The 142-square-kilometre (55 sq mi) municipality is the 317th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Fitjar is the 224th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,181. The municipality's population density is 23.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (61/sq mi) and its population has increased by 6.7% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
General information
View of Fitjar by nightAerial view of the Fitjar islandsFitjar Church
The parish of Fitje was established as a municipality on 1 January 1863 when it was separated from the large Stord Municipality. Initially, the population of Fitje was 2,313. On 1 January 1868, a small area in the municipality of Finnaas (population: 10) was transferred to Fitje. In 1900, the name was changed to Fitjar. The original municipality included all of the land surrounding the Selbjørnsfjorden.[7]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the area of Fitjar located north of the Selbjørnsfjorden on the islands of Huftarøy and Selbjørn (population: 696) was transferred to the neighboring Austevoll Municipality. On 1 January 1995, the islands of Aga, Agasystra, Gisøya, Vikøya, Selsøy, Risøya, and many smaller surrounding islands (population: 225) were transferred from Fitjar to the neighboring Bømlo Municipality. These islands had recently been connected to Bømlo by road bridges which precipitated the municipal transfer.[7]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Fitjar farm (Old Norse: Fitjar) since the first Fitjar Church was built there. The name is the plural form of fit which means "meadow along the water" or "lush meadow". Before 1900, the name was written "Fitje".[8]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was adopted during the late 1940s, but they have never been formally granted since they did not meet the formal government design requirements. In 2018, the municipal council of Fitjar formally approved the arms after a change to a national law. The blazon is "Azure, a Viking helmet Or within a orleargent". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a Vikinghelmet with a thin border around the edge of the shield. 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 arms often have a mural crown depicted above the escutcheon. The helmet and the color are derived from the belief that King Haakon the Good wore a golden helmet at the Battle of Fitjar in 961, which was fought in this municipality. King Haakon died from his wounds. His death and reception in Valhalla are described in the skaldic poemHákonarmál, composed by the Eyvindr skáldaspillir. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag is orange with a depiction of coat of arms in the centre along with the name of the municipality below the arms.[9][10][11]
King Haakon I of Norway (Haakon the Good) maintained his residence at Fitjar. The Battle of Fitjar (Slaget ved Fitjar på Stord) took place in Fitjar on the island of Stord in the year 961 between the forces of King Haakon I and the sons of his half-brother, Eric Bloodaxe. Traditionally, important shipping routes have passed through the area, and the municipality contains several trading posts dating as far back as 1648. Fitjar was separated from Stord in 1863. There have been discussions about a possible reunion of the two municipalities, but no decision has been made.
Population
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1863
2,313
—
1865
2,308
−0.11%
1875
2,334
+0.11%
1891
2,380
+0.12%
1900
2,487
+0.49%
1910
2,632
+0.57%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1920
2,654
+0.08%
1930
2,833
+0.65%
1946
3,036
+0.43%
1951
3,092
+0.37%
1960
3,172
+0.28%
1970
2,520
−2.27%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1980
2,888
+1.37%
1990
3,072
+0.62%
2000
2,992
−0.26%
2010
2,931
−0.21%
2020
3,189
+0.85%
2023
3,181
−0.08%
Note: The municipal borders were changed in 1964 and 1995, causing a significant change in the population. Source: Statistics Norway[5][12] and Norwegian Historical Data Centre[13]
Geography
The island municipality of Fitjar lies south of the Selbjørnsfjorden, west of the Langenuen strait, east of the island of Bømlo. The municipality includes over 350 islands, although most are uninhabited. The majority of the residents live on the island of Stord, the northern portion of which is in Fitjar. The southern portion of the island is part of the municipality of Stord. The island municipality of Austevoll lies to the north, across the fjord and the island municipality of Tysnes lies across the Langenuen strait to the east, and the island municipality of Bømlo lies to the west.[4]
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Fitjar 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.
Fitjar Church was built in 1867 over the site of the old medieval stone church which had been demolished. Stone blocks taken from the old stone church were used as foundations for the present-day church as well as for the walling enclosing the churchyard. Opposite Fitjar Church is Haakon's Park (Håkonarparken), the location of a sculpture of Haakon the Good sculpted by Anne Grimdalen. The statue was erected in 1961 at the one thousand year commemoration of the Battle of Fitjar.[43]
Notable people
Andreas Fleischer (1878–1957), a theologian, missionary to China, Lutheran Bishop, and priest in Fitjar Church from 1912-1917
Otto Hageberg (1936–2014), a literary historian and academic
