- See Voss (disambiguation) for other meanings
| Voss kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
|
|||
 |
|||
| Coordinates: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Hordaland | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-1235 | ||
| Administrative centre | Vossevangen | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2007) | Gunn Berit Lunde Aarvik (Ap) | ||
| Area (Nr. ||} Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions called counties ( fylker, singular fylke) and 430 municipalities ( kommuner, cf Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional ||-||} Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties ( Norwegian: singular fylke, plural fylker ( Bokmål is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland. ISO 3166-2NO is an ISO standard which defines Geocodes it is the subset of ISO 3166-2 which applies to Norway. Vossevangen is the centre of Voss municipality in Hordaland, Norway. The Norwegian Labour Party ( Norwegian: Det norske arbeiderparti ( DNA) or Arbeiderpartiet ( AP) is a Social democratic Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 38 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 1,806 km² (697. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 3 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 1,732 km² (668. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 7 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 13,771 | ||
| - Density | 8/km² (20. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 7/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | -1. 2 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 75 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Nynorsk | ||
| Demonym | vossing voss (male) vosse (female)[1] |
||
|
|
|||
| Website: www.voss.kommune.no | |||
Voss is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. Central European Time ( CET) is one of the names of the Time zone that is 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+1 is used in the following locations Central European Time West Africa Time Western European Summer Time Daylight saving time ( DST Central European Summer Time ( CEST) is one of the names of UTC+2 Time zone, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. UTC+2 corresponds to the following Time zones Eastern European Time Egypt Standard Time Central Africa Time Norwegian ( norsk) is a North Germanic Language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is an official language Nynorsk (literally "New Norwegian" is one of the two official Norwegian Standard languages the other being Bokmål. A demonym or gentilic is a word that denotes the members of a People or the inhabitants of a place is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark, and Rogaland. Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional
Voss was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Formannskaps-distrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. Vossestrand was separated from Voss January 1, 1868 - and Evanger was separated from Voss January 1, 1885. Vossestrand is a former municipality in Hordaland county Norway Evanger is a former municipality in Hordaland county Norway It was created by a split from Voss on January 1, 1885. The whole of Vossestrand, and the main part of Evanger, were again merged with Voss January 1, 1964.
The main centre of population is the town Voss or Vossevangen. Vossevangen is the centre of Voss municipality in Hordaland, Norway. Voss is situated on the main road and railway line from Oslo to Bergen, about 100 kilometres east of Bergen. (called Christiania from 1624 to 1878 and Kristiania from 1878 to 1924 is the Capital and largest city of Norway. is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast of Norway in the county of Hordaland in between a group of mountains known as De syv fjell The people of Voss make their living mainly from agriculture and tourism, both in summer and winter. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel
Contents |
The name
The Old Norse form of the name was Vörs, and this might have been the old name of Vangsvatnet. Old Norse is the North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age Vangsvatnet is a Lake in the municipality of Voss in Hordaland county Norway. If this is the case, then the name probably is derived from the word vörr m 'wave; sea'. (-s is a common suffix in old Norwegian place names. In Grammar, a suffix (also postfix, ending) is an Affix which is placed at the end of a word )
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1977). It shows a red deer. The Red Deer ( Cervus elaphus) is one of the largest Deer species
(See also the coat-of-arms of Gjemnes, Hitra and Hjartdal. Gjemnes is a municipality in the county of Møre og Romsdal, Norway on the Romsdal peninsula. Not to be confused with Hirta or Hidra Hitra is a municipality in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway. Hjartdal is a municipality in the county of Telemark, Norway. )
History
In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Voss was a petty kingdom. Viking Age is the term denoting the years from about 700 to 1066 in European history. Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair ( Old Norse: Haraldr hárfagri, Norwegian: Harald Hårfagre) (c A petty kingdom is an independent realm recognizing no suzerain and controlling only a portion of the territory held by a particular ethnic group or nation According to legend, the people of Voss were forcibly converted to Christianity by king Olav, who later became St. Olav. A stone cross situated in the town of Vossevangen is said to have been erected at this time. The town contains a stone church from 1277, with a 16th century excentric, octagonal steeple. Just outside the town is Finnesloftet, a wooden guildhall believed to be the oldest profane wooden building in Northern Europe.
