| Borgund herred | |
|---|---|
| — Village and Former Municipality — | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Sogn og Fjordane |
| District | Sogn |
| Municipality ID | NO-1423 |
| Adm. Center | Steinklepp |
| Area[1] | |
| • Total | 635 km2 (245.2 sq mi) |
| Created from | Lærdal in 1864 |
| Merged into | Lærdal in 1964 |
Borgund is a village and former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Borgund was the village of Steinklepp, which has a store, a bank, and a school. Today, Borgund is an area within the Lærdal municipality and also a small village which is home to the famous Stave church called Borgund stave church. The historical Filefjell Kongevegen road passes through the Borgund area.
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The municipality (originally the parish) was named after the old Borgund farm (Old Norse: Borgyndr), where the church is located. The name is derived from the old word Borg meaning "fortress" or "stronghold".[2]
The former municipality of Borgund is situated at the southeastern end of the Sognefjord, along the Lærdalselvi river. The lower parts of the municipality were farms such as Sjurhaugen and Nedrehegg. They are at an elevation of about 270 m (890 ft) above sea level. Høgeloft, on the border with Hemsedal, is a mountain in the Filefjell range and it is the highest point in Borgund at 1,920 m (6,300 ft) above sea level. The lakes Eldrevatnet, Juklevatnet, and Øljusjøen are also located near the border with Hemsedal.
Borgund was established as a municipality in 1864 when it was separated from the municipality of Lærdal. At the time of its creation, it had a population of 963. On 1 January 1964, Borgund (population: 492), a small part of neighboring Årdal municipality, and Lærdal were merged together to form a new, larger municipality of Lærdal.[3]