Sunndal
Encyclopedia
is a municipality in the Nordmøre
region
located in the northeast part of Møre og Romsdal
county
, Norway
. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Sunndalsøra
. Other villages include Jordalsgrenda
, Øksendalsøra, Grøa
, Hoelsand
, Ålvund
, and Gjøra.
With an area of 1712 square kilometres (661 sq mi) it is the largest municipality in Møre og Romsdal county. The important occupations in Sunndal include industry (with Hydro Aluminium Sunndal
as the biggest employer), public services, retail
, and farming.
). The northern part of the municipality was separated in 1854 as the new municipality of Øksendal
. On 1 January 1960, Ålvundeid
(which was originally a part of Øksendal) and Øksendal were merged back into Sunndal. On 1 January 1965, the Ålvund
-Ålvundfjord area of Stangvik
(population: 508) was transferred to Sunndal.
form of the name was Sunndalr. The first element is sunnr which means "southern" and the last element is dalr which means "valley
" or "dale". Before 1870, the name was written Sunddalen (or Sunndalen); during the period from 1870–1917, it was spelled Sundalen; and since 1918, it has been spelled Sunndal.
is from modern times. They were granted on 12 April 1983. The arms show a Norwegian wormwood (Artemisia norvegica) plant. This species has its main Europe
an distribution in Sunndal and Oppdal in the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park
and in Trollheimen
landscape protected area. Small populations also in Ryfylke
, Scotland
, and the Ural Mountains
, with another subspecies in the mountains of Northern America
. It can be found in abundance in many places in the mountains of Sunndal well above tree line.
has four parishes within the municipality of Sunndal. It is part of the Diocese of Møre
and the Rural Deanery
(Prosti) of Indre Nordmøre.
Sunndal is bordered on the west by Nesset
and Tingvoll
, on the north by Surnadal
, on the east by Oppdal
, Sør-Trøndelag
and on the south by Lesja
, Oppland
.
In the southern part of the municipality lies the Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park, home to a plentiful amount of impressive muskox. In the northern part is the Trollheimen
and Innerdalen
landscape protection areas.
The municipality centers around the Sunndalsfjord
and the river Driva
. There are also many towering mountains including: Trolla
, Storskrymten
, Vinnufjellet
(with peaks Dronningkrona
and Kongskrona
), Innerdalstårnet
, Såtbakkollen
, Skarfjellet
, and Vassnebba
. The Vinnufossen
waterfall lies near the river Driva.
Nordmøre
Nordmøre is a traditional district in the Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. The area comprises the northern third of the county including the municipalities of Kristiansund, Averøy, Tingvoll, Surnadal, Rindal, Aure, Halsa, Eide, Sunndal, Gjemnes, and Smøla...
region
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...
located in the northeast part of Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Sunndalsøra
Sunndalsøra
is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located at the mouth of the river Driva at the beginning of the Sunndalsfjord. It is about west of Hoelsand, southeast of Øksendalsøra, and about west of Grøa. The village has a...
. Other villages include Jordalsgrenda
Jordalsgrenda
Jordalsgrenda is a small village in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway, with approximately 60 inhabitants. The place is located along the Sunndalsfjord on the highway between Sunndalsøra and Molde, and it is about northwest of Øksendalsøra.-Etymology:The name is derived...
, Øksendalsøra, Grøa
Grøa
Grøa is a village in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the river Driva about east of Sunndalsøra and about east of Hoelsand. The Vinnufossen waterfall lies about west of the village....
, Hoelsand
Hoelsand
Hoelsand is a village in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the river Driva, just west of the Vinnufossen waterfall. The village lies about east of Sunndalsøra and about west of Grøa. The village has a population of 365....
, Ålvund
Ålvund
Ålvund is a village in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located at the beginning of the Ålvundfjord, about northwest of Ålvundeidet and the Innerdalen valley....
, and Gjøra.
With an area of 1712 square kilometres (661 sq mi) it is the largest municipality in Møre og Romsdal county. The important occupations in Sunndal include industry (with Hydro Aluminium Sunndal
Årdal og Sunndal Verk
Årdal og Sunndal Verk or ÅSV is a defunct Norwegian state owned company that operated the aluminum plants in Årdal, Sunndal, Høyanger and Holmestrand. The company was established to take advantage of the hydro-electric power plants in the respective villages to create aluminum plants...
as the biggest employer), public services, retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
, and farming.
