Sola


Sola is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Solakrossen. Other villages include Tananger, Hålandsmarka, Sørnes, and Stenebyen. Stavanger Airport is located in Sola, just a short distance from the large Stavanger/Sandnes metropolitan area.
The municipality is the 342nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sola is the 41st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 27,153. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 18.9% over the previous 10-year period.
In the western part of Sola, there are of long, sandy beaches facing the North Sea. With usually ample supplies of wind and waves, the sandy beaches are a popular place for windsurfing.

General information

The municipality of Sola was established in 1930 when the old municipality of Håland was split into Sola and Madla. Initially, Sola had 3,372 residents. On 1 January 2017, a small area on the southwestern edge of the village of Solakrossen was transferred from Sandnes municipality to Sola.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Sola farm, since the first Sola Church was built there. The name is very old and the meaning is unknown, although it contains the Norse word sól which translates as Sun, therefore it could have some link to the sun. Historically, the name was also spelled Sole.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 1982. The arms show two silver or white waves on a blue background. The arms symbolize all of the sandy beaches along the ocean in the municipality.

Churches

The Church of Norway has four parishes within the municipality of Sola. It is part of the Tungenes prosti in the Diocese of Stavanger.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
RægeRæge ChurchRæge 2009
SolaSola ChurchSolakrossen1955
SolaSola Ruin ChurchNordsjøvegen1150
SørnesSørnes ChurchSørnes1977
TanangerTananger ChurchTananger2002
TanangerTananger ChapelTananger1879

Geography

The municipality of Sola lies on the west side of the Stavanger Peninsula, south of the Hafrsfjorden. The municipality sits just about from the centres of the cities of Stavanger and Sandnes. The island of Rott lies just off the western coast of Sola. The Fladholmen Lighthouse lies just off shore of the village of Tananger in northern Sola.

History

According to Snorre Sturlason the Battle of Hafrsfjord took place in the year AD 872, probably outside Ytraberget. Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway, is celebrated for having united Norway at this notable battle.
The stone crosses at Tjora date from about the year 1150. In early Christian times, these stone crosses were used as gathering points for religious ceremonies before churches were built. Sola Church Ruins is the ruins of a Romanesque stone church dating from about the year 1120. The stone church probably replaced an older wooden church in the area. This wooden church was possibly the one that Erling Skjalgsson had built when he converted to Christianity at the end of the 10th century. Sola Church overlooked the Hafrsfjord and was in use until 1842.The artist Johan Bennetter used the church as a studio and lived there with his family. During World War II, most of the church was demolished. It was later reconstructed, and the restoration was finished in 1995.
Stavanger Airport, Sola was founded in 1937. At Sola airport, the first opposed landing by paratroopers took place as German Fallschirmjägers from 1st battalion of the 1st Regiment, 7th Flieger Division were dropped on the airfield. Sola Air Station became an important airfield for the Germans during World War II.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Sola, are responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Stavanger District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Sola is made up of 41 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:

Attractions

Museums

Museums in Sola include: