Hylestad is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1915 until its dissolution in 1962. The area is now part of Valle Municipality in the traditional district of Setesdal in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Rysstad where the Hylestad Church was located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1962, the municipality was the 182nd largest by area out of the 731 municipalities in Norway. Hylestad Municipality was the 702nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 1.2% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The parish of Hylestad was established as a municipality on 1 July 1915 when the large Valle Municipality was divided into two: Hylestad Municipality (population: 658) in the south and Valle Municipality (population: 1,051) in the north. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, Hylestad Municipality was reincorporated into Valle Municipality. Prior to the merger Hylestad Municipality had a population of 662.
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hylestad farm () since the first Hylestad Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the word which means "deep place" or "pool in a river". The last element is the plural form of which means "place", "homestead" or "abode".
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Hylestad Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Valle prestegjeld and the Otredal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Hylestad MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtHylestadHylestad ChurchRysstad1839
Geography The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Beinleinuten, located in the Setesdalsheiene mountains just east of the lake Rosskreppfjorden in the western part of the municipality. The river Otra flowed through the central part of the municipality. Valle Municipality was located to the north, Fyresdal Municipality was located to the east (in Telemark county), Bygland Municipality was located to the south, and Sirdal Municipality was located to the west (in Vest-Agder county).
Government While it existed, Hylestad 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 Setesdal District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Hylestad 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.
Mayors The mayor () of Hylestad Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1915–1916: Gunnar Torgeirsson Rysstad (H) 1916–1922: Tarald J. Harstad (Ap) 1923–1925: Gunnar Torgeirsson Rysstad (H) 1926–1928: Torgeir G. Straume 1929–1934: Jon O. Nomeland 1934–1937: Aani Aanisson Rysstad (Ap) 1938–1941: Jon O. Nomeland 1941–1945: Jon T. Rysstad (NS) 1945–1951: Jon O. Nomeland 1952–1955: Såvi G. Straume (V) 1956–1961: Torjus J. Nomeland
Notable people Osmund Faremo (1921-1999), a Norwegian politician Aani Aanisson Rysstad (1894-1965), a Norwegian politician
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References