Aukra Municipality


Aukra is municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the region of Romsdalen. The administrative centre is the village of Falkhytta, which is part of the Aukrasanden urban area.
The municipality is made up of the island of Gossa as well as many small surrounding islands (such as Rindarøya, plus a small area around the village of Hollingen across the Julsundet strait on the mainland Romsdal peninsula. Some of the main population centers include the villages of Hollingen, Aukrasanden, Varhaugvika, and Røssøyvågen. Nyhamna is a major industrial area in Aukra.
The municipality is the 346th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Aukra Municipality is the 212th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,678. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 8.9% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Akerø was established on 1 January 1838. In 1840, most of Akerø on the Romsdal peninsula was separated to form the new Frænen Municipality. On 1 January 1867, the islands that are located to the west of Gossa were separated to become the new Sandøy Municipality. On 1 January 1924, the southern part of the municipality were separated to form the new Sør-Aukra Municipality, and the remainder of the municipality was renamed Nord-Aukra Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Mordal area of Nord-Aukra was transferred to the neighboring Molde Municipality. On 1 January 1965, prefix Nord- was dropped from the name of the municipality, so it was then just called Aukra Municipality.
On 1 January 2020, the uninhabited islands of Lyngværet and the island of Orta were transferred from Sandøy Municipality to Aukra Municipality.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Aukra farm since the first Aukra Church was built there. The first element is which means "field" or "acre". The last element is which means "field" or "acre". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Agerø or Akerø. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Aukra. On 1 January 1924, the municipality was renamed as Nord-Aukra Municipality to distinguish it from the newly created Sør-Aukra Municipality. On 1 January 1965, the prefix nord- was dropped, bringing back the old name Aukra Municipality.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 22 May 1987. The official blazon is "Azure, two bracelets Or". This means the arms have a blue field and the charge is two Bronze Age bracelets. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The bracelets are based on an archaeological finding of two bracelets in Aukra in 1936. The rings date back to the year 1000 BC, during the Bronze Age. There are no other such pairs found in Norway and only one somewhat similar in southern Sweden. The rings are in diameter and each one is made of of gold. The rings thus symbolize the long tradition of habitation in the area. The fact that there are two, also symbolizes one for the island part of the municipality and the other for the mainland part. The blue and gold colors symbolize the sunset over the ocean. The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth who based it off an idea by Knut Rød. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish within Aukra Municipality. It is part of the Molde domprosti in the Diocese of Møre.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
AukraAukra ChurchAukrasanden1835

History

Aukra is the site of a shipwreck and rescue operation, when the cargo ship on 4 April 1938. The monument of Rokta is situated on Rindarøya island with a view of Galleskjæra where the Rokta sank.

Geography

The island of Gossa makes up the majority of the municipality with a small area located on the mainland Romsdal Peninsula. There are also many very small surrounding islands and skerries, including Rindarøya. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Eiskremheia which is located on the mainland, along the border with Molde Municipality. Hustadvika Municipality is located to the north and east, Molde Municipality is located to the south, and Ålesund Municipality is located to the west.

Government

Aukra Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Nordmøre og [Romsdal District Court] and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Aukra Municipality is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor of Aukra Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:
  • 1852–1853: Rasmus Reiten
  • 1860–1860: Elling Hegdal
  • 1868–1869: Rasmus Reiten
  • 1870–1871: Lars Haukebø
  • 1872–1873: Ingebrigt Smaage
  • 1874–1875: Anton Riksfjord
  • 1876–1878: Andreas Haukebø
  • 1879–1886: Rasmus Reiten
  • 1887–1896: Peter Olaus Sæter
  • 1896–1901: Knut N. Rakvaag
  • 1902–1906: Johan A. Riksfjord
  • 1907–1910: Peter O. Sæter
  • 1910–1914: Johan Hollen
  • 1917–1925: Kristian Småge
  • 1925–1931: Arne P. Stafseth
  • 1931–1934: Ole Berg
  • 1934–1941: Ole K. Hukkelberg
  • 1945–1947: Ivar Kornelius Eikrem
  • 1947–1963: Knut Orø
  • 1963–1967: Johan P. Viggen
  • 1967–1979: Johan I. Eikrem
  • 1979–1991: Kristian Rød Dy
  • 1991–1999: Andreas Horrem
  • 1999–2007: Aud Mork
  • 2007–2019: Bernhard Riksfjord
  • 2019–2023: Odd Jørgen Nilssen
  • 2023–present: Helge Kjøll

Economy

The Nyhamna industrial area on the northeastern part of the island of Gossa in Aukra is the location from where the Langeled pipeline, transporting natural gas from the enormous Ormen Lange gas field to the United Kingdom, came onstream in 2007.
Aukra Auto runs the bus service on the island of Gossa.

Notable people