Eiken is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1916 until its dissolution in 1963. The area is now part of Hægebostad Municipality in the traditional district of Lister in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Eiken where Eiken Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the municipality was the 285th largest by area out of the 705 municipalities in Norway. Eiken Municipality was the 658th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 7.1% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The municipality of Eiken was established on 1 January 1916 when the large Hægebostad Municipality was divided into two separate municipalities: the northern district (population: 932) became the new Eiken Municipality and the southern district (population: 867) continued as a smaller Hægebostad Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Eiken Municipality (population: 784) was dissolved and merged (back) into Hægebostad Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Eiken farm (). The name is the plural genitive case of the word which means "oak tree".
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Eiken Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Hægebostad prestegjeld and the Lister prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Eiken MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtEikenEiken ChurchEiken1817
Geography The municipality included the far northern end of the Lyngdalen valley from the lake Lygne to the mountains in the north. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Oddevassheia, located near the northernmost part of the municipality. Åseral Municipality was located to the northeast, Grindheim Municipality was located to the southeast, Hægebostad Municipality was located to the south, Kvinesdal Municipality was located to the southwest, and Fjotland Municipality was located to the west.
Government While it existed, Eiken 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 Lyngdal District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Eiken 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 Eiken Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1916–1917: Anstein Eiken 1917–1922: Aasulv Olsen Bryggesaa (V) 1922–1925: Anstein Eiken 1925–1928: Aanen Haaberg 1928–1931: Lars Thorsland 1931–1932: Ole O. Scheie 1932–1937: Aanen S. Rossevatn 1937–1941: Pål Eiken (Bp) 1941–1945: Aanen Haaberg 1945–1949: Olav Hauge 1950–1959: Knut O. Vatne 1959–1962: Jon Eikås
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References