Os, Hordaland Explained

Os
Former:yes
Idnumber:1243
County:Hordaland
District:Midhordland
Capital:Osøyro
Established:1 Jan 1838
Preceded:none
Disestablished:1 Jan 2020
Succeeded:Bjørnafjorden Municipality
Demonym:Osing
Language:Nynorsk
Coatofarms:Os Hordaland komm.svg
Flag:none
Mayor:Marie Lunde Bruarøy
Mayor Party:H
Mayor As Of:2015-2019
Area Rank:360
Area Total Km2:139.57
Area Land Km2:133.48
Area Water Km2:6.09
Area Water Percent:4.4
Population As Of:2019
Population Rank:57
Population Total:20,152
Population Density Km2:151.0
Population Increase:29.2
Coordinates:60.2269°N 5.4758°W
Utm Zone:32V
Utm Northing:6681915
Utm Easting:0304849
Geo Cat:adm2nd

Os is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It was located in the Midhordland region, just south of Norway's second-largest city, Bergen. Due to its proximity to Bergen, Os experienced strong population growth.[1] The administrative centre (and commercial centre) of Os was the village of Osøyro. It is the largest settlement in the municipality, with over 60% of the municipal residents living here. Other large villages in Os included Hagavik, Halhjem, Søfteland, Søre Øyane, and Søvik. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of Bjørnafjorden Municipality in Vestland county.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 140km2 municipality is the 360th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Os is the 57th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 20,152. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 29.2% over the last decade.[2]

History

The parish of Os was established as a formannskapsdistrikt, the predecessor of today's municipalities, on 1 January 1838. It originally encompassed all of the land surrounding the Fusafjorden. In 1856, the eastern district of Os (across the fjord) was separated to form the new, separate municipality of Fusa. This left Os with 3,750 residents.[3]

In 1900, "Askviknes Barnehjem" (near Hagavik) opened; it housed children of romani/tater; in the beginning the children's stay was something their families applied for; later children were introduced to the facility without consent of their families.[4]

On 1 January 1907, the northern part of the municipality was separated to form the new municipality of Samnanger. This left Os with 3,188 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Bogstrand area of Fusa (population: 28) was transferred to Os. This was the only part of Fusa on the west side of the fjord.

During World War II, the Ulven concentration camp was used by the occupying Nazi German Army. It was located just northwest of Osøyro.

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Os and Fusa were merged to form the new Bjørnafjorden Municipality.[5]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Os farm (Norse, Old: Óss) since the first Os Church was built there. The name is identical to the word which means "mouth of a river", referring here to the Oselva river.[6]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was adopted in 1949 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The blazon is "Gules, one large and six small roses over a rowboat Or". This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a rowboat underneath a flower and six small stars surrounding the flower. 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 were adopted in 1949 after a local competition. Boat building has been an important industry in Os for a long time. The rowboat design was chosen to symbolize the Oselvar boat which is commonly built and used in this area. The Oselvar is widely known for its good rowing and sailing properties. The roses in the coat of arms stand for the art of rosemåling which has long been used for decorations in the area. The small roses in the design corresponded to the number of school districts in Os when the coat of arms was new. The municipality often includes a mural crown over the shield. The arms were designed by Trygve Eriksen.[7] [8]

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within the municipality of Os. It is part of the Fana prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Churches in Os!Parish (Norwegian: sokn)!!Church name!!Location of the church!!Year built
OsOs ChurchOsøyro1870
Nore Neset ChurchHagavik2000

Government

During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[9]

Municipal council

The municipal council Norwegian: (Kommunestyre) of Os was made up of 35 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors

The mayors (Norwegian Nynorsk; Nynorsk, Norwegian: ordførar) of Os:[10]

Geography

The municipality of Os was located on the southwestern part of the Bergen Peninsula, south of the municipality of Bergen and southeast of the municipality of Samnanger. The Fusafjorden was to the east, the Bjørnafjorden to the south, and the Lysefjorden lies to the west. The municipality of Fusa was located to the east (across the Fusafjorden), the municipality of Tysnes was to the south (across the Bjørnafjorden), and the municipality of Austevoll was to the west (across the Lysefjorden).

The southwestern part of Os included many small islands including Skorpo, Strøno, and Innerøya. The village area of Søre Øyane was located on several small islands off the mainland shore.

The municipality was somewhat mountainous, especially in the northeastern part of the municipality. The mountain Sveningen was a tripoint boundary, marking the boundary point where the municipalities of Bergen, Os, and Samnanger meet. It was located in extreme northeastern Os. The mountains of Mosnuken and Lyshornet are both located in Os.

