Borgund, Sogn og Fjordane


Borgund is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located in the southeastern part of the traditional district of Sogn. The municipality existed from 1864 until its dissolution in 1964. It encompassed an area in the eastern part of the present-day Lærdal Municipality. The administrative center of Borgund was the village of Steinklepp, just northeast of the village of Borgund. Steinklepp was the site of a store, a bank, and a school. The historical Filefjell Kongevegen road passes through the Borgund area.

Name

The municipality was named after the old Borgund farm, where the historic Borgund Stave Church is located. The name is derived from the old word Borg meaning "fortress" or "stronghold".

Location

The former municipality of Borgund is situated near the southeastern end of the Sognefjorden, along the Lærdalselvi river. The lower parts of the municipality were farms such as Sjurhaugen and Nedrehegg. They are at an elevation of about above sea level. Høgeloft, on the border with the neighboring municipality of Hemsedal, is a mountain in the Filefjell range and it is the highest point in Borgund at above sea level. The lakes Eldrevatnet, Juklevatnet, and Øljusjøen are also located near the border with Hemsedal.

History

Borgund was established as a municipality in 1864 when it was separated from the municipality of Lærdal. Initially it had a population of 963. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Borgund was merged with the Muggeteigen area of the neighboring Årdal Municipality and all of Lærdal Municipality were all merged to form a new, larger municipality of Lærdal.

Government

Municipal council

The municipal council of Borgund was made up of 13 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows: