Ullsfjord (historically: Sørfjord) is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1902 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in what is now the eastern part of Tromsø Municipality and the southwestern part of Lyngen Municipality. The municipality encompassed the area surrounding the Ullsfjorden between Tromsø and Lyngen municipalities. The administrative centre was the village of Sjursnes where Ullsfjord Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 150th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Ullsfjord Municipality was the 406th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 2,208. The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 3.7% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
Sørfjord Municipality (re-named Ullsfjord Municipality in 1908) was established on 1 January 1902 when Lyngen Municipality was divided in two: the western part (population: 1,139) became Sørfjord Municipality and the eastern part (population: 5,102) remained as Lyngen Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality ceased to exist and its land was divided as follows: The Svensby area (population: 171) was merged with the old Lyngen Municipality (population: 2,761) and all of the mainland parts of the old Karlsøy Municipality (population: 1,001) for form a new, larger Lyngen Municipality. The rest of what was Ullsfjord (population: 2,019) was merged with the city of Tromsø (population: 12,602), all of Tromsøysund Municipality (population: 16,727), and the parts of Hillesøy Municipality on the island of Kvaløya (population: 1,316) to form a new, larger Tromsø Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Sørfjorden, a local fjord. The first element is which means "southern". The last element is which means "fjord". This "southern fjord" is referring to a branch off the larger Ullsfjorden. Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Sørfjorden. On 6 January 1908, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sørfjord.
On 16 July 1937, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Ullsfjord effective 1 October 1937. This new name is the same as the local Ullsfjorden. The first element comes from the name , a god from ancient Germanic paganism. The last element is which means "fjord". Thus it is the "fjord of Ullr".
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Ullsfjord Municipality. It was part of the Tromsøysund prestegjeld and the Indre Troms prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.
Churches in Ullsfjord MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtUllsfjordUllsfjord ChurchSjursnes1862
Geography The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Jiehkkevárri which was located on the municipal boundary between Ullsfjord Municipality and Lyngen Municipality.
Government While it existed, Ullsfjord 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 Hålogaland Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Ullsfjord 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 Ullsfjord Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:
1902–1907: Thomas Olsen 1908–1922: Rasmus Hansen 1923–1925: Jens Holmboe Giæver 1926–1931: Rasmus Hansen 1932–1941: Hans Kristian Hauan (Ap) 1941–1945: Ewald Storvand 1945–1948: Hans Kristian Hauan (Ap) 1948–1951: Ole Olsen 1952–1963: Hans Kristian Hauan (Ap)
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References