Sannidal Municipality

Sannidal Municipality
Sannidal herred
Former municipality
Sandøkedal herred  (historic name)
Sannikedal herred  (historic name)
View of Sannidal Church
View of Sannidal Church
Telemark within Norway
Telemark within Norway
Sannidal within Telemark
Sannidal within Telemark
Coordinates: 58°53′45″N 9°17′06″E / 58.89597°N 9.28508°E / 58.89597; 9.28508
CountryNorway
CountyTelemark
DistrictVestmar
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Disestablished1 Jan 1964
 • Succeeded byKragerø Municipality
Administrative centreKil
Government
 • Mayor (1955–1959)Per Holte (Ap)
Area
 (upon dissolution)
 • Total
193.8 km2 (74.8 sq mi)
 • Rank#384 in Norway
Highest elevation
(Store Valefjell)
329.16 m (1,079.9 ft)
Population
 (1959)
 • Total
2,644
 • Rank#352 in Norway
 • Density13.6/km2 (35/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +0.5%
DemonymSannidøl
Official language
 • Norwegian formBokmål
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-0816

Sannidal (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈsɑnːidɑːl]; locally [ˈsɑnːidæ:l]) is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The 193.8-square-kilometre (74.8 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1960. The area is now part of Kragerø Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Kil where the Sannidal Church is located.

Prior to its dissolution in 1960, the 193.8-square-kilometre (74.8 sq mi) municipality was the 384th largest by area out of the 743 municipalities in Norway. Sannidal Municipality was the 352nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 2,644. The municipality's population density was 13.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (35/sq mi) and its population had increased by 0.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

View of the village of Kil in Sannidal
View of the old Sannidal railway station

Administrative history

The formannskapsdistrikt law of 1837 created a system of local government in Norway by establishing each town (ladested or kjøpstad) and each Church of Norway prestegjeld as a civil municipality. On 1 January 1838, Sannikedal prestegjeld was established as Sannikedal Municipality (later spelled Sandøkedal, then Sannidal).

On 1 January 1861, an area of Sandøkedal Municipality (population: 857) that was adjacent to the growing town of Kragerø was annexed and transferred from Sandøkedal Municipality to Kragerø Municipality. On 1 January 1882, Sandøkedal Municipality was divided as follows: the southeastern coastal and island district (population: 3,907) became the new Skaatø Municipality and the northwestern district (population: 2,186) continued as a smaller Sandøkedal Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, Sannidal Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form an enlarged Kragerø Municipality:

Name

The municipality is named after the old Sannidal prestegjeld. The prestegjeld was named after the Sannidal valley (Old Norse: Sandaukadalr) since the first Sannidal Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the word sandauki which means "an increase of sand". This is likely referring to some sandbanks. The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".

Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Sannikedal. In 1857, the spelling was changed to Sandøkedal. In 1889, the name was changed back to Sannikedal. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sannidal.

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Sannidal Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Sannidal prestegjeld and the Bamble prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.

Churches in Sannidal Municipality
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
SannidalSannidal ChurchKil1772

Geography

Sannidal Municipality was located just inland from the town of Kragerø. The main population centre of Sannidal was the village of Kil, which is situated at the end of the Kilsfjord. The highest point in the municipality was the 329.16-metre (1,079.9 ft) tall mountain Store Valefjell, located on the border with Drangedal Municipality.

Drangedal Municipality was located to the west and north, Bamble Municipality was located to the northeast, Skåtøy Municipality was located to the east, Søndeled Municipality (in Aust-Agder county) was located to the south, and Gjerstad Municipality (also in Aust-Agder county) was located to the southwest.

