History

The earliest reference to Kyrkesund is found in a Norwegian letter dated May 24, 1377. A man by the name of Jarundar Havarsson owned the ”Kirkiusudum” land. It is easy to think that Kyrkesund was derived from the fact that there was a church (kyrka) on the sound (sund). However, no church building has ever stood by the sound, and the Klövedal parish church is located a bit inland. It is known, however, that during the 14th century the church possessed land in the farm called Sund. Initially ”Kyrke-Sund” could have referred to the church’s portion of this farm. For centuries Kyrkesund has been an important harbour, commercial centre and transhipment point for ships. During the second half of the 19th century, the village also got an economic boost from herring fishing. Bohuslän and Tjörn are extremely rich in ancient remains.