After the German invasion of Norway on 9 April 1940, Voss was the main point of mobilisation for the Norwegian army in the west, as the city of Bergen had already fallen on the first day of the invasion. Operation Weserübung was the codename for Nazi Germany 's assault on Denmark and Norway during World War II and the opening operation is the second largest city in Norway. It is located on the south-western coast of Norway in the county of Hordaland in between a group of mountains known as De syv fjell Although most of the troops mobilised here were transferred by railway to the fighting in the east of the country, the German forces, advancing towards Voss along the railway line from Bergen and from the Hardangerfjord. With a length of 179 km (111 miles the Hardangerfjord in the county of Hordaland in Norway is the third largest Fjord in the world and the second In Hardanger, some of the Germans climbed up the mountains from Ålvik while the rest went through Granvin. Granvin is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway The population is 964 They were met with stiff resistance. To break down this resistance the town of Voss was bombed by the Luftwaffe on 24 and 25 April, and the surrounding countryside on 26 April. ( German 'luftvafe is a generic German term for an Air force. About a dozen civilians lost their lives in the bombing which completely destroyed the old wood-built town centre. On 27 April, the German forces entered the town, which remained occupied until 8 May 1945.
In 1964 the municipality was enlarged with the incorporation of neighbouring Vossestrand and Evanger, which had up until then been separate municipalities within the traditional district also known as Voss. Vossestrand is a former municipality in Hordaland county Norway Evanger is a former municipality in Hordaland county Norway It was created by a split from Voss on January 1, 1885. Norway is divided into a number of traditional Districts Many districts have deep historical roots and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties
Birdlife
Voss has a wide range of habitats, everything from high barren mountains to rich fertile valleys. The large areas of coniferous forests provide food and shelter for a whole host of species, while the many wetland areas are regarded as some of the most interesting birding habitats in the county. There is a bird reserve at Lønaøyane with marked paths and a tower hide. Over 155 species have been seen at this locality. Many are common Scandinavia species, but the area has also produced the unexpected like Great Egret,European Hobby and Woodlark just to name a few,
Tourism
Voss sits in a location surrounded by snow-capped mountains, forests, lakes and fast flowing white water rivers. This has led to its development as a notable center of skiing, water sports, skydiving, paragliding and other adventure sports. A ski is a long flat device worn on the feet designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow Parachuting, also known as skydiving is where a person jumps from enough height so that he can deploy a fabric Parachute and land safely Paragliding is a recreational and competitive flying sport A paraglider is a free-flying foot-launched Aircraft. The area hosts the Ekstremsportveko[2] (Extreme Sports Week) every year in the last week of June, which is regarded as the world's premier extreme sports festival. Ekstremsportveko (Extreme Sports Week or "Veko" as it is commonly called by the locals is a festival held annually in Voss, Norway. Extreme sport (also called action sport and adventure sport) is a media term for certain activities perceived as having a high level of inherent Bømoen, the local airstrip, is home to Skydive Voss, one of the largest dropzones in Norway, as well as a gliding club. The rivers provide various levels of white water, attracting kayaking, rafting and river boarding. Kite surfing and Para-bungee may been seen on lake Vangsvatnet. The ski area, to the north of the town, is accessible via a cable car, Hangursbanen from the town. An aerial tramway is a type of Aerial lift in which a cabin is suspended from a cable and is pulled by another cable Hangursbanen is a gondol cable car that lies in Voss, Norway and is 1126 meters long and has a top altitude of 660 above sealevel There is also chair lift access from Bavallen, a short distance to the northeast of Voss. A chairlift (technically an elevated passenger ropeway is a type of Aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating Steel cable loop strung For those wanting to test their skills in Snow Survival, or spend a winter's night under the stars there are courses at Arctic Adventures.
