Forsand

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Former municipality in Rogaland, Norway

title: "Forsand" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["sandnes", "strand,-norway", "former-municipalities-of-norway", "1871-establishments-in-norway", "2020-disestablishments-in-norway"] description: "Former municipality in Rogaland, Norway" topic_path: "geography/norway" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forsand" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Former municipality in Rogaland, Norway ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox kommune"]

Field	Value
name	Forsand
former	yes
former_name	Fossan herred
image_skyline	Lysefjord Lysebotn.jpg
image_caption	Lysebotn, located at the head of the Lysefjorden
idnumber	1129
county	Rogaland
district	Ryfylke
capital	Forsand
established	1 Jan 1871
preceded	Høgsfjord Municipality
disestablished	1 Jan 2020
succeeded	Sandnes and Strand municipalities
demonym	Forsandbu
language	Nynorsk
coatofarms	Forsand komm.svg
webpage	www.forsand.kommune.no
mayor	Bjarte Sveinsvoll Dagestad
mayor_party	H
mayor_as_of	2015-2019
area_rank	141
area_total_km2	780.06
area_land_km2	698.83
area_water_km2	81.23
population_as_of	2017
population_rank	376
population_total	1,245
population_density_km2	1.8
population_increase	12.9
coordinates
utm_zone	32V
::

Forsand is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The 780 km2 municipality existed from 1871 until 2020 when it was merged into Sandnes municipality. It was located in the traditional district of Ryfylke. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Forsand. Other villages in the municipality included Lysebotn, Øvre Espedal, Oanes, Kolabygda, and Fløyrli.

Forsand municipality surrounded the famous Lysefjorden and it was located on the east side of the Høgsfjorden. In 1999, evidence of a population here dating back to around 7500 BC was located.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, it was one of the largest municipalities within the county of Rogaland in terms of area, and one of the smallest in terms of population. The 780 km2 municipality was the 141st largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Forsand was the 376th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,245. The municipality's population density was 1.8 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 12.9% over the last decade.

General information

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Kjerag.jpg" caption="View of Kjerag, overlooking the Lysefjorden"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Landa_-_Viking_house_2.JPG" caption="View of a Viking house in the Landa museum in Forsand"] ::

The municipality of Fossan was established on 1 January 1871 when the very large municipality of Høgsfjord was divided into two: Fossan (located east of the Høgsfjorden and south of the Frafjorden) and Høle (located west of the Høgsfjorden). Initially, Fossan had 2,081 residents.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the municipality was split, with everything located south and east of the Frafjorden being transferred to the neighboring municipality of Gjesdal. The reason for this border change was because this area had no road connection with the rest of Forsand, but it was connected by road to Gjesdal.

On 1 January 2020, Forsand municipality was dissolved. The area on the northwestern shore of the Lysefjorden around the Preikestolen became a part of the neighboring Strand Municipality and the rest of Forsand became part of Sandnes Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Forsand farm () since the first Forsand Church was built there. The first element is for which means "sticking out" or "protruding". The last element is which means "sand" or "sandy beach". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Fossan. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Forsand.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 March 1988 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Vert, a heron vigilant argent" (). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a heron standing on one leg. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field symbolizes the importance of the local forests and wildlife. The heron was chosen since it is a common bird that lives in the area, from the fjords all the way up into the mountains. The arms were designed by John Digernes. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Forsand. It was part of the Ryfylke prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.

::data[format=table title="style="font-size:medium"|'''''Churches in Forsand'''''"]

Parish (sokn)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Forsand	Forsand Church	Forsand	1854
Lyse Chapel	Lysebotn	1961
::

Geography

Forsand was a large municipality that is very mountainous with a long, narrow fjord running through the middle from east to west. The Lysefjorden is surrounded by very steep 1000 m tall cliffs such as Kjerag and Preikestolen, with the Lysefjord Bridge crossing the fjord near the western end. The famous Kjeragbolten boulder and Kjeragfossen waterfall were located along the inner part of the fjord. The village of Lysebotn is located at the eastern end of the fjord. The lake Nilsebuvatnet is located high up in the mountains, north of Lysebotn at the border of Strand and Forsand municipalities. It is regulated for hydroelectric power use at the Lysebotn Hydroelectric Power Station.

Government

While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. 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. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Ryfylke District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Forsand was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown for the councils was as follows: |name = Forsand |start = 2015 |end = 2019 |reference = |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Høyre = 3 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 4 |Senterpartiet = 3 |otherparty = Common list |otherparty_no = Samlingslista |otherparty_number = 3 |otherparty1 = Forsand local list |otherparty_no1 = Forsand Bygdalista |otherparty_number1 = 2 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 2012 |end = 2015 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 3 |Fremskrittspartiet = 1 |Høyre = 5 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 5 |Senterpartiet = 3 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 2008 |end = 2011 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Senterpartiet = 4 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 5 |Høyre = 4 |Fremskrittspartiet = 2 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 2004 |end = 2007 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Fremskrittspartiet = 2 |Høyre = 4 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 5 |Senterpartiet = 4 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 2000 |end = 2003 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 3 |Høyre = 3 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 4 |Senterpartiet = 4 |otherparty = Common list |otherparty_no = Samlingslista |otherparty_number = 3 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 1996 |end = 1999 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Høyre = 2 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 5 |Senterpartiet = 6 |otherparty = Common list |otherparty_no = Samlingslista |otherparty_number = 2 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 1992 |end = 1995 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 3 |Høyre = 1 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 5 |Senterpartiet = 6 |otherparty = Common list |otherparty_no = Samlingslista |otherparty_number = 2 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 1988 |end = 1991 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Høyre = 2 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 6 |Senterpartiet = 4 |otherparty = Local list |otherparty_no = Bygdalista |otherparty_number = 1 |otherparty1 = Common list |otherparty_no1 = Samlingslista |otherparty_number1 = 2 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 1984 |end = 1987 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Høyre = 5 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 4 |Senterpartiet = 4 |otherparty = Local list |otherparty_no = Bygdelista |otherparty_number = 2 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 1980 |end = 1983 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Høyre = 5 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 4 |Senterpartiet = 2 |otherparty = Local list |otherparty_no = Bygdeliste |otherparty_number = 4 |otherparty1 = Common list |otherparty_no1 = Samlingsliste |otherparty_number1 = 2 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 1976 |end = 1979 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 1 |Kristelig_Folkeparti = 7 |Senterpartiet = 5 |otherparty = Non-political local list |otherparty_no = Upolitisk Bygdelist |otherparty_number = 4 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 1972 |end = 1975 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 15 |Arbeiderpartiet = 1 |Local_Lists = 14 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 1968 |end = 1971 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 15 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Local_Lists = 13 |}} |name = Forsand |start = 1964 |end = 1967 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Local_Lists = 15 |}} |name = Forsand |herad = yes |start = 1960 |end = 1963 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Local_Lists = 15 |}} |name = Forsand |herad = yes |start = 1956 |end = 1959 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Venstre = 3 |Local_Lists = 12 |}} |name = Forsand |herad = yes |start = 1952 |end = 1955 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 16 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Local_Lists = 14 |}} |name = Forsand |herad = yes |start = 1948 |end = 1951 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 16 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |Local_Lists = 14 |}} |name = Forsand |herad = yes |start = 1945 |end = 1947 |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 16 |AFS = 3 |Local_Lists = 13 |}} |name = Forsand |herad = yes |start = 1938 |end = 1941* |reference = |collapsed = yes |nynorsk = yes |Total = 16 |Borgerlige_Felleslister = 14 |Arbeiderpartiet = 2 |}}

Mayors

The mayors () of Forsand:

1871-1879: Osmund G. Espedal
1880-1881: Knud O. Moluf
1882-1885: Osmund G. Espedal
1886-1887: Rasmus I. Norland
1888-1889: Thormod Schavland
1890-1893: Rasmus I. Nordland
1894-1895: Thormod Schavland
1896-1897: Børge T. Kommedal
1898-1899: Tore T. Haaland
1901-1910: Rasmus I. Norland
1911-1913: Ingebret R. Norland
1914-1916: Rasmus I. Norland
1917-1918: Torvald O. Espedal
1918-1919: Rasmus J. Dirdal
1920-1922: Ingebret R. Norland
1923-1940: Torgeir Espedal
1941-1941: Torstein I. Fossan
1945-1947: Torgeir Espedal
1948-1958: Peter Norland
1958-1961: Torstein I. Fossan
1962-1965: Alf T. Espedal (LL)
1966-1967: Tormod Harboe
1968-1971: Alf T. Espedal
1972-1978: Tormod Rossavik (KrF)
1978-1983: Per Fløysvik (KrF)
1984-1989: Årstein Løland (Sp)
1990-1991: Torstein Haukalid (KrF)
1992-1999: Fridtjov Thorsen Norland (Sp)
1999-2003: Torstein Haukalid (KrF)
2003-2007: Ingeborg Søyland (Sp)
2007-2015: Ole Tom Guse (KrF)
2015-2019: Bjarte S. Dagestad (H)

References

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Jukvam, Dag. (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen". [[Statistics Norway.
Grepstad, Jon. (2024-11-25). "Nikolai Schei". Store norske leksikon.
Hansen, Tore. (2024-06-18). "kommuneinndelingen i Norge". Store norske leksikon.
Askheim, Svein. (2024-09-19). "Forsand – tidlegare kommune". Store norske leksikon.
"Kommunereformen". Forsand kommune.
Rygh, Oluf. (1915). "Norske gaardnavne: Stavanger amt". W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri.
(1917). "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1917. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri.
"Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World.
"Forsand, Rogaland (Norway)".
(1988-03-11). "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet.
(2022-09-20). "kommunestyre". [[Kunnskapsforlaget]].
"Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)". Statistics Norway.
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(1996). "Kommunestyrevalget 1995". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1993). "Kommunestyrevalget 1991". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1988). "Kommunestyrevalget 1987". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1984). "Kommunestyrevalget 1983". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1979). "Kommunestyrevalget 1979". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1977). "Kommunevalgene 1975". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1973). "Kommunevalgene 1972". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1967). "Kommunevalgene 1967". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1964). "Kommunevalgene 1963". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1960). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1957). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1952). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1948). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1947). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
(1938). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
Forsand kommune. (1988). "Forsand i 150 år : utgjeve i samband med 150-års jubileet for formannskapslovane". Dreyer.

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