Bremanger is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village of Svelgen is the administrative centre of the municipality. Other villages include Bremanger, Berle, Davik, Isane, Kalvåg, Rugsund, and Ålfoten. Bremanger is the only municipality in Vestland, which is located in two districts. The northern and eastern parts comprising the villages of Oldeide, Berle, Rugsund, Davik, Isane, and Ålfoten is located in the Nordfjord region, while the villages of Bremanger, Kalvåg, Svelgen, Sørgulen, and Botnane are located in the Sunnfjord region. Politically, the municipality works with the Nordfjord region in the council of Nordfjord municipalities.
The municipality is the 138th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Bremanger Municipality is the 220th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of . The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 14.1% over the previous 10-year period.
Bremanger has many tourist destinations such as Kalvåg, which has one of the largest and best-kept waterfront environment in the county, the Grotlesanden ocean beach, the Hornelen mountain, with the tallest sea cliff in Northern Europe, Rock carvings at Vingen, and the old trading stations of Rugsund and Smørhavn. The Bortne Tunnel was completed in 2013 to more easily connect the outer islands of Bremanger to the municipal centre of Svelgen. The Skatestraum Tunnel and Rugsund Bridge connect the islands to the mainland.
General information
The parish of Kinn was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The northern district of Kinn was established as the prestegjeld (parish) of Bremanger within the municipality of Kinn in 1864. On 1 January 1866, the prestegjeld of Bremanger was established as a separate municipality with a population of 1,852. The Bremanger parish was sub-divided into new sub-parishes in the early 1900s. The Midtgulen sub-parish was created in 1903 and Bremangerpollen in 1908.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Husefest and Breivik farms were transferred from Bremanger Municipality to the neighboring Flora Municipality. On 1 January 1965, the neighboring Davik Municipality was dissolved and most of it was transferred to Bremanger Municipality. All of Davik Municipality located south of the Nordfjorden and all the islands except Husevågøy, Grindøy, Gangsøy, and Risøy were merged into Bremanger Municipality. This added 1,567 residents to the population of Bremanger Municipality, bringing the new total to 5,600.
Historically, this municipality was part of the old Sogn og Fjordane county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Vestland county (after Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane counties were merged).
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local Bremangerpollen fjord (). The first element is which means "breaker wave" or "heavy sea". The last element is which means "bay" or "inlet".
Coat of arms The coat of arms was granted on 24 October 1986. The official blazon is "Quartered embowed azure and argent" (). This means the arms have are divided into four embowed waves. The field (background) alternates between the four waves. The top and bottom waves have a tincture of blue and the other two waves have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if the arms are made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms symbolize the sea and hydro-electric power, both of which are of great economic importance to the municipality. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.
Churches The Church of Norway has seven parishes () within Bremanger Municipality. It is part of the Nordfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
Churches in Bremanger MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtBerleBerle ChurchBerle1977BremangerBremanger ChurchBremanger1914DavikDavik ChurchDavik1886FrøyaFrøya ChurchFrøya1865MidtgulenMidtgulen ChurchMidtgulen1904RugsundRugsund ChurchRugsund1838ÅlfotenÅlfoten ChurchÅlfoten1600
Government Bremanger Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Sogn og Fjordane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Bremanger Municipality is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Mayors The mayor () of Bremanger Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:
1866–1869: Rasmus Andreas Lexau 1870–1871: Gullak O. Vindspold 1872–1873: Nils S. Øvrebotten 1874–1875: Absalon Gulestøl 1876–1879: Nils S. Øvrebotten 1880–1891: Eilert O. Nøttingnes 1892–1898: Abraham N. Øvrebotnen 1899–1913: Kristofer Indrehus (V) 1913–1913: Didrik Værøy 1914–1914: Augustinus Nordbotten 1915–1916: Didrik Værøy 1917–1919: Augustinus Nordbotten 1920–1928: Henrik Grotle 1929–1941: Alf Torvanger 1945–1951: Alf Torvanger 1952–1959: Reidar Torvanger 1960–1965: Mons Monsen (Ap) 1966–1967: Alf Bakke (LL) 1968–1979: Abraham Øvrebotten (Ap) 1980–1981: Bjarne Haugland (V) 1982–1988: Svein Kåre Senneset (Ap) 1988–1996: Roar Førde (H) 1996–2004: Einar Kjerpeset (Sp) 2004–2011: Kåre Olav Svarstad (Ap) 2011–2015: Karl Vidar Førde (Sp) 2015–2019: Audun Åge Røys (H) 2019–present: Anne Kristin Førde (Ap)
Geography
Bremanger is located along the south side of the Nordfjorden. Most of the municipality is on the mainland, but there are many islands that are also part of the municipality including Bremangerlandet, Rugsundøya, and Frøya, the three largest. These islands are separated from the mainland by the Frøysjøen strait.
