Modalen Municipality

Modalen Municipality
Modalen kommune
Municipality
View of Mo in Modalen
Flag
Coat of arms
Vestland within Norway
Modalen within Vestland
Coordinates: 60°52′50″N 05°55′31″E / 60.88056°N 5.92528°E / 60.88056; 5.92528
CountryNorway
CountyVestland
DistrictNordhordland
Established1 Jan 1910
 • Preceded byHosanger Municipality
Administrative centreMo
Government
 • Mayor (2023)Linda Neset (LL)
Area
 • Total
411.98 km2 (159.07 sq mi)
 • Land379.08 km2 (146.36 sq mi)
 • Water32.90 km2 (12.70 sq mi)  8%
 • Rank#235 in Norway
Highest elevation
[1]
1,289.36 m (4,230.2 ft)
Population
 (2025)
 • Total
392
 • Rank#356 in Norway
 • Density1/km2 (2.6/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
 +3.2%
DemonymModøl[2]
Official language
[3]
 • Norwegian formNynorsk
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-4629[4]
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

Modalen is a municipality in the Nordhordland district in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mo. The other main village in the municipality is Øvre Helland. Most of the residents of Modalen Municipality live in the main Modalen valley which extends eastwards from the end of the Romarheimsfjorden.

The 412-square-kilometre (159 sq mi) municipality is the 236th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Modalen Municipality is the 356th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 392 (making it the second smallest municipality in Norway after Utsira Municipality). The municipality's population density is 1 inhabitant per square kilometre (2.6/sq mi) and its population has increased by 3.2% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]

The small population, combined with a large income from hydro-electric power production, has given the municipality the ability to give all its residents free wireless internet access in the municipality. They also were the first Norwegian municipality to buy a computer for all students in the municipality in 1993.

General information

The parish of Modalen was established on 1 January 1910 when the old Hosanger Municipality was divided. The northeastern part of municipality (population: 821) became the new Modalen Municipality and the rest of the municipality (population: 2,524) remained as a smaller Hosanger Municipality.[7]

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the middle part of the Eksingedalen valley (population: 151) was transferred from Modalen Municipality to the neighboring of Vaksdal Municipality. Also on that date, the Nipo, Dyrkolbotn, and Eitrdalen farm areas (population: 12), located north of the village of Romarheim, were transferred from Modalen Municipality to the neighboring Lindås 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 Mo farm (Old Norse: Mór) since the first Mo Church was built there in the Middle Ages. The first element is mór which means "heath" or "moor". The last element, dalen, was added later and it is derived from the old word dalr which means "valley" or "dale".[9]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 2 November 1984. The official blazon is "Vert, three spades palewise two and one argent" (Norwegian: På grøn grunn tre kvite spadar, 2-1). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a set of three spades aligned vertically with the center one sitting lower than the others. 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 spades are a symbol for the agriculture and sand digging in the municipality, which historically were of great importance. The arms were designed by Egil Korsnes. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[10][11][12]

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Modalen Municipality. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Churches in Modalen Municipality
Parish (sokn) Church name Location of the church Year built
Mo Mo Church Mo 1883

History

The Modalen project

In 2001, Modalen Municipality got a 2-megabit broadband connection. The idea was to make Modalen the world's first fully-connected wireless broadband community.[13] The municipality was the first in Norway to undergo an all-broadband project as part of an effort by the Norwegian government to achieve full broadband coverage nationwide by 2004.[14]

Government

Modalen 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.[15] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Nordhordland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Modalen Municipality is made up of 13 representatives that are elected every four years. Modalen is the only municipality in Norway that has a non-partisan council, so all representatives run on local lists rather than by party. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council.

Modalen kommunestyre 2023–2027 [16]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
 Samlingslista (Common List)6
 Solrenningslista (Sunrise List)7
Total number of members:13
Modalen kommunestyre 2019–2023 [17]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
 Samlingslista (Common List)7
 Solrenningslista (Sunrise List)6
Total number of members:13
Modalen kommunestyre 2015–2019 [18]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
 Samlingslista (Common List)6
 Solrenningslista (Sunrise List)7
Total number of members:13
Modalen kommunestyre 2011–2015 [19]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
 Samlingslista (Common List)7
 Solrenningslista (Sunrise List)6
Total number of members:13
Modalen kommunestyre 2007–2011 [18]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
 Samlingslista (Common List)5
 Solrenningslista (Sunrise List)8
Total number of members:13
Modalen kommunestyre 2003–2007 [18]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
 Samlingslista (Common List)8
 Solrenningslista (Sunrise List)5
Total number of members:13
Modalen kommunestyre 1999–2003 [18]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
 Common Election List (Flertallsvalg)13
Total number of members:13

Mayors

The mayor (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Modalen 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:[20]

