Stranda

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stranda kommune

Administrative centre

Stranda

Mayor (2003)

Frank Sve (Frp)

Official language form

Nynorsk

Area
- Total
- Land
- Percentage

Ranked 128
867 km²
845 km²
0.27 %

Population
- Total (2006)
- Percentage
- Change (10 years)
- Density

Ranked 206
4,544
0.10 %
3.1 %
6/km²

Coordinates

62°11′N 6°56′E

www.stranda.kommune.no

Data from Statistics Norway

Coordinates: 62°11′N 6°56′E

View onto Stranda City

Stranda is a municipality in the county of Møre og Romsdal, Norway.

Stranda consists of three smaller towns and one larger central town. The smaller towns are Hellesylt, Geiranger and Liabygda. The central town, bearing the name of the municipality, has about 3500 inhabitants. Stranda is also known for tourist attractions like the Geirangerfjord and Sunnylvsfjord.

1 Nature
2 Tourism
3 Sports and leisure
4 Culture
5 Trade and industry
6 Notable people from Stranda
7 External links

[edit] Nature

The waterfalls, the fjord, the mountains and the abandoned mountain farms that cling to the prepice have given Geiranger the title The most beautiful fjord in the world. Among all the unspoilt and wonderful fjords in western Norway, the Geirangerfjord is certainly heading the field, a true pearl. Since 2005, the Geirangerfjord is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[edit] Tourism

Tourism has long and strong traditions in Stranda. Geiranger and Hellesylt arelong been well known destinations. The first cruiseship with tourists from abroad came to Geiranger in 1869. Today Geiranger is the second largest cruise-port in Norway, visited by 160 cruiseships every summer. It's also said that regarding all the cruiseships in the world, every fourth of them visits Geiranger. Besides the Coastal Steamer (Hurtigruten) runs daily round trips Ålesund-Geiranger April to mid September. Altogether about 700.000 tourists visit Geiranger each summer. Royal persons, especially Queen Sonja, have contributed to make the fjord famous all over the world. By annual trips, visiting and even spending the night on these abandoned mountains farms, and publishing a book about these trips with her own photos that have also been exhibited among other places in New York.

[edit] Sports and leisure

Stranda offers fantastic possibilities for all sorts of sport and leisure activities. There are marked tracks for hiking or one can join organized trips/tours (Stranda Turlag, Stranda IL Trim, Sinclus Park Hellesylt, Geiranger Næringslag).

In the alpine area at Strandafjellet open Nov.-April, you´ll find 6 skitows and alpine pistes of very good standard. Each winter great alpine competitions are being arranged here. Strandafjellet is one of the few places in the world where you can actually ski from the top of a mountain and the whole way down to the fjord. Every year about 250 telemark skiers come together in the race Alperittet to see who is the fastest skier from 1230m above sea level and down to the fjord. Strandafjellet has several times been stated as one of the best places in Norway to go skiing, aspecially great if you are a fan of off-pist skiing.“Experiencies beyond expectations are awaiting you”. “Like a paradise” are expressions that are used about Strandafjellet.

Service facilities are being built, the infrastructure is being modernized. Building sites for 200-300 cabins/chalets are available. Things are really developing at a high speed!

[edit] Culture

Stranda municipality is known for being a good place to live in. Sport associations, shooting teams, song and music groups, humanitarian and Christian societies work conscientiously for children and grown-ups. In the municipality there are sporthalls, alpine areas, machineprepared tracks for cross-country skiing as well as areas for off-piste skiing in powdersnow, football grounds, swimming halls, tennis and a golfcourse. In the centre of Stranda there is a modern culture centre. In Hellesylt one may visit Hægstad Gård which contains wonderful woodcarvings, scenes from Peer Gynt by Henrik Ibsen, and in Geiranger the new Norwegian Fjord Centre shows local history and wonderful pictures from Geiranger.

[edit] Trade and industry

The municipality of Stranda has a great variety as to trade and industry. About 160 farms produce milk and meatproducts. Many factories have long traditions for making meat products, especially salted and cured meat. Also the making of furniture and textile products is an important industry that gives good work to many persons (There is almost no unemployment in the area). The Grandiosa factory, Norway's biggest pizza-producing factory is situated in Stranda. There are also much aquafarming and many fish processing factories in the municipality. Tourism is, of course, a very important business in the whole district.

[edit] Notable people from Stranda

Are Kalvø, (1969– ), writer and comedian.
Bjarne Solbakken, alpine skier.
Margreth Olin, film director.
Pål Øie film director.
P.I. Langlo (1892–1940), pioneered the industrial manufacturing of furniture in Norway.

Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal
Aukra \| Aure \| Averøy \| Eide \| Frei \| Fræna \| Giske \| Gjemnes \| Halsa \| Haram \| Hareid \| Herøy \| Kristiansund \| Midsund \| Molde \| Nesset \| Norddal \| Rauma \| Rindal \| Sande \| Sandøy \| Skodje \| Smøla \| Stordal \| Stranda \| Sula \| Sunndal \| Surnadal \| Sykkylven \| Tingvoll \| Ulstein \| Vanylven \| Vestnes \| Volda \| Ørskog \| Ørsta \| Ålesund