Fjotland is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 1841 and then again from 1858 until its dissolution in 1963. The area is now part of Kvinesdal Municipality in the traditional district of Lister in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Fjotland where Fjotland Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the municipality was the 166th largest by area out of the 705 municipalities in Norway. Fjotland Municipality was the 590th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 12.4% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The parish of Fjotland was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law), but the municipality was short-lived. In 1841, Fjotland Municipality (population: 980) was merged into the neighboring Kvinesdal Municipality. After 17 years as part of Kvinesdal Municipality, on 1 January 1858, the Fjotland area (population: 1,044) was separated to form its own municipality once again.
On 1 January 1874, an unpopulated area of Fjotland Municipality was transferred to the neighboring Sirdal Municipality. On 1 January 1903, a small area of Sirdal Municipality (population: 63) was transferred to Fjotland Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Fjotland Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form a much larger Kvinesdal Municipality: all of Feda Municipality (population: 576) all of Fjotland Municipality (population: 1,244) all of Kvinesdal Municipality (population: 3,218)
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Fjotland farm (). The first element is the plural genitive case of the word which means "cow barn". The last element is which means "land" or "district".
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Fjotland Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Fjotland prestegjeld and the Flekkefjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Fjotland MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtFjotlandFjotland ChurchFjotland1836Netlandsnes ChapelNetland1886
Geography The municipality covered the northern part of the Kvinesdalen valley, centered around the river Kvina. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Venehei, about north of the mining village of Knaben in the northern part of the municipality. Bygland Municipality was located to the north (in Aust-Agder county), Åseral Municipality was located to the northeast, Eiken Municipality was located to the southeast, Kvinesdal Municipality was located to the south, Gyland Municipality was located to the southwest, and Sirdal Municipality was located to the west.
Government While it existed, Fjotland 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 Flekkefjord District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Fjotland 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 Fjotland Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1838–1841: Bernt Spillebrok (1841–1858: Fjotland was part of Kvinesdal Municipality) 1858–1861: Sigmund Veggeland 1861–1862: Rev. Ulrich Andreas Rohde Borch 1862–1868: Sigbjørn Helle 1868–1869: Rev. Wollert Konou Luther Rolfsen 1870–1876: Sigbjørn Helle 1877–1878: Olav Knaben 1879–1890: Sigbjørn Helle 1891–1904: Jakob G. Eiesland 1905–1912: Rev. Rasmus Høyland 1912–1913: Gunnuf J. Eiesland 1914–1916: Olav H. Lindefjell 1917–1919: Tønnes S. Helle 1920–1922: Bernt Eiesland 1923–1928: Sigbjørn Eiesland 1929–1934: Bernt Eiesland 1935–1940: Alv Risnes (V) 1941–1945: Andreas T. Mygland (NS) 1945–1945: Alv Risnes (V) 1946–1948: Einar Wirek (Ap) 1948–1951: Bernt Eiesland 1952–1955: Jørgen N. Galdal 1956–1962: Hans P. Kvinlaug
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links 1960 census and map of the municipality