Buksnes is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1963. It comprised the western part of the island of Vestvågøya in what is now Vestvågøy Municipality. The administrative centre was located in the village of Gravdal where the main church for the municipality, Buksnes Church, is located. Other villages in Buksnes included Ballstad and Leknes.

Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the municipality was the 521st largest by area out of the 705 municipalities in Norway. Buksnes Municipality was the 197th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 4,373. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 5.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Buksnes was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 July 1919, the southeastern district of Buksnes Municipality (population: 2,272) was separated from it to create the new Hol Municipality. The split left Buksnes Municipality with 3,188 inhabitants. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Buksnes Municipality (population: 4,416) was merged with the neighboring Borge Municipality (population: 4,056), Hol Municipality (population: 3,154), and Valberg Municipality (population: 662) to create the new Vestvågøy Municipality.

Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Buksnes farm (historically: Buxnnæs) since the first Buksnes Church was built there. The meaning of the name is uncertain, but the first element may be derived from which means "sign" or "mark", possibly referring to a sea mark. The last element is which means "headland".

Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Buksnes Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Buksnes prestegjeld and the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Churches in Buksnes MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtBuksnesBuksnes ChurchGravdal1905

Geography The municipality was located on the western part of the large island of Vestvågøya. Borge Municipality was located to the northeast, Valberg Municipality was to the east, Hol Municipality was located to the south, and Flakstad Municipality was located to the west (on the island of Flakstadøya). The highest point in Buksnes Municipality is the tall mountain Himmeltindan, which was located on the border with neighboring Borge Municipality.

Government While it existed, Buksnes 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 Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council The municipal council of Buksnes Municipality was made up of 21 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 Buksnes Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:

1838–1839: Rev. Andreas Daae 1840–1843: Caspar Westerwaldt 1844–1844: Rev. Andreas Daae 1845–1854: Unknown 1854–1854: Nils Andreas Schøning 1855–1859: Unknown 1860–1860: Johan Dybfest Iversen 1861–1866: Johan Rist 1866–1870: Nils Andreas Schøning 1870–1871: Johan Rist 1871–1872: Kristian T. Stillesen 1873–1874: Peter E. Jentoft 1875–1880: Jacob L. Jentoft 1881–1884: Johan Larsen Storfjord 1885–1886: Johan Rist 1886–1888: Petter L. Wulff 1889–1890: Mathias Salomonsen 1890–1890: Petter L. Wulff 1891–1892: Fredrik W. Wulff 1893–1894: Mathias Salomonsen Leknes 1895–1896: Fredrik W. Wulff 1896–1896: Jørgen Pedersen Ballstad 1897–1897: Mathias Salomonsen Leknes 1898–1900: Jørgen Pedersen Ballstad 1901–1904: Heitman Hansen 1905–1911: S.L. Aasen 1912–1914: Ingvald Johansen Myklevik 1915–1916: S.L. Aasen 1917–1919: Andreas Tetlie 1919–1919: Mathias Salomonsen Leknes 1920–1926: S.L. Aasen 1926–1932: Oluf Svendsen Haug 1933–1934: P.A. Pedersen Ballstad 1935–1937: Jens Finstad 1938–1941: P.A. Pedersen Ballstad 1941–1941: B. Fiksdal 1942–1943: Harald Leknes 1943–1945: J. Seljeseth 1945–1945: Schj. Salomonsen 1945–1945: P.A. Pedersen Ballstad 1946–1951: Rolf Jentoft Ballstad (V) 1952–1955: Børge Fiksdal (Ap) 1956–1962: Alsing Wik (H)

Notable people Leonhard Christian Borchgrevink Holmboe (1802-1887), a Lutheran clergymen who was the vicar in Buksnes Arnold Carl Johansen (1898–1957), a member of the Norwegian Parliament from Nordland Gerhard Schøning (1722-1780), a historian Harald Sverdrup (1923–1992), a poet and children's writer

See also List of former municipalities of Norway

References