Hafslo

Hafslo is a former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Luster in the traditional district of Sogn. The former municipality included the villages of Kinsedalen, Ornes, and Kroken on the east side of the Lustrafjorden. It also included the villages of Solvorn, Hafslo, Joranger, and the whole Veitastrond valley on the west side of the Lustrafjorden. The municipality surrounded the lakes Hafslovatnet and Veitastrondvatnet. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Hafslo, where Hafslo Church was located.

Name

The name comes from the old Hafslo farm (Old Norse: Hafrsló), since Hafslo Church is located there. The first element of the name comes from the old male name Hafr or from the word for "goat" (also hafr). The second element of the name comes from the old word ló meaning "meadow, probably due to the excellent farming areas nearby.

History

Hafslo was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). On 1 January 1963, Hafslo was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Luster and Jostedal to form the new, larger municipality of Luster. Prior to the merger, Hafslo had a population of 2,384.

Hafslo (village)

Hafslo is a village in Luster Municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The village is located on the northern shore of the lake Hafslovatnet, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) northwest of the village of Solvorn which sits on the shores of the Lustrafjorden. The lake Veitastrondvatnet is located to the northwest of Hafslo. The village of Sogndalsfjøra lies 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the south; the village of Gaupne lies about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) to the north; and the village of Veitastrond lies about 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the northwest. The Norwegian County Road 55 runs through the village on its way from Sogndalsfjøra to Gaupne.

The 0.25-square-kilometre (62-acre) village has a population (2013) of 457, giving the village a population density of 1,828 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,730/sq mi).

Historically, the village of Hafslo was the administrative centre of the municipality of Hafslo, which existed from 1838 until 1963. Hafslo Church, located in the village of Hafslo, was the main church for the municipality, and it still is the main church for the Hafslo parish.