Hyllestad

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hyllestad kommune
—  Municipality  —
Coat of arms of Hyllestad kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Hyllestad kommune
Sogn og Fjordane within
Norway
Hyllestad within Sogn og Fjordane
Hyllestad within Sogn og Fjordane
Coordinates: 61°9′48″N 5°20′20″E / 61.16333, 5.33889
Country Norway
County Sogn og Fjordane
District Sogn
Municipality ID NO-1413
Administrative centre Hyllestad
Government
 - Mayor (2003) Harry Mowatt (Ap)
Area (Nr. 296 in Norway)
 - Total 259 km² (100 sq mi)
 - Land 248 km² (95.8 sq mi)
Population (2004)
 - Total 1,557
 - Density 6/km² (15.5/sq mi)
 - Change (10 years) -8.2 %
 - Rank in Norway 364
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Official language form Nynorsk
Demonym Hyllestadsokning[1]
Data from Statistics Norway
Website: www.hyllestad.kommune.no

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.

Hyllestad was established as a municipality in 1863 when it was created from parts of Askvoll and Lavik municipalities. It is located on the north side of the Sognefjorden

Contents

[edit] About the Municipality

[edit] The name Hyllestad

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old farm Hyllestad (Old Norse Hyllistaðir), since that was where the first church in the parish was built. The meaning of the first element Hylli is unknown (perhaps an old uncompounded name of Hyllestadfjorden) and the last element is staðir which means 'homestead' or 'farm'.

[edit] Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. The arms were granted on 10 March 1989. It shows three millstones because the production of millstones is the oldest industry in the municipality and has been very important to the life of the community.[2]

[edit] Attractions

[edit] Millstone Park

The production of millstones in Hyllestad started over 1,000 years ago and used to be a major industry employing up to 1000 people. Millstones were exported to Denmark, the Baltic Sea region, and across Norway. Many of the stone crosses to be seen along the coast are made from millstones from Hyllestad, including the crosses in Eivindvik and Korssund. The park offers nature trails that visualize the history of the industry, with debris, broken product, and half-carved stones still not separated from the rock surface. At the stonemason camp there is a guided tour of the historic stone quarry in the mill stone park (Kvernsteinspark) and a visit to Åfjordstein where you can see how mill stones are used in a modern, new design.

[edit] Lihesten

Lihesten (mountain in Hyllestad)
Lihesten (mountain in Hyllestad)

The majestic and bewitching Lihesten is one of the most prominenton the coast of Norway. There are several marked routes to the peak, over 714 metres above sea level, with views both straight out to the open sea and inwards over the fjords. Lihesten also has a number of good fishing lakes.

[edit] The Trondheim Postal Road

Many bicyclists have described the well-preserved section of the Trondheim postal road between Hyllestad and Fjaler as one of the most exhilarating cycling experiences in the country. There were originally 19 stone bridges on the route between Dale and Leirvik, and many of them are still standing as proud and impressive examples of early dry masonry. There are only a few places along the 40 km stretch between Dale in Fjaler and Leirvik in Hyllestad where the surface is so uneven that it is best to push a bike rather than ride it. Occasionally it is necessary to join the paved road (RV 57), but most of the route is free from cars and idyllic.

[edit] Water Mills

On the postroad, by Skor, lies a beautiful cluster of five authentic, newly renovated gristmills.[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Personnemningar til stadnamn i Noreg (Norwegian)
  2. ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). Nye kommunevåbener i Norden. Retrieved on 12 June 2008.
  3. ^ GoNorway.no. Hyllestad in Norway. Retrieved on 12 June 2008.