Midsund Municipality
Template:Short description Template:Infobox kommune
Midsund is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The Template:Convert municipality existed from 1965 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now part of Molde Municipality in the traditional district of Romsdal. The administrative centre was the village of Midsund on Otrøya island. Other settlements on the island included Uglvik and Raknes in the north and Nord-Heggdal in the southeast.<ref name="snl">Template:Cite SNL</ref>
The municipality consisted of many islands. The main islands were Otrøya, Midøya, and Dryna, as well as the smaller populated islands of Magerøya and Tautra—both are less than Template:Convert. There were also many tiny uninhabited islands and skerries. The islands all sit at the mouth of the great Romsdalsfjord.<ref name="snl" />
At the time if its dissolution in 2020, the Template:Convert municipality was the 384th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Midsund Municipality was the 325th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,019. The municipality's population density was Template:Convert and its population had increased by 5% over the previous 10-year period.<ref name="ssb pop">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ssb area">Template:Cite web</ref>
General information
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The municipality of Midsund was established on 1 January 1965 when the old Sør-Aukra Municipality (population: 1,912) was merged with part of Midøya island and the neighboring island of Dryna (population: 334) which were part of the old Vatne Municipality.<ref name="Dag">Template:Cite book</ref>
On 1 January 2020, Midsund Municipality (population: 2,049) and Nesset Municipality (population: 2,946) were merged into the neighboring Molde Municipality. Together, the new Molde Municipality is significantly larger.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Name
[edit]The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Midsundet (Template:Langx), the strait that flows between the islands of Otrøya and Midøya. The first element is Template:Wikt-lang which means "middle" or "centre". The last element is Template:Wikt-lang which means "strait" or "sound".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Coat of arms
[edit]The coat of arms was granted on 15 May 1987. The official blazon is "Azure, two triangles argent the lower reversed" (Template:Langx). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is two triangles one over the other so that they look like a mirror image. The triangles have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if the arms are made out of metal, then silver is used. The two triangles represent the islands of Otrøya and Midøya in the ocean. These two main islands in the municipality are separated by a small strait, the Midsund. The geographical situation is symbolised in the arms. The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Churches
[edit]The Church of Norway had one parish (Template:Lang) within Midsund Municipality. It was part of the Molde domprosti (arch-deanery) in the Diocese of Møre.
| Parish (Template:Lang) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midsund | Otrøy Church | Uglvik, Otrøya | 1878 |
| Nord-Heggdal Chapel | Nord-Heggdal | 1974 |
Media
[edit]The newspaper Øyavis was published in Midsund from 1983 to 2016.<ref name="Bjerkeland">Template:Cite news</ref>
Geography
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The islands of Midsund Municipality are separated from the mainland by the Template:Convert wide Julsundet strait to the east and the Template:Convert wide Midfjorden to the south. To the north are many smaller islands including Gossa and Orta (in Aukra Municipality) plus Harøya and Sandøya (in Ålesund Municipality). To the west lie the islands of Fjørtofta, Skuløya, and Haramsøya (in Haram Municipality).
The three largest islands of the municipality were located in a line from ENE to WSW (Otrøya, Midøya, and Dryna). The island of Magerøya lies between Midøya and Otrøya and a bridge connects it to the latter. Tautra lies in the Moldefjorden, southeast of Otrøya. Otrøya was the main island of the community, measuring about Template:Convert from east to west. The southern coasts of Otrøya, Midøya, and Dryna rise from the fjord as sheer Template:Convert tall cliffs. At Oppstad, the cliff is feared to collapse, which would cause a small megatsunami in the Moldefjorden. The highest point in the municipality was the Template:Convert tall mountain Opstadhornet.<ref name="elev" />
On the southern coast of Otrøya the following small villages can be found: (from east to west) Solholmen, Nord-Heggdal, Oppstad, Sør-Heggdal, and Klauset. The north has the following villages: (east to west) Ræstad, Rakvåg, Tangen, Raknes, and Uglvik. On the western side of Otrøya, facing the bay that separates it from Midøya, lies the village of Midsund, the largest settlement in the community. The Midsund Bridge connects it with Midøya. Dryna and Midøya are also connected with a bridge. Ferries run between the islands and the mainland. There is a ferry from Solholmen across the Julsundet to the mainland of Molde Municipality and from the island of Dryna to the village of Brattvåg (in Haram Municipality). The larger three islands' interior is wilderness, but the rims are used for keeping cattle and small farming.
Government
[edit]While it existed, Midsund 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.<ref name="ks">Template:Cite SNL</ref> The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
[edit]The municipal council (Template:Lang) of Midsund is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party. Template:Div col Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Kommunestyre table Template:Div col end
Mayors
[edit]The mayor (Template:Langx) of Midsund was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:Div col
- 1965–1969: Knut K. Sjøvik (Sp)
- 1970–1971: Kåre Straume (Ap)
- 1972–1983: Kristofer Reiten (Sp)
- 1984–1989: Harry Edvardsen (H)
- 1990–1991: Per Håvard Klauset (Sp)
- 1992–1995: Harry Edvardsen (H)
- 1995–2003: Ketil Ugelvik (LL)
- 2003–2011: Helge Orten (H)
- 2011–2015: Einar Øien (FrP)
- 2015–2019: Odd Helge Gangstad (Sp)
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Template:Use dmy dates Template:Sister bar Template:Møre og Romsdal Template:Authority control