Øksendal Municipality

Øksendal is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1854 until its dissolution in 1960. It had one of the smallest municipal populations in Norway. It was located in the northwestern part of the present-day Sunndal Municipality, along the Sunndalsfjorden. It included the coastal area along the fjord as well as the whole Øksendalen valley. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Øksendalsøra, where Øksendal Church is also located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1960, the municipality was the 354th largest by area out of the 743 municipalities in Norway. Øksendal Municipality was the 734th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 486. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 10% over the previous 5-year period.

General information

In 1854, the parish of Øksendal was separated from the large Sunndal Municipality to establish the new Øksendal Municipality. Initially, Øksendal Municipality had a population of 1,291. On 1 January 1899, the northern part of the municipality, located on the northern side of the Sunndalsfjorden, was separated to become the new Ulvundeid Municipality. This left Øksendal Municipality with 654 inhabitants.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, Øksendal Municipality was merged with Ålvundeid Municipality and Sunndal Municipality to form a new, larger Sunndal Municipality.

Name

The municipality is named after the Øksendalen valley. The first element is usma which is the name for the river that runs through the valley. The meaning of the name is unknown. The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Øksendalen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Øksendal, removing the definite form ending -en.

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish within Øksendal Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Øksendal prestegjeld and the Indre Nordmøre prosti in the Diocese of Nidaros.

Parish	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Øksendal	Øksendal Church	Øksendalsøra	1894

Geography

The municipality was located in the Øksendalen valley on the south side of the Sunndalsfjorden. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Vikesoksa on the border with Eresfjord og Vistdal Municipality. The municipality was surrounded by Sunndal Municipality to the southeast, Eresfjord og Vistdal Municipality to the west, Nesset Municipality to the north, and Ålvundeid Municipality to the northeast.

Government

While it existed, Øksendal Municipality was responsible for primary education, 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 Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Øksendal 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 Øksendal Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

1862–1872: Peder P. Halse
1873–1875: Erik Sæther
1875–1886: Peder P. Halse
1887–1890: Erik Bølset
1890–1895: Halvor Olsen Melkild
1895–1899: Einar Børset
1899–1901: B. Øveraas
1902–1904: Ole L. Lien
1905–1907: B. Øveraas
1908–1934: Ole L. Lien
1934–1940: Anders Endreson Skrondal
1941–1942: John Erstad
1942–1944: Henrik Børset
1945–1947: Anders Endreson Skrondal
1947–1951: John O. Lien
1951–1955: Anders Endreson Skrondal
1955–1959: Kaare Ree