Haus Municipality
Haus is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now divided between Osterøy Municipality and Bergen Municipality in the traditional district of Nordhordland in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the village of Haus where Haus Church is located. Other villages in the municipality included Indre Arna, Ytre Arna, Trengereid, and Espeland.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 372nd largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Haus Municipality was the 60th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about. The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 16.4% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The parish of Haus was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. On 1 January 1870, the municipality was divided: the northeastern half became the new Bruvik Municipality and the rest of the municipality remained as a smaller Haus Municipality.During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Haus Municipality was dissolved and its lands were divided. The part of Haus Municipality that was situated on the island of Osterøy was transferred to the new Osterøy Municipality and the remaining part of Haus formed the new Arna Municipality.
Name
The municipality is named after the old Haus farm since the first Haus Church was built there. The name is identical with the word which means "skull". It is likely referring to the shape of a nearby mountain. Historically, the name was spelled Hougs.Churches
The Church of Norway had three parishes within Haus Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Haus prestegjeld and the Osterøy prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.| Parish | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Haus | Haus Church | Hausvik | 1874 |
| Arna | Arna Church | Indre Arna | 1865 |
| Arna | Arna Chapel | Ytre Arna | 1899 |
| Gjerstad | Gjerstad Church | Gjerstad | 1870 |
Geography
The municipality encompassed the southern part of the island of Osterøy as well as the mainland area across the Sørfjorden from the island to the east, south, and west. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Gullfjelltoppen, located on the border with Samnanger Municipality.Hosanger Municipality was located to the north, Bruvik Municipality was located to the east, Samnanger Municipality was located to the southeast, Fana Municipality was located to the south, the city of Bergen was located to the southwest, Åsane Municipality was located to the west, and Hamre Municipality was located to the northwest.
Government
While it existed, Haus 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 Haus Municipality was made up of 37 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 Haus Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people held this position:- 1838–1839: J.C. Hammer
- 1840–1845: Julius Christopher Hansen
- 1846–1847: Johannes O. Veseth
- 1848–1851: J.C. Hammer
- 1852–1853: Ole J. Borge
- 1854–1857: J.C. Hammer
- 1858–1859: C. Jul Hammer
- 1860–1861: Anders J. Sandvig
- 1862–1863: Peter Jebsen
- 1864–1869: John L. Rognved
- 1870–1873: E. Meier
- 1874–1875: Mons J. Vevle
- 1876–1885: John L. Rognved
- 1886–1895: Ole J. Veseth
- 1896–1904: Magne J. Rognved
- 1905–1907: Ole J. Mjelde
- 1908–1910: Magne J. Rognved
- 1911–1919: Anders O. Sundland
- 1920–1925: Johan E. Rognved
- 1926–1934: Anders O. Sundland
- 1935–1937: Johan E. Rognved
- 1937–1937: Johan Garnes
- 1938–1940: G. Adolf Andersen
- 1945–1945: G. Adolf Andersen
- 1946–1947: Nils Garnes
- 1948–1951: Henrik A. Holsen
- 1952–1955: Hjalmar Romslo
- 1956–1964: Johannes Holmefjord