Spangereid is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1889 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Lindesnes Municipality in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Høllen where the Spangereid Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 569th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Spangereid Municipality was the 627th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 19.4% over the previous 10-year period.
The area is one of Norway's richest archaeological sites. The abundant remnants from the Bronze Age and Viking Age show the Spangereid was a very important place at that time. Spangereid is strategically connected at the Lindesnes peninsula, Norway's southernmost point, where the east coast meets the west coast.
General information
The municipality of Spangereid was established on 1 January 1899 when Søndre Undal Municipality was divided into two: the southwestern district (population: ) became the new Spangereid Municipality and the northeastern district (population: ) continued as a smaller Søndre Undal Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, the Gitlevåg area (population: 103) of Spangereid Municipality was transferred to the neighboring Lyngdal Municipality (this was the only part of the municipality that was located across the Grønsfjorden). On 1 January 1964, Spangereid Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form the new Lindesnes Municipality:
all of Spangereid Municipality (population: ) all of Sør-Audnedal Municipality (population: ) all of Vigmostad Municipality (population: )
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after a local isthmus called Spangereid () since it connected the mainland to the large Lindesnes peninsula and the local Spangereid Church is located upon it. The first element is which means "small piece of land". The last element is which means "isthmus".
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Spangereid Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Sør-Audnedal prestegjeld and the Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Spangereid MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtSpangereidSpangereid ChurchHøllen
Geography The municipality included the whole Lindesnes peninsula, plus part of the mainland adjacent to the narrow isthmus which connects the peninsula to the mainland. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Bjørnsheia. Lyngdal Municipality was located to the north, Sør-Audnedal Municipality was located to the east, the Skagerrak strait was located to the south, and Austad Municipality was located to the west.
Government While it existed, Spangereid 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 Mandal District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Spangereid 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 Spangereid Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1899–1912: Johannes P. Solaas 1913–1918: O.J. Njerve 1919–1928: Olav Hansen Svennevik 1929–1931: Hans O. Daland (Bp) 1932–1934: Leonard Aanensen 1935–1937: Helmer Fjeldsgaard 1938–1940: August E. Fjeldskaar 1940–1944: Leonard Aanensen 1944–1945: Julius T. Ramsland 1945–1948: Gunnar Gulli (V) 1948–1959: Martin Løvdal 1960–1963: Abraham Lindland
Media gallery
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links Informational website about Spangereid 1960 census and map of the municipality