Sannidal (; ) is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1960. The area is now part of Kragerø Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Kil where the Sannidal Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1960, the municipality was the 384th largest by area out of the 743 municipalities in Norway. Sannidal Municipality was the 352nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 0.5% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
Administrative history The formannskapsdistrikt law of 1837 created a system of local government in Norway by establishing each town (ladested or kjøpstad) and each Church of Norway prestegjeld as a civil municipality. On 1 January 1838, Sannikedal prestegjeld was established as Sannikedal Municipality (later spelled Sandøkedal, then Sannidal).
On 1 January 1861, an area of Sandøkedal Municipality (population: 857) that was adjacent to the growing town of Kragerø was annexed and transferred from Sandøkedal Municipality to Kragerø Municipality. On 1 January 1882, Sandøkedal Municipality was divided as follows: the southeastern coastal and island district (population: ) became the new Skaatø Municipality and the northwestern district (population: ) continued as a smaller Sandøkedal Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, Sannidal Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form an enlarged Kragerø Municipality:
all of Sannidal Municipality (population: ) all of Kragerø Municipality (population: ) all of Skåtøy Municipality (population: )
Name The municipality is named after the old Sannidal prestegjeld. The prestegjeld was named after the Sannidal valley () since the first Sannidal Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the word which means "an increase of sand". This is likely referring to some sandbanks. The last element is which means "valley" or "dale".
Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Sannikedal. In 1857, the spelling was changed to Sandøkedal. In 1889, the name was changed back to Sannikedal. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sannidal.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Sannidal Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Sannidal prestegjeld and the Bamble prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Sannidal MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtSannidalSannidal ChurchKil1772
Geography Sannidal Municipality was located just inland from the town of Kragerø. The main population centre of Sannidal was the village of Kil, which is situated at the end of the Kilsfjord. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Store Valefjell, located on the border with Drangedal Municipality.
Drangedal Municipality was located to the west and north, Bamble Municipality was located to the northeast, Skåtøy Municipality was located to the east, Søndeled Municipality (in Aust-Agder county) was located to the south, and Gjerstad Municipality (also in Aust-Agder county) was located to the southwest.
Government While it existed, Sannidal 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 Kragerø District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Sannidal 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 Sannidal Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1838–1840: Niels Halvorsen Dahl 1841–1851: Arnold Bentsen 1851–1854: Alf Olsen 1855–1862: Jørgen Blankenberg 1863–1866: Johan Dahll 1867–1870: Jørgen Blankenberg 1871–1874: Peder Rinde (V) 1875–1878: Tellef Dahll 1879–1887: Peder Rinde (V) 1888–1889: Knut Haugland 1890–1893: Peder Jakob Nesland 1894–1895: H. Fuglestvedt 1896–1897: Johan Nossen 1898–1898: H. Fuglestvedt 1899–1904: Johan Nossen 1905–1913: Thor Moe 1914–1916: Thor Nyhus 1917–1919: Thor Moe 1920–1922: Eilert J. Farsjø 1923–1928: Alf H. Larsen 1929–1937: Eilert J. Farsjø 1938–1941: Torkell Tande (V) 1941–1942: Erling Mørland (NS) 1943–1945: Erik Moland (NS) 1945–1945: Torkell Tande (V) 1945–1955: Eigil Olaf Liane (Ap) 1955–1959: Per Holte (Ap)
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References