Stryn

The name (Old Norse: Strjónar) originally (probably) belonged to the river of Stryneelva. The name is derived from strjónn which means "(strong) stream".[7]

The coat of arms was granted on 11 December 1987. The arms are green with a gold-colored linden (tilia) branch with four leaves. The linden was chosen to represent the vast deciduous forests in the region and the four leaves were chosen to represent the four main village areas along the fjord.[8]

The Church of Norway has eight parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Stryn. It is part of the Nordfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.[9]

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Stryn is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

The mayor (ordførar) of a municipality in Norway is a representative of the majority party of the municipal council who is elected to lead the council. The mayors of Stryn (incomplete list):

• 2019-present: Per Kjøllesdal (Sp)
• 2011-2019: Sven Flo (H)
• 1999-2011: Nils Petter Støyva (Ap)
• 1992-1999: Oddvin Drageset (Sp)

Stryn is located on the northern border of Vestland county. To the north, Stryn is bordered by the municicaplities of Volda and Stranda (in Møre og Romsdal county), to the east is Skjåk (in Innlandet county), to the southeast is Luster, to the southwest is Sunnfjord, and to the west is Gloppen and Stad.

Stryn is known for its scenery, glaciers and the mountains running into the mirroring fjords and lakes. The glacier Briksdalsbreen lies in the Oldedalen valley. The Stryn area also has a number of other valley glaciers including Tindefjellbreen, Tystigsbreen, and Myklebustbreen. Most of the valley glaciers in Stryn are originating from the great Jostedal glacier (Jostedalsbreen) between the Nordfjord and Sogn areas.

Ramnefjellsfossen, the third highest free-falling waterfall in the world, is located in the municipality. Stryn also has the largest linden forest in Northern Europe. The largest lakes are Oppstrynsvatn, Lovatnet, and Oldevatnet. The mountains Skåla, Lodalskåpa, and Høgstre Breakulen are all located in Stryn.

The Jostedalsbreen National Park has an area of approximately 1,310 square kilometres (510 sq mi). Flora and fauna area is situated between the fjord and glacier. The museum Jostedalsbreen nasjonalparksenter is located in Oppstryn.

Visitors from all over the world come to see the Briksdalsbreen glacier outlet, which is situated amid waterfalls and high peaks. Briksdal glacier is a part of the Jostedal glacier ice field, which is the largest glacier on the European mainland. The highest point of the glacier lies at 1,950 metres (6,400 ft) above sea level and in some places it measures 400 metres (1,300 ft) in depth. It is located at the end of the Oldedalen valley.

On two occasions, large rockslides from Ramnefjellet hit the lake below. The resulting flood wave wiped out the settlements of Nesdal and Bødal, killing 135 people.

There are many bird species in this area including the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos), rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus), and the white-backed woodpecker (Dendrocopus leucotos). Some of the larger mammals that live in this region are red deer (Cervus elaphus), wolverines (Gulo gulo), and lynxes (Lynx lynx).

The village of Stryn, a busy and developing small village at the tip of the most northernly of the three short branches at the inner end of Nordfjorden, is the local government and shopping centre for a large community and the junction of roads which connect inner Nordfjord with the rest of Norway.

The southernmost of the three short branches at the inner end of Nordfjorden terminates at the village of Olden from which a lovely valley, Oldedalen, goes due south for about 20 kilometres (12 mi) between slopes rising sharply to more than 1,700 metres (5,600 ft) to the edge of the Jostedals glacier.

Olden has two churches. The Old Olden Church in the village, was built in 1759 on the site of a Stave church dating from around 1300. Its pews, doors, and jambs are made from timbers of the Stave church. The "new" Olden Church, a short distance along the valley, was built in 1934 so that the old church could be preserved.

The Loen Skylift is located in Loen, and Hotel Alexandra is a popular tourist retreat. Loen Valley (Lodalen) is a popular attraction, and Kjenndal Glacier is located at the end of the valley (branch of the Jostedal Glacier). Much of the upper Loen valley was devastated from two rockfall slides (one in 1905 and one in 1936) that created huge waves that swept with them most of the houses and vegetation. A total of 135 people were killed in these two incidents.

On the southern shore of the Nordfjorden, between Hildaneset and Utvikfjellet, lie the villages of Innvik and Utvik, in the area known as Vikane. The main road (Rv 60) skirts the fjord past Innvik and ascends from Utvik to Utvikfjellet mountain. At Hildaneset, beside the main road, there is a sculpture of Mr. Singer. Mr Singer financed the building of the road.

Stryn Sommerski is one of Norway's best known skiing facilities. It offers excellent skiing conditions in the summer, with lifts and tracks for all types of skiing, including Cross-country skiing, Alpine skiing, Telemark skiing, and snowboarding.

• Per Knut Aaland (born 1954 in Randabygda) a retired cross-country skier, team silver medallist at the 1980 Winter Olympics
• brothers Kjell Rune Flo (born 1961), Jostein Flo (born 1964), Jarle Flo (born 1970), Tore André Flo (born 1973) and cousins Håvard Flo (born 1970), Per-Egil Flo (born 1989) and nephew Ulrik Flo (born 1988) are footballers from Flo & Stryn
• Mats Solheim (born 1987 in Loen) a Norwegian footballer with over 320 club caps
• Johannes Thingnes Bø (born 1993 in Stryn) a biathlete, gold medallist and twice team silver medallist at the 2018 Winter Olympics