Borgund Municipality (Møre og Romsdal)

History

Establishment

The municipality of Borgund was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). According to the 1835 census, the municipality had a population of 3,754. In 1849, Borgund Municipality was divided into two parts: the eastern district including the parts on the mainland and the eastern part of Uksenøya island (population: 2,170) become the new Skodje Municipality and the western island district (population: 4,461) remained as a smaller Borgund Municipality.

On 1 January 1908, the islands of Giske, Godøya, and Valderøya in western Borgund (population: 1,708) were separated from the municipality to become the new Giske Municipality. The now smaller Borgund Municipality then had a population of 6,734. On 1 January 1916, a minor border adjustment took place were a small part of Skodje Municipality (population: 14) was transferred into Borgund Municipality. On 1 July 1958, a small part of Hareid Municipality on the island of Sula, with 68 inhabitants, was transferred into Borgund Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the northern part of Borgund Municipality (including the Gamlem, Søvik, and Grytastranda areas on the mainland and the islands of Bjørnøya, Terøya, and many small islands around them) with 1,191 inhabitants, was administratively transferred into the neighboring Haram Municipality to the north.

Incorporation into Ålesund

As part of the Schei Committee's report, it was recommended to merge Ålesund and Borgund. There was considerable debate on the incorporation into Ålesund and on what to name the new, larger municipality. The municipal council of Borgund Municipality opposed its own incorporation into Ålesund as worked out by the Schei Committee. However, when the Norwegian Parliament agreed to the incorporation, Borgund's municipal council passed a resolution that the new municipality be named Borgund instead of Ålesund. The case went to the Government of Norway, who drafted a resolution that the name Ålesund should be kept. In the Council of State of 10 March 1967, the cabinet Borten agreed to this, except for Per Borten, Kjell Bondevik, Bjarne Lyngstad, and Dagfinn Vårvik who formally dissented—to no avail. The name Ålesund was recommended, and the Norwegian Parliament passed it.

On 1 January 1968, Borgund Municipality (population: 20,132) ceased to exist when it was merged with the town of Ålesund (population: 18,457), creating the new Ålesund Municipality. It was the most populous municipality in Møre og Romsdal at the time.

On 1 January 1977, the island of Sula (previously a part of Borgund), was separated from Ålesund Municipality to constitute the new Sula Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Borgund farm () since the first Borgund Church was built there. The first element is which means "castle" or "fortified place". The last element is the suffix -und which means "rich" or "having a lot of something".

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Borgund Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Borgund prestegjeld and the Nordre Sunnmøre prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography

At the time of its dissolution, Borgund Municipality included the islands of Sula, Humla, Tørla, and Ellingsøya, as well as parts of Uksenøya, Hessa, and Nørve, plus many minor islands throughout the area. The highest point in the municipality was the 776.85 m tall mountain Vardane on the island of Sula. Giske Municipality and Vigra Municipality were located to the west, Haram Municipality was located to the north, and Vatne Municipality and Skodje Municipality were located to the east. Sykkylven Municipality and Vartdal Municipality were located to the south across the Storfjorden.

Government

While it existed, Borgund 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. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Borgund Municipality was made up of 41 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 Borgund Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

• 1838–1843: Ferdinand A. Hagerup
• 1843–1845: Ludvig Daae
• 1846–1852: Rasmus Arnet
• 1853–1857: E. Vaagaard
• 1858–1858: Ludvig Daae
• 1872–1893: Colben Aase
• 1893–1895: Johan Nilsen Hoff
• 1896–1913: Carsten Aase
• 1914–1919: L. Nørve
• 1919–1922: Hans Ingvald Hansen Ratvik (V)
• 1923–1925: Martinus Kalvøy
• 1926–1937: Hans Martinusen Blomvik
• 1937–1940: Hans Ingvald Hansen Ratvik (V)
• 1945–1945: Hans Ingvald Hansen Ratvik (V)
• 1946–1947: K. Rødstøl
• 1948–1967: Oddmund Sandvik

References

References

1. (1932). "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1932. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri.
2. (2024-01-16). "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune". [[Kartverket]].
3. {{Cite SNL. Borgund_-_Møre_og_Romsdal. Borgund (Møre og Romsdal). 2025-04-22. Thorsnæs. Geir. 2024-11-26
4. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)".
5. Statistisk sentralbyrå. (1951-01-01). "Norges Sivile, Geistlige, Rettslige og Militære Inndeling 1. Januar 1951". H. Aschehoug & Co..
6. Registreringssentral for historiske data. "Hjemmehørende folkemengde Møre og Romsdal 1801-1960". [[University of Tromsø]].
7. Jukvam, Dag. (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen". [[Statistics Norway.
8. Søberg, Morten. (2009). "Senatet som aldri vart". Det Norske Samlaget.
9. Rygh, Oluf. (1908). "Norske gaardnavne: Romsdals amt". W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri.
10. {{Cite SNL. kommunestyre. kommunestyre. 2024-12-31. Hansen. Tore. 2024-11-25
11. (1964). "Kommunevalgene 1963". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
12. (1960). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
13. (1957). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
14. (1952). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
15. (1948). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
16. (1947). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
17. (1938). "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937". Statistisk sentralbyrå.
18. Ratvik, Hans. (1937). "Borgund kommune, 1837-1937: minneskrift". Borgund kommunen.
19. (1957-12-20). "Sandvik gjenvalgt i Borgund". [[Tidens Krav]].