  • 1910–1913: Andres Lavik (V)[21]
  • 1914–1919: Ivar K. Straume[22]
  • 1920–1922: Johan Otterstad[23]
  • 1923–1925: Ivar K. Straume[24]
  • 1926–1931: Olav Vetlejord[25]
  • 1932–1947: Anders Otterstad[26][27]
  • 1948–1952: Karl Farestveit[28]
  • 1952–1955: Knut Helland[29]
  • 1956–1963: Magne Vetlejord (Bp) [30]
  • 1963–1967: Bjarne Jakobsen Nygaard (LL)[31]
  • 1967–1983: Johannes O. Mo (LL)[32]
  • 1983–1991: Leif Egil Nåmdal (LL)
  • 1991–1995: Kari Nygard (LL)
  • 1995–2003: Leif Egil Nåmdal (LL)
  • 2003–2015: Knut Moe (LL)
  • 2015–2019: Tom Kristian Thorsen (LL)
  • 2019–2023: Kjetil Eikefet (LL)
  • 2023–present: Linda Neset (LL)[33]

Population

Historical population
Year1910192019301946195119601970198019902000201020202023
Pop.821779729713627544295313340354344388380
±% p.a.—    −0.52%−0.66%−0.14%−2.54%−1.57%−5.94%+0.59%+0.83%+0.40%−0.29%+1.21%−0.69%
Note: The municipal borders were changed in 1964, causing a significant change in the population.
Source: Statistics Norway[5][34] and Norwegian Historical Data Centre[35]

Geography

Modalen Municipality sits in the central part of Vestland county. It surrounds the innermost part of the Romarheimsfjorden (which is also called the Mofjorden) and the Modalen valley which extends eastwards from the end of the fjord. Both sides of the valley are mountainous, so the municipality is quite isolated with only two roads connecting it to the outside world. Both roads were constructed fairly recently, and before that time, the municipality was only accessible by boat or crossing mountains on foot. The Modalen Tunnel was built in 1976 and it connects this valley to the Eksingedalen valley to the south. The other road was finished in 1996, and it follows the fjord heading west to Alver Municipality.

The Modalen valley centers around the river Moelva. The lake Steinslandsvatnet, in the central part of the municipality, is the headwaters of the river. The high mountains that surround the valley provide many sources of hydroelectric power such as the lake Skjerjavatnet. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,289.36-metre (4,230.2 ft) tall mountain Runderabben, located on the border with Høyanger Municipality.[1]

Modalen Municipality borders Høyanger Municipality to the north, Vik Municipality to the east, Vaksdal Municipality to the south, and Alver Municipality and Masfjorden Municipality to the west.

Notable people

  • Andres Lavik (1852–1941), a farmer, politician, and mayor of Modalen Municipality in 1910
  • Olav Nygard (1884 in Modalen – 1924), a poet
  • Johannes Moe (born 1926 in Modalen), an engineer and research administrator

References

  1. ^ a b "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  3. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  4. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (9 January 2024). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon.
  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. ^ a b Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  8. ^ Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (1 August 2025). "Vestland". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
  9. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1910). Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt (in Norwegian) (11 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. pp. 336–337.
  10. ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Modalen, Hordaland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  12. ^ "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 2 November 1984. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Norwegian village in broadband trial". 16 August 2001. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Entire Norwegian Village Gets Broadband Coverage". InformationWeek. 30 August 2001. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  15. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Vestland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  17. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Vestland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Hordaland". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  20. ^ Fiva, Jon H; Sørensen, Rune J.; Vøllo, Reidar, eds. (2024). "Local Candidate Dataset" (PDF).
  21. ^ "Søndre Bergenhus Amtsting". Bergens Annonce Tidende (in Norwegian). 28 November 1910. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  22. ^ "Søndre Bergenhus amtsting". Hordaland Folkeblad (in Norwegian). 25 March 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  23. ^ "Ordførere i Hordaland for treaarsperiode". Arbeidet (in Norwegian). 17 January 1920. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  24. ^ "Hordalands Fylkesting". Arbeidet (in Norwegian). 28 May 1923. p. 3. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  25. ^ "Hordalands ordførere". Arbeidet (in Norwegian). 29 May 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  26. ^ "Hordaland fylkesting åpner i rådhuset på mandag". Bergens Aftenblad (in Norwegian). 28 May 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  27. ^ "Ordførerskifte i 10 kommuner i Hordaland". Bergens Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). 13 January 1941. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  28. ^ "Ordførarval i Hordaland". Bergens Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). 7 January 1948. p. 3. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  29. ^ "Knut Helland". Horda Tidend (in Norwegian). 8 January 1952. p. 2. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  30. ^ "Magne Vetlejord ordførar i Modalen". Bergens Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). 9 January 1956. p. 2. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  31. ^ "Bjarne Nygaard ny ordførar i Modalen". Horda Tidend (in Norwegian). 24 December 1963. p. 2. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  32. ^ "Nye i Modalen". Bergens Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). p. 2. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  33. ^ "Ordførar". Modalen kommune (in Norwegian). 16 January 2024. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  34. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Folketellingen 1960" (PDF) (in Norwegian).
  35. ^ Universitetet i Tromsø – Norges arktiske universitet. "Censuses in the Norwegian Historical Data Archive (NHDC)".

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