Valsøyfjord Municipality
Valsøyfjord is a former municipality that was located in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1894 until 1965. The municipality included the land surrounding the Valsøyfjorden and its entrance at the Arasvikfjorden in the present-day Aure Municipality and Heim Municipality. The main church for the municipality, Valsøyfjord Church was located in the village of Valsøyfjord. The administrative centre was the village of Engan. Other villages in the municipality included Arasvika, Valsøybotn, and Hjellnes.
Prior to its dissolution in 1965, the municipality was the 366th largest by area out of the 525 municipalities in Norway. Valsøyfjord Municipality was the 469th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,262. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 11.7% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The municipality of Valsøyfjord was established on 1 January 1894 when the larger Aure Municipality was divided into two municipalities: Aure Municipality in the north and Valsøyfjord Municipality in the south. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, Valsøyfjord Municipality was abolished and its land was divided between two neighboring municipalities. The parts of Valsøyfjord Municipality on the island of Ertvågøya was merged with Aure Municipality and the rest of Valsøyfjord Municipality was merged with Halsa Municipality.Name
The municipality is named after the local Valsøyfjorden. The fjord is named after the island of Valsøya which is located in the mouth of the fjord. The first element of both names comes from which means "meadow" or "flat ground". The last element of the island's name is which means "island". The last element of the old fjord name is which means "fjord". Thus, Valsøyfjord means something like the "meadow island fjord". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Valsøfjorden. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Valsøyfjord, adding a "y" and removing the definite form ending -en.Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish within Valsøyfjord Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Aure prestegjeld and the Sør-Fosen prosti in the Diocese of Nidaros.| Parish | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Valsøyfjord | Valsøyfjord Church | Valsøyfjord | 1864 |
Geography
Valsøyfjord Municipality included a small part of island of Ertvågøya and the whole island of Valsøya as well areas on the mainland. The municipality surrounded the Valsøyfjorden as well as land on Ertvågøya on the north side of the Arasvikfjorden. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Hjelmen on the border with Halsa Municipality and Åsskard Municipality.Government
While it existed, Valsøyfjord 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 Valsøyfjord 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 Valsøyfjord 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:- 1894-1895: Arnt Andersen Todal
- 1896-1897: Eisten L. Fjærli
- 1898-1899: Johannes Jacobsen Valsø
- 1900-1900: Peder Andersen Todal
- 1901-1901: Johannes Jacobsen Valsø
- 1902-1903: Arent Todal
- 1904-1913: Johannes Jacobsen Valsø
- 1913-1916: Augustinus T. Hestnes
- 1916-1928: Nils Johansen Hestnes
- 1929-1942: Lars Sandnes
- 1942-1945: Gjert Valsø
- 1945-1945: Lars Sandnes
- 1945-1964: Marius A. Wæge