Tjøtta Municipality
Tjøtta is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1862 until its dissolution in 1965. The municipality was centered around the island of Tjøtta plus the mainland to the east and south as well as over 3000 islands, islets, and skerries to the west. The administrative centre of Tjøtta was the village of Tjøtta, located on the island of Tjøtta, where the Tjøtta Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1965, the municipality was the 262nd largest by area out of the 525 municipalities in Norway. Tjøtta Municipality was the 423rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,747. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 21% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The municipality of Tjøtta was established in 1862 when it was separated from Alstahaug Municipality. Initially, Tjøtta Municipality had a population of 2,781. On 1 July 1917, the southeastern district of Tjøtta Municipality was separated to become the new Vevelstad Municipality, leaving Tjøtta with 2,287 inhabitants. On 1 July 1920 the Giskåen farm with 10 inhabitants was transferred to Vevelstad Municipality.During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the part of Tjøtta Municipality located on the eastern part of the island of Alsta was incorporated into Leirfjord Municipality. On 1 January 1965, the Skogsholmen island area in western Tjøtta was incorporated into Vega Municipality. The rest of Tjøtta Municipality was merged with most of Alstahaug Municipality and the town of Sandnessjøen to form a new, larger Alstahaug Municipality.
Name
The municipality is named after the old Tjøtta farm since the first Tjøtta Church was built there. The name of the farm comes from the word which is a noun describing the "upper part of a thigh". The name was likely used to refer to the shape of the island.Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish within Tjøtta Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Tjøtta prestegjeld and the Nord-Helgeland prosti in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.| Parish | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Tjøtta | Tjøtta Church | Tjøtta | 1867 |
| Tjøtta | Skålvær Church | Skålværet | 1851 |
Geography
The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Valtinden, on the border with Vefsn Municipality.Government
While it existed, Tjøtta 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 Tjøtta 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 Tjøtta 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:- 1889–1902: J.M.G. Hansen
- 1902–1920: Ole E. Paasche
- 1920–1922: J.M.G. Hansen
- 1923–1926: Ole E. Paasche
- 1926–1940: Johan A. Myklebost
- 1940–1941: J.B. Jakobsen
- 1941–1943: Leiv Eikeland
- 1943–1944: Jørgen Bang
- 1945–1945: Olav Andreassen
- 1945–1947: Petter Olav Johnsen Liland
- 1947–1951: Olav Andreassen
- 1951–1955: Petter Olav Johnsen Liland
- 1955–1959: Johan Arnt Myklebost
- 1959–1959: Andreas Lisøy
- 1959–1963: Erling Flokkmann
- 1963–1965: Petter Olav Johnsen Liland