Laudal is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1899 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Lindesnes Municipality in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Laudal where Laudal Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 524th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Laudal Municipality was the 671st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 21.4% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The municipality of Laudal was established on 1 January 1899 when the old Øyslebø og Laudal Municipality was divided into two: the northern district (population: 836) became the new Laudal Municipality and the southern district (population: 991) became the new Øyslebø Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Laudal Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form the new Marnardal Municipality: all of Laudal Municipality (population: ) most of Bjelland Municipality (population: ) most of Øyslebø Municipality (population: ), except for the Brunvatne area which became part of Søgne Municipality the small Kleveland Bru area of Finsland Municipality (population: ), with the rest of Finsland becoming part of the new Songdalen Municipality
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Laudal farm () since the first Laudal Church was built there. The first element of the name of the farm comes from the old name for the river, Laug, (now the Lågåna river). The old river name is identical to the word which means "bath". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". Therefore, the name means the bath river valley. Historically, the name was spelled Løvdal, using a more archaic spelling of the same name.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Laudal Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Holum prestegjeld and the Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Laudal MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtLaudalLaudal ChurchLaudal1826
Geography The municipality was located in the Mandalen valley, through which the river Mandalselva flows. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Drivåsen, on the border with Øyslebø Municipality. Bjelland Municipality was located to the north, Finsland Municipality was located to the east, Øyslebø Municipality was located to the southeast, Vigmostad Municipality was located to the southwest, and Konsmo Municipality was located to the west.
Government While it existed, Laudal 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 Mandal District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Laudal Municipality was made up of 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 Laudal Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1899–1904: Knut Tobiassen Lauvdal 1904–1910: Ole O. Fidje 1911–1922: Knut Tobiassen Lauvdal 1922–1928: Gase Haraldstad 1928–1934: Aanen Haraldstad (Bp) 1934–1937: Ole Kristian Fidje (Bp) 1937–1940: Aanen Haraldstad (Bp) 1941–1943: Bjørgulf Rygnastad (NS) 1943–1945: Bjørn Homme (NS) 1945–1945: Gase Haraldstad 1946–1947: Søren Skuland (Ap) 1948–1959: Jørgen Fjellestad (Bp) 1959–1963: Alf Tjomsland (Sp)
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links 1960 census and map of the municipality