Bremanger is bordered to the north by Kinn Municipality and Stad Municipality (across the fjord), to the east by Gloppen Municipality, to the south by Kinn Municipality, and to the west by the North Sea. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Gjegnen.
The Frøysjøen is the strait between the mainland and the main islands of Bremangerlandet and Frøya. The Gulen fjord branches off of the Frøysjøen, and that fjord splits off into the Nordgulen, Midtgulen, and Sørgulen. On the east end of the municipality is the Isefjord and Ålfotfjorden. Valleys in the municipality include the Førdedalen.
Climate All villages in Bremanger have an oceanic climate (Cfb). The islands of Bremangerlandet and Frøya have the mildest winter temperatures, least precipitation and most wind. On the west coast of the main land, such as in Svelgen, the average winter temperatures are a few degrees colder, but still above zero, and there is less wind. Svelgen receives more precipitation per year than Bergen and Førde. The east side of the municipality is slightly drier again, but still receives over 2000 mm of precipitation per year.
Late spring/early summer is the driest part of the year, while winter is the wettest. The eastern of the municipality receives significantly less precipitation during the spring and summer as the other parts, but the winter precipitation amounts are similar. The diurnal temperature variation is usually small, especially during the winter, thanks to the surrounding water.
Industry
Elkem Bremanger is the largest company in Bremanger. The company's own port facility provides good and regular connections with the main ports of Norway and the rest of Europe. Elkem Bremanger has specialized in the manufacturing of silicon metal, ferrosilicon, and specialty inoculants. Silicon metals are primarily used in electronics, solar, and aluminium industries.
The variety of Elkem Bremanger's operations shows the importance it places on both tradition and looking toward the future. The expansion of hydropower resources began in 1917, while the first pig iron production began in 1928. The company then developed and patented several of its production processes, and today manufactures metallurgic products and chemicals for the world market. Much has happened since 1917, but the company is still known for its developmental know-how and state-of-the-art technology.
Russian hackers made a cyberattack on April 7, 2025. They opened a flood gate of the dam in Bremanger, released 500 litres of water per second for four hours.
Attractions Tongane Coastal Fortress Tongane Coastal Fortress lies on the western end of the island of Rugsundøya near the mouth of the Nordfjorden. This is one of the largest German fortifications which was built in Norway during World War II. The coastal fort was attacked under the well-known Måløy raid, Operation Archery, during Christmas 1941. The majority of the fortification still remains, among other the main cannons and soldier's barracks. The fort at Rugsundøy is situated with a good view over the approach to the town of Måløy and the entrance to Nordfjorden.
Ålfotbreen Glacier The Ålfotbreen glacier, the westernmost glacier in Norway, is located at an elevation of above sea level. Ålfotbreen Glacier can be reached by foot on marked footpaths or walking with a guide. Ålfotbreen Glacier can be seen from the road in the village of Ålfoten. The Gjegnalundsbreen glacier lies northeast of the Ålfotbreen glacier.
Hornelen The legendary mountain cliff Hornelen is situated straight across the fjord from Vingen rock carving site. Many legends are linked to this mountain which is Europe's tallest sea cliff. It raises over the sea and is a good landmark for ships. Over the centuries, it has been a well-known sailing mark. The trip to the top of Hornelen takes approximately 3 hours from Hunskår, or 4 hours from Berleneset.
Kalvåg The fishing village of Kalvåg is the largest and best preserved fishing village in Western Norway. In 1860, there were thousands of people working in the large herring fisheries. Today, approximately 500 people live there.
Vamråkbuene is situated in Kalvåg. During the large herring fisheries in the middle of the 18th century, thousands of fishermen visited Kalvåg. Vamråkbuene represents one part of the trading life that the herring fisheries created, and today it is part of the Coastal museum in Vestland.
Myklebust Farm At the Myklebust hill farm, there is still a working hill farm. The hill farm in Ålfoten is authentic and unique in this part of Norway. Many of the local hill farms have stopped running and following the tradition of moving the livestock to the hill farms in the summer.
Rugsund Rugsund is a harbour near the coastal inner shipping fairway, shelterd by the islands of Storøya and Litleøya ("big island" and "little island") in the sound. Rugsund Handelsstad is a preserved trading post dated back to the 17th century. The historical and restored buildings are clustered around the edge of the sea. Today, the harbour is a popular destination for tourists arriving by boat.
Smørhavn Handelstad