Tovdal is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1908 until its dissolution in 1967. The area is now part of Åmli Municipality in the traditional district of Østre Agder in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Hillestad where the Tovdal Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1967, the municipality was the 244th largest by area out of the 460 municipalities in Norway. Tovdal Municipality was the 460th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about , making it the smallest municipality in the nation by population. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 20.9% over the previous 10-year period.
General information Administrative history The municipality of Lille Topdal (later renamed "Tovdal") was established on 1 January 1908 when the large Aamli Municipality was divided into three: the western district (population: ) became the new Lille Topdal Municipality the northern district (population: ) became the new Gjevedal Municipality (later spelled "Gjøvdal Municipality") the eastern district (population: ) continued as a smaller Aamli Municipality
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1967, Tovdal Municipality was the smallest municipality in Norway, so it was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form an enlarged Åmli Municipality: all of Tovdal Municipality (population: ) all of Åmli Municipality (population: )
Name The municipality (originally the parish) was first named "Lille Topdal" after the Topdalen valley (). The first element comes from the old name for the local river Tovdalselva. That name is likely derived from the word which means "mound" or "tuft". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". The prefix of the name is which means "little".
Historically, the name of the municipality was Lille Topdal. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to simply Tovdal, dropping the prefix lille and changing the p to a v.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Tovdal Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Åmli prestegjeld and the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Tovdal MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtTovdalTovdal ChurchHillestad1820
Geography Tovdal Municipality included the river valley surrounding the river Tovdalselva. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Midtstøylnuten. Åmli Municipality was located to the north and east, Mykland Municipality was located to the south, and Bygland Municipality was located to the west.
Government While it existed, Tovdal 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 Nedenes District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Tovdal Municipality was made up of 13 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 Tovdal Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1908–1910: Ole Olsen Ramse 1911–1913: Ole Eivindsen Monen 1914–1916: Sveinung Oland 1917–1922: Ånund Olsen Austenå 1923–1925: Ole Olsen Ramse 1926–1931: Ånund Olsen Austenå 1932–1940: Olav Olsen Ramse, Jr. (V) 1941–1945: Ånund Olsen Austenå (NS) 1945–1948: Olav Olsen Ramse, Jr. (V) 1948–1951: Olav T. Ramse (Bp) 1951–1957: Olav Olsen Ramse, Jr. (V) 1958–1959: Olav T. Ramse (Bp) 1959–1964: Olav Olsen Ramse, Jr. (V) 1964–1966: Olav T. Ramse (Sp)
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links 1960 census and map of the municipality (page 4)