Volda is a small town on the Voldsfjorden with around 6,000 inhabitants. It used to include Ørsta as well, until the two split in 1883. They have not really forgiven each other since. The rivalry between these two towns, barely 10 kilometres apart, is one of the most famous in Norway. In 2016, the politicians actually agreed to merge them back together. They even settled on a name and signed an agreement. Then both towns held a referendum, and both voted overwhelmingly against it. 68 percent said no in Volda, 62 percent in Ørsta. One newspaper described it as the wedding being called off at the church steps.
Volda is the intellectual half of the pair. It has been a centre for education since 1861 and today Høgskulen i Volda, the university college, has around 4,600 students. It is well known for journalism and media studies, and every spring the town hosts Dokfilm, the largest Norwegian documentary film festival, running since 1997. If you have seen the film Trolljegeren, the Troll Hunter from 2010, the student characters in that film are from Volda university college.
The town also has deep roots in the printed word. In 1809, a farmer named Sivert Aarflot set up Norway's first printing press outside of a city, right here at Ekset. The newspaper he started the year after, now called Møre, is still being published today.
Volda is the intellectual half of the pair. It has been a centre for education since 1861 and today Høgskulen i Volda, the university college, has around 4,600 students. It is well known for journalism and media studies, and every spring the town hosts Dokfilm, the largest Norwegian documentary film festival, running since 1997. If you have seen the film Trolljegeren, the Troll Hunter from 2010, the student characters in that film are from Volda university college.
The town also has deep roots in the printed word. In 1809, a farmer named Sivert Aarflot set up Norway's first printing press outside of a city, right here at Ekset. The newspaper he started the year after, now called Møre, is still being published today.