| Borge | |
| Herred: | yes |
| Former: | yes |
| Idnumber: | 1862 |
| County: | Nordland |
| District: | Lofoten |
| Capital: | Bøstad |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1838 |
| Preceded: | none |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 1963 |
| Succeeded: | Vestvågøy Municipality |
| Demonyms: | Borgefjerding Borgfjerding |
| Language: | Neutral[1] |
| Coatofarms: | none |
| Flag: | none |
| Mayor: | Birger Val |
| Mayor Party: | H |
| Mayor As Of: | 1951-1962 |
| Elevation Max M: | 955.91 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [2] |
| Area Rank: | 379 |
| Area Total Km2: | 193.4 |
| Population As Of: | 1962 |
| Population Rank: | 208 |
| Population Total: | 4082 |
| Population Density Km2: | 21.1 |
| Population Increase: | -10.4 |
| Coordinates: | 68.2447°N 13.7706°W |
Borge is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 193km2 municipality existed from 1838 until 1963.[3] It was located on the northern part of the island of Vestvågøya in what is now Vestvågøy Municipality. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Bøstad where Borge Church is located. Other villages in the municipality included Borg, Knutstad, and Tangstad.[4]
Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the 193km2 municipality was the 379th largest by area out of the 705 municipalities in Norway. Borge Municipality was the 208th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 4,082. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 10.4% over the previous 10-year period.[5] [6]
The prestegjeld of Borge was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1927, the southern district of Borge (population: 625) acrimoniously split off to form the new Valberg Municipality. This left Borge Municipality with 4,093 inhabitants. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Borge Municipality (population: 4,056) was merged with the neighboring Buksnes Municipality (population: 4,416), Hol Municipality (population: 3,154), and Valberg Municipality (population: 662) to create the new Vestvågøy Municipality.[7]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Borge farm (Norse, Old: Borgar) since the first Borge Church was built there. The name is the plural form of borg which means "castle" or "hill/plateau suitable for a castle".[8]
The Church of Norway had one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within Borge Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Borge prestegjeld and the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
| Borge | Borge Church | Bøstad | 1898 (burned down in 1983) |
| Knutstad Chapel | Knutstad | 1915 |
The municipality was located on the northern part of the large island of Vestvågøya. Valberg Municipality was located to the southeast and Buksnes Municipality was located to the southwest. The highest point in the municipality is the 955.9m (3,136.2feet) tall mountain Himmeltindan, which was located on the border with neighboring Buksnes Municipality.
While it existed, Borge 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[9] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Borge was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position (incomplete list):
The municipal council Norwegian: (Herredsstyre) of Borge 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.
. Norges Sivile, Geistlige, Rettslige og Militære Inndeling 1. Januar 1951 . 1951-01-01 . H. Aschehoug & Co. . Norges Offisielle Statistikk . Oslo, Norge . no . PDF . Statistics Norway.
. Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 1905 . 16 . Kristiania, Norge . 324 . Norwegian . Oluf Rygh.