Øre is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1965 when it was merged into Gjemnes Municipality. The municipality was located south and west of the Batnfjorden, to the northeast of the town of Molde. The administrative centre was the village of Øre.
Prior to its dissolution in 1965, the municipality was the 318th largest by area out of the 525 municipalities in Norway. Øre Municipality was the 444th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,596. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 6.1% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The municipality of Øre was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 September 1882, a part of the neighboring Fredø Municipality (population: 40) was transferred to Øre Municipality. On 1 September 1893, the northern part of the municipality (population: 226), was separated from Øre Municipality and merged with parts of Fredø Municipality and Kvernes Municipality to form the newly-created Gjemnes Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, Øre Municipality ceased to exist. Øre Municipality (population: 1,565) was merged with Gjemnes Municipality (population: 697) and the parts of Tingvoll Municipality that were located west of the Tingvollfjorden (population: 778) and together they created a new, larger Gjemnes Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Øre farm () since the first Øre Church was built there. The name is the plural form of which means "gravel shoal near the mouth of a river".
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Øre Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Øre prestegjeld and the Indre Nordmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.
Churches in Øre MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtØreØre ChurchØre1865Osmarka ChapelHeggem1910
Geography The municipality lies along the Batnfjorden. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Snøtinden on the border with Eide Municipality. Øre Municipality was surrounded by Gjemnes Municipality to the north, Eide Municipality to the northwest, Bolsøy Municipality to the southwest, Nesset Municipality to the south, and Tingvoll Municipality to the east.
Government While it existed, Øre 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 Øre Municipality was made up of 19 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 Øre Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1838–1839: Ole T. Gimnes 1840–1843: Knut Jemne 1844–1847: Lars Knutset 1848–1849: Hans Bersaas 1850–1856: Jens Junge 1857–1859: Knut Møllerup 1860–1863: Nils Sæther 1864–1865: John Neergaard 1866–1867: Nils Heggum 1868–1869: John Neergaard 1870–1873: Nils Sæther 1874–1879: Amund Ohrseth 1880–1881: Nils Heggum 1882–1897: Peder Furseth 1898–1907: Amund Ohrseth 1908–1910: Thore Sildseth 1911–1916: Peder Furseth 1917–1919: P.A. Sjømæling 1920–1923: Erling Øren 1923–1925: P.A. Sjømæling 1926–1928: Erling Øren 1929–1931: Bernhard Grendahl 1931–1934: Erling Øren 1935–1941: Knut E. Sjømæling 1945–1945: Knut E. Sjømæling 1945–1946: Sverre Reiten (KrF) 1946–1947: Lars E. Bjerkeset 1947–1951: Olav Nilssen 1951–1955: Sverre Reiten (KrF) 1955–1963: Johan Neergård (Bp) 1963–1964: Odd Nilsen (Sp)
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References