Ullensvang
Ullensvang Municipality
Ullensvang kommune | |
|---|---|
| Ullensvang herad (historic name) | |
View of Utne in Ullensvang | |
Vestland within Norway | |
Ullensvang within Vestland | |
| Coordinates: 60°18′42″N 06°48′53″E / 60.31167°N 6.81472°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Vestland |
| District | Hardanger |
| Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
| • Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
| Administrative centre | Odda |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2019) | Roald Aga Haug (Ap) |
| Area | |
• Total | 3,229.90 km2 (1,247.07 sq mi) |
| • Land | 2,963.56 km2 (1,144.24 sq mi) |
| • Water | 266.34 km2 (102.83 sq mi) 8.2% |
| • Rank | #12 in Norway |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 11,148 |
| • Rank | #104 in Norway |
| • Density | 3.8/km2 (10/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) | −2.5% |
| Demonyms | Sørfjøre Sørfjording |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Nynorsk |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-4618 |
| Website | Official website |
Ullensvang is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the town of Odda. Some of the notable villages in the municipality include Lofthus, Utne, Vikebygd, Alsåker, Botnen, Eitrheim, Håra, Røldal, Seljestad, Skare, Tyssedal, Jondal, Herand, Kysnesstranda, and Torsnes.
The main inhabited part of Ullensvang municipality lies just to the west of Hardangervidda National Park, which covers most of the Hardangervidda plateau, Europe's largest mountain plateau. Most inhabitants live in the narrow coastal mountainsides and valleys along the Hardangerfjorden and Sørfjorden. The largest urban areas in Ullensvang are Odda, Kinsarvik, Jondal, and Lofthus. The Norwegian National Road 13 and the European route E134 are the two main roads through the municipality. National road 13 crosses the Hardangerfjorden via the Hardanger Bridge in the far northern part of the municipality.
The 3,230-square-kilometre (1,250 sq mi) municipality is the 12th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ullensvang is the 104th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,148. The municipality's population density is 3.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (9.8/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period. The number of inhabitants has shown a decrease of several hundred people since 1980. This development can be seen in light of the general depopulation of rural Norway.
In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station for Ullensvang og Eidfjord be closed.
As of Q3 2024, a copy of a stave church is nearing completion, above the centre of Odda.