Averøy is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the region of Nordmøre. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bruhagen. Other villages in the municipality include Bremsnes, Kornstad, Kvernes, Kårvåg, Langøyneset, Sveggen, and Vebenstad.

The municipality is the 313th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Averøy Municipality is the 163rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,955. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 4.7% over the previous 10-year period.

The municipality includes the main island of Averøya and the many small islands surrounding it. The Kornstadfjorden, Kvernesfjorden, and Bremsnesfjorden surround the municipality on three sides and the open ocean on the fourth side. The Hestskjær Lighthouse and Stavnes Lighthouse are located in the northern part of the municipality.

General information

The municipality of Averøy was established on 1 January 1964 when all of Kvernes Municipality (population: 693), most of Kornstad Municipality (population: 1,356), and most of Bremsnes Municipality (population: 3,153) were merged to form the new Averøy Municipality. On 1 January 1983, the small island of Eldhusøya and the small surrounding islands were transferred from Eide Municipality to Averøy Municipality.

Name The municipality is named after the island of Averøya (historically called Averøy; ) since it is the main island in the municipality. The first element is unknown, but it could possibly come from which means "great" or "big". The last element comes from the word which means "island".

Coat of arms The coat of arms was granted on 4 April 1986. The official blazon is "Gules, three downwards-pointing arrowheads Or" (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three downwards-pointing arrowheads. The CHARGE has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arrowheads refer to actual Stone Age arrowheads, made of slate, which have been found in the municipality. The arrowheads thus symbolize the long time that the area has been inhabited. The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth after an idea by Kristoffer Gjøten. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches The Church of Norway has three parishes () within Averøy Municipality. It is part of the Ytre Nordmøre deanery in the Diocese of Møre.

Churches in Averøy MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtKvernesKvernes ChurchKvernes1893Kvernes Stave ChurchKvernes14th centuryKornstadKornstad ChurchKornstad1871BremsnesBremsnes ChurchBremsnes1771Langøy ChapelLangøyneset1935

History The municipality of Averøy has many historic landmarks, like the Bremsnes cave with Mesolithic findings from the Fosna culture. Langøyneset, now a remote fishing community, was once a bustling port along the main coastal route, and the site of the Compromise of 1040 between King Magnus I and the farmers along the coast. Also, the Medieval Kvernes Stave Church (built around 1300–1350).

Geography The municipality includes the main island of Averøya plus many smaller surrounding islands. Kristiansund Municipality lies to the east, Gjemnes Municipality is to the south, and Hustadvika Municipality is to the west. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Mekknøken, near the southern shore of the island of Averøya.

Government Averøy 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 Nordmøre og Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal. Waste management was provided by the inter-municipal agency Nordmøre Interkommunale Renovasjonsselskap until 2020, after which it merged into ReMidt. Waste collection has since 2018 been operated by ReTrans Midt.

Municipal council The municipal council () of Averøy 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 Averøy 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:

1964–1967: Magnar Kjønnøy (KrF) 1968–1970: Bjarne Strand (V) 1970–1971: Arne Avset (Sp) 1972–1973: Jon T. Søbstad (DNF) 1974–1978: Ole Kaarvaag (Sp) 1978–1979: Torger Hafskjær (KrF) 1980–1983: Jarle Haga (V) 1984–1985: Eilif Aae (Sp) 1986–1997: Leif Helge Kongshaug (V) 1997–2003: John Harry Kvalshaug (Sp) 2003–2007: Kjell Magne Sandø (Ap) 2007–2011: Jarle Haga (V) 2011–2015: Ann-Kristin Sørvik (Sp) 2015–2025: Ingrid Ovidie Rangønes (Ap) 2025–present: Raymond Smenes Kristensen (KrF)

Transportation

The tourist attraction Atlanterhavsveien () connects the island and municipality of Averøy to the neighboring Hustadvika Municipality, which is on the mainland to the west. The Storseisundet Bridge crosses the municipal boundary. In 2005, it was awarded the "Building of the Century" prize by the Norwegian Construction Industry. On the other side of the island near the village of Sveggen, Averøy is connected to Kristiansund Municipality via the undersea tunnel. This tunnel, known as Atlanterhavstunnelen (), was completed in December 2009, replacing the ferry from Bremsnes on Averøya to the city of Kristiansund.

Notable people Erling Kristvik (1882 in Kornstad – 1969), an educator Aud Inger Aure (born 1942 in Averøy), a Norwegian politician and Mayor of Kristiansund Municipality Gunnar Kjønnøy (born 1947 in Averøy), an economist and County Governor of Finnmark from 1998 to 2016 Leif Helge Kongshaug (born 1949 in Averøy), a Norwegian politician who was Mayor of Averøy from 1986 to 1997 Magne Hoseth (born 1980 in Averøy), a coach and former footballer with 423 club caps and 22 for Norway

Gallery

References

External links Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway