Jørpeland is the administrative centre of Strand municipality and the closest town to Preikestolen. It received town status in 1998, though it's really more of a large village with around 7,500 inhabitants. Be aware that Strand municipality should not be confused with Stranda municipality further north, which is where the Geirangerfjord lies. Similar names, very different places.
The town exists because of steel. In 1909, entrepreneurs bought the waterfall rights on the Jørpelandselva river. By 1912, Norway's first electric steel works was smelting scrap metal from decommissioned warships into specialised steel. At its peak, over 1,200 people worked at Stavanger Electro Staalverk. It was the cornerstone of the community for generations.
The steel works went through hard times. A major bankruptcy in 1977 was the largest industrial collapse in Norwegian history at that time, leaving nearly a thousand people unemployed. The company was revived, went bankrupt again in 2015, and again in 2017. After 110 years, the main steel production finally ended in 2022, though parts of the facility have since been taken over by other companies.
Today you can still see the industrial heritage around town. The old workers' housing, Verkshotellet, and the factory buildings tell the story of this steel town. Out in the skerries, on the islet of Klungholmen, stands Solspeilet, an 8-metre steel obelisk surrounded by twelve standing stones. Created by local artist Stian Heimlund Skjæveland and completed in 2016, it's decorated with Viking-era symbols and runes. You can see it from Jørpelandsholmen, a small island with a pleasant 2-kilometre walking trail.
