Hisøy is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1881 until its dissolution in 1992. The area is now part of Arendal Municipality in the traditional district of Østre Agder in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Kolbjørnsvik on the island of Hisøy.

Prior to its dissolution in 1992, the municipality was the 445th largest by area out of the 448 municipalities in Norway, making it the third smallest municipality in the whole nation and the smallest in Aust-Agder county. Hisøy Municipality was the 239th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 4.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information The municipality of Hisø (later spelled Hisøy) was established on 1 January 1881 when Øiestad Municipality was divided into two: the eastern island district (population: ) became the new Hisø Municipality and the western district (population: ) continued as a smaller Øiestad Municipality.

On 1 January 1992, Hisøy Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form an enlarged Arendal Municipality:

all of Hisøy Municipality (population: ) all of Arendal Municipality (population: ) all of Moland Municipality (population: ) all of Tromøy Municipality (population: ) all of Øyestad Municipality (population: )

Name The municipality (originally the parish and island) is named Hisøy (or historically Hisø) after the old His farm () since the first Hisøy Church was built there. The meaning of the first element of the name is uncertain. It could come from the word which means "the cut" (possibly referring to how the river Nidelva turns near the island). Another The last element is which means "island".

Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Hisø. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to His. On 19 July 1930, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Hisøy.

Coat of arms The coat of arms for Hisøy municipality was granted on 12 December 1986 and it was in use until 31 December 1991 when the municipality ceased to exist. The official blazon is "Gules, two lighthouses argent issuant from the base" (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is two twin lighthouses. The lighthouses have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if the arms are made out of metal, then silver is used. The lighthouses were chosen to represent the two local lighthouses: Store Torungen Lighthouse and Lille Torungen Lighthouse which mark the waters around the island of Hisøy and the entrance to the harbour for the town of Arendal. The arms were designed by Thorleif Bredesen.

Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Hisøy Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Hisøy prestegjeld and the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.

Churches in Hisøy MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtHisøyHisøy ChurchHis1849

Geography The municipality encompassed the islands of Hisøy, Gjervoldsøy, Havsøya, Ærøya, Store Torungen, Lille Torungen, and several other small, unpopulated islands. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain located on the northwestern shore of the island, just southwest of the village of Kolbjørnsvik. Arendal Municipality was located to the north, Tromøy Municipality was located to the east, the Skagerrak was to the southeast, Grimstad Municipality was located to the southwest, and Øyestad Municipality was located to the west.

Government While it existed, Hisøy 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 Nedenes District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council The municipal council of Hisøy Municipality was made up of 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 Hisøy Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

1881–1886: Søren P. Nielsen 1887–1891: Ommund Christensen 1892–1893: S. Røer 1894–1895: M.B. Nielsen 1896–1897: Niels Bakke 1897–1898: Isaac Kløcker 1899–1901: Harald Kallevig 1902–1904: J. Sverdrup 1905–1913: G. Moland 1914–1917: O. Aarstøl 1917–1919: Anton Gundersen 1920–1940: Jørgen P. Jensen 1945–1945: Jørgen P. Jensen 1945–1945: Alf Dannevig 1946–1946: K. Seljås 1946–1947: I. Olsen 1948–1960: Alf Dannevig 1960–1963: Helge Bjørnholm 1964–1967: Gunnar Dannevig 1968–1975: Arthur J. Knutsen 1975–1975: Johan Guldal 1976–1983: Frithjof Holst-Pedersen (H) 1984–1987: Bjørn Altenborg (H) 1988–1989: Kåre Thorsen (V) 1990–1991: Liv Marit Moland Olsen (Ap)

Media gallery

See also List of former municipalities of Norway

References

External links 1960 census and map of the municipality (page 4) 1970 census and map of the municipality (page 29)