Søndeled is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Risør Municipality in the traditional district of Østre Agder in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Søndeled at the innermost part of the Søndeledfjorden. Other villages in Søndeled included Stamsøy, Akland, Moen, Bossvika, and Sivik.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 383rd largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Søndeled Municipality was the 288th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 1.1% over the previous 10-year period.
General information Administrative history The parish of "Østerrisør landdistrikt" was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). It was called Østerrisør () to distinguish itself from Vesterrisør (). It was called a "landdistrikt" because it was the rural district surrounding the neighboring town of Østerrisør. In 1865, the name was changed to Søndeled Municipality.
On 1 January 1867, an uninhabited part of Søndeled Municipality was transferred to the neighboring Dybvaag Municipality. Later, on 1 January 1901, a small urban area of eastern Søndeled Municipality (population: 658) was transferred to the neighboring town of Risør.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Søndeled Municipality (population: ) was dissolved and merged with Risør Municipality (population: ) to form an enlarged Risør Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local Søndeledfjorden () since the first Søndeled Church was built there. The first element is the plural genitive case of the word which means "sound" or "strait". The last element is the plural form of which means "way" or "path". Thus, the name means something like the "paths between the straits".
Churches The Church of Norway had two parishes () within Søndeled Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Søndeled prestegjeld and the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Søndeled MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtIndre SøndeledIndre Søndeled ChurchSøndeledYtre SøndeledYtre Søndeled ChurchFrydendal (just outsidethe town of Risør)1878
Geography The municipality encompassed the land around the Søndeledfjorden. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Espehaugen, located near the border with Vegårshei Municipality. Sannidal Municipality (in Telemark county) was located to the north, Skåtøy Municipality (in Telemark county) was located to the northeast, the Skagerrak was located to the east, Risør Municipality was an enclave located in the eastern part of Søndeled Municipality, Tvedestrand Municipality was located to the south, Vegårshei Municipality was located to the west, and Gjerstad Municipality was located to the northwest.
Government While it existed, Søndeled 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 Holt District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Søndeled Municipality was made up of 25 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 Søndeled Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1838–1839: Hovor Halvorsen Akland 1840–1841: Halvor Olsen Stamsø 1842–1845: Hovor Halvorsen Akland 1846–1849: Halvor Mogensen Akland 1850–1853: Hovor Halvorsen Akland 1854–1855: Halvor Mogensen Akland 1856–1859: Halvor Olsen Stamsø 1859–1879: Ole Torjesen Lindstøl 1880–1881: Anders Hovorsen Moland 1882–1883: Gregers Tengelsen Øia 1884–1885: Ole Eriksen Skjelsø 1886–1891: Halvor Halvorsen Stamsø 1892–1895: Peder Tjøstelsen Aas 1896–1900: Tallak Lindstøl 1901–1902: Hovor Andersen Moland 1902–1904: Peder Tjøstelsen Aas 1905–1910: Hovor Andersen Moland 1911–1914: Halvor Gundersen Homme 1914–1916: Ole Johnsen Egeland 1917–1919: Lars Løkketangen 1920–1922: Halvor Gundersen Homme 1923–1928: Lars Løkketangen 1929–1931: Guttorm Moland 1932–1934: Anders Dørsdal 1935–1940: Anders Sletten 1941–1942: Ingvald Urfjell 1943–1944: Tjøstel Skjeldsø 1945–1945: Ingvald Urfjell 1945–1945: Anders Sletten 1946–1955: Ola Røysland 1956–1963: Jakob Vik
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links Søndeled 1960 census and map of the municipality (page 4)