Hjørundfjord Municipality


Hjørundfjord is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Ørsta Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnmøre. The administrative centre was the village of Sæbø, located on the shores of the Hjørundfjorden. The villages of Bjørke, Leira, and Store Standal were all a part Hjørundfjord Municipality.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 204th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Hjørundfjord Municipality was the 480th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,776. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 3.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality was established on 1 January 1838. The original municipality was the same as the prestegjeld of Hjørundfjord. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Hjørundfjord Municipality, Vartdal Municipality, and Ørsta Municipality were merged to form a new, larger Ørsta Municipality.

Name

The municipality is named after the local Hjørundfjorden. The first element is the old name of the fjord,. This origin of this name is uncertain, but it may have come from the word which means "sword". The last element is which means "fjord".

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish within Hjørundfjord Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Hjørundfjord prestegjeld and the Søre Sunnmøre prosti in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
HjørundfjordHjørundfjord ChurchSæbø1880

Geography

The municipality encircled both sides of the Hjørundfjorden as well as the Bondalen valley. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Smørskredtindane, whose peak was located about from the border with Stranda Municipality. Vartdal Municipality was located to the northwest, Ørsta Municipality was located to the west, Volda Municipality was located to the southwest, Hornindal Municipality was located to the south, Sunnylven Municipality was located to the southeast, Stranda Municipality was located to the east, and Sykkylven Municipality was located to the northeast.

Government

While it existed, Hjørundfjord 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 Hjørundfjord 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 Hjørundfjord Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
  • 1838–1851: Hans Olsen Stokke
  • 1852–1853: Ole Olsen Saure
  • 1854–1857: Ole Torstensen Standal
  • 1858–1859: Edvard Storm Munch
  • 1870–1898: Paul Andreas Jetmundsen Aklestad
  • 1899–1899: Arne Eliasson Grønningsæter
  • 1900–1907: Ole Christian Larsson Tvergrov
  • 1908–1916: John Olson Standal
  • 1917–1919: Jetmund Jakobson Skjaastad
  • 1920–1922: Ole Karlsen Tryggeseth
  • 1923–1931: Bernt Ingebriktson Håndlykken
  • 1932–1934: Knut Jonson Standal
  • 1935–1941: Elias Christian Fanneløb
  • 1941–1942: Trygve Nilsen
  • 1942–1945: Ola O. Skylstad
  • 1945–1945: Karl A. Tryggeseth
  • 1946–1959: Johannes Bjøringsøy
  • 1960–1963: Jakob E. Øye

Notable people