Konsmo Municipality

Konsmo Municipality
Konsmo herred
Vest-Agder within Norway
Konsmo within Vest-Agder
Coordinates: 58°17′07″N 07°21′21″E / 58.28528°N 7.35583°E / 58.28528; 7.35583
CountryNorway
CountyVest-Agder
DistrictSørlandet
Established1 Jan 1911
 • Preceded byNordre Undal Municipality
Disestablished1 Jan 1964
 • Succeeded byAudnedal Municipality
Administrative centreKonsmo
Government
 • Mayor (1960–1963)John K. Gislefos
Area
 (upon dissolution)
 • Total
107.2 km2 (41.4 sq mi)
 • Rank#505 in Norway
Highest elevation517 m (1,696 ft)
Population
 (1963)
 • Total
714
 • Rank#655 in Norway
 • Density6.7/km2 (17/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
 −17.4%
DemonymKonsmosokning[2]
Official language
 • Norwegian formBokmål[3]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1027[5]

Konsmo is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The 107.2-square-kilometre (41.4 sq mi) municipality existed from 1911 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Lyngdal Municipality in the traditional district of Lister in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Konsmo where Konsmo Church is located.[6]

Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the 107.2-square-kilometre (41.4 sq mi) municipality was the 505th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Konsmo Municipality was the 655th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 714. The municipality's population density was 6.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (17/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 17.4% over the previous 10-year period.[7][8]

General information

The municipality of Konsmo was established on 1 January 1911 when the old Nordre Undal Municipality was divided into two municipalities: the northern district (population: 782) became the new Konsmo Municipality and the southern district (population: 923) became the new Vigmostad Municipality.[9]

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee.[10][11] On 1 January 1964, Konsmo Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form the new Audnedal Municipality:[9]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Konsmo farm (Old Norse: Konungsmór) since the first Konsmo Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of konungr which means "king". The last element is mór which means "moorland" or "heath". This name in modern Norwegian would be Kongsmoen, meaning "King's moor". Over time, the name was corrupted to Konsmo.[12]

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Konsmo Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Nord-Audnedal prestegjeld and the Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.[8]

Churches in Konsmo Municipality
Parish (sokn) Church name Location of the church Year built
Konsmo Konsmo Church Konsmo 1802

Geography

The highest point in the municipality was the 517-metre (1,696 ft) tall mountain Feiåsbergan, on the border with Hægebostad Municipality.[1] Grindheim Municipality was located to the north, Bjelland Municipality was located to the northeast, Laudal Municipality was located to the east, Vigmostad Municipality was located to the south, Kvås Municipality was located to the southwest, and Hægebostad Municipality was located to the west.

Government

While it existed, Konsmo 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 Mandal District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Konsmo 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.

Konsmo herredsstyre 1959–1963 [14]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:13
Note: On 1 January 1964, Konsmo Municipality became part of Audnedal Municipality.
Konsmo herredsstyre 1955–1959 [15]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 7
Total number of members:13
Konsmo herredsstyre 1951–1955 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 7
Total number of members:12
Konsmo herredsstyre 1947–1951 [17]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 6
Total number of members:12
Konsmo herredsstyre 1945–1947 [18]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) 1
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 5
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) 1
Total number of members:12
Konsmo herredsstyre 1937–1941* [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) 1
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 7
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 (Norwegian: ordfører) of Konsmo Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:[20]

  • 1911–1916: Ånen Olsen Vivlemo
  • 1917–1922: T.A. Øidne
  • 1923–1931: Ånen Valand
  • 1932–1937: T.A. Øidne
  • 1938–1945: John K. Gislefos
  • 1946–1947: C.G. Påhlmann
  • 1948–1951: Bergtor Strisland
  • 1952–1955: John K. Gislefos
  • 1956–1959: Aanen B. Birkeland
  • 1960–1963: John K. Gislefos

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Kart over Norge" (in Norwegian). Kartverket.
  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. (9 January 2024). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon.
  6. ^ Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (26 November 2024). "Konsmo (tidligere kommune)". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  7. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  8. ^ a b 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.
  9. ^ a b Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  10. ^ Grepstad, Jon, ed. (25 March 2025). "Nikolai Schei". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  11. ^ Hansen, Tore; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (27 May 2024). "kommuneinndelingen i Norge". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  12. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1912). Norske gaardnavne: Lister og Mandals amt (in Norwegian) (9 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 142.
  13. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  14. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  15. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  16. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  17. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  20. ^ Bergstøl, Tore (1966). Konsmoboka. 2 : Nærings- og kulturlivet (in Norwegian). Konsmo: Konsmo kommune. pp. 386–387.