Åkra Municipality

Åkra Municipality
Åkra herred
Former municipality
Aakra herred  (historic name)
Aakre herred  (historic name)
View of the Åkra coastline
View of the Åkra coastline
Rogaland within Norway
Rogaland within Norway
Åkra within Rogaland
Åkra within Rogaland
Coordinates: 59°15′30″N 05°10′55″E / 59.25833°N 5.18194°E / 59.25833; 5.18194
CountryNorway
CountyRogaland
DistrictHaugaland
Established1 Jan 1892
 • Preceded bySkudenes Municipality
Disestablished1 Jan 1965
 • Succeeded byKarmøy Municipality
Administrative centreÅkrehamn
Government
 • Mayor (1963–1964)Torgils Grindhaug (LL)
Area
 (upon dissolution)
 • Total
33.4 km2 (12.9 sq mi)
 • Rank#483 in Norway
Highest elevation
[1]
97 m (318 ft)
Population
 (1964)
 • Total
5,824
 • Rank#161 in Norway
 • Density174.4/km2 (452/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +9.8%
DemonymÅkrabu[2]
Official language
[3]
 • Norwegian formNeutral[4]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1149[5]
Data from Statistics Norway

Åkra is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The 33.4-square-kilometre (12.9 sq mi) municipality existed from 1892 until its dissolution in 1965. The area is now part of Karmøy Municipality in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre was the village of Åkrehamn. Other villages in the municipality included Veavågen and Sævelandsvik.[6]

Prior to its dissolution in 1965, the 33.4-square-kilometre (12.9 sq mi) municipality was the 483rd largest by area out of the 525 municipalities in Norway. Åkra Municipality was the 161st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 5,824. The municipality's population density was 174.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (452/sq mi) and its population had increased by 9.8% over the previous 10-year period.[7][8]

General information

View of the Åkra coastline
View of the Old Åkra Church

The municipality of Aakre (later spelled Åkra) was established on 1 January 1892 when Skudenes Municipality was divided into two: the northern part (population: 1,962) became the new Aakre Municipality and the southern part (population: 2,732) remained as a smaller Skudenes Municipality.[9]

On 1 January 1965, Åkra Municipality (population: 6,008) was dissolved upon recommendations of the Schei Committee and its lands were merged with the following areas to form the new Karmøy Municipality:[9]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Aakre farm (Old Norse: Akrar) since the first Åkra Church was built there. The name comes from the plural form of akr which means "field" or "acre".[10]

Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Aakre. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Aakra.[11] On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Aakra with the digraph "Aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Åkra, using the letter Å instead.[12][13]

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Åkra Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Kopervik prestegjeld and the Karmsund prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.[8]

Churches in Åkra Municipality
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
ÅkraÅkra ChurchÅkrehamn1985
Old Åkra ChurchÅkrehamn1821

Geography

Åkra Municipality included the western central portions of the island of Karmøy. The highest point in the municipality was the 97-metre (318 ft) tall mountain Rossafjellet.[1] Stangaland Municipality was located to the north and east, Skudenes Municipality was located to the south, and Utsira Municipality was located to the west.

Government

While it existed, Åkra Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), 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.[14] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Karmsund District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Åkra Municipality was made up of 25 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Åkra herredsstyre 1963–1965 [15]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 25
Total number of members:25
Note: On 1 January 1965, Åkra Municipality became part of Karmøy Municipality.
Åkra herredsstyre 1959–1963 [16]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 17
Total number of members:25
Åkra herredsstyre 1955–1959 [17]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 4
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 21
Total number of members:25
Åkra herredsstyre 1951–1955 [18]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 10
Total number of members:16
Åkra herredsstyre 1947–1951 [19]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 8
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 2
Total number of members:16
Åkra herredsstyre 1945–1947 [20]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 10
Total number of members:16
Åkra herredsstyre 1937–1941* [21]  
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) 9
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 1
Total number of members:16
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Mayors

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Åkra Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:[22]

  • 1892–1897: Jakob E. Midhaug
  • 1898–1907: Peder O. Vea
  • 1908–1910: Didrik S. Vea
  • 1911–1913: Rasmus S. Tjøsvold
  • 1914–1916: Bendik Mannæs
  • 1917–1917: Edvard Svendsen Vea
  • 1918–1919: Bendik Mannæs
  • 1920–1925: Edvard Svendsen Vea[23]
  • 1926–1931: Govert Grindhaug[24]
  • 1932–1934: Lars K. Munkejord[25]
  • 1935–1937: Henrik Ringdal[26]
  • 1938–1941: Lars Tvedt[27]
  • 1942–1942: Olav Åsen[28]
  • 1943–1943: Ivar Kvale[29]
  • 1944–1945: Helmer Grindheim[30]
  • 1945–1945: Lars Tvedt (H)
  • 1945–1947: Einar Andreassen (Ap)[31]
  • 1947–1951: Henrik Ringdal[32]
  • 1951–1955: Einar Andreassen (Ap)[33]
  • 1955–1959: Torgils Grindhaug (LL)[34]
  • 1959–1961: Einar Andreassen (Ap)[35]
  • 1961–1963: Søren Vermundsen[36]
  • 1963–1964: Torgils Grindhaug (LL)[37]

