Åsen is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1962. The municipality was located to the southwestern part of what is now Levanger Municipality in Trøndelag county, roughly bordered in the north by the lakes Hammervatnet and Hoklingen, and by the Åsenfjorden to the west. The administrative centre was the village of Åsen.
Prior to its dissolution in 1962, the municipality was the 455th largest by area out of the 731 municipalities in Norway. Åsen Municipality was the 468th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,931. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 5.2% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The parish of Aasen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The spelling was later changed to Åsen. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, the town of Levanger (population: 1,669) was merged with the neighboring Frol Municipality (population: 3,774), Åsen Municipality (population: 1,939), and Skogn Municipality (population: 4,756) to form a new, larger Levanger Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local fjord, Åsenfjorden (). The name is identical to the Norwegian word which means "the hill". On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Aasen with the digraph "Aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Åsen, using the letter Å instead.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Åsen Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Frosta prestegjeld and the Sør-Innherad prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.
Churches in Åsen MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtÅsenÅsen ChurchÅsen1904
Geography
Åsen Municipality was located to the southwest of the town of Levanger. It was bordered by Frosta Municipality to the west, Skogn Municipality to the north and east, and by Hegra Municipality and Skatval Municipality to the south. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Stokkvola.
Government While it existed, Åsen 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 Frostating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Åsen 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 Åsen Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:
1838–1839: Jonas Jonsen Nes 1839–1839: Erik Mikalsen Skjelstad 1840–1843: Peder Ellevsen Berg 1844–1845: Ole Tørrissen Vedul 1846–1847: Peder Steffensen Nonstad 1848–1859: Peder Olsen 1860–1866: Christian Bye 1867–1869: Ole Island 1870–1873: Henrik Reinaas 1874–1879: John Stavnaas 1880–1889: Peder O. Mæhre (V) 1890–1891: Arn Solem Bye (V) 1892–1919: Ole Martin Augdahl (V) 1920–1922: Anders Todal (V) 1923–1925: John Wold (Bp) 1926–1931: Anders Todal (V) 1932–1937: John Wold (Bp) 1938–1941: Sigurd Aarnseth (V) 1942–1943: Sigurd Lundby (NS) 1944–1944: Ragnar Fiskvik (NS) 1945–1945: Sigurd Aarnseth (V) 1946–1947: Olaf Jensen (Ap) 1948–1951: Fridtjov Mo (Bp) 1952–1955: Olav Mo (Bp) 1956–1957: Olaf Jensen (Ap) 1958–1959: Ivar Jørum (Ap) 1960–1961: Fridtjov Mo (Sp)
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References