Austre Moland is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1962. 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 Brekka where the Austre Moland Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1962, the municipality was the 557th largest by area out of the 731 municipalities in Norway. Austre Moland Municipality was the 545th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 5.9% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The parish of Østre Moland (later spelled Austre Moland) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). According to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 4,513. On 1 January 1875, a small rural area of the town of Arendal was removed from the town and split between two neighboring municipalities: the western part (population: 52) was transferred to Øiestad Municipality and the eastern part (population: 22) was transferred to Østre Moland Municipality.
On 1 May 1878, Østre Moland Municipality was divided as follows:
the southwestern district (population: ) became the new Barbu Municipality the southeastern district (population: ) became the new Tromøy Municipality the northern district (population: ) continued as a smaller Østre Moland Municipality
On 1 July 1919, Austre Moland Municipality was divided as follows: the southern coastal district (population: ) became the new Stokken Municipality and the northern district (population: ) continued as a smaller Austre Moland Municipality. Also on that date, a small border area (population: 14) in Holt Municipality was transferred into Austre Moland Municipality. In 1936, a small area of Øyestad Municipality (population: 33) was transferred to Austre Moland Municipality. In 1944, a small area of Austre Moland Municipality (population: 44) was transferred into the town of Arendal.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, Austre Moland Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form the new Moland Municipality: all of Austre Moland Municipality (population: ) all of Flosta Municipality (population: ) all of Stokken Municipality (population: ) the Strengereid area of Tvedestrand Municipality (population: )
Later, on 1 January 1992, Moland Municipality (population: 8,148) was merged into the neighboring Arendal Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named Østre Moland after the old Moland farm (). The prefix (which means "eastern") was added to differentiate the place from Vestre Moland Municipality which was located a little further south along the coast of Norway. The first element of the name is derived from the river name , which can be linked with the Old Norse word which means "brave" or "courageous". The last element is which means "land" or "district". The spelling of the prefix was later changed from to during the 20th century, but the meaning did not change.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Austre Moland Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Austre Moland prestegjeld and the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Austre Moland MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtAustre MolandAustre Moland ChurchBrekka1673
Geography The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Skrattereidknuten, a tripoint between Austre Moland, Froland, and Holt municipalities. Holt Municipality was located to the north and east, Stokken Municipality was located to the southeast, Arendal Municipality was located to the south, Øyestad Municipality was located to the southwest, and Froland Municipality was located to the west.
Government While it existed, Austre Moland 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 Austre Moland 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 Austre Moland Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1838–1839: Knut Stiansen Noddeland 1839–1841: Engelbrekt Fasland Hald 1842–1843: Rev. Johannes Sandberg 1844–1845: Fredrik Martinius Wold 1846–1847: Tellef Thorsen Myren 1848–1851: Christen Torjussen Staksnæs 1851–1853: Jens Johannessen Alve 1854–1855: Aanon J. Bie 1856–1857: Peder Jørgensen Fløistad 1858–1859: Aanon J. Bie 1859–1860: Stian Knutsen Tveiten 1860–1861: Aanon J. Bie 1862–1873: Christen Torjussen Staksnæs 1874–1875: Erik Gundersen Fløistad 1876–1878: O.B. Sørensen Bratteklev 1878–1895: Ivar Fløistad 1895–1901: Anton Aanonsen Salterød 1902–1904: Lars O. Skjulestad 1905–1907: Anton Aanonsen Salterød 1908–1922: Lars O. Skjulestad 1923–1929: Anders Noddeland 1939–1945: Torjus Lona 1945–1959: Anders Johnsen Tveite 1959–1961: Torstein Bråten (V)
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links 1960 census and map of the municipality (page 4)