Hyllestad municipality

About

Hyllestad is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Hyllestad is the village of Hyllestad.

Hyllestad was established as a municipality in 1863 when it was created from parts of Askvoll and Lavik municipalities. It is located on the north side of the Sognefjord.

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old farm "Hyllestad" (Old Norse Hyllistaðir), since that was where the first church in the parish was built. The meaning of the first element Hylli is unknown (perhaps an old uncompounded name of Hyllestadfjorden) and the last element is staðir which means "homestead" or "farm".

Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. The arms were granted on 10 March 1989. It shows three millstones because the production of millstones is the oldest industry in the municipality and has been very important to the life of the community.

Background
Hyllestad was created as a municipality in 1862. Two sub-parishes (sokn) from the Askvoll parish (Øn and Hyllestad) and one sub-parish (sokn) from the Lavik og Brekke parish (Bø) were merged together to form a separate municipality which was named Hyllestad. The population at that time in Hyllestad was 2,475. On 1 January 1888, the Krakken farm (population: 17) was transferred to Solund. 

Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Hyllestad, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), 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. Municipal council The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hyllestad is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to every four years. 

Geography
Hyllestad is located north of the Sognefjord along the Åfjorden, which flows through the middle of the municipality. Hyllestad is bordered to the north by the municipality of Fjaler, to the east by Høyanger, to the south by Gulen, and to the west by Solund.

Attractions

Millstone Park
The production of millstones in Hyllestad started over 1,000 years ago and used to be a major industry employing up to 1000 people. Millstones were exported to Denmark, the Baltic Sea region, and across Norway. Many of the stone crosses to be seen along the coast are made from millstones from Hyllestad, including the crosses in Eivindvik and Korssund. The park offers nature trails that visualize the history of the industry, with debris, broken product, and half-carved stones still not separated from the rock surface. At the stonemason camp there is a guided tour of the historic stone quarry in the mill stone park and a visit to Åfjordstein where you can see how mill stones are used in a modern, new design.

Lihesten
The majestic and bewitching Lihesten is one of the most prominent mountains on the coast of Norway. There are several marked routes to the peak, over 714 metres above sea level, with views both straight out to the open sea and inwards over the fjords. Lihesten also has a number of good fishing lakes.

Trondheim Postal Road
Many bicyclists have described the well-preserved section of the Trondheim postal road between Hyllestad and Fjaler as one of the most exhilarating cycling experiences in the country. There were originally 19 stone bridges on the route between Dale and Leirvik, and many of them are still standing as proud and impressive examples of early dry masonry. There are only a few places along the 40 km stretch between Dale in Fjaler and Leirvik in Hyllestad where the surface is so uneven that it is best to push a bike rather than ride it. Occasionally it is necessary to join the paved road (RV 57), but most of the route is free from cars and idyllic.

Water Mills
On the postroad, by Skor, lies a beautiful cluster of five authentic, newly renovated gristmills.