Stjørdalen Municipality
Former municipality in Trøndelag, Norway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Stjørdalen is a former municipality in the old Nordre Trondhjem county in Norway. The 2,253-square-kilometre (870 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1850. The municipality covered the whole Stjørdalen valley in what is now Stjørdal Municipality and Meråker Municipality in Trøndelag county. The administrative centre was located at Værnes where Værnes Church is located.[4][5]
Stjørdalen Municipality
Stjørdalen herred | |
|---|---|
View of the Stjørdalen valley | |
 Nord-Trøndelag within Norway | |
 Stjørdalen within Nord-Trøndelag | |
| Coordinates: 63.4570°N 11.0078°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Nord-Trøndelag |
| District | Stjørdalen |
| Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
| • Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
| Disestablished | 1850 |
| • Succeeded by | Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality and Nedre Stjørdalen Municipality |
| Administrative centre | Værnes |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (1846–1849) | Sivert Andreas Fergstad |
| Area (upon dissolution) | |
• Total | 2,253 km2 (870 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 1,441.36 m (4,728.9 ft) |
| Population (1850) | |
• Total | 11,643 |
| • Density | 5.168/km2 (13.38/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Stjørdaling[2] |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1714[3] |
General information
The parish of Stjørdalen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1850, Stjørdalen Municipality was divided into Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality (population: 5,100), comprising the upper/inland half of the valley and Nedre Stjørdalen Municipality (population: 6,543), comprising the lower/coastal half of the valley.[6]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Stjørdalen valley (Old Norse: Stjórardalr). The first element is the genitive case of the local river name Stjór (now called the Stjørdalselva river). The meaning of the river name is unknown. The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".[7]
Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Stjørdalen Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Stjørdalen prestegjeld and the Søndre Innherred prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Øvre Stjørdalen | Hegra Church | Hegra | 1783 |
| Meråker Church | Meråker | 1793* | |
| Nedre Stjørdalen | Lånke Church | Hell | 1600s* |
| Skatval Church | Skatval | 1767* | |
| Værnes Church | Prestmoen | c. 1100s | |
| *Note: The church was later rebuilt after this municipality was dissolved. | |||
Geography
The highest point in the municipality was the 1,441.36-metre (4,728.9 ft) tall mountain Fongen, located on the tripoint border between Stjørdalen Municipality, Selbu Municipality, and Tydal Municipality.[1]
Government
While it existed, Stjørdalen Municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The municipal council (Herredsstyret) of Stjørdalen was made up of representatives that were elected to four-year terms. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[8] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Frostating Court of Appeal.
Mayors
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Stjørdalen Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:[9]
- 1838–1841: Tobias Brodtkorb Bernhoft
- 1842–1843: Halvor Bachke
- 1844–1845: Ole Øvre Richter
- 1846–1849: Sivert Andreas Fergstad
