Alrekstad was situated at the foot of
Ulriken, the highest of the
Seven Mountains () that surround
Bergen,
Norway. King
Harald Fairhair took residence there in the 10th century. After the
Battle of Fitjar in 960, King
Haakon the Good was on his way to Alrek, but died at Håkonshella in
Laksevåg. The parish of Aarstad existed for centuries before the creation of the municipality of
Aarstad Municipality in 1838. The municipality and parish of Aarstad (later spelled Årstad) was named after Alrekstad. ==Etymology==