Balestrand Municipality
| Balestrand kommune | |||
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| Municipality | |||
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 Balestrand within Sogn og Fjordane |
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| Coordinates: 61°10′39″N 06°24′14″E / 61.17750°N 6.40389°ECoordinates: 61°10′39″N 06°24′14″E / 61.17750°N 6.40389°E | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Sogn og Fjordane | ||
| District | Sogn | ||
| Administrative centre | Balestrand | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor (2011) | Harald Offerdal (Ap) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 429.85 km2 (165.97 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 411.22 km2 (158.77 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 18.63 km2 (7.19 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 231 in Norway | ||
| Population (2013) | |||
| • Total | 1,337 | ||
| • Rank | 375 in Norway | ||
| • Density | 3.3/km2 (9/sq mi) | ||
| • Change (10 years) | -11.2 % | ||
| Demonym(s) | Balestrending | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1418 | ||
| Official language form | Nynorsk | ||
| Website | www |
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Balestrand is a municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located on the northern shore of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Balestrand. Other villages in the municipality include Ese, Kvamme, Låne, Sæle, Tjugum, and Vetlefjorden.
The municipality is situated at the confluence of the Fjærlandsfjorden/Esefjorden and the main Sognefjorden. The major industries in the municipality are tourism and farming. Balestrand became popular early due to the interest of artists, such as Hans Gude, Alfred Heaton Cooper, Hans Dahl, and Johannes Flintoe. Their paintings of the scenery around Balestrand inspired visitors, and Balestrand maintains its connection with art. Other industries include made-to-order kitchen interiors, local apple juice, and Nesseplast which produces industrial plastic. The Norwegian County Road 13 runs through the municipality.
In 2016 the chief of police formally suggested that the police station be closed down.
Balestrand was established as a municipality in 1850 when the three sub-parishes (sokn) of Vangsnes, Tjugum, and Mundal in the northwestern part of the large Leikanger municipality were separated to form the new municipality of Balestrand. The initial population of the municipality was 2,122. In 1861, the Mundal sub-parish was renamed Fjærland.
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