Tovdal (historic: Lille Topdal) is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The 377-square-kilometre (146 sq mi) municipality existed from 1908 until its dissolution in 1967. Tovdal municipality was made up of the valley surrounding the river Tovdalselva and since 1967 it has been a part of the present-day municipality of Åmli which is now in Agder county. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Hillestad where the Tovdal Church is located.[1]
Tovdal herred
Lille Topdal herred (historic) | |
---|---|
Former municipality | |
![]() View of Tovdal Church and the river Tovdalselva | |
![]() Aust-Agder within Norway | |
![]() Tovdal within Aust-Agder | |
Coordinates: 58°48′24″N 08°10′30″E | |
Country | Norway |
County | Aust-Agder |
District | Østre Agder |
Established | 1 Jan 1908 |
• Preceded by | Åmli Municipality |
Disestablished | 1 Jan 1967 |
• Succeeded by | Åmli Municipality |
Administrative centre | Hillestad |
Area (upon dissolution)[1] | |
• Total | 377 km2 (146 sq mi) |
Population (1967) | |
• Total | 161 |
• Density | 0.43/km2 (1.1/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
ISO 3166 code | NO-0931 |
The parish of Lille Topdal was a part of the municipality of Åmli when civil municipalities were created in Norway on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The municipality of Lille Topdal was established on 1 January 1908 when the municipality of Åmli was split into three separate municipalities: Lille Topdal (population: 389), Gjevedal (population: 590), and Åmli (population: 2,024). In 1922, the name of the municipality was changed from Lille Topdal to Tovdal. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1967, Tovdal (population: 161) was merged back into the municipality of Åmli. At the time of its dissolution, Tovdal was the smallest municipality in Norway by population.[1][2]
The name of the municipality comes from the Old Norse word Þofnardalr. The first element Þofn is the old river name, now the Tovdalselva. The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".[3]
All municipalities in Norway, including Tovdal, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality was governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elected a mayor.[4]
The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Tovdal was made up of 13 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 6 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 3 | |
Total number of members: | 13 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 | |
Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 5 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 4 | |
Total number of members: | 13 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 | |
Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 4 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 13 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 | |
Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 4 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 4 | |
Total number of members: | 12 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 4 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 | |
Total number of members: | 12 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 12 | |
Total number of members: | 12 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
Joint list of the Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) and the Liberal Party (Venstre) | 6 | |
Total number of members: | 12 | |
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. |