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Wikipedia / Bru Municipality

Bru is a former municipality in the old Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1923 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Kinn Municipality in the traditional district of Sunnfjord in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the village of Stavang.

Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 251st largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Bru Municipality was the 578th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 12.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The parish of Bru was established as a municipality on 1 January 1923, when the old Kinn Municipality was split into three separate municipalities as follows:

  • the new Bru Municipality (population: 1,560), which included the southern islands of Svanøya and Askrova, a small mainland area south of the Førdefjorden, the area around the village of Stavang, and the large valley east of the village of Norddalsfjord

  • the new Eikefjord Municipality (population: 929), which included the eastern district around the eastern end of the Eikefjorden and around the village of Eikefjord

  • a much smaller Kinn Municipality (population: 2,508), which included the western islands and the mainland areas surrounding, but not including, the port town of Florø

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Bru Municipality ceased to exist and its lands were divided as follows:

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island Brulandet, now called Svanøya, () since the first Bru Church was built on the island (the church site was mved off the island to the mainland village of Stavang in 1872). The old name of the island is identical to the plural genitive case of the word which means "bridge".

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish () within Bru Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Kinn prestegjeld and the Sunnfjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography

The municipality included several islands including Svanøya, Askrova, and Stavøya as well as parts of the mainland including the Solheimsdalen valley, east of the village of Norddalsfjord. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Keipen, on the border with Bremanger Municipality. Davik Municipality was located to the north, Gloppen Municipality and Eikefjord Municipality were located to the east, Vevring Municipality and Fjaler Municipality were located to the south, and Askvoll Municipality was located to the southwest, and Kinn Municipality and Florø Municipality were to the west.

Government

While it existed, Bru 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 Bru Municipality was made up of 17 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 Bru Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

  • 1923–1925: Bjarne Svanøe

  • 1925–1926: Nikolai Haave

  • 1926–1937: Per Hjertenes

  • 1938–1940: Per Straumsnes

  • 1945–1945: Per Straumsnes

  • 1946–1947: Per Hjertenes

  • 1948–1955: Tor Grønnevik

  • 1956–1964: Anton Holm

See also

References