Hafslo is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1963. The area is now part of Luster Municipality in the traditional district of Sogn in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the village of Hafslo. Other villages in the municipality included Kinsedalen, Ornes, and Kroken (on the south side of the fjord and the villages of Solvorn, Joranger, and Veitastrond on the north side of the Lustrafjorden.
Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the municipality was the 164th largest by area out of the 705 municipalities in Norway. Hafslo Municipality was the 383rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 10.7% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The parish of Hafslo was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Hafslo Municipality (population: 2,384) was merged with the neighboring Luster Municipality (population: 2,674) and Jostedal Municipality (population: 796) to form a new, larger Luster Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hafslo farm () since the first Hafslo Church was built there. The first element is the old male name , the name is identical with the word which means "male goat". The last element is which means "clearing" or "meadow", probably due to the excellent farming areas nearby.
Churches The Church of Norway had four parishes () within Hafslo Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Hafslo prestegjeld and the Indre Sogn prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
Churches in Hafslo MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtFetFet ChurchFet1894HafsloHafslo ChurchHafslo1878Veitastrond ChapelVeitastrond1928JorangerJoranger ChurchJoranger1660SolvornSolvorn ChurchSolvorn1883Urnes Stave ChurchOrnes1130
Geography The municipality surrounded the lakes Hafslovatnet and Veitastrondvatnet. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Høgste Breakulen on the Jostedalsbreen glacier and on the border with Stryn Municipality.
Innvik Municipality and Stryn Municipality were located to the north, Luster Municipality was to the east, Årdal Municipality was to the southeast, Sogndal Municipality was to the south, Balestrand Municipality was to the west, and Jølster Municipality was to the northwest.
Government While it existed, Hafslo 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 Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Hafslo Municipality was made up of 21 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 Hafslo Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people held this position:
1838–1839: Ola Trondsen Lid 1840–1847: E.J. Falkegjerde 1848–1859: Einar Joranger 1860–1877: Samuel M. Bugge 1878–1881: Einar Joranger 1882–1885: Samuel M. Bugge 1886–1895: Ola I. Hillestad 1896–1898: Anders J. Tørvi 1899–1904: Erik Nitter Walaker 1905–1907: Samuel O. Moe 1908–1910: Erik Nitter Walaker 1911–1919: Ola I. Joranger 1920–1922: Wilken Nitter Walaker 1923–1928: Ivar O. Hillestad 1929–1931: Torstein Molland 1932–1937: J.W. Fraas 1938–1942: Torstein Molland 1942–1944: Amund Bremer 1945–1945: Torstein Molland 1946–1947: Ola Sjøtun 1948–1961: Einar Kjos 1961–1963: Hans H. Sjøtun
Media gallery
Notable people Sylfest Lomheim (born 1945), a Norwegian linguist Jens Sterri (born 1923), a civil servant Kjellfred Weum (born 1940), a hurdler
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References