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Tysnes is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway.
Tysnes was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The municipality consists of a group of islands, located south of Bergen where the Hardangerfjord and the coastal archipelago meet. The largest of these islands, named Tysnesøy or just Tysnes, can be reached from the mainland either by ferry to the town of Våge in the north of the island or by the bridge constructed on the eastern side of the island. Tysnes is a popular vacation destination.[citation needed]
The municipality (originally the parish) are named after the farm Tysnes (Norse Týsnes), since the first church was built here. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the god Tyr, the last is nes n 'headland'. This is probably the only place in Norway named after the god Tyr. It is interesting to note that several place names around the farm also have sacred meanings: Ve (holy place), Helgastein (holy rock), Godøy (the god's island), Vevatnet (the holy lake) - and the old name of the big island of Tysnesøy: Njarđarlog (the district of the god Njord).
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