# Herøy, Møre og Romsdal

Herøy is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the town of Fosnavåg on the island of Bergsøya. The industrial area of Eggesbønes is located south of Fosnavåg on the same island. The Runde Environmental Centre is located in the northern part of the municipality on Runde island. Other population centres in Herøy include the villages of Leikong, Kvalsund, or Moltustranda.
The 120-square-kilometre (46 sq mi) municipality is the 320th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Herøy is the 123rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 8,842. The municipality's population density is 74.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (194/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 0.1% over the previous 10-year period.

## General information

The prestegjeld (parish) of Herøy was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1867, the western district of Herøy was separated to become the new Sande Municipality. This left Herøy municipality with 1,999 residents. On 1 January 1873, an area of Sande (population: 362) was transferred back to Herøy. On 1 January 1889, the Eiksund area and Ekø island (population: 119) were transferred from Sande to Herøy.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, three farms in the Gurskedalen valley (population: 25) were transferred from Herøy to Sande. Also on that date, the Eiksund area and the Eika island (population: 222) were transferred from Herøy to neighboring Ulstein Municipality.

### Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after an archipelago of small islands (Old Norse: Herøyjar). The first element is herr which means "army". The word here is referring to the idea of skipaherr which means "military fleet", referring to the many islands grouped together. The last element is øy which means "island". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Herø. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Herøy.

### Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 27 March 1987. The official blazon is "Azure, two ship bows argent issuant from the flanks" (Norwegian: På blå grunn to motstilte sølv skipsstamnar). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is two stems of a ship. 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. This design was chosen to represent the 7th century Kvalsund boats found in the municipality. The arms were designed by Even Jarl Skoglund. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

### Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Herøy. It is part of the Søre Sunnmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre.
Churches in Herøy :
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Herøy | Herøy Church | Fosnavåg | 2003 |
| Indre Herøy | Indre Herøy Church | Stokksund on Gurskøya | 1916 |
| Leikanger | Leikanger Church | Leikong | 1807 |

## Government

Herøy 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. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Møre og Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

### Mayors

The mayors (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Herøy:
* 1837–1843: Christoffer Mathias Rønneberg
* 1844–1845: Peter Wilhelm L'orange
* 1846–1849: Aage Schavland
* 1850–1851: Knut A. Brekke
* 1852–1853: Knut R. Bjørlykke
* 1854–1857: Aage Schavland
* 1858–1872: Ole Thorseth
* 1873–1876: Peter M. Jacobsen
* 1877–1886: Ole Thorseth (H)
* 1887–1888: Peter M. Jacobsen
* 1889–1892: Annanias Stavøstrand (MV)
* 1893–1894: Gustav Wiig (H)
* 1895–1907: Severin Sundnes (H)
* 1908–1917: Rasmus Moltu (V)
* 1918–1919: Paul Moltu (V)
* 1920–1922: Lars Havåg (V)
* 1923–1931: Abel Berge (V)
* 1932–1934: Hans P.J. Runde
* 1935–1941: Ole Garvik (V)
* 1942–1945: Hjalmar Jacobsen (NS)
* 1945–1947: Ole Garvik (V)
* 1948–1955: Ivar Nærø
* 1956–1958: Bjarne Rekdal (Ap)
* 1958–1959: Olav Thorseth
* 1960–1961: Magnus Berge
* 1962–1971: Rolf Ervik
* 1972–1975: Knut Nærø
* 1976–1979: Einar Leinebø
* 1980–1987: Charles Remø (H)
* 1988–1989: Per Rolf Sævik (KrF)
* 1990–1995: Svein Gjelseth (Ap)
* 1995–1999: Leif G. Igesund (KrF)
* 1999–2003: Svein Gjelseth (Ap)
* 2003–2019: Arnulf Goksøyr (H)
* 2019-2023: Bjørn-Halvor Prytz (Ap)
* 2023-present: Tine Storøy (H)

