Bru Municipality
Bru is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1923 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Kinn Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnfjord in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the village of Stavang.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 251st largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Bru Municipality was the 578th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 12.3% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The parish of Bru was established as a municipality on 1 January 1923, when the old Kinn Municipality was split into three separate municipalities as follows:- the new Bru Municipality, which included the southern islands of Svanøya and Askrova, a small mainland area south of the Førdefjorden, the area around the village of Stavang, and the large valley east of the village of Norddalsfjord
- the new Eikefjord Municipality, which included the eastern district around the eastern end of the Eikefjorden and around the village of Eikefjord
- a much smaller Kinn Municipality, which included the western islands and the mainland areas surrounding, but not including, the port town of Florø
- All of Bru Municipality located north of the Førdefjorden was merged with the town of Florø, Kinn Municipality, Eikefjord Municipality, the Husefest and Breivik areas of Bremanger Municipality, and the Steindal area of Vevring Municipality were combined to form the new Flora Municipality.
- All of Bru Municipality located south of the Førdefjorden was merged with Askvoll Municipality and the parts of Vevring Municipality located south of the Førdefjorden to form a new, larger Askvoll Municipality.
Name
Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish within Bru Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Kinn prestegjeld and the Sunnfjord prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.| Parish | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Bru | Stavang Church | Stavang | 1957 |
| Bru | Askrova Chapel | Askrova | 1957 |
| Bru | Nordal Chapel | Norddalsfjord | 1898 |
Geography
The municipality included several islands including Svanøya, Askrova, and Stavøya as well as parts of the mainland including the Solheimsdalen valley, east of the village of Norddalsfjord. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Keipen, on the border with Bremanger Municipality. Davik Municipality was located to the north, Gloppen Municipality and Eikefjord Municipality were located to the east, Vevring Municipality and Fjaler Municipality were located to the south, and Askvoll Municipality was located to the southwest, and Kinn Municipality and Florø Municipality were to the west.Government
While it existed, Bru 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 Gulating Court of Appeal.Municipal council
The municipal council of Bru Municipality was made up of 17 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 Bru Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:- 1923–1925: Bjarne Svanøe
- 1925–1926: Nikolai Haave
- 1926–1937: Per Hjertenes
- 1938–1940: Per Straumsnes
- 1945–1945: Per Straumsnes
- 1946–1947: Per Hjertenes
- 1948–1955: Tor Grønnevik
- 1956–1964: Anton Holm