Halsa, as seen from the ferry
Halsa is a municipality in the county of Møre og Romsdal, Norway.
Halsa was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Most of Valsøyfjord, and a part of Aure, were merged with Halsa January 1, 1965.
The name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the farm Halsa (Old Norse Hölsvinjar), since the first church was built there. The first element is hals m 'neck', the last element is the plural form of vin f 'meadow, pasture'. The word hals is here referring to an isthmus ('neck of land') between to fjords.
Until 1918 the name was written Halse.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1988). The motive represents the three headlands of the municipality.
What to see
Halsa is the location where the famous killer whale, Keiko, went when he was set free. Keiko died in December 2003 and was buried there, unlike most marine animals. The people of Halsa have built a memorial scree over Keiko's body, where people from all over the world are free to visit him. In the first year after his burial, around 5000 people visited the grave but then fewer and fewer came and in 2007 only around 500 visitors paid him homage. In June 2008 hardly anyone had come to see the grave, so the municipality decided it would not continue keeping the grave in order.
Arasvikfjord and Valsøyfjord lie in Halsa.
References
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