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Herøy is made up of 33 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Herøy kommunestyre 2023–2027 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 4 |
| | Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 7 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 8 |
| | Industry and Business Party (Industri‑ og Næringspartiet) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 6 |
| | People's list (Folkelista) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 2019–2023 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 |
| | Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 3 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 10 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 6 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 3 |
| | People's list (Folkelista) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 2015–2019 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 10 |
| | Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 3 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 11 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 4 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 2011–2015 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 6 |
| | Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 3 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 15 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 5 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 2007–2011 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 5 |
| | Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 4 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 14 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 5 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| | People's list - cross-party list for village and town (Folkelista – tverrpolitisk liste for bygd og by) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 2003–2007 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 |
| | Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 3 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 4 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 3 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| | People's list - cross-party list (Folkelista - Tverrpolitisk liste) | 6 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Herøy kommunestyre 1999–2003 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 11 |
| | Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 3 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 5 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 8 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 1 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 1995–1999 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 |
| | Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 2 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 5 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 6 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 3 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 5 |
| | Herøy List (Herøylista) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 1991–1995 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 9 |
| | Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) | 2 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 5 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 7 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 3 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 |
| | Herøy List (Herøylista) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 1987–1991 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 7 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 8 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 2 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 |
| | Herøy List cross-party election list (Herøylista Tverrpolitiske valliste) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 1983–1987 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 8 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 10 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 3 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 1979–1983 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 6 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 10 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 9 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 3 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 1975–1979 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 10 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 5 |
| | Liberal People's Party and Independents (Det Nye Folkepartiet og Upolitiske) | 1 |
| | Non-party list for Moltustranda, Sandvik, Notøy, and Flåvær (Upolitisk liste for Moltustranda, Sandvik, Notøy og Flåvær) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 1971–1975 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 2 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 9 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 7 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 1967–1971 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) | 11 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 7 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy kommunestyre 1963–1967 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 4 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 29 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy heradsstyre 1959–1963 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 1 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 32 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy heradsstyre 1955–1959 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 5 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 28 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 33 |
Herøy heradsstyre 1951–1955 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 1 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 31 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 32 |
Herøy heradsstyre 1947–1951 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 32 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 32 |
Herøy heradsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 1 |
| | List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidarar, fiskarar, småbrukarar liste) | 2 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 29 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 32 |
Herøy heradsstyre 1937–1941* :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 5 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) | 3 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 24 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 32 |
| Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945. |||

## Geography

The main population and administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Fosnavåg, located on the island of Bergsøya. The municipality is entirely composed of islands located north of the Rovdefjorden. It includes the main islands of Bergsøya, Leinøya, Nerlandsøya, Remøya, Runde, Skorpa, Flåvær, and the eastern part of Gurskøya, plus many smaller islands. The island of Runde is especially notable for its large seabird colonies (and Runde Lighthouse), while Skorpa is famous for its role as a station for the Shetland bus. The islands are connected together via a series of bridges including the Runde Bridge, Remøy Bridge, Herøy Bridge, and Nerlandsøy Bridge.
The Herøyfjorden bisects Herøy municipality. The half located south of the fjord is referred to as Inner Herøy, while the half located north of the fjord is referred to as Outer Herøy. Inner and Outer Herøy are tied together by the Herøy Bridge which connects the islands of Gurskøy and Leinøya. Along this main route of traffic is the islet Notøy and the even smaller Herøya islet, an old trading station (now museum) and the original location of the original Herøy Church.
The fishing station Flåvær is located on a group of islets and skerries in the Herøyfjord, It includes the islets Flåvær, Husholmen, Torvholmen and Varholmen. The Flåvær Lighthouse is located on Varholmen.
The Svinøy Lighthouse is located on the very small island of Svinøy, about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) west of the island of Skorpa.

## Climate

Herøy has a temperate oceanic climate, with mild and windy winters, among the mildest winters in Norway. The weather station at Svinøy Lighthouse has been in operation since June 1955.
Climate data for Svinøy lighthouse 1991-2020 (38 m, precipitation 1961-90) :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 5.9 (42.6) | 5.2 (41.4) | 5.7 (42.3) | 7.6 (45.7) | 10 (50) | 12.4 (54.3) | 15 (59) | 15.9 (60.6) | 14.2 (57.6) | 11.1 (52.0) | 8.5 (47.3) | 6.6 (43.9) | 9.8 (49.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) | 3.7 (38.7) | 4.1 (39.4) | 5.6 (42.1) | 8 (46) | 10.6 (51.1) | 13.1 (55.6) | 14.2 (57.6) | 12.6 (54.7) | 9.5 (49.1) | 7 (45) | 5.1 (41.2) | 8.2 (46.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.5 (36.5) | 1.8 (35.2) | 2.2 (36.0) | 3.9 (39.0) | 6.3 (43.3) | 9.2 (48.6) | 11.6 (52.9) | 12.6 (54.7) | 10.7 (51.3) | 7.6 (45.7) | 5 (41) | 3.1 (37.6) | 6.4 (43.5) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 61 (2.4) | 51 (2.0) | 54 (2.1) | 42 (1.7) | 41 (1.6) | 48 (1.9) | 61 (2.4) | 85 (3.3) | 92 (3.6) | 90 (3.5) | 86 (3.4) | 70 (2.8) | 781 (30.7) |
| Source 1: yr.no/Norwegian Meteorological Institute ||||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA-WMO averages 91-2020 Norway ||||||||||||||

## Notable people

* Hans Peter L'orange (1835 in Herøy – 1907) military officer, the Commanding General in Norway, 1897 to 1903
* Suzannah Ibsen (1836 in Herøy – 1914) the wife of playwright and poet Henrik Ibsen
* Aage Skavlan (1847 in Herøy – 1920) a Norwegian historian and academic
* Harald Skavlan (1854 in Herøy – 1908) a Norwegian railroad engineer
* Johannes A. Bøe (1882 at Bøe in Herøy – 1970) a Norwegian politician; Mayor of Jevnaker, 1922 to 1925
* Per Rolf Sævik (born 1940 in Herøy) a fisherman, ship-owner and politician; Mayor of Herøy, 1987 to 1989
* Synnøve Eriksen (born 1963 in Herøy) a Norwegian novelist