Mardalsfossen, one of Norway's tallest waterfalls, a popular tourist attraction during the tourist season, is located in Nesset, along the shores of the lake Eikesdalsvatnet.
At the time if its dissolution in 2020, the 1,046-square-kilometre (404 sq mi) municipality is the 100th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Nesset is the 267th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,946. The municipality's population density is 3 inhabitants per square kilometre (7.8/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 3.8% over the last decade.[4][5]
General information
View of the famous Mardalsfossen waterfall which was the inspiration for the municipal flag and coat of arms.
The parish of Nesset was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1890, all of Nesset south of the Langfjorden was separated to form the new municipality of Eresfjord og Vistdal. This split left Nesset with 1,706 residents. On 1 January 1877, the Sotnakken farm on the Romsdal peninsula (population: 19) was transferred from Nesset to the neighboring Bolsøy municipality. Also on that date, the Tiltereidet and Meisalstranda areas (population: 212) of Tingvoll Municipality, along the west coast of the Tingvollfjorden, were transferred to Nesset Municipality. On 1 January 1890, the Bersås, Nævergjeld, Rausandhaugen, and Rausand area (population: 101) was transferred from Tingvoll Municipality (along the Tingvollfjorden) to Nesset Municipality.[6]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Eresfjord og Vistdal Municipality was merged back into Nesset Municipality. Prior to the merger, Nesset had 2,360 residents.[6]
On 1 January 2020, the municipality of Nesset merged with the neighboring municipalities of Molde and Midsund to form a much larger Molde Municipality.[7]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Nesset farm and vicarage (Old Norse: Nøytisætr, spelled "Nødesetter" in 1520) since this is where the old Nesset Church was located. The first element is nes which means "headland". This is because the old farm is lying on a prominent headland between the Langfjorden and the Tingvollfjorden. The last element is setr or sætr which means "seter" or "mountain farm". Prior to 1889, the name was written Næsset.[8]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 10 March 1986 and they were in use until the municipality was dissolved on 1 January 2020. The official blazon is "Azure, a pale offset argent, base to dexter" (Norwegian: På blå grunn ein sølv pæl, avskoren og forskuva mot venstre). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a pale that is offset. The pale has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The offset pale symbolizes the two stage drop on one of Europe's highest waterfalls, the Mardalsfossen, which is located in the municipality. The arms were designed by Olav Sandø, from Eidsvåg. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11][12]
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Nesset was made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown for the final municipal council was as follows:
The municipality was made up mostly of the Eikesdalen valley which surrounds the lake Eikesdalsvatnet. The lake is fed from the lake Aursjøen on the border of Oppland county. The water then flows through the Aura River into the lake Eikesdalsvatnet. That water then flows into the river Eira and then on to the Eresfjorden, a branch of the Langfjorden which itself is a branch off the great Romsdal Fjord. The mountains Skjorta, Fløtatinden, and Gjuratinden surround the main valley.
Birdlife
From the shores of the fjord, to the towering mountains at 1,800 metres (5,900 ft) above sea level, the rural community of Nesset offers the visiting birder a range of habitats, and several interesting areas. One area worth checking is Eidsvågleirene. Though the selection of species will not be high, several of the commoner species can be found. The grey heron and mallard are characteristic species in the area.
