Sogn

Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway ( ). It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers . The largest urban area in Sogn is the village of Sogndalsfjøra (in Sogndal Municipality), with 4,475 residents¹. The second largest urban area is the village Øvre Årdal (in Årdal Municipality), with 3,094 people¹ (this village used to be the largest, but recently it was passed by Sogndalsfjøra). The district of Sogn comprises the southern part of the former county Sogn og Fjordane. The districts of Sunnfjord and Nordfjord are the other two districts in the county.

Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway ( ). It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers . The largest urban area in Sogn is the village of Sogndalsfjøra (in Sogndal Municipality), with 4,475 residents. The second largest urban area is the village Øvre Årdal (in Årdal Municipality), with 3,094 people (this village used to be the largest, but recently it was passed by Sogndalsfjøra). The district of Sogn comprises the southern part of the former county Sogn og Fjordane. The districts of Sunnfjord and Nordfjord are the other two districts in the county.

Etymology

The name Sogn derived from the name of the Sognefjorden. The name of the fjord is from the root of which means "to suck", referring to the strong tidal streams at the mouth of the fjord. An old name for the district is . The first element in this name is the genitive of which means "people from Sogn" and the last element is fylki which means "county".

History

Viking Age

Since early in the Viking Age, Sogn was a petty kingdom called Sygnafylki. Some notable Kings of Sogn were Harald Gullskjegg ("Goldbeard", father of Ragnhild, first wife of Halfdan the Black), Halfdan the Black, and Harald Fairhair.

1662-present

In 1662, Sogn fogderi was created as part of the Nordre Bergenhus amt (county). Sogn was further divided into Indre Sogn ( ) and Ytre Sogn ( ). Indre Sogn consisted of the inner half of the district which included the modern municipalities of Aurland, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, and Årdal. The village of Sogndalsfjøra was the administrative center. Ytre Sogn consisted of the modern municipalities of Balestrand, Gulen, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Solund, and Vik. The village of Høyanger was the administrative center. In 1919, Nordre Bergenhus amt was renamed Sogn og Fjordane fylke.

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1374935071 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.