Skåtøy (; ) is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1882 until its dissolution in 1960. The area is now part of Kragerø Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Skåtøy on the island of Skåtøy where the Skåtøy Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1960, the municipality was the 517th largest by area out of the 743 municipalities in Norway. Skåtøy Municipality was the 278th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 1.8% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
Administrative history The municipality of Skaatø (later spelled Skåtøy) was established on 1 January 1882 when Sandøkedal Municipality was divided into two: the southeastern coastal and island district (population: ) became the new Skaatø Municipality and the northwestern district (population: ) continued as a smaller Sandøkedal Municipality.
On 1 January 1891, an area of Skaatø Municipality (population: 809) that was adjacent to the growing town of Kragerø was annexed and transferred from Skaatø Municipality to Kragerø Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, Sannidal Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form an enlarged Kragerø Municipality:
all of Skåtøy Municipality (population: ) all of Kragerø Municipality (population: ) all of Sannidal Municipality (population: )
Name The municipality is named after the old Skåtøy prestegjeld. The prestegjeld was named after the island of Skåtøy () since the first Skåtøy Church was built there. The first element is identical to the word which means "overhang" or "projection of land". The last element is identical to the word which means "island".
Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Skaatø. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Skaatøy. The letter y was added to the end of the word to "Norwegianize" the name ( is the Danish word for "island" and is the Norwegian word). On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Skaatøy with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Skåtøy, using the letter å instead.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Skåtøy Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Skåtøy prestegjeld and the Bamble prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Skåtøy MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtSkåtøySkåtøy ChurchSkåtøy1862Levang ChapelStøle1892
Geography The municipality included the coastal lands surrounding the town of Kragerø on the mainland plus many surrounding islands. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Lovisenbergkollen. Bamble Municipality was located to the north, the Skagerrak was located to the east and south, Søndeled Municipality (in Aust-Agder county) was located to the southwest, Sannidal Municipality was located to the west, and the town of Kragerø was located as an enclave in the central part of Skåtøy Municipality.
Government While it existed, Skåtøy 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 Kragerø District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Skåtøy 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 Skåtøy Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1882–1887: Henrik Pedersen 1888–1889: Hartvig Pedersen 1890–1893: Peder Rinde (V) 1894–1897: Ole Sartz 1898–1909: Nils O. Olsen 1909–1912: Lars Nilsen Midgaard (V) 1912–1917: C.A. Larsen 1917–1923: Halvor Levang 1923–1925: Lars Jørgensen 1926–1928: Paul J. Nilssen 1929–1933: Lars Jørgensen 1933–1941: Karl Ørvik (V) 1941–1943: Hartvik Kjønnås (NS) 1943–1945: Knut F. Gumø (NS) 1945–1945: Karl Ørvik (V) 1946–1951: Sverre Masterød (Ap) 1951–1960: Arne Midgaard (Ap)
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References