Nærbø

Nærbø is the largest village in Hå municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located in the district of Jæren, about half-way between the town of Bryne and the village of Varhaug. The village sits about south of Norway's fourth largest city, Stavanger. The village was the administrative centre of the old municipality of Nærbø from 1894 until 1964 when it was merged into Hå. The village has a population (2019) of 7,269 and a population density of . The Sørlandet Line, traditionally the Jæren Line, runs through the village, with the Jæren Commuter Rail service stopping at Nærbø Station, while the intercity service is accessible from nearby Bryne Station. County Road 44 passes west of the village. The area around Nærbø is one of the most important agricultural areas of Norway with almost half of the land in the municipality being used for agricultural purposes. The area is sometimes referred to as the breadbasket of Norway because of its large agricultural sector. The name Nærbø dates back to 1834 when the two local church congregations of Njærheim and Bø were amalgamated and the resulting congregation was called Nærbø. The church for this congregation was called the Nærbø Church (today called the Old Nærbø Church since the "new" Nærbø Church was built in 2005). Archaeologists have found traces of human activity dating back as far as 6000 years B.C in the area. Most of these findings have been in the vicinity of the river Hååna, which flows from the hills in the east of the municipality to the ocean in the west. These early inhabitants were mostly hunters that survived on fishing and small game hunting. In 3000 B.C., the area was covered by large oak and pine forests. It is also during that time that people started to settle down and farm the land. The transition from hunting to agriculture led to the clearing of most of the forests. The region also played an important part in the Viking Age (eighth to eleventh centuries). Nærbø is located about south of the Hafrsfjorden, where in 872 the Battle of Hafrsfjord took place.