Sogn


Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway . It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers and contains about 35% of the county's population. The largest urban area in Sogn is the village of Sogndalsfjøra, with 3,455 residents. The second largest urban area is the village Øvre Årdal, with 3,397 people.
The district of Sogn comprises the southern part of the former county Sogn og Fjordane. The districts of Sunnfjord and Nordfjord are the other two districts in the county.

Etymology

The name Sogn derived from the name of Sognefjord.
The name of the fjord is from the root of súga "to suck", referring to the strong tidal streams at the mouth of the fjord.
On old name for the district is Sygnafylki. The first element in this name is the genitive of sygnir which means "people from Sogn" and the last element is fylki "county".

History

Viking Age

Since early in the Viking Age, Sogn was a petty kingdom called Sygnafylki. Some notable Kings of Sogn were Harald Gullskjegg, Halfdan the Black, and Harald Fairhair.

1662-present

In 1662, Sogn fogderi was created as part of the Nordre Bergenhus amt. Sogn was further divided into Indre Sogn and Ytre Sogn.
In 1919, Nordre Bergenhus amt was renamed Sogn og Fjordane fylke.