Sauda, Rogaland County, Norway

🇳🇴 Sauda is a town in Sauda municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The town, which is also the administrative centre of the municipality, is located in a river valley at the northern end of the Saudafjorden. The small suburb of Saudasjøen lies about 3 km (1.9 mi) west of the town centre. A large part of the industrial harbour area of Sauda is built on reclaimed land that was once underwater in the fjord.

Sauda received city status in 1998. The 4.06-square-kilometre (1,000-acre) town has a population density of 1,028 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,660/sq mi). Sauda is the largest settlement in the municipality as well as the only urban area

The newspaper Ryfylke has been published in Sauda since 1926.

The town has four churches: Sauda Church and Solbrekk Chapel in the town centre, Saudasjøen Chapel in the western suburb of Saudasjøen, and Hellandsbygd Chapel a few miles north of Sauda. There is also a high school in the town as well as the Ryfylkesmuseet (Ryfylke museum).

Sauda is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sauda, where most of the population lives. Other villages in the municipality include Saudasjøen and Amdal. Despite being in the northern part of the region of Ryfylke, Sauda participates in the Haugalandet Council and is under the jurisdiction of the Haugaland og Sunnhordland District Court.

The 547-square-kilometre (211 sq mi) municipality is the 197th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sauda is the 190th most populous municipality in Norway. The municipality's population density is 8.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (23/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 4.8% over the previous 10-year period.

The town of Sauda is the fifth largest town in Rogaland county, and the city centre is home to Northern Europe's largest melting plant, Eramet Norway AS. The municipality is situated in the mountain valleys surrounding the Saudafjorden.

General information The municipality of Sauda was established in 1842 when it was separated from the large municipality of Suldal. Initially, Sauda had a population of 1,584. The municipal boundaries have never changed. The municipality declared the urban area of Sauda as a town in 1999.

Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Sauda farm (Old Norse: Sauðar) since the first Sauda Church was built there. The farm is now part of the village of Saudasjøen. The name seems to come from the word sauðr which means "sheep", however, the same word is also the singular past indicative of the verb sjóða which means "to seethe" or "to boil", possibly referring to a spring of water. Before 1918, the name was written as "Saude" or "Søvde".

Churches The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Sauda. It is part of the Ryfylke prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

History Archaeological excavation in Saudasjøen shows that people have been living in Sauda since the latest Ice Age. In 1349, the Plague/Black Death wiped out about two-thirds of the population in Sauda, causing a decline in both population and economy. Despite this, the population was increasing during the medieval period, and a new type of industry started to grow. Along the fjord, the power from several waterfalls was used to build and run sawmills, and large-scale lumber production was started. People from all over the world, especially from the Netherlands, started to trade with the people of Sauda. This resulted in major ship traffic, giving impetus to further development of the villages and farms in Sauda.

By the end of the 19th century, a new type of adventure would change the lives of the inhabitants forever. The mining industry started in the mountains of Hellandsbygd, making Sauda a small industrial area and trading centre for the surrounding region. In 1910, the American company Electric Furnace Company (EFP) began the construction of Europe's largest smelting plant here in Sauda. This could only be done because of the large number of waterfalls and rivers that made it possible to build power plants situated a short distance from the smelter, which uses large amounts of electricity.

Sauda's time as a farming village was now over, and the people of today still live on the foundation of the new town that emerged. By the end of World War II, the Germans had finished building a large Aluminum Melting Plant in Saudasjøen, but the production was moved to Årdal in 1946. The remaining buildings were demolished by the municipality in the 1950s, leaving the industrial area in Saudasjøen empty for decades. In the 1980s, a glass production factory was established together with a couple of mechanic production factories. The population of Sauda reached its peak in the mid-1960s. In 1998, the urban area of Sauda was declared to be a town (mostly a symbolic name, with no new municipal authority).

Geography Sauda is located in the valleys and mountains surrounding the Saudafjorden. Outside of the main valley, most of the municipality is very mountainous terrain, with mountains like Skaulen (1,560 metres or 5,120 feet) and Kyrkjenuten (1,620 metres or 5,310 feet). The town of Sauda is located about two hours by boat from the city of Stavanger, about three hours by car from the city of Bergen, and about five hours by car from the national capital, Oslo. The mountains surrounding the village of Saudasjøen contain one of the biggest ski resorts on the west coast of Norway. The town of Sauda is located on flat land, a delta created by the rivers that empty into the fjord just outside the town centre.

Economy The main activity is industry, with large companies represented like Eramet, Saint-Gobain, Statkraft, Sauda Building Center, Statnett, Elkem, and Effektivt Renhold

Economy: Tourist Industry Sauda has a well-developed nightlife, which is suited for all adult ages. There are young-adult bars, as well as more mature-adult bars accessible. A movie theater, many tourist attractions, and restaurants exist as a way of relaxing after skiing. However, the most highly recommended first stop is the après-ski at Sauda Skisenter. Also notable athletes, alpine racers, and summer-winter athletes call Sauda home.

Attractions • Rondahaugen – with views over the city and out towards Stavanger • Sauda Church, Solbrekk Chapel, Hellandsbygd Chapel, and Saudasjøen Chapel – local churches • Allmannajuvet – old mines with guided tour • Sauda Smelteverk – melting plant that is still active, guided tour after appointment • Nordag – former aluminium melting plant in Saudasjøen • Old Graveyard in Saudasjøen – containing tombs of Russian POWs who died when building the Nordag aluminium melting plant during World War II • Tveittunet in Saudasjøen – old refurbished estate in Saudasjøen • Jonegarden på Hustveit – old refurbished farm and a lumber mill • Løyning – old farm about 10 km away from Sauda • Risvoldtunet – food service, conference centre, guided tour on a mini power plant • Åbøbyen – best conserved North-American styled village area in Norway • Honganvikfossen – a waterfall • Svandalsfossen – a waterfall • Jetegrytene in Åbødalen – rivers and waterfalls • Sauda museum – collection in downtown Sauda featuring local heritage • Industriarbeidermuseet – museum about the life of local workmen (1920s to 1950s) • Fagerheimsaminga – exhibition of carved wooden figures in Saudahallen • City walk – arrangement in summer time with a guided tour through the city of Sauda • City centre – during winter, heated streets are free of snow.