The town's proximity to the Sognefjord and its position between Bergen and Flåm on the scenic railway have made it popular with tourists. The Sognefjord ( Sognefjorden) is the largest Fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world after Scoresby Sund on
The Voss Museum displays several old farmsteads. Next to the open-air part, there is a museum building with over 20 000 items from traditional farm life.
Famous people from Voss
Like the rest of western Norway, Voss saw large-scale emigration, particularly to the United States, in the 19th and early 20th century. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Famous Voss-Americans include the US Senator Knute Nelson, and American football player and coach Knute Rockne, who is commemorated by a memorial in Vossevangen. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Knute Nelson ( February 2, 1843 April 28, 1923) was an American politician who served in the Wisconsin and Minnesota legislature in American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Knute (pronounced "kah-noot" ("noot" is the anglicized nickname Kenneth Rockne ( March 4, 1888 &ndash March 31,
Voss is a winter sports center and has in recent times been the home of many world-class athletes in several winter sports, most prominently biathlon, but also alpine skiing, nordic skiing and freestyle skiing. Biathlon (not to be confused with Duathlon) is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines Alpine skiing (or downhill skiing) is a recreational activity and Sport involving sliding down Snow -covered hills with long Skis attached Nordic skiing is a Winter sport that encompasses all types of Skiing where the heel of the boot cannot be fixed to the ski Freestyle skiing began in the 1930s when Norwegian skiers began performing acrobatics during alpine and cross-country training Athletes from Voss have been present, representing Norway, at every winter Olympic games except one since 1948, the exception being 1972. The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1948 The 1972 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated from Olympic champions from Voss include:
- Eirik Kvalfoss - 1984 (biathlon, sprint)
- Kristen Skjeldal - 1992 (cross-country skiing, relay)
- Kari Traa - 2002 (freestyle skiing, moguls)
- Egil Gjelland - 2002 (biathlon, relay)
- Kristen Skjeldal - 2002 (cross-country skiing, relay)
- Lars Bystøl - 2006 (ski jumping, K90)
In all, athletes from Voss have won 6 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 7 bronze medals at winter Olympic games. Eirik Kvalfoss (born December 25, 1959) is a former biathlete from Voss, Norway. The 1984 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIV Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in Sarajevo Biathlon (not to be confused with Duathlon) is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines Kristen Skjeldal (born May 27, 1967) is an Olympic champion and cross country skier from Norway. The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was staged in 1992 Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a Winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields primarily Northern Europe, Kari Traa (born January 28, 1974 in Voss, Norway) is a Norwegian freestyle skier. The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 Freestyle skiing began in the 1930s when Norwegian skiers began performing acrobatics during alpine and cross-country training Egil Gjelland (born 12 November 1973 in Voss) is a Norwegian biathlete. The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 Biathlon (not to be confused with Duathlon) is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines Kristen Skjeldal (born May 27, 1967) is an Olympic champion and cross country skier from Norway. The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in 2002 Cross-country skiing (also known as XC skiing) is a Winter sport popular in many countries with large snowfields primarily Northern Europe, Lars Bystøl (born 4 December 1978 in Voss, Hordaland) is a Norwegian Ski jumper who has won one Olympic gold medal The 2006 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XX Olympic Winter Games, were a Winter Multi-sport event which was celebrated in Ski jumping is a Sport in which skiers go down an "inrun" with a take-off ramp (the jump attempting to go as far as possible
Former Sheffield Wednesday footballer Trond Egil Soltvedt was born in Voss. Trond Egil Soltvedt (born February 15 1967) is a former Footballer from Norway.
The controversial football agent Rune Hauge is also from Voss. A sports agent is a person who procures and negotiates employment and Endorsement deals for an athlete. Rune Hauge (born April 23 1954) is a Norwegian football agent.
References
- ^ Personnemningar til stadnamn i Noreg (Norwegian)
- ^ Ekstremsportveko
External links
- VossNow (thousands of pictures of all kind from Voss and surroundings)
- Vossestrand
- The Norwegian Birding Route
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic