Leirvik
Leirvik
Stord | |
|---|---|
 View of the town harbour area | |
  Leirvik Location of the town  Leirvik Leirvik (Norway) | |
| Coordinates:59°46′47″N5°30′02″E/ 59.7798°N 5.5005°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Western Norway |
| County | Vestland |
| District | Sunnhordland |
| Municipality | Stord Municipality |
| Established as | |
| By(town) | 1997 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 9.8 km2(3.8 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2 m (7 ft) |
| Population (2019)[1] | |
| • Total | 14,126 |
| • Density | 1,441/km2(3,730/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Stordabu |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00(CEST) |
| Post Code | 5417 Stord |
Leirvikis atownand theadministrative centreofStordmunicipality inVestlandcounty,Norway.The town lies along the southern coast of the largeisland of Stord,along theHardangerfjorden.The town gained "town status" in 1997. The town includes theEldøyanepeninsula where the large Kværner Stord industrial area is located.[3]
Leirvik is the regional centre of thetraditional districtofSunnhordland,and has many public services and offices such as the SunnhordlandDistrict courtand theSunnhordland Museum,as well as many shops and restaurants.Stord Churchand several schools such asStord Upper Secondary SchoolandWestern Norway University of Applied Sciencesare all located in the town.[3]
The 9.8-square-kilometre (2,400-acre) town has a population (2019) of 14,126 and apopulation densityof 1,441 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,730/sq mi).[1]The entire municipality has about 18,700 residents in it (2019), so Leirvik has about 75% of the total population of the municipality. Leirvik is also the largest urban area that is located in a municipality whereNynorskis the preferred language form.
Transportation
[edit]The town lies along theEuropean route E39highway, just east of theStord Bridgewhich is part of theTriangle Linkwhich connects a number of islands to the mainland via road bridges and an undersea tunnel. There is a ferry quay at Skjersholmane in the western part of the town which has regular ferry connections to the nearby islands ofHalsnøya,Fjelbergøya,andBorgundøyawhich lie to the east in theHardangerfjorden.A regular ferry connection to the nearby island ofHuglodeparts just north of Leirvik at the quay at Jektavik. In the main harbour of Leirvik, there are several daily expressboat departures to nearby islands of Halsnøy, Fjellbergøy and Borgundøy as well as the villages ofHusnes,SkånevikandØlenand the county capital ofBergen.Stord Airportis located approximately 12 kilometers west of Leirvik center close to the village ofSagvåg.From the main bus terminal of Leirvik, there are local busses, as well as regional express busses towards Bergen to the north and Stavanger to the south.
Media
[edit]The newspaperSunnhordlandis published in Leirvik,[4]as well as the online newspaperStord24.NRKalso has a local office in Leirvik.
Name
[edit]Confusingly, when the municipality ofStorddeclared that Leirvik was a town in 1997, they decided to name the town "Stord", with the village of Leirvik being the central part of the town. This was done because theNorwegian governmentrequired a populated place to have at least 5,000 residents in order to be called atown.Leirvik alone did not have enough residents unless the whole surrounding areas were also included, so the name "Stord" would represent the whole area. Even though this is the official name, the public acceptance of this has been minimal and controversial, and the name of the urban community remains "Leirvik".[5][6]
The name Leirvik (Leirvík) translates into "clay bay". The word "leire" meaning "clay"and" vik "meaning"bay".[7]The name comes from the high concentration of clay in the ground. The locals oftencolloquiallyrefer to Leirvik by the name "Vikjo", meaning "the bay" in local dialect, rather than "Leirvik".
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abcStatistisk sentralbyrå(1 January 2019)."Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".Archivedfrom the original on 14 May 2020.Retrieved22 November2023.
- ^"Leirvik, Stord (Vestland)".yr.no.Archivedfrom the original on 4 March 2020.Retrieved3 March2020.
- ^abStore norske leksikon."Leirvik – tettsted i Stord"(in Norwegian).Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2015.Retrieved3 February2015.
- ^"Mediebedriftene:Sunnhordland".Archivedfrom the original on 5 February 2018.Retrieved28 June2017.
- ^"Heiter byen Stord eller Leirvik?".Sunnhordland(in Norwegian). 31 January 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2015.
- ^"Skal Stord skifta namn no?".Sunnhordland(in Norwegian). 31 July 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 5 February 2015.
- ^Rygh, Oluf(1910).Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt(in Norwegian) (11 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 144.Archivedfrom the original on 23 September 2015.Retrieved5 February2015.
| |||||||||||||
 | Towns and cities | ||||||||||||
| Municipalities |
| ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
As of 1 January 2023, according toStatistics Norway[1] | ||
|  | |