Voss, Vestland County, Norway

🇳🇴 Voss is a municipality and a traditional district in Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vossevangen. Other villages include Bolstadøyri, Borstrondi, Evanger, Kvitheim, Mjølfjell, Oppheim, Stalheim, and Vinje.

The 2,042-square-kilometre (788 sq mi) municipality is the 35th largest by area of Norway's 356 municipalities. Voss is Norway's 77th most populous municipality, with a population density of 8.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (21/sq mi) and its population has increased by 6.5% over the last 10 years.

Municipal history The parish of Voss was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. On 1 January 1867, a small area in northern Voss was transferred to the municipality of Hosanger. On 1 January 1868, the municipality's northern district was separated to form the new municipality of Vossestrand. On 21 August 1868, an unpopulated area of northern Voss was transferred to Vossestrand. On 1 January 1885, the western district of Voss was separated to form the new municipality of Evanger.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Voss, the municipality of Vossestrand, and most of the municipality of Evanger were all merged into a new, larger municipality of Voss. (The rest of Evanger was merged into the new municipality of Vaksdal.)

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipality of Granvin merged with Voss, creating a larger Voss municipality. Before the merger, it was known as Voss kommune, but afterward it was called Voss herad, using the title herad which Granvin formerly had used.

Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the traditional district of Voss (Old Norse: Vǫrs). The name is likely derived from the word vǫrr which means "water" (likely the old district name was originally used as the name for the lake Vangsvatnet.

Coat of arms The original coat of arms was granted on 8 July 1977 and was in use until 1 January 2020, when the municipality was enlarged. The official blazon is "Gules, a deer stag argent" (Norwegian: På raud grunn ein opprett kvit hjort). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a deer stag with antlers. 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 are based on the seal of Peter, who was the owner of the farm Finne in Voss, one of the largest farms in Western Norway during the Middle Ages. He used a silver deer on a red background as his personal coat of arms in 1303. His son also used a deer on his seals, as did most of their relatives until 1460. The shape and position of the deer varied, but it always was the main figure. The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. The municipal flag was nearly the same design as the coat of arms, the main difference was the placement of the deer legs.

A new coat of arms was granted in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020 after the merger of Voss and Granvin. The decision was made to blend the old municipalities' previous arms, so the design from Granvin and the colors from Voss were chosen for the new arms. The official blazon is "Gules, a fiddle argent in bend sinister" (Norwegian: På raud grunn ei sølv fele, skråstilt venstre-høgre). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a hardanger fiddle (Norwegian: Hardingfele), a Norwegian folk instrument. The fiddle has a tincture of argent. The area has an active folk-music tradition. The arms were designed by Øyvind Kvamme. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches The Church of Norway has seven parishes (sokn) in Voss. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

History After the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940, Voss was the main point of mobilisation for the Norwegian Army in the west, since the city of Bergen had already fallen on 9 April. From Bergen and the Hardangerfjord, the Nazis met stiff Norwegian resistance. In Hardanger, some of the Germans climbed up the mountains from Ålvik; the rest went through Granvin. To break down this resistance, the Luftwaffe bombed Vossevangen on 23 and 24 April, and the surrounding countryside on 25 April. Nine people died in the bombing, which completely destroyed the old wood-built town centre. German forces entered the municipality of Voss on 25 April and on 26 April, German forces entered Vossevangen, which remained occupied until 8 May 1945.

In 1964, Voss was enlarged with the incorporation of the neighbouring municipalities Vossestrand and Evanger, which had until then been separate municipalities within the traditional district also known as Voss.

Government All municipalities in Norway are 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. Voss falls under the Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council Voss's municipal council (Heradsstyre) is made up of 43 representatives who are elected to four-year terms.

Geography Voss is in the innermost part of Bolstadsfjorden and includes the valleys that head inland from there. Voss has several large lakes: Evangervatnet, Hamlagrøvatnet, Lønavatnet, Oppheimsvatnet, Torfinnsvatnet, and Vangsvatnet. In the north, Voss reaches to the Nærøydalen valley, which leads to the Nærøyfjorden. The Stalheimsfossen waterfall near Stalheim sits just above that valley. The Raundalen valley in the east is the main route of the Bergensbanen railway line, which connects eastern and western Norway.

Economy: Tourist Industry Voss is surrounded by snow-capped mountains, forests, lakes and fast-flowing whitewater rivers. This has led to its development as a notable centre of skiing, water sports, skydiving, paragliding and other adventure sports. Every year in the last week of June the area hosts the Ekstremsportveko (Extreme Sports Week), which is regarded as the world's premier extreme sports festival. Bømoen, the local airstrip, is home to Skydive Voss, one of the largest dropzones in Norway, as well as a gliding club. The rivers provide various levels of white water, attracting kayaking, rafting and river boarding. Kite surfing and para-bungee may be seen on lake Vangsvatnet. The ski area, to the north of the town, is accessible via a cable car, Hangursbanen. There is also chair lift access from Bavallen, a short distance north-east of Voss.

The town's proximity to the Sognefjord and its position between Bergen and Flåm on the scenic railway have made it popular with tourists. One of the sights on the road to Flåm is the waterfall Tvindefossen.

The Voss Museum displays several old farmsteads, including a larger-than-life stone statue of Lars O. Kindem. Next to the open-air part, there is a museum with over 20,000 items from traditional farm life.

Bird life Voss has a wide range of habitats, from high barren mountains to rich fertile valleys. The large areas of coniferous forests provide food and shelter for a host of species, while the many wetland areas are regarded as some of the most interesting birding habitats in the county. There is a bird reserve at Lønaøyane with marked paths and a tower hide. Over 155 species have been seen there. Many are common in Scandinavia, but the area has also produced such unexpected species as the great egret, European hobby, and woodlark.