Ulvik

Ulvik is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The municipality stretches from the Hardangerfjord to the mountains that reach 1800 m above sea level. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ulvik. The villages of Osa and Finse are also located in Ulvik municipality.

The 722 km2 municipality is the 158th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ulvik is the 329th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,056. The municipality's population density is 1.6 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 5.1% over the previous 10-year period. Of the municipality's total population, nearly half live in the village of Ulvik at the end of the Ulvikafjorden. The vast majority of those who do not live in the village of Ulvik live on the farms surrounding the village or at the end of the Osa Fjord in the village of Osa.

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Ulvik 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 Graven and Eidfjord annexes to Ulvik, and the name of the large municipality was changed from Graven to Ulvik.

On 1 May 1891, the western annex of Graven (population: 1,331) and the southeastern annex of Eidfjord (population: 1,018) were separated from Ulvik to become separate municipalities. This left Ulvik with a much smaller size and 1,410 residents. In 1895, a small area of Eidfjord (population: 3) was transferred to Ulvik.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Ulvik farm (Ulfvík) since the first Ulvik Church was built there. The first element is which means "wolf". The last element is which means "bay", "cove, or "wick".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 December 1986. The official blazon is "Gules, eight lozenges in annulet Or" (På raud grunn åtte gule spissruter i rosett). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a set of eight lozenges arranged around a point, making a symmetrical rosette design. 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. The figure is a traditional design seen in the local folk-art and in local textiles (including in the bunad of Ulvik). The pattern can be traced in local arts as far back as the 16th century, and is similar to the selburose. The arms were designed by Stein Davidsen. 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 Ulvik. It is part of the Hardanger og Voss prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography


The municipality is situated around the Hardangerfjord's northeastern arms: the Osa Fjord and Ulvikafjorden, extending far into the Hardangervidda plateau. The northernmost part of the Hardangerjøkulen glacier is in Ulvik. The Finse and Hallingskeid areas lie just south of the Hallingskarvet National Park which partially sits inside Ulvik and includes the Hallingskarvet mountains. The municipality of Ulvik borders the municipalities of Eidfjord, Ullensvang, Voss, Aurland, and Hol. Lakes in the region include Finsevatnet and Flakavatnet. The headwaters of the Flåmselvi river also lie in Ulvik.

History
After the dissolution of the union between Sweden and Norway in 1905, Ulvik was one of the few municipalities that returned a majority in favour of a republic rather than a monarchy in the national referendum on the issue.

The village of Ulvik was nearly totally destroyed on 25 April 1940, during the German invasion of Norway, when fighting erupted between a German landing party arriving in boats, and a Norwegian force on land. Most of the village was burned down, and three civilians were killed. An unknown number of German soldiers were also killed in the fighting.

Government
Ulvik 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 (Heradsstyre) of Ulvik 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.

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


 * 1876–1888: Hans Larsen Saakvitne
 * 1890–1891: Hans Larsen Saakvitne
 * 1987–1991: Lars Sponheim (V)
 * 1991–1995: Ragnvald Fleten (Sp)
 * 1995–2001: Terje Breivik (V)
 * 2001–2007: Jon Olav Heggseth (Sp)
 * 2007–2011: Mona Haugland Hellesnes (V)
 * 2011–2023: Hans Petter Thorbjørnsen (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Jens Olav Holven (Sp)

Transportation
It takes around two hours to drive from the city of Bergen to Ulvik via the European route E16 highway to Vossevangen and then taking Norwegian National Road 13 through the Vallavik Tunnel to Ulvik. The Norwegian National Road 13 continues through Ulvik before crossing the Hardanger Bridge which goes over the Hardangerfjord. The nearest airport is Bergen Flesland Airport in Bergen.

The Bergen Line runs through the northern part of Ulvik. It runs through a region that has no road access, but is a popular with hiking and sports enthusiasts. The railway station at Finse on the Bergen Line at an elevation of 1222 m is the highest station on the Norwegian railway system. The Finse Tunnel just outside Finse is one of the longest railway tunnels in Norway. The Rallarvegen "road" is an historic road that follows the Bergen Line through Ulvik. It is a popular biking and hiking route. Ulvik is also visited in the summer by numerous foreign cruise ships who travel along the fjord.

Notable people

 * Catharine Hermine Kølle (1788–1859), a Norwegian adventurer, writer, and artist who lived in Ulvik from 1807
 * Lars Osa (1860 in Ulvik – 1958), an artist who worked on church restorations and noted fiddle player
 * Olav H. Hauge (1908 in Ulvik – 1994), a Norwegian horticulturist, translator, and poet
 * Sigbjørn Bernhoft Osa (1910 in Ulvik – 1990), a Norwegian fiddler and traditional folk musician
 * Gunnar Hjeltnes (1922 in Ulvik – 2013), an alpine skier who competed at the 1952 Winter Olympics
 * Lars Sponheim (born 1957), a politician who was County Governor of Vestland and Mayor of Ulvik from 1988-1991
 * Terje Breivik (born 1965), a Norwegian politician and entrepreneur who was Mayor of Ulvik from 1995-2001