Valestrand Municipality
Former municipality in Hordaland, Norway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Valestrand is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The 59.4-square-kilometre (22.9 sq mi) municipality existed from 1868 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Sveio Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnhordland in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the village of Valevåg. Other villages in the municipality included Valestrand and Auklandshamn.[6]
Valestrand Municipality
Valestrand herad | |
|---|---|
View of the Valestrand Church | |
 Hordaland within Norway | |
 Valestrand within Hordaland | |
| Coordinates: 59°41′58″N 05°28′20″E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Hordaland |
| District | Sunnhordland |
| Established | 1 January 1868 |
| • Preceded by | Stord Municipality |
| Disestablished | 1 January 1964 |
| • Succeeded by | Sveio Municipality |
| Administrative centre | Valevåg |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (1958–1964) | Kristoffer Vihovde (V) |
| Area (upon dissolution) | |
• Total | 59.4 km2 (22.9 sq mi) |
| • Rank | #579 in Norway |
| Highest elevation | 431.85 m (1,416.8 ft) |
| Population (1962) | |
• Total | 1,227 |
| • Rank | #580 in Norway |
| • Density | 20.7/km2 (54/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) |  +1.9% |
| Demonym | Valestrending[2] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Nynorsk[4] |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1217[5] |
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the 59.4-square-kilometre (22.9 sq mi) municipality was the 579th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Valestrand Municipality was the 580th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,227. The municipality's population density was 20.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (54/sq mi) and its population had increased by 1.9% over the previous 10-year period.[7][8]
General information
The municipality of Valestrand was established on 15 May 1868 when the large Stordøen Municipality was divided as follows:[9]
- the areas located south of the Bømlafjorden (population: 900) became the new Valestrand Municipality
- the areas located north of the Bømlafjorden (population: 1,734) remained as a smaller Stordøen Municipality
On 1 April 1870, the Øklandsgrend area (population: 247) of the neighboring Finnaas Municipality was transferred to Valestrand Municipality.[9]
On 1 January 1964, a major municipal merger took place as a result of the Schei Committee. On that date, the following areas were merged to form a new, larger Sveio Municipality:[9]
- all of Sveio Municipality (population: 1,697)
- all of Valestrand Municipality (population: 1,216)
- the western part of Vikebygd Municipality (population: 471)
- the Flatnæs-Buvik area of Skjold Municipality located northwest of the Ålfjorden (population: 24); this area was part of Rogaland county, so it switched to Hordaland county on that date
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Valen farm (Old Norse: Vaðlar) since the first Valestrand Church was built there. The first element is the plural genitive case of vaðill which means "ford" or "shallow water". The last element, strand, was added as a suffix to the farm name. It was derived from the word strǫnd which means "shore" or "beach".[10]
Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Valestrand Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Sveio prestegjeld and the Søndre Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.[8]
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Valestrand | Valestrand Church | Valestrand | 1873 |
| Valen Chapel | Valevåg | 1707 |
Geography
It was located on a peninsula on the southern shore of the Bømlafjorden. The highest point in the municipality was the 431.85-metre (1,416.8 ft) tall mountain Trollevassnibba.[1] Stord Municipality was located to the north, Fjelberg Municipality was located to the northeast, Ølen Municipality was located to the east, Vikebygd Municipality was located to the south, Sveio Municipality was located to the southwest, and Moster Municipality was located to the west.
Government
While it existed, _____ 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.[11] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Sunnhordland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Heradsstyre) of Valestrand Municipality 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.
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 2 | |
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 11 | |
| Total number of members: | 13 | |
| Note: On 1 January 1964, Valestrand Municipality became part of Sveio Municipality. | ||
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 3 | |
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 13 | |
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 2 | |
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 12 | |
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) | 4 | |
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 8 | |
| Total number of members: | 12 | |
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidarar, fiskarar, småbrukarar liste) | 3 | |
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 9 | |
| Total number of members: | 12 | |
| Party name (in Nynorsk) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 12 | |
| 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. | ||
Mayors
The mayor (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Valestrand Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:[18]
- 1868–1871: Nils Sundnæs[18]
- 1872–1875: Mathias Økland[18]
- 1876–1878: Torbjørn D. Hope[19]
- 1879–1887: Mathias Økland[20]
- 1888–1913: Gregorius G. Egeland[21]
- 1914–1919: Christian Sundnes[22]
- 1920–1937: Erik Kvammen[23]
- 1937–1945: Elling Horneland[24]
- 1946–1951: Hans Bua (Ap)[25]
- 1952–1955: Olav Vihovde[26]
- 1955–1958: Hans Bua (Ap)[27]
- 1958–1964: Kristoffer Vihovde (V)[28]
Notable people
- Einar Økland, a poet, playwright, essayist and children's writer[29]
- Fartein Valen, a composer and music theorist[29]
- Agnes Ravatn, an author, columnist, and journalist
- Ole Bull, a violinist and composer
