page_title: Førde
section_title: General information
hierarchical_section_title: Førde / General information
caption_attribution_description: English: Lake Langeland in Førde, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway Norsk nynorsk: Langelandsvatnet i Førde kommune i Sogn og Fjordane
context_page_description: Førde is a former municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sunnfjord. The administrative center was the town of Førde which in 2016 had 10,255 inhabitants. Other villages in Førde municipality included Bruland, Holsen, Moskog, and Haukedalen. The Øyrane area in the town of Førde was a large industrial/commercial area for the region. The European Route E39 highway passed through the municipality, and it passed by the lake Holsavatnet.
  Førde Airport, Bringeland was the regional airport, located about 16 kilometres from the town centre with flights that connect Oslo and Bergen with Førde. The airport was actually located in neighboring Gaular municipality, just south of the border. The largest hospital in Sogn og Fjordane county, Førde Central Hospital, and the regional offices of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation are located in the town. The International Førde Folk Music Festival is held each summer. The local newspaper is called Firda.
  At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the 586-square-kilometre municipality is the 189th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway.
context_section_description: Førde was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The original municipality was identical to the Førde parish (prestegjeld) with the sub-parishes (sokn) of Førde, Holsen, and Naustdal. On 1 January 1896, the northern sub-parish of Naustdal (population: 2,543) was separated from Førde and it became a municipality of its own. This left Førde with 2,903 residents.
  During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the areas of Naustdal south of the Førdefjorden (population: 265) were transferred to Førde municipality.
  On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Førde, Naustdal, Gaular, and Jølster were merged to form the new Sunnfjord Municipality.
caption: Lake Langeland
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