Attractions

The Old Åkra Church (Åkra gamle kyrkje) dates back to 1821. It was built of wood and has 320 seats. The church was restored in 1852 and 1899. Rogaland Fishery Museum (Rogaland Fiskerimuseum) is situated on the harbor in Åkrehamn. It contains a restored herring works with a collection of artifacts and equipment associated with the local fishing and shipping industries.[38][39]

Notable people

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Kart over Norge" (in Norwegian). Kartverket.
  2. ↑ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  3. ↑ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  4. ↑ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1932. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 453–471. 1932.
  5. ↑ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (9 January 2024). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon.
  6. ↑ Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (26 November 2024). "Åkra (tidligere kommune)". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 8 March 2026.
  7. ↑ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  8. 1 2 Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 1951). Norges Sivile, Geistlige, Rettslige og Militære Inndeling 1. Januar 1951 (PDF). Norges Offisielle Statistikk (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: H. Aschehoug & Co.
  9. 1 2 Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: periodical has ISBN (link)
  10. ↑ Rygh, Oluf (1915). Norske gaardnavne: Stavanger amt (in Norwegian) (10 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri.
  11. ↑ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1917. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norge: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 1057–1065. 1917.
  12. ↑ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1917. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 1000. 1917.
  13. ↑ Den Nye rettskrivning : regler og ordlister (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norge: Den Mallingske Boktrykkeri. 1918.
  14. ↑ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  15. ↑ "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  16. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  17. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  20. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  22. ↑ Grude, Joakim (1919). Amtsformandskabet i Stavanger Amt 1838-1918 (in Norwegian). Stavanger: Dreyers Grafiske Ansalt.
  23. ↑ "Ordførere i Rogaland fylke med ladesteder". Stavanger aftenblad (in Norwegian). 6 January 1920. p. 4. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  24. ↑ "Rogalands ordførere for perioden 1926-28". Stavanger Aftenblad (in Norwegian). 6 February 1926. p. 5. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  25. ↑ "Lars K. Munkejord". Stavangeren (in Norwegian). 8 December 1931. p. 2. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  26. ↑ "Rogaland Fylkesting". DigitaltMuseum (in Norwegian). Dalane Folkemuseum. 1935. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  27. ↑ "De valgte ordførere i vaare herreder". Haugesunds Dagblad (in Norwegian). 3 January 1938. p. 2. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  28. ↑ "En rekke nye ordførere utnevnt i Nord-Rogaland". Haugesunds Dagblad (in Norwegian). 2 January 1942. p. 3. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  29. ↑ "Flere nye ordførere og varaordførere i Rogaland". Haugesunds Avis (in Norwegian). 29 December 1942. p. 4. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  30. ↑ "Nyoppnevninger av ordførere og varaordførere i Rogaland fylke". Haugesunds-Pressen (in Norwegian). 10 January 1945. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 10 February 2026.
  31. ↑ "Einar Andreassen ny ordfører i Åkra". Haugesunds Dagblad (in Norwegian). 31 December 1945. p. 10. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  32. ↑ "Bare 5 ordførere gjenvalgt i Nord-Rogaland hittil". Haugesunds Dagblad (in Norwegian). 24 December 1947. p. 2. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  33. ↑ "Einar Andreassen ny ordfører i Åkra". 1ste Mai (in Norwegian). 29 December 1951. p. 8. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  34. ↑ "Torgils Grindhaug ny ordfører i Åkra". Haugesunds Dagblad (in Norwegian). 28 December 1955. p. 8. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  35. ↑ "Einar Andreassen ordfører i Åkra". Rogalands Avis (in Norwegian). 31 December 1959. p. 16. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  36. ↑ "Søren Vermundsen ny ordfører i Åkra". Haugesunds Avis (in Norwegian). 30 December 1961. p. 2. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  37. ↑ "Torgils Grindhaug ble den ny ordfører i Åkra med Lars Tvedt som varaordfører". Haugesunds Avis (in Norwegian). 31 December 1963. p. 2. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
  38. ↑ "Karmøy". GoNorway.com.
  39. ↑ Falkeid, Kolbein (1999). Haugalandet: Ferd i folk og natur. Wigestrand Forlag.

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