# Eidfjord

Eidfjord is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Eidfjord, where the majority of the municipal population lives. The other major population centre in the municipality is the village of Øvre Eidfjord.
Eidfjord is situated at the end of the Eid Fjord, an inner branch of the large Hardangerfjorden. The village of Eidfjord is a major cruise ship port of call. Eidfjord has several tourist sites, like the Sima Power Plant which is built into the mountain itself, the Måbødalen valley, and the Vøringsfossen waterfall which has a free fall of 182 metres (597 ft). Large parts of the Hardangervidda (Europe's largest mountain plateau) are located in Eidfjord. The Hardangervidda Natursenter, a visitors centre and museum for Hardangervidda National Park, is located in Øvre Eidfjord.
The 1,498-square-kilometre (578 sq mi) municipality is the 57th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Eidfjord is the 337th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 962. The municipality's population density is 0.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (1.8/sq mi) and its population has increased by 1.1% over the previous 10-year period.
In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station for Ullensvang og Eidfjord be closed.

## General information

The parish of Graven (later spelled "Granvin") was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). This large municipality/parish included two annexes: Ulvik and Eidfjord. On 1 January 1859, Ulvik became the main parish, making Granvin and Eidfjord annexes to Ulvik, and the name of the large municipality was changed from Graven to Ulvik.
On 1 May 1891, the municipality of Ulvik was divided into three separate municipalities: the western part became Graven Municipality (population: 1,331) and the southeastern part became the new Eidfjord Municipality (population: 1,018). This left a much smaller Ulvik Municipality in between the two new municipalities. In 1895, a small part of Eidfjord (population: 3) was transferred back to Ulvik Municipality.
Eidfjord existed as a municipality from 1891 until 1964 when a major municipal merger took place as a result of municipal reform in Norway due to the Schei Committee. Eidfjord Municipality (population: 983), most Kinsarvik Municipality (population: 1,513), and Ullensvang Municipality (population: 2,358) were all merged into one large Ullensvang Municipality. This merger was not well-liked by the population of Eidsfjord, and so on 1 January 1977, part of the merger was undone, and the area of the "old" Eidfjord Municipality (population: 1,223) was separated to form its own municipality once again.
On 1 January 2022, the roughly 7-square-kilometre (2.7 sq mi) Ytre Bu area of Ullensvang Municipality (population: 24) was transferred to the neighboring Eidfjord Municipality.

### Name

The municipality (originally the annex parish) is named after the Eid Fjord (Old Norse: Eiðafjörðr) since the first Eidfjord Church was built there. The first element comes from the old Eid farm (Old Norse: Eiðar). The name of the farm derives from the word eið which means "isthmus", referring to the land between the fjord and the lake Eidfjordvatnet. The last element is fjörðr which means "fjord".

### Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 13 July 1984. The official blazon is "Azure, a reindeer antler argent" (Norwegian: På blå grunn eit kvitt reinsdyrgevir). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a reindeer antler. The antler 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 reindeer antler was chosen because the first known settlers of the area were reindeer hunters. The reindeer has been important for the population in the Hardangervidda area for many centuries. The antler also symbolizes the rivers that run from the mountain into the fjord. The arms were designed by John Digernes. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

### Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Eidfjord. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
Churches in Eidfjord :
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Eidfjord | Eidfjord Church | Eidfjord | 1981 |
| Eidfjord | Old Eidfjord Church | Eidfjord | 1309 |

## Geography

Eidfjord Municipality sits at the innermost part of the Hardangerfjorden and it stretches inland to include part of the vast Hardangervidda plateau. Part of the Hardangervidda National Park lies in the municipality. Eidfjord municipality borders Ullensvang Municipality to the southwest, Nore og Uvdal Municipality and Hol Municipality (both in Buskerud county) to the east, and Ulvik Municipality to the north.
Eidfjord Municipality begins at sea level along the fjord, the valleys leading away from the fjord are surrounded by high mountains which lead up to the alpine plateau called Hardangervidda. The Måbødalen valley is a narrow valley that leads upland to the Vøringfossen waterfall. There are several lakes in Eidfjord including Eidfjordvatnet, Nordmannslågen, and Sysenvatnet. The lakes Halnefjorden, Skaupsjøen, and Tinnhølen are all partially located in Eidfjord. The Hardangerjøkulen glacier is partially located in northern Eidfjord.

