Masfjorden

Masfjorden is a municipality in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The municipality is located in the Nordhordland district of the county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Masfjordnes. Other villages in the municipality include Frøyset, Hosteland, Matre, and Solheim.

The municipality is centered on the Masfjorden which almost divides the municipality completely into a north side and a south side. A cable ferry crosses the fjord from Masfjordnes to Duesund in the western part of the municipality. The Matre Hydroelectric Power Station is located in the eastern part of the municipality.

The 556 km2 municipality is the 195th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Masfjorden is the 297th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,654. The municipality's population density is 3.2 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Masfjorden was established as a municipality on 1 March 1879 when it was separated from the large municipality of Lindås. Masfjorden was the northern part of Lindås, and its initial population was 2,336. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Einestrand, Eikebotn, and Kikallen area along the Austfjorden (population: 25) was transferred from Lindås to Masfjorden.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Masfjorden (Matrsfjǫrðr) since that fjord is a central geographical feature of the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of the old (uncompounded) name of the fjord: Matr. That name is identical to the word which means "food". The last element is which means "fjord" or "firth". Therefore, the meaning of the name is "the fjord that's full of food (fish)". The village of Matre lies at the inner end of the fjord, and that name has a similar origin.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, three clasps Or in pall" (På raud grunn tre gule heldrer stilte i trepass). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three heldrer, traditional tools made of wood for fastening a rope around a load. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. They are meant to symbolize unity as well as the importance of forestry. The arms were designed by Rune Garmann. 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 Masfjorden. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. Prior to 2020, the municipality had three parishes (Frøyset, Sandnes, and Solheim).

Government
Masfjorden 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.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Masfjorden (incomplete list):


 * 1879–1880: Erik A. Riisnæs
 * 1880–1883: Kristen T. Bergsvik
 * 1884–1889: Thorbjørn Frølich
 * 1890–1895: Rasmus M. Haugsvær
 * 1896–1899: Torgeir R. Haugsvær
 * 1900–1901: Rasmus M. Haugsvær
 * 1901–1916: Hans Bergersen Wergeland
 * 1917–1919: Ivar R. Eikemo
 * 1920–1941: Martin H. Matre
 * 1942–1945: Gjert Daae
 * 1945–1945: Magnus Maurstad
 * 1945–1945: Martin H. Matre
 * 1945–1950: Magnus Halsøy
 * 1999–2003: Helge Haukeland
 * 2003–2011: Håkon Matre (H)
 * 2011-2023: Karstein Totland (H)
 * 2023-present: Erlend Kvamsdal (H)

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Masfjorden 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.

Geography
Masfjorden municipality lies to the east of the Fensfjorden and Austfjorden. The Masfjorden runs east to west bisecting the municipality. The eastern part has mountains and as one heads westward, the land levels out before reaching the fjord in the east.

The municipality lies along the west coast in the central part of the county. The municipalities of Gulen and Høyanger lie to the north, the municipality of Modalen to the east, and the municipality of Alver lies to the south and west.

The European route E39 highway runs through eastern Masfjorden heading north and south. The 4.1 km long Masfjord Tunnel and the 2.5 km long Jernfjell Tunnel (and a few other tunnels) are part of the E39 highway which winds its way through some valleys in the mountainous eastern region of Masfjorden.

Notable people

 * Hans Bergersen Wergeland (1861–1931), a Norwegian politician, local mayor, and farmer
 * Ludvig Hope (1871–1954), a Norwegian lay preacher, writer, and teacher
 * Einar Hope (born 1937), a Norwegian economist
 * Bjarne Johannes Hope (1944–2006), a Norwegian civil servant