Åsen (municipality)

Åsen Municipality
Åsen kommune
Former municipality
Aasen herred  (historic name)
The area surrounding the village of Åsen
The area surrounding the village of Åsen
Nord-Trøndelag within Norway
Nord-Trøndelag within Norway
Åsen within Nord-Trøndelag
Åsen within Nord-Trøndelag
Coordinates: 63°36′29″N 11°03′06″E / 63.60806°N 11.05167°E / 63.60806; 11.05167
CountryNorway
CountyNord-Trøndelag
DistrictInnherred
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Disestablished1 Jan 1962
 • Succeeded byLevanger Municipality
Administrative centreÅsen
Area
 (upon dissolution)
 • Total140 km2 (50 sq mi)
Population
 (1962)
 • Total1,939
 • Density14/km2 (36/sq mi)
DemonymÅsbygg[1]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-1716[2]
Data from Statistics Norway

Åsen is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The 140-square-kilometre (54 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1962. The municipality was located to the southwest part of what is now Levanger municipality in Trøndelag county, roughly bordered in the north by the lakes Hammervatnet and Hoklingen, and by the Åsenfjorden to the west. The administrative centre was the village of Åsen.[3]

History

View of the local church and municipal government building (herredshus).

The municipality of Aasen was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The spelling was later changed to Åsen. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, the town of Levanger (population: 1,669) was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Frol (population: 3,774), Åsen (population: 1,939), and Skogn (population: 4,756) to form a new, larger municipality called Levanger.[4]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local fjord, Åsenfjorden (Old Norse: Ásfjǫrðr). The name is identical to the Norwegian word åsen which means "the hill".[5] On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Aasen with the digraph "Aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Åsen, using the letter Å instead.[6][7]

Government

While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elected a mayor.[8]

Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Åsen was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Åsen herredsstyre 1960–1963 [9]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:17
Åsen herredsstyre 1956–1959 [10]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:17
Åsen herredsstyre 1952–1955 [11]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:16
Åsen herredsstyre 1948–1951 [12]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:16
Åsen herredsstyre 1945–1947 [13]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:16
Åsen herredsstyre 1938–1941* [14]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 6
Total number of members:16
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Mayors

The mayors of Åsen:[15][16]

  • 1838–1839: Jonas Jonsen Nes
  • 1839-1839: Erik Mikalsen Skjelstad
  • 1840–1843: Peder Ellevsen Berg
  • 1844–1845: Ole Tørrissen Vedul
  • 1846–1847: Peder Steffensen Nonstad
  • 1848–1859: Peder Olsen
  • 1860–1866: Christian Bye
  • 1867–1869: Ole Island
  • 1870–1873: Henrik Reinaas
  • 1874–1879: John Stavnaas
  • 1880–1889: Peder O. Mæhre (V)
  • 1890–1891: Arn Solem Bye (V)
  • 1892–1919: Ole Martin Augdahl (V)
  • 1920–1922: Anders Todal (V)
  • 1923–1925: John Wold (Bp)
  • 1926–1931: Anders Todal (V)
  • 1932–1937: John Wold (Bp)
  • 1938–1941: Sigurd Aarnseth (V)
  • 1942–1943: Sigurd Lundby (NS)
  • 1944-1944: Ragnar Fiskvik (NS)
  • 1945-1945: Sigurd Aarnseth (V)
  • 1946–1947: Olaf Jensen (Ap)
  • 1948–1951: Fridtjov Mo (Bp)
  • 1952–1955: Olav Mo (Bp)
  • 1956–1957: Olaf Jensen (Ap)
  • 1958–1959: Ivar Jørum (Ap)
  • 1960–1961: Fridtjov Mo (Sp)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  3. ^ Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (26 March 2018). "Åsen – tidligere kommune". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  4. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  5. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1903). Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Trondhjems amt (in Norwegian) (15 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 74.
  6. ^ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1917. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 1000. 1917.
  7. ^ Den Nye rettskrivning : regler og ordlister (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norge: Den Mallingske Boktrykkeri. 1918.
  8. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  10. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  12. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  13. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Ordførere i Åsen kommune" (in Norwegian). Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  16. ^ Gårds- og slektshistorie (in Norwegian). Vol. 3. Åsen historienemnd. 1996. pp. 163–164.