Culture

The Oseana Art and Cultural Centre is located in Os. It hosts art and music events year-round. The building is fairly new and in 2011, it won the "Building of the Year Award" (Norwegian: Årets Bygg) for Norway.[11]

Industry

Os has had a tradition of small boat building since the early 1800s. The Oselvar is the traditional boat of Os. This small wooden boat was named after its major important building site during the 18th century, at the mouth of the Oselva River. These boats have traditionally been used for everyday work and for traveling to church. These boats were designed as either sailboats or rowboats. They still build these boats the traditional way in Os, and tourists are able to visit and watch them work.[12]

The Oselvar is now the official boat of Norway. With its traditions, the boat has become a symbol of the nation. The boat is shown on the coat of arms of Os.

Hagavik, a village in Os municipality, also has a modern boat building company, Askeladden Boats AS. Askeladden is Norway's largest manufacturer of leisure boats.

Transportation

The European route E39 highway passed through Os from the city of Bergen (to the north) to the ferry quay at Halhjem, on the shore of the Bjørnafjorden. The quay has two different regularly-scheduled ferry routes that stop here to cross the Bjørnafjorden. There is a ferry from Halhjem to Våge on the island of Tysnesøya in Tysnes municipality, to the southeast. There is also a ferry (that is part of the E39 highway) from Halhjem to Sandvika, just north of the village of Fitjar in Fitjar municipality, to the south.

The Norwegian government is planning to build a bridge or tunnel crossing to provide road access across the Bjørnafjorden as part of the Hordfast project. When completed, the northern terminus will be in Os.[13]

Demographics

As of 1 January 2014, Os has a population of 18,678 which gives it a population density is, compared to a county average of about and a national average of about . About 80% of the population of Os lived in urban settlements. About 1.9% of the population were registered as unemployed; the county and national average is 2.6%. About 26% of the workforce were employed in public administration. About 2% were employed in the primary sector of economic activity, 28.2% in the secondary sector, and 69.3% in the tertiary sector.[14] In the period from 29 October to 4 November 2001, 45.7% of the workforce of Os commuted out of the municipality, mainly to the neighboring city of Bergen. In the same time period, Os received a daily average of 753 commuters from other municipalities, 15.8% of those employed in Os.[15] In 2006, Os had a daily out-commuting of 3,001 people.

Notable people

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.oselvarverkstaden.no/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49&Itemid=59 Os kommune i Hordaland (Os municipality)
  2. Web site: Statistisk sentralbyrå . Statistics Norway . 2017 . Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M) . 2018-01-05 . no.
  3. Book: Jukvam, Dag . 1999 . Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen . . no . 9788253746845.
  4. News: Marianne Herfindal Johannessen . Marianne Herfindal Johannessen . 2015-08-01 . 'De hjemløse smaa' . 54–5 . Bergens Tidende.
  5. Web site: Bjørnafjorden kommune . 2017-10-26 . no.
  6. Book: Rygh, Oluf . Oluf Rygh

    . Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt . 1910 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 11 . Kristiania, Norge . 206 and 215 . no . Oluf Rygh.

  7. Web site: Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen . 2023-06-28 . Heraldry of the World.
  8. Web site: Os kommune, våpen . 2023-06-28 . Digitalarkivet . Arkivverket . no.
  9. Encyclopedia: kommunestyre . . . 2023-01-01 . 2022-09-20 . Hansen . Tore . no . Vabo . Signy Irene.
  10. Web site: 2011 . Arkivkatalog for Os kommune 1837-1964 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170316113449/http://www.ikah.no/wp-content/uploads/kataloger/Os.pdf . 2017-03-16 . 2023-06-29 . Interkommunalt arkiv i Hordaland . no .
  11. News: Mæland . Pål Andreas . 2013-09-17 . Oseana i pengetrøbbel . no . .
  12. Web site: Oselvaren . 2023-06-29 . Oselvarenverkstad båtbyggeri . Bjørnafjorden kommune . no.
  13. News: Olderkjær . Ove A. . 2014-03-05 . Gir ikkje opp brumotstanden . no . .
  14. Web site: 2008 . Figures on Os Municipality . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081005082712/http://www.ssb.no/english/municipalities/1243 . 2008-10-05 . 2008-05-31 . . no.
  15. Web site: 2002 . Commuting. Population and housing Census 2001 . 2008-05-31 . . no.
  16. Web site: Weiss . Haley . 27 July 2017 . Aurora - Interview Magazine . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170727231448/http://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/aurora-aksnes-slottsfjell . 27 July 2017 . 8 June 2022 . Interview.