Valestrand is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1868 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Sveio Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnhordland in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the village of Valevåg. Other villages in the municipality included Valestrand and Auklandshamn.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 579th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Valestrand Municipality was the 580th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 1.9% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The municipality of Valestrand was established on 15 May 1868 when the large Stordøen Municipality was divided as follows: the areas located south of the Bømlafjorden (population: 900) became the new Valestrand Municipality the areas located north of the Bømlafjorden (population: 1,734) remained as a smaller Stordøen Municipality
On 1 April 1870, the Øklandsgrend area (population: 247) of the neighboring Finnaas Municipality was transferred to Valestrand Municipality.
On 1 January 1964, a major municipal merger took place as a result of the Schei Committee. On that date, the following areas were merged to form a new, larger Sveio Municipality: all of Sveio Municipality (population: 1,697) all of Valestrand Municipality (population: 1,216) the western part of Vikebygd Municipality (population: 471) the Flatnæs-Buvik area of Skjold Municipality located northwest of the Ålfjorden (population: 24); this area was part of Rogaland county, so it switched to Hordaland county on that date
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Valen farm () since the first Valestrand Church was built there. The first element is the plural genitive case of which means "ford" or "shallow water". The last element, , was added as a suffix to the farm name. It was derived from the word which means "shore" or "beach".
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Valestrand Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Sveio prestegjeld and the Søndre Sunnhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
Churches in Valestrand MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtValestrandValestrand ChurchValestrand1873Valen ChapelValevåg1707
Geography It was located on a peninsula on the southern shore of the Bømlafjorden. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Trollevassnibba. Stord Municipality was located to the north, Fjelberg Municipality was located to the northeast, Ølen Municipality was located to the east, Vikebygd Municipality was located to the south, Sveio Municipality was located to the southwest, and Moster Municipality was located to the west.
Government While it existed, _____ 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 Sunnhordland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Valestrand 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 Valestrand Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1868–1871: Nils Sundnæs 1872–1875: Mathias Økland 1876–1878: Torbjørn D. Hope 1879–1887: Mathias Økland 1888–1913: Gregorius G. Egeland 1914–1919: Christian Sundnes 1920–1937: Erik Kvammen 1937–1945: Elling Horneland 1946–1951: Hans Bua (Ap) 1952–1955: Olav Vihovde 1955–1958: Hans Bua (Ap) 1958–1964: Kristoffer Vihovde (V)
Notable people Einar Økland, a poet, playwright, essayist and children's writer Fartein Valen, a composer and music theorist Agnes Ravatn, an author, columnist, and journalist Ole Bull, a violinist and composer
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References