General information
Sunndal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). The northern part of the municipality was separated in 1854 as the new municipality of Øksendal
Øksendal
Øksendal is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the northern part of the present-day municipality of Sunndal, along the Sunndalsfjord.-History:...
. On 1 January 1960, Ålvundeid
Ålvundeid
Ålvundeid is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the northern part of the present-day municipality of Sunndal. It included the Innerdalen valley and the Ålvund valley area.-History:...
(which was originally a part of Øksendal) and Øksendal were merged back into Sunndal. On 1 January 1965, the Ålvund
Ålvund
Ålvund is a village in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located at the beginning of the Ålvundfjord, about northwest of Ålvundeidet and the Innerdalen valley....
-Ålvundfjord area of Stangvik
Stangvik
Stangvik is a village and former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the Stangvikfjord in the present-day municipality of Surnadal, about southwest of Surnadalsøra and Skei...
(population: 508) was transferred to Sunndal.
Name
The Old NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
form of the name was Sunndalr. The first element is sunnr which means "southern" and the last element is dalr which means "valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
" or "dale". Before 1870, the name was written Sunddalen (or Sunndalen); during the period from 1870–1917, it was spelled Sundalen; and since 1918, it has been spelled Sunndal.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is from modern times. They were granted on 12 April 1983. The arms show a Norwegian wormwood (Artemisia norvegica) plant. This species has its main Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an distribution in Sunndal and Oppdal in the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park
Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park
Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park is a National Park in Norway. It was founded in 2002 to replace and enlarge the former Dovrefjell National Park, originally founded in 1974...
and in Trollheimen
Trollheimen
Trollheimen is a mountain range in Møre og Romsdal and Sør-Trøndelag counties in central Norway. The mountain range is part of the Scandinavian Mountains.- Etymology :...
landscape protected area. Small populations also in Ryfylke
Ryfylke
Ryfylke is a traditional district in Norway, located northeast of Stavanger and east of Haugesund. In the east it borders Setesdal and Sirdal.Ryfylke comprises the contemporary municipalities of Sauda, Suldal, Finnøy, Hjelmeland, Forsand, Strand, Kvitsøy and Rennesøy...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and the Ural Mountains
Ural Mountains
The Ural Mountains , or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western Russia, from the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the Ural River and northwestern Kazakhstan. Their eastern side is usually considered the natural boundary between Europe and Asia...
, with another subspecies in the mountains of Northern America
Northern America
Northern America is the northernmost region of the Americas, and is part of the North American continent. It lies directly north of the region of Middle America; the land border between the two regions coincides with the border between the United States and Mexico...
. It can be found in abundance in many places in the mountains of Sunndal well above tree line.
Churches
The Church of NorwayChurch of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
has four parishes within the municipality of Sunndal. It is part of the Diocese of Møre
Diocese of Møre
The Diocese of Møre is a diocese in the Church of Norway which geographically consists of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Its bishop and cathedral are located in the county administrative center of Molde...
and the Rural Deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
(Prosti) of Indre Nordmøre.
| Parish (Sokn) | Church Name | Year Built | Location of the Church |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hov | Hov kirke | 1887 | Sunndalsøra Sunndalsøra is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located at the mouth of the river Driva at the beginning of the Sunndalsfjord. It is about west of Hoelsand, southeast of Øksendalsøra, and about west of Grøa. The village has a... |
| Romfo | Romfo kirke | 1821 | Romfo |
| Gjøra kapell | 1935 | Gjøra | |
| Øksendal | Øksendal kirke | 1894 | Øksendalsøra |
| Ålvundeid | Ålvundeid kirke | 1848 | Ålvundeid Ålvundeid Ålvundeid is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the northern part of the present-day municipality of Sunndal. It included the Innerdalen valley and the Ålvund valley area.-History:... |
Geography
Nesset
Nesset is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre is the village of Eidsvåg. Other population centers include Rausand, Boggestranda, Myklebostad, Eresfjord, and Eikesdalen....
and Tingvoll
Tingvoll
Tingvoll is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Tingvoll. Other villages include Meisingset, Kvisvik, and Torjulvågen.-General information:...
, on the north by Surnadal
Surnadal
is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Skei. Other villages include Todalsøra, Surnadalsøra, Sylte, Glærem, Stangvik, and Åsskard....
