Velfjord Municipality

Velfjord Municipality
Velfjord herred
Former municipality
Velfjorden herred  (historic name)
View of the Sørfjorden arm of the Velfjorden
View of the Sørfjorden arm of the Velfjorden
Nordland within Norway
Nordland within Norway
Velfjord within Nordland
Velfjord within Nordland
Coordinates: 65°24′17″N 12°31′19″E / 65.40472°N 12.52194°E / 65.40472; 12.52194
CountryNorway
CountyNordland
DistrictHelgeland
Established1 Oct 1875
 • Preceded byBrønnøy Municipality
Disestablished1 Jan 1964
 • Succeeded byBrønnøy Municipality
Administrative centreHommelstø
Area
 (upon dissolution)
 • Total600.2 km2 (231.7 sq mi)
 • Rank#165 in Norway
Highest elevation
[1]
1,224.86 m (4,018.57 ft)
Population
 (1963)
 • Total1,405
 • Rank#551 in Norway
 • Density2.3/km2 (6/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −17.4%
DemonymVelfjording[2]
Official language
[4]
 • Norwegian formNeutral[3]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1813[5]
Data from Statistics Norway

Velfjord is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 600-square-kilometre (230 sq mi) municipality existed from 1875 until its dissolution in 1964. Velfjord Municipality was centered around the Velfjorden in what is now Brønnøy Municipality. Most of the municipality is located on the mainland, but it also includes nearly 100 small islands, islet, and skjerries. The administrative centre was the village of Hommelstø at the innermost part of the fjord. Velfjord Church, just west of Hommelstø, was the main church for the municipality.[6][7]

Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the 600-square-kilometre (230 sq mi) municipality was the 165th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Velfjord Municipality was the 551st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,405. The municipality's population density was 2.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (6.0/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 17.4% over the previous 10-year period.[8][9]

General information

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The municipality of Velfjord was created on 1 October 1875 when the large Brønnøy Municipality was divided into two municipalities: Brønnøy Municipality (in the west) and Velfjord Municipality (in the east). Initially, Velfjord Municipality had a population of 1,162. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Velfjord Municipality (population: 1,380) was merged with the town of Brønnøysund (population: 2,064), Sømna Municipality (population: 2,347), Brønnøy Municipality (population: 2,635), and the Lande area of Bindal Municipality to form a new, enlarged Brønnøy Municipality.[10]

Name

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The municipality is named after the local Velfjorden which is a central geographical feature for the municipality. The first element is likely the old name for the fjord velli which has an unknown meaning. The last element is fjord which means "fjord".[11] Historically, the name of the municiaplity was spelled Velfjorden. On 6 January 1908, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Velfjord.[12]

Churches

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The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Velfjord Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Velfjord prestegjeld and the Sør-Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Churches in Velfjord
Parish (sokn) Church name Location of the church Year built
Velfjord Velfjord Church Hommelstø 1674

Geography

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The highest point in the municipality was the 1,224.86-metre (4,018.6 ft) tall mountain Breivasstinden on the border with Grane Municipality and Vefsn Municipality.[1]

Government

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While it existed, Velfjord Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[13] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Mayors

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The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Velfjord was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:[14]

  • 1875–1882: Martinus Thomassen
  • 1883–1886: Rasmus Christian Mohr
  • 1887–1890: Jakob Nøstvik (V)
  • 1891–1892: Søren Dahl
  • 1893–1898: Salomon Nepaas
  • 1899–1922: Andreas Fredriksen (V)
  • 1923–1928: Einar Winther (LL)
  • 1929–1931: Arne Rødli (Ap)
  • 1932–1934: Knut Strompdal (V)
  • 1935–1940: Gustav B. Skog (Ap)
  • 1941–1944: Harald Strøm (NS)
  • 1945-1945: Gustav B. Skog (Ap)
  • 1946–1947: Sverre Bjørgan (Ap)
  • 1948–1963: Gustav B. Skog (Ap)

Municipal council

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The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Velfjord was made up of 13 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Velfjord herredsstyre 1960–1963 [15]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) 1
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 5
Total number of members:13
Note: On 1 January 1964, Velfjord Municipality became part of Brønnøy Municipality.
Velfjord herredsstyre 1956–1959 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) 1
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 4
Total number of members:13
Velfjord herredsstyre 1952–1955 [17]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 6
Total number of members:12
Velfjord herredsstyre 1948–1951 [18]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 12
Total number of members:12
Velfjord herredsstyre 1945–1947 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 4
Total number of members:12
Velfjord herredsstyre 1938–1941* [20]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 4
Total number of members:12
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Notable people

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  3. ^ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1932. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 453–471. 1932.
  4. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  5. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  6. ^ Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (2 May 2016). "Velfjord – tidligere kommune". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  7. ^ Helland, Amund (1908). "Velfjorden herred". Norges land og folk: Nordlands amt (in Norwegian). Vol. XVIII. Kristiania, Norway: H. Aschehoug & Company. p. 153. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  8. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  9. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 1951). Norges Sivile, Geistlige, Rettslige og Militære Inndeling 1. Januar 1951 (PDF). Norges Offisielle Statistikk (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: H. Aschehoug & Co.
  10. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  11. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt (in Norwegian) (16 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 39.
  12. ^ Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1908. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norge: Fred T. Salicath. 1908. p. 24.
  13. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Ordførere i Velfjord 1875–1963". Fra fjord til fjell: årbok for Velfjord historielag (in Norwegian). Velfjord historielag. 2004.
  15. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  16. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  19. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
  20. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
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