Ogna is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1839 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Hå Municipality in the traditional district of Dalane. The administrative centre was the village of Ogna where Ogna Church is located. Other villages in the municipality included Brusand, Hæen, and Sirevåg.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 512th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Ogna 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 2.8% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The municipality of Ogne (later spelled Ogna) was established in 1839 when the (much larger) Egersund landdistrikt (the rural municipality surrounding the town of Egersund) was divided. The northwestern district (population: 825) became the new Ogne Municipality and the rest (population: 2,016) remained as Egersund landdistrikt.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the following areas were merged to form the new Hå Municipality: all of Nærbø Municipality (population: 3,926) all of Ogna Municipality (population: 1,470) all of Varhaug Municipality (population: 3,454)
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Ogna farm () since the first Ogna Church was built there. The name comes from the verb which means "to threaten", likely referring to the local river since it has strong currents and it is prone to flooding in the spring.
Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Ogne. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Ogna.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Ogna Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Egersund prestegjeld and the Dalane prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.
Churches in Ogna MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtOgnaOgna ChurchOgna
Geography The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Brusaknuden on the border with Time Municipality. Time Municipality was located to the north, Bjerkreim Municipality was located to the east, Eigersund Municipality was located to the southeast, the North Sea was located to the southwest, and Varhaug Municipality was located to the northwest.
Government While it existed, Ogna 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 Dalane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Ogna Municipality was made up of 15 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 Ogna Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1839–1839: Hans Abel Hiorth 1840–1843: Ole Gabrielsen Mathingsdal 1844–1847: Lars Johannessen Qverme 1848–1849: Sigbjørn Olsen Hølleland 1850–1853: Ole Gabrielsen Mathingdal 1854–1855: Lauritz Smith Hiorth 1856–1863: Sigbjørn Olsen Hølleland 1864–1864: Gabriel Olsen Mattingsdal 1865–1865: Christian Gundersen Friestad 1866–1889: Christopher Gjermundsen Varden 1890–1901: Hans Larsen Kvasheim 1902–1910: Jens Jonasen Hetland 1911–1922: Morten Omundsen Lindtjørn 1923–1934: John Omundsen Kvalbein 1935–1941: Morten Omundsen Lindtjørn 1941–1941: John Kvadsheim 1942–1945: Arne Kvadsheim 1945–1959: John Kvadsheim 1959–1964: Otto Kvalbein (LL)
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References