Skodje Municipality
Skodje is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1849 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now part of Ålesund Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnmøre. The administrative centre was the village of Skodje. The other main village in the municipality was Valle. The European Route E39/E136 highway runs through the municipality, connecting it to the nearby cities of Ålesund and Molde.
Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the municipality was the 365th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Skodje Municipality was the 209th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 4,764. The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 22.1% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The municipality of Skodje was established in 1849 when the large Borgund Municipality was divided into two: the eastern part became the new Skoue Municipality and the western part remained as Borgund Municipality. On 1 January 1902, Skodje Municipality was divided into two: the northern part became the new Vatne Municipality and the southern part remained as a smaller Skodje Municipality.During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, there was a merger between three neighbors: Stordal Municipality in the south, Ørskog Municipality in the centre, and Skodje Municipality in the north, creating a new, larger Ørskog Municipality. This was merger was short-lived. On 1 January 1977, the merger was reversed all three municipalities were separated once again. This left the newly reconstituted Skodje Municipality with a population of 2,634.
On 1 January 2020, Skodje Municipality was merged with Haram Municipality, Ørskog Municipality, Sandøy Municipality, and Ålesund Municipality to form a new, larger Ålesund Municipality.
Name
The municipality is named after the old Skodje farm since the first Skodje Church was built there. The first element comes from the word which has an unknown meaning. The last element is which means "meadow" or "pasture". Before 1879, the name was written Skoue.Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 June 1987 and they were in use until the municipality was dissolved on 1 January 2020. The official blazon is "Vert, an arched embattled bridge Or". This means the arms have a green field and the charge is an arched bridge design. 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 design was meant to mimic the local Skodje Bridge, a very old bridge which crosses over the Straumen river, a major architectural feat at its time. The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish within Skodje Municipality. It was part of the Austre [Sunnmøre prosti] in the Diocese of Møre.| Parish | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Skodje | Skodje Church | Skodje | 1860 |
Geography
The municipality of Skodje shared land borders with Haram Municipality to the north, Vestnes Municipality to the northeast, Ørskog Municipality to the southeast, and Ålesund Municipality to the west. Across the Storfjorden to the south was Sykkylven Municipality. Skodje Municipality was located on the mainland and also on part of the island of Uksenøya, plus many small surrounding islands. The Ellingsøyfjorden cut into the municipality from the west. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Frostadtinden, a tripoint on the border of Skodje Municipality, Vestnes Municipality, and Haram Municipality.Government
Skodje 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 Sunnmøre District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.Municipal council
The municipal council of Skodje Municipality is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.Mayors
The mayor of Skodje Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:- 1852–1853: Sivert Flaathe
- 1856–1869: Ludvig Daae
- 1870–1874: Christen Sorthe
- 1874–1877: Johan Slyngstad
- 1878–1879: Knud Stafset
- 1880–1881: Johan Slyngstad
- 1882–1885: Amund Skodje
- 1886–1891: Knud Stafset
- 1891–1892: Rasmus Hagen
- 1892–1893: Knud Stafset
- 1893–1895: Amund Skodje
- 1895–1897: Arne Langset
- 1898–1898: Knud Stafset
- 1898–1899: Rasmus Hagen
- 1899–1900: D. Liset
- 1901–1901: D. Hagen
- 1902–1902: Ole P. Klokk
- 1903–1912: Andreas Langnes
- 1913–1922: Lars J. Valde
- 1923–1924: Trygve Brusdal
- 1925–1925: Johan Salkjelsvik
- 1926–1928: Andreas Langnes
- 1929–1934: Lars J. Valde
- 1935–1941: Rasmus Øvstegård
- 1948–1961: Trygve Brusdal
- 1961–1965: Jostein Valde
- 1977–1983: Otto Berg
- 1983–1987: Torunn Möisæter
- 1987–1991: Haldor Aasebø
- 1991–1995: Per Stette
- 1995–2003: Ole Stokke
- 2003–2007: Terje Vadset
- 2007–2011: Modolf Hareide
- 2011–2015: Terje Vadset
- 2015–2019: Dag Olav Tennfjord