Sogn
Encyclopedia
Sogn is a traditional district
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...
in Western Norway (Vestlandet). It is located in the county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
of Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
, surrounding the Sognefjord
Sognefjord
The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world. Located in Sogn og Fjordane county, it stretches inland to the small village of Skjolden...
. Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland
Aurland
Aurland is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Aurlandsvangen. Other villages include Bakka, Flåm, Undredal, and Gudvangen....
, Balestrand
Balestrand
Balestrand is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Balestrand....
, Hyllestad
Hyllestad
Hyllestad is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Hyllestad is the village of Hyllestad....
, Høyanger
Høyanger
is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Høyanger, which has 2177 inhabitants . Other villages in Høyanger include Lavik, Kyrkjebø, Austreim, and Vadheim...
, Gulen
Gulen
is a municipality in the southwestern part of Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Eivindvik...
, Leikanger
Leikanger
is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Leikanger, which is also the administrative center of Sogn og Fjordane county....
, Luster
Luster, Norway
Luster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative centre is Gaupne. Other villages include Skjolden, Hafslo, Jostedal, and Veitastrond....
, Lærdal
Lærdal
Lærdal is a municipality in the southwestern part of Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Lærdalsøyri...
, Sogndal
Sogndal
Sogndal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Sogndalsfjøra is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other main villages include Kaupanger, Kjørnes, and Fjærland...
, Solund
Solund
Solund is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. Solund is the westernmost island municipality in Norway, and the only municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county that is made up only of islands...
, Vik
Vik
Vik is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Vik is the village of Vikøyri.-General information:...
, and Årdal
Årdal
Årdal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Årdalstangen is the administrative center of the municipality. Årdal was separated from Lærdal in 1860....
. The district covers 10675 square kilometres (4,121.6 sq mi) and contains about 35% of the county's population. The largest urban area in Sogn is Øvre Årdal
Øvre Årdal
Øvre Årdal is a village in the municipality of Årdal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is the larger of the two primary villages in Årdal. The village is situated at the northern end of the long lake Årdalsvatnet, with the village of Årdalstangen at the southern end...
, with 3,456 residents.
Name
The name Sogn is very old, and it originally belonged to the fjord (now called SognefjordSognefjord
The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world. Located in Sogn og Fjordane county, it stretches inland to the small village of Skjolden...
). The name is derived from the verb súga which means "suck"—referring to the strong tidal streams at the mouth of the fjord. A parallel name for the district in Norse times was Sygnafylki. The first element in this name is the genitive of sygnir which means "people from Sogn" and the last element is fylki which is an old form of "fylke
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
" which translates as "county".
History
Viking Age
Since early in the Viking AgeViking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...
, Sogn was a petty kingdom
Petty kingdom
A petty kingdom is one of a number of small kingdoms, described as minor or "petty" by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it...
called Sygnafylki. Some notable Kings of Sogn were Harald Gullskjegg ("Goldbeard", father of Ragnhild, first wife of Halfdan the Black), Halfdan the Black
Halfdan the Black
Halfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
, and Harald Fairhair
Harald I of Norway
Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair , , son of Halfdan the Black, was the first king of Norway.-Background:Little is known of the historical Harald...
.
The Gulating
Gulating
Gulaþing is both the name of one of the first Norwegian legislative assemblies or Þing and one of the present day law courts of western Norway.-History:...
met in the district of Sogn in the present day municipality of Gulen
Gulen
is a municipality in the southwestern part of Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Eivindvik...
.
1662-present
In 1662, Sogn fogderi was created as part of the Nordre Bergenhus amtSogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
. Sogn was further divided into Indre Sogn (Inner Sogn) and Ytre Sogn (Outer Sogn).
- Indre Sogn consisted of the present day municipalities of AurlandAurlandAurland is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Aurlandsvangen. Other villages include Bakka, Flåm, Undredal, and Gudvangen....
, LeikangerLeikangeris a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Leikanger, which is also the administrative center of Sogn og Fjordane county....
, LusterLuster, NorwayLuster is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative centre is Gaupne. Other villages include Skjolden, Hafslo, Jostedal, and Veitastrond....
, LærdalLærdalLærdal is a municipality in the southwestern part of Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Lærdalsøyri...
, SogndalSogndalSogndal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Sogndalsfjøra is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other main villages include Kaupanger, Kjørnes, and Fjærland...
, and ÅrdalÅrdalÅrdal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Årdalstangen is the administrative center of the municipality. Årdal was separated from Lærdal in 1860....
. The village of SogndalsfjøraSogndalsfjøraSogndalsfjøra is the administrative centre of the municipality of Sogndal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located where the river Sogndalselvi runs out in the Sogndalsfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord. The village has a population of 3,208...
was the administrative center.
- Ytre Sogn consisted of the present day municipalities of BalestrandBalestrandBalestrand is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Balestrand....
, GulenGulenis a municipality in the southwestern part of Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Eivindvik...
, HyllestadHyllestadHyllestad is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Hyllestad is the village of Hyllestad....
, HøyangerHøyangeris a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Høyanger, which has 2177 inhabitants . Other villages in Høyanger include Lavik, Kyrkjebø, Austreim, and Vadheim...
, SolundSolundSolund is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. Solund is the westernmost island municipality in Norway, and the only municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county that is made up only of islands...
, and VikVikVik is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Vik is the village of Vikøyri.-General information:...
. The village of HøyangerHøyangeris a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Høyanger, which has 2177 inhabitants . Other villages in Høyanger include Lavik, Kyrkjebø, Austreim, and Vadheim...
was the administrative center.
In 1919, Nordre Bergenhus amt was re-named Sogn og Fjordane
Sogn og Fjordane
is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....
fylke.