Hjørundfjord is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Ørsta Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnmøre. The administrative centre was the village of Sæbø, located on the shores of the Hjørundfjorden. The villages of Bjørke, Leira, and Store Standal were all a part Hjørundfjord Municipality.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 204th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Hjørundfjord Municipality was the 480th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,776. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 3.2% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The municipality was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The original municipality was the same as the prestegjeld (parish) of Hjørundfjord. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Hjørundfjord Municipality (population: 1,728), Vartdal Municipality (population: 1,315), and Ørsta Municipality (population: 6,209) were merged to form a new, larger Ørsta Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local Hjørundfjorden (). The first element is the old name of the fjord, . This origin of this name is uncertain, but it may have come from the word which means "sword". The last element is which means "fjord".
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Hjørundfjord Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Hjørundfjord prestegjeld and the Søre Sunnmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
Churches in Hjørundfjord MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtHjørundfjordHjørundfjord ChurchSæbø1880
Geography The municipality encircled both sides of the Hjørundfjorden as well as the Bondalen valley. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Smørskredtindane, whose peak was located about from the border with Stranda Municipality. Vartdal Municipality was located to the northwest, Ørsta Municipality was located to the west, Volda Municipality was located to the southwest, Hornindal Municipality was located to the south (in Sogn og Fjordane county), Sunnylven Municipality was located to the southeast, Stranda Municipality was located to the east, and Sykkylven Municipality was located to the northeast.
Government While it existed, Hjørundfjord 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. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Frostating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Hjørundfjord Municipality was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Mayors The mayor () of Hjørundfjord Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1838–1851: Hans Olsen Stokke 1852–1853: Ole Olsen Saure 1854–1857: Ole Torstensen Standal 1858–1859: Edvard Storm Munch 1870–1898: Paul Andreas Jetmundsen Aklestad (V) 1899–1899: Arne Eliasson Grønningsæter 1900–1907: Ole Christian Larsson Tvergrov 1908–1916: John Olson Standal 1917–1919: Jetmund Jakobson Skjaastad 1920–1922: Ole Karlsen Tryggeseth 1923–1931: Bernt Ingebriktson Håndlykken 1932–1934: Knut Jonson Standal 1935–1941: Elias Christian Fanneløb 1941–1942: Trygve Nilsen (NS) 1942–1945: Ola O. Skylstad (NS) 1945–1945: Karl A. Tryggeseth 1946–1959: Johannes Bjøringsøy 1960–1963: Jakob E. Øye
Notable people Knut Skram (born 1937), a baritone Rasmus Skylstad (1893–1972), a diplomat
See also List of municipalities of Norway
References
External links Official website about the Hjørundfjord area