### Climate

Climate data for Eidfjord - Bu, 1978-2004, 18 m :
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 11.0 (51.8) | 11.0 (51.8) | 13.4 (56.1) | 20.2 (68.4) | 24.7 (76.5) | 29.2 (84.6) | 30.7 (87.3) | 30.5 (86.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 19.8 (67.6) | 15.3 (59.5) | 13.0 (55.4) | 30.7 (87.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 0.2 (32.4) | −0.2 (31.6) | 1.4 (34.5) | 5.5 (41.9) | 10.0 (50.0) | 13.4 (56.1) | 15.2 (59.4) | 14.8 (58.6) | 11.3 (52.3) | 6.9 (44.4) | 3.5 (38.3) | 1.2 (34.2) | 6.9 (44.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −17.1 (1.2) | −15.4 (4.3) | −12.4 (9.7) | −4.6 (23.7) | −1.3 (29.7) | 1.3 (34.3) | 3.7 (38.7) | 3.9 (39.0) | −2.1 (28.2) | −5.2 (22.6) | −11.6 (11.1) | −16.4 (2.5) | −17.1 (1.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 200 (7.9) | 160 (6.3) | 155 (6.1) | 89 (3.5) | 70 (2.8) | 72 (2.8) | 84 (3.3) | 118 (4.6) | 143 (5.6) | 175 (6.9) | 180 (7.1) | 248 (9.8) | 1,694 (66.7) |
| Source: yr.no/Norwegian Meteorological Institute ||||||||||||||

## History

The parish of Eidfjord was very special because it belonged to the Bishop of Stavanger (and not the Bishop of Bergen as all the other parishes in present-day Vestland county) from 1125 until 1630. The Ancient Diocese of Stavanger was created out of the Ancient Diocese of Bergen and it included all of present-day Rogaland and Agder counties, plus the districts of Hallingdal in Buskerud county and Valdres in Innlandet county, and the parishes of Røldal and Eidfjord in Vestland county. The reason for including Eidfjord was that the regions of Hallingdal and Valdres belonged to the bishop of Stavanger and the easiest way to reach them from Stavanger was by sailing up the Hardangerfjord to Eidfjord, and then traveling over the Hardangervidda plateau to Hallingdal and Valdres.

## Population

Historical population :
| Year | 1891 | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1946 | 1951 | 1960 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | 2023 |
| Pop. | 1,018 | 1,068 | 1,006 | 1,010 | 1,145 | 1,164 | 1,126 | 1,015 | * | 1,208 | 1,070 | 1,037 | 958 | 906 | 962 |
| ±% p.a. | — | +0.53% | −0.60% | +0.04% | +1.26% | +0.10% | −0.66% | −1.15% | — | — | −1.21% | −0.31% | −0.79% | −0.56% | +2.02% |
| Note: *Eidfjord was merged into Ullensvang from 1964-1977. Source: Statistics Norway and Norwegian Historical Data Centre ||||||||||||||||

## Government

Eidfjord 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 Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Eidfjord is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2023–2027 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 5 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 5 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2019–2023 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 6 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2015–2019 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2011–2015 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 5 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 3 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| | Cross-Party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2007–2011 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 5 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 |
| | Joint list of the Conservative Party and the Eidfjord List (Samlingslista Høgre og Eidfjordlista) | 2 |
| | Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 2003–2007 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 5 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 |
| | Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1999–2003 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 5 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| | Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1995–1999 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 5 |
| | Conservative Party (Høgre) | 1 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 |
| | Local list (Bygdalista) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1991–1995 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 |
| | Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 |
| | Local list (Bygdalista) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1987–1991 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 |
| | Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 |
| | Non-political local list (Upolitisk Bygdalista) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1983–1987 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 8 |
| | Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 |
| | Non-political local list (Upolitisk Bygdalista) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord kommunestyre 1979–1983 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 9 |
| | Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1959–1963 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 6 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) | 5 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |
| Note: In 1964, Eidfjord became part of Ullensvang Municipality (until 1977 when the merger was reversed). |||
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1955–1959 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 6 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) | 5 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1951–1955 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1947–1951 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 7 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) | 4 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Eidfjord heradsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 6 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 6 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Eidfjord 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) | 7 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
| 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. |||

### Mayors

The mayors (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Eidfjord (incomplete list):
* 1999-2003: Anved Johan Tveit (Sp)
* 2003-2007: Ola B. Hereid (LL)
* 2007-2019: Anved Johan Tveit (Sp)
* 2019-2023: Anders Vatle (Sp)
* 2023-present: Timo Knoch (Ap)

## Notable people

* Nils Bergslien (1853–1928), a Norwegian illustrator, painter and sculptor who lived and worked in Eidfjord
* Benedicte Maurseth (born 1983 in Eidfjord), a Norwegian traditional folk singer and musician