Drevja Municipality
Drevja is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1927 until its dissolution in 1962. It was located in the Drevja valley, north of the Vefsnfjorden in the northern part of the present-day Vefsn Municipality. Drevja Church was the main church for the municipality.
Prior to its dissolution in 1962, the municipality was the 381st largest by area out of the 731 municipalities in Norway. Drevja Municipality was the 641st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,010. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 10.1% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The municipality of Drevja was established on 1 July 1927 when the large Vefsn Municipality was divided into three municipalities: Drevja Municipality in the north, Grane Municipality in the south, and Vefsn Municipality in the center.During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, Drevja Municipality was merged with the neighboring Elsfjord Municipality and Vefsn Municipality to form a new, larger Vefsn Municipality.
During the German occupation of Norway, the occupiers operated a subcamp of the Stalag 380 prisoner-of-war camp in Drevja.
Etymology
The municipality was named after the river Drevja which flows from the lake Drevvatnet to the Vefsnfjorden. The name of the river is derived from the word drav which means "rubbish" or "waste". Thus the meaning of the name is something like "the river with unclean water".Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish within Drevja Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Vefsn prestegjeld and the Indre Helgeland prosti in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.| Parish | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Drevja | Drevja Church | Nillskogen | 1883 |
Geography
The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Lukttinden on the border with Elsfjord Municipality.Government
While it existed, Drevja 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 Hålogaland Court of Appeal.Municipal council
The municipal council of Drevja 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 Drevja Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:- 1927–1931: Sigvald Almlid
- 1932–1934: Ole Justad
- 1935–1940: Martin Hvidsten
- 1941–1942: Ottar Almlid
- 1943–1945: Egil Brattbakk
- 1945–1946: Martin Hvidsten
- 1946–1951: Carl P. Schancke
- 1952–1956: Thorvald Enge
- 1956–1957: Ottar Almlid
- 1958–1959: Martin Hvidsten
- 1960–1961: Ole J. Slåttrem