Official Name: | Knarvik |
Settlement Type: | Village |
Pushpin Map: | Vestland#Norway |
Pushpin Label Position: | left |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the village |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Norway |
Subdivision Name1: | Western Norway |
Subdivision Name2: | Vestland |
Subdivision Type3: | District |
Subdivision Name3: | Nordhordland |
Subdivision Type4: | Municipality |
Subdivision Name4: | Alver Municipality |
Utc Offset1: | +01:00 |
Utc Offset1 Dst: | +02:00 |
Area Total Km2: | 3.48 |
Population As Of: | 2019 |
Population Total: | 5875 |
Population Density Km2: | 1688 |
Postal Code Type: | Post Code |
Postal Code: | 5914 Isdalstø |
Elevation M: | 38 |
Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
Coordinates: | 60.5453°N 5.2819°W |
Knarvik (or Knarrviki) is the administrative centre of Alver Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. The village is located on the mainland, about 20km (10miles) straight north of Bergen at the confluence of four fjords: Osterfjorden (heading east), Sørfjorden (heading southeast), Salhusfjorden (heading southwest), and the Radfjorden (heading northwest). The village of Isdalstø lies immediately north of Knarvik.[2]
The 3.48km2 village has a population (2019) of 5,875 and a population density of . This makes it the largest settlement in the Nordhordland district of Vestland.[3]
The centre of the village is the site of the Knarvik Senter, the largest shopping centre in Nordhordland with 61 stores. The European route E39 highway runs straight through the village dividing it into two major parts. The northern part is where the large shopping mall is located while the southern part is still in its original state with scattered buildings and shops.
Knarvik has several kindergartens, a junior high school, and a regional high school (Knarvik vidaregåande skule) with more than 1,000 students. The newly built Knarvik Church was completed in 2014 to serve the growing community. Before its completion, residents had to travel up to Alversund Church in the village of Alversund, located about 4km (02miles) to the north.
In recent years population and traffic have increased creating demand for an upgrade of the infrastructure. Rush hour traffic is an increasingly common sight.
Today, Knarvik is connected with Bergen Municipality to the south via the Hagelsund Bridge (finished 1982) and the Nordhordland Bridge (finished 1994). The car ferry connection between Knarvik and Bergen (Knarvik – Steinestø), which historically transported cars and people between the two places was in use up until the completion of the Nordhordland Bridge. That ferry connection was at one time carrying more vehicles than any other car ferry connection in Norway.