The
parish of
Indre Holmedal was established as a
municipality on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistrikt law). The original municipality was identical to the Indre Holmedal
parish (prestegjeld) which included the sub-parishes () of
Bygstad,
Sande, and
Vik. In 1912, the name of
Indre Holmedal Municipality was changed to
Gaular Municipality. On 1 January 1990, parts of the Hestad area (west of Sunde-Klepp, west of
Bygstad) were transferred from
Fjaler Municipality to Gaular Municipality. On 1 January 2020, Gaular Municipality,
Førde Municipality,
Naustdal Municipality, and
Jølster Municipality were merged to form the new
Sunnfjord Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the
parish) was named
Indre Holmedal, after the old
Holmedal farm () since the first
Holmedal Church was built there. The meaning of the first element of Holmedal is uncertain, but it may have been an old name for a local river, . It is unknown what the river name meant. The last element is derived from the word which means "
valley" or "dale". The prefix (which means "inner") was added to distinguish the area from its neighbor,
Ytre Holmedal. On 16 October 1911, a
royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to
Gaular, reviving an old name for the area. The new name is the
plural form of the word which is the old name for the river
Gaula. The old name of the river is related to the word which means "to
bellow" or "to
howl", likely referring to the sound of the river.
Coat of arms The
coat of arms was granted on 24 April 1992 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official
blazon is
"Vert, a pale argent engrailed" (). This means the arms have a green
field (background) and the
charge is a vertical bar with scalloped edges. The charge has a
tincture of
argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field symbolizes the forests and farmland in the municipality. The charge was chosen to symbolize the river
Gaula and its many waterfalls. The arms were designed by Even Skoglund after an original idea by Margrete Hareide from Bygstad. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.
Churches The
Church of Norway had one parish () within Gaular Municipality. It was part of the
Sunnfjord prosti (
deanery) in the
Diocese of Bjørgvin. ==Government==