Government

While it existed, Sannidal 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 Kragerø District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Sannidal Municipality was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Sannidal herredsstyre 1955–1959   
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 12
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:21
Note: On 1 January 1960, Sannidal Municipality became part of Kragerø Municipality.
Sannidal herredsstyre 1951–1955   
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 4
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:20
Sannidal herredsstyre 1947–1951   
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 4
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) 4
Total number of members:20
Sannidal herredsstyre 1945–1947   
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 5
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) 2
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 3
Total number of members:20
Sannidal herredsstyre 1937–1941*   
Party name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 7
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 6
Total number of members:20
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 mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Sannidal Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

  • 1838–1840: Niels Halvorsen Dahl
  • 1841–1851: Arnold Bentsen
  • 1851–1854: Alf Olsen
  • 1855–1862: Jørgen Blankenberg
  • 1863–1866: Johan Dahll
  • 1867–1870: Jørgen Blankenberg
  • 1871–1874: Peder Rinde (V)
  • 1875–1878: Tellef Dahll
  • 1879–1887: Peder Rinde (V)
  • 1888–1889: Knut Haugland
  • 1890–1893: Peder Jakob Nesland
  • 1894–1895: H. Fuglestvedt
  • 1896–1897: Johan Nossen
  • 1898–1898: H. Fuglestvedt
  • 1899–1904: Johan Nossen
  • 1905–1913: Thor Moe
  • 1914–1916: Thor Nyhus
  • 1917–1919: Thor Moe
  • 1920–1922: Eilert J. Farsjø
  • 1923–1928: Alf H. Larsen
  • 1929–1937: Eilert J. Farsjø
  • 1938–1941: Torkell Tande (V)
  • 1941–1942: Erling Mørland (NS)
  • 1943–1945: Erik Moland (NS)
  • 1945–1945: Torkell Tande (V)
  • 1945–1955: Eigil Olaf Liane (Ap)
  • 1955–1959: Per Holte (Ap)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune: Kragerø" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. 16 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1932. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 453–471. 1932.
  3. ↑ Helland, Amund (1900). "Sannikedal herred". VIII. Bratsberg Amt. Anden del. Norges land og folk (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norway: H. Aschehoug & Company. p. 156. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Thorsnæs, Geir; Mæhlum, Lars, eds. (14 September 2026). "Sannidal". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 22 September 2026.
  5. ↑ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. 1 2 Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 1951). Norges Sivile, Geistlige, Rettslige og Militære Inndeling 1. Januar 1951 (PDF). Norges Offisielle Statistikk (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: H. Aschehoug & Co.
  7. ↑ Vabo, Signy Irene, ed. (4 February 2026). "formannskapslovene". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 16 August 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Jukvam, Dag (1999). Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  9. ↑ Grepstad, Jon, ed. (25 March 2025). "Nikolai Schei". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  10. ↑ Hansen, Tore; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (27 May 2024). "kommuneinndelingen i Norge". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 19 March 2026.
  11. ↑ "Velkommen til Sannidal Historielag (Sannidal Historielag)". Sannidalhistorielag.no. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "Kil and Sannidal (Reisemål Kragerø)". En.visitkragero.no. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
  13. ↑ Rygh, Oluf (1914). Norske gaardnavne: Bratsbergs amt (in Norwegian) (7 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 21.
  14. ↑ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1917. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norge: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 1057–1065. 1917.
  15. ↑ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  16. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957.
  17. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952.
  18. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948.
  19. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947.
  20. ↑ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938.
  21. ↑ Sannidal og Skåtøy : bygdebok. 1 : Gards- og slektshistorie for Sannidal (in Norwegian). Kragerø: Utgitt av ei nemnd. 1949. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  22. ↑ Sannidal og Skåtøy : bygdebok. 2 : Skåtøyboka (in Norwegian). Kragerø: Utgitt ved en komite. 1950. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  23. ↑ Sannidal og Skåtøy : bygdebok. B. 3 : Fellesbindet (in Norwegian). Kragerø: Nemnda. 1953. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  24. ↑ "Sannidal herredsting". Kragerø Blad (in Norwegian). 12 May 1945. p. 1. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
  25. ↑ "NS i Sannidal". Kragerø Blad (in Norwegian). 4 March 1943. p. 2. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
  26. ↑ "De borgerlige partier stemte på arbeiderpartikandidat til ordfører i Sannidal". Varden (in Norwegian). 29 December 1955. p. 1. Retrieved 27 September 2026.