Valestrand Municipality

Valestrand Municipality
Valestrand herad
Former municipality
View of the Valestrand Church
Hordaland within Norway
Valestrand within Hordaland
Coordinates: 59°41′58″N 05°28′20″E / 59.69944°N 5.47222°E / 59.69944; 5.47222
CountryNorway
CountyHordaland
DistrictSunnhordland
Established1 January 1868
 • Preceded byStord Municipality
Disestablished1 January 1964
 • Succeeded bySveio Municipality
Administrative centreValevåg
Government
 • Mayor (1958–1964)Kristoffer Vihovde (V)
Area
 (upon dissolution)
 • Total
59.4 km2 (22.9 sq mi)
 • Rank#579 in Norway
Highest elevation
[1]
431.85 m (1,416.8 ft)
Population
 (1962)
 • Total
1,227
 • Rank#580 in Norway
 • Density20.7/km2 (54/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
 +1.9%
DemonymValestrending[2]
Official language
[4]
 • Norwegian formNynorsk[3]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1217[5]
Data from Statistics Norway

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]

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]

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]

Churches in Valestrand Municipality
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.

Valestrand heradsstyre 1959–1963 [12]  
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.
Valestrand heradsstyre 1955–1959 [13]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 3
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 10
Total number of members:13
Valestrand heradsstyre 1951–1955 [14]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 10
Total number of members:12
Valestrand heradsstyre 1947–1951 [15]  
Party name (in Nynorsk) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 8
Total number of members:12
Valestrand heradsstyre 1945–1947 [16]  
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
Valestrand heradsstyre 1937–1941* [17]  
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

See also

References

  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. (9 January 2024). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon.
  6. ^ Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (26 November 2024). "Valestrand (tidligere kommune)". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 3 February 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 c Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  10. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1910). Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Bergenhus amt (in Norwegian) (11 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. pp. 116 and 83.
  11. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  12. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  13. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  14. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  15. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  16. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  18. ^ a b c Sjurseth, Karl (1937). Hordaland fylke 1837-1937 (in Norwegian). Bergen: Hordaland fylke.
  19. ^ "Søndre Bergenhus Amtsformandskab". Søndre Bergenhus Folkeblad (in Norwegian). 4 July 1878. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  20. ^ "Fra Amtsformandskabet". Søndre Bergenhus Folkeblad (in Norwegian). 30 June 1880. p. 1. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  21. ^ "Fra Amtsformandskabet". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). 2 July 1888. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  22. ^ "Søndre Bergenhus amtsting". Hordaland Folkeblad (in Norwegian). 25 March 1914. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  23. ^ "Ordførere i Hordaland for treaarsperiode". Arbeidet (in Norwegian). 17 January 1920. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  24. ^ "Ordførerskifte i 10 kommuner i Hordaland". Bergens Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). 13 January 1941. p. 2. Retrieved 1 December 2025.
  25. ^ "Valestrand held fast på ordførarvalet". Bergens Arbeiderblad (in Norwegian). 19 February 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  26. ^ "Ordførarar". Bergens Tidende (in Norwegian). 4 January 1952. p. 6. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  27. ^ "Ordførarar". Morgenavisen (in Norwegian). 31 December 1955. p. 8. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  28. ^ "Valestrand herad". Gula Tidend (in Norwegian). 29 July 1958. p. 2. Retrieved 4 February 2026.
  29. ^ a b "Valestrand cultural church". www.visitnorway.com. Innovation Norway. Retrieved 10 July 2015.

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