| Masfjorden | |
| Idnumber: | 4634 |
| County: | Vestland |
| District: | Nordhordland |
| Capital: | Masfjordnes |
| Established: | 1 Mar 1879 |
| Preceded: | LindĂĄs Municipality |
| Demonym: | Masfjording |
| Language: | Nynorsk |
| Coatofarms: | Masfjorden komm.svg |
| Webpage: | www.masfjorden.kommune.no |
| Mayor: | Erlend Kvamsdal |
| Mayor Party: | H |
| Mayor As Of: | 2023 |
| Elevation Max M: | 1070.89 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [1] |
| Area Rank: | 194 |
| Area Total Km2: | 556.08 |
| Area Land Km2: | 509.47 |
| Area Water Km2: | 46.61 |
| Area Water Percent: | 8.4 |
| Population As Of: | 2025 |
| Population Rank: | 298 |
| Population Total: | 1687 |
| Population Density Km2: | 3 |
| Population Increase: | 0.1 |
| Coordinates: | 60.8383°N 5.4486°W |
Masfjorden is a municipality in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The municipality is located in the Nordhordland district of the county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Masfjordnes. Other villages in the municipality include Frøyset, Haugsvær, Hosteland, Matre, and Solheim.
The municipality is centered on the Masfjorden which almost divides the municipality completely into a north side and a south side. A cable ferry crosses the fjord from Masfjordnes to Duesund in the western part of the municipality. The Matre Hydroelectric Power Station is located in the eastern part of the municipality.
The 556.08km2 municipality is the 194th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Masfjorden Municipality is the 298th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of . The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 0.1% over the previous 10-year period.[2] [3]
The parish of Masfjorden was established as a municipality on 1 March 1879 when the large Lindaas Municipality (later spelled LindĂĄs) was divided into two: the northern part (population: 2,336) became the new Masfjorden Municipality and the rest remained as a smaller Lindaas Municipality.[4]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Einestrand, Eikebotn, and Kikallen area along the Austfjorden (population: 25) was transferred from LindĂĄs Municipality to Masfjorden Municipality.
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).[5]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Masfjorden (non|Matrsfjǫrðr) since that fjord is a central geographical feature of the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of the old (uncompounded) name of the fjord: Matr. That name is identical to the word which means "food". The last element is which means "fjord" or "firth". Therefore, the meaning of the name is "the fjord that's full of food (fish)". The village of Matre lies at the inner end of the fjord, and that name has a similar origin.[6]
The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, three clasps Or in pall" (no|PĂĄ raud grunn tre gule heldrer stilte i trepass). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three Norwegian: heldrer, traditional tools made of wood for fastening a rope around a load. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. They are meant to symbolize unity as well as the importance of forestry. The arms were designed by Rune Garmann. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[7] [8] [9]
The Church of Norway has one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within Masfjorden Municipality. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. Prior to 2020, the municipality had three parishes (Frøyset, Sandnes, and Solheim), but in 2020, they were merged into one parish.[10]
| Masfjorden | Frøyset Church | Frøyset | 1937 |
| Sandnes Church | Masfjordnes | 1845 | |
| Solheim Church | Solheim | 1881 |
Masfjorden 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.[11] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council (Norwegian: Kommunestyre) of Masfjorden Municipality is made up of 17 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 (nn|ordførar) of Masfjorden 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:[12] [13]
Masfjorden Municipality lies to the east of the Fensfjorden and Austfjorden. The Masfjorden runs east to west bisecting the municipality. The eastern part has mountains and as one heads westward, the land levels out before reaching the fjord in the east. The highest point in the municipality is the 1070.89m (3,513.42feet) tall mountain ridge Årsdalsryggen, which runs southwards from Høyanger Municipality and into Masfjorden Municipality.
The municipality lies along the west coast in the central part of the county. Gulen Municipality and Høyanger Municipality lie to the north, Modalen Municipality to the east, and Alver Municipality lies to the south and west.
The European route E39 highway runs through eastern Masfjorden Municipality heading north and south. The 4.1km (02.5miles) long Masfjord Tunnel and the 2.5km (01.6miles) long Jernfjell Tunnel (and a few other tunnels) are part of the E39 highway which winds its way through some valleys in the mountainous eastern region of Masfjorden.
. Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt . 1910 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 11 . Kristiania, Norge . 430 . no . Oluf Rygh.
