Førde

12,600 ( March 31, 2013 )

Forde is a municipality in the district Sunnfjord the Norwegian Sogn og Fjordane county. The municipality of Forde is the largest in Sogn og Fjordane, and has since 1997 city status. Even the largest hospital of Fylke is in Forde.

Geography

Forde is at the end of the Førdefjordes at the mouth of the river Jølstra, the entfließt the not quite 20 km away Lake Jølstravatnet. It is surrounded by the mountains Hafstadfjellet, Viefjellet, Førdenipa, Halbrendsnipa and Vieåsen. The municipality is bordered to the north by Naustdal, to the east by Jølster, Sogndal and Balestrand, to the south and to the west by Gaular Askvoll.

Traffic

The bringer land at Forde Airport (16 km from the city center ) connects the region with Oslo and Bergen. The European road E39 from Kristiansand to Trondheim passes through the place. An earlier ferry service was discontinued.

Economy

Due to its central location in the otherwise sparsely populated and predominantly agricultural Sogn og Fjordane Forde is a popular shopping destination. There are many car dealerships. Important jobs also bring the slaughterhouse, public administration, health care, construction companies, a shipyard and a school nurse. There are two hotels open all year round. While in Sogn og Fjordane is a population decline in many communities, to Forde municipality of continuous population growth from around 3,000 in 1951 to 12,600 delighted on 31 March 2013.

Culture

In July at the Forde Forde Internasjonale Folkemusikkfestival, the biggest folk music festival in Norway, with international and Norwegian music instead.

In the House of Culture " Førdehus " regularly theater shows an itinerant theater group, theater performances and temporary exhibitions. There is a swimming pool and a grass football pitch. In Sunnfjord Museum (9 km east of the city center on the E39), you can experience the Norwegian local history through old farmhouses close.

Well-known personalities from Forde

• John Haarklou (1847-1925), from Haukedalen, composer, organist and conductor.