Tromøy is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1878 until its dissolution in 1992. The area is now part of Arendal Municipality in the traditional district of Østre Agder in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Brekka, where the historic Tromøy Church is located. Some of the main villages in Tromøy were Færvik, Brekka, Brattekleiv, Sandnes, Revesand, and Pusnes. The municipality was connected to the mainland by the Tromøy Bridge, the only road connection to Tromøya. The other islands of Tromøy were only accessible by boat.
Prior to its dissolution in 1991, the municipality was the 443rd largest by area out of the 448 municipalities in Norway. Tromøy Municipality was the 208th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 10.7% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The municipality of Tromøy was established on 1 May 1878 when Østre Moland Municipality was divided into three:
the southeastern district (population: ) became the new Tromøy Municipality the southwestern district (population: ) became the new Barbu Municipality the northern district (population: ) continued as a smaller Østre Moland Municipality
On 1 January 1992, Tromøy Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form an enlarged Arendal Municipality:
all of Tromøy Municipality (population: ) all of Arendal Municipality (population: ) all of Hisøy Municipality (population: ) all of Moland Municipality (population: ) all of Øyestad Municipality (population: )
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island of Tromøya (). The first element is likely derived from the word which means "rim", "edge", or "border". The last element is which means "island". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Tromø.
On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Tromøy. The letter y was added to the end of the word to "Norwegianize" the name ( is the Danish word for "island" and is the Norwegian word).
Coat of arms The coat of arms was granted on 23 August 1985 and in use until the municipal merger on 1 January 1992. The official blazon is "Per fess nebuly argent and azure" (). This means the arms have a field (background) that is divided in half horizontally with a nebuly line. The top part has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The bottom part is colored blue. The design is meant to mimic the coastline near the village of Brekka, which is characterised by large rounded boulders protruding out into the sea. This landscape dates back to the Ice Age and was used to model the division line in the coat of arms. The arms are also canting since the name of the municipality is derived from the word "Trom" () which means "edge" or "rim", referring to the division line on the arms and the boulders along the sea. The arms were designed by Anne Marie Falck.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Tromøy Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Tromøy prestegjeld and the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Tromøy MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtTromøyTromøy ChurchBrekkaFærvik ChurchFærvik1884
Geography The municipality encompassed all of the island of Tromøya as well as many smaller surrounding islands such as Merdø, Gjesøya, Skilsøy, and Tromlingene. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Vardåsen, just west of the village of Færvik. Moland Municipality was located to the north, the Skagerrak was located to the east and south, Hisøy Municipality was located to the southwest, and Arendal Municipality was located to the west.
Government While it existed, Tromøy 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 Tromøy 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 Tromøy Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1878–1901: O.B. Sørensen Bratteklev 1902–1904: Knut Kviledal 1905–1907: Hans Vilhelm Omholt 1908–1913: Thor Olsen 1914–1919: Harald Berthelsen 1919-1931: Søren Hans Smith Sørensen (H) 1932-1934: Christian Stray (V) 1934-1941: Søren Hans Smith Sørensen (H) 1941-1945: Johannes Mølbach (NS) 1945-1945: Søren Hans Smith Sørensen (H) 1946–1947: Peder Heien 1948–1955: Alv Kristiansen 1956-1959: Christian Stray (V) 1960–1963: Carl Alfredsen 1964–1967: Alv Kristiansen 1968–1969: Jens Lien 1970–1975: Arne Ramsvatn (V) 1975–1977: Tore Frich Jobsen (H) 1978–1979: Bjarne Ruud-Hansen 1979–1987: Leif Gerhard Andersen (H) 1987–1991: Tove Stiansen (Ap)
Media gallery
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links 1960 census and map of the municipality (page 4) 1970 census and map of the municipality (page 29)