of the municipality and the Langenuen strait runs along the western side of the municipality. The largest of these islands, named Tysnesøya, can be reached from the mainland either by ferry to the village of Våge on the north side of the island or by the road bridge constructed on the eastern side of the island. The second largest island is Reksteren, which is connected to Tysnesøya by a small road bridge.

Population

[edit]
Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
18453,758—    
18554,110+0.90%
18654,274+0.39%
18754,464+0.44%
18914,590+0.17%
19004,603+0.03%
19104,951+0.73%
YearPop.±% p.a.
19204,416−1.14%
19304,379−0.08%
19464,009−0.55%
19513,866−0.72%
19603,559−0.92%
19703,019−1.63%
19802,774−0.84%
YearPop.±% p.a.
19902,915+0.50%
20002,843−0.25%
20102,779−0.23%
20202,869+0.32%
20232,910+0.47%
Source: Statistics Norway[5][36] and Norwegian Historical Data Centre[37]
Karen Mowat, 17th century

Notable people

[edit]
  • Anders Mowatt of Hugoland (ca. 1530 – ca. 1610 in Tysnes), a Scottish merchant, navy admiral, and landowner
  • Axel Mowat (1592 in Tysnes – 1661), a Norwegian naval officer and land owner becoming Barony Rosendal
  • Karen Mowat (ca. 1630 in Tysnes – 1675), a Norwegian noblewoman, heiress, and landowner of Scottish origins
  • Claus Pavels Riis (1826–1886), a Norwegian author who settled in Tysnes as a landowner and gardener
  • Olav Gurvin (1893 in Tysnes – 1974), a Norwegian musicologist and academic
  • Johannes Heggland (1919 in Tysnes – 2008), a novelist, short story and children's literature writer, playwright, and politician
  • Magnus Aarbakke (born 1934 in Tysnes), a Norwegian judge and Supreme Court Justice from 1994 to 2002

Media

[edit]

The newspaper Tysnes has been published in Tysnes since 1953.[38]

[edit]
  • Island of Tysnes
    Island of Tysnes
  • Midsummer festival, Island of Tysnes
    Midsummer festival, Island of Tysnes
  • National dress on the island of Tysnes
    National dress on the island of Tysnes
  • Ferry in Tysnes
    Ferry in Tysnes

References

[edit]
  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. ^ Store norske leksikon. "Tysnes" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 22 January 2015.
  5. ^ a b Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  7. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  8. ^ a b Rygh, Oluf (1910). Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt (in Norwegian) (11 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. pp. 169–171.
  9. ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Tysnes, Hordaland". Flags of the World. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Tysnes kommune". Digitalarkivet (in Norwegian). Arkivverket. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Tysnes kommune, våpen". Digitalarkivet (in Norwegian). Arkivverket. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Godkjenning av kommunevåpenet til Tysnes kommune - høyring". Tysnes kommune (in Norwegian). 4 March 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  14. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Vestland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  16. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Vestland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  17. ^ a b c d "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  18. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Hordaland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  19. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  20. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  21. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  22. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  23. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  24. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  25. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  26. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  27. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  28. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  29. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  30. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  31. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  32. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  33. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  34. ^ Heggland, Johannes (1964). Tysnes - Det gamle Njardarlog (in Norwegian). Vol. 2. pp. 311–312, 337–338, 352–353.
  35. ^ "Maktskifte i Tysnes - INP får varaordførar". NRK (in Norwegian). 14 September 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  36. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Folke- og bustadteljing 2001" (PDF) (in Norwegian).
  37. ^ Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet. "Censuses in the Norwegian Historical Data Archive (NHDC)".
  38. ^ "Hipp, hipp hurra - Tysnes fyller 60 år". Tysnesbladet (in Norwegian). 4 July 2013.
[edit]
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