, on the east by Oppdal
Oppdal
is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Dovre region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppdal. Other villages in the municipality include Lønset, Vognillan, Fagerhaug, and Holan...
, Sør-Trøndelag
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
and on the south by Lesja
Lesja
Lesja is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lesja....
, Oppland
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....
.
In the southern part of the municipality lies the Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park, home to a plentiful amount of impressive muskox. In the northern part is the Trollheimen
Trollheimen
Trollheimen is a mountain range in Møre og Romsdal and Sør-Trøndelag counties in central Norway. The mountain range is part of the Scandinavian Mountains.- Etymology :...
and Innerdalen
Innerdalen
Innerdalen is a valley in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is also Norway's first nature reserve. The valley and nature reserve begins at Ålvundeid by the highway in the west and stretches approximately to the east to Innerdalsporten. It lies within the...
landscape protection areas.
The municipality centers around the Sunndalsfjord
Sunndalsfjord
Sunndalsfjord is a fjord in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The long Sunndalsfjord comprises the southern end of the Tingvollfjorden. It begins at Ballsneset, at the municipal boundary of Sunndal and extends south to the village of Sunndalsøra. Other villages along...
and the river Driva
Driva
The Driva river runs through Sør-Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal counties in Norway. The headwaters lie in the Dovrefjell mountains in the south, from where it flows northward, downward through the valley Drivdalen in the municipality of Oppdal. In Oppdal it turns westward down the Sunndalen valley...
. There are also many towering mountains including: Trolla
Trolla (mountain)
Trolla is a mountain in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The mountain is made up of several peaks in along the ridge of the mountain:* Store Trolla, at an elevation of , the highest peak in the Trollheimen mountain range...
, Storskrymten
Storskrymten
Storskrymten is a mountain in Norway. The top of the mountain is a tripoint for three counties and three municipalities: Oppdal , Sunndal , and Lesja . It is the highest mountain in Sør-Trøndelag county. Less than east of Storskrymten is the mountain Litlskrymten which means "the little Skrymt"...
, Vinnufjellet
Vinnufjellet
Vinnufjellet is a mountain consisting of the two peaks named Dronningkrona at and Kongskrona at . It is located just northeast of the village of Sunndalsøra and the Sunndalsfjord in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. On the south side of the mountain, the Vinnufossen...
(with peaks Dronningkrona
Dronningkrona
Dronningkrona is one of the two peaks on the mountain Vinnufjellet. Its neighbor peak is Kongskrona, higher. The peak is located just northeast of the village of Sunndalsøra and the Sunndalsfjorden in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway....
and Kongskrona
Kongskrona
Kongskrona is the higher of the two peaks on the mountain Vinnufjellet, its neighbour peak is Dronningkrona, about shorter. The peak lies about northeast of the village of Sunndalsøra in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. To the north of the mountain lies the...
), Innerdalstårnet
Innerdalstårnet
Innerdalstårnet or Dalatårnet is a mountain on the south side of the Innerdalen valley in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway...
, Såtbakkollen
Såtbakkollen
Såtbakkollen is the second highest mountain in the Trollheimen mountain range, after Trolla at . It is located just south of the Innerdalen valley in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Other mountains around Tåga include Narvardalsnebba , Tårnfjellet and the quite...
, Skarfjellet
Skarfjellet
Skarfjellet is a mountain in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It lies along the southern side of the Innerdalen valley, just west of the mountain Innerdalstårnet. It is the northern peak along the Trolla ridge where the highest point is Store Trolla at . The mountain...
, and Vassnebba
Vassnebba
Vassnebba or Grånebba is a mountain on the border of the municipalities of Sunndal and Surnadal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It lies on the western border of the Trollheimen mountain range, just southwest of the Todalsfjorden and the village of Todalsøra and southeast of the village of Ålvund...
. The Vinnufossen
Vinnufossen
Vinnufossen is the tallest waterfall in Europe and the sixth tallest in the world. The waterfall is located just east of the village of Sunndalsøra in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The falls are part of the river Vinnu which flows down from the Vinnufjellet...
waterfall lies near the river Driva.
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...
- Sunndalsnett
- Culture in Sunndal on the map from Kulturnett.no
- Sunndal kommune (Municipality of Sunndal)