| Drevja | |
| Herred: | yes |
| Former: | yes |
| Idnumber: | 1823 |
| County: | Nordland |
| District: | Helgeland |
| Capital: | Drevja |
| Established: | 1 July 1927 |
| Preceded: | Vefsn Municipality |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 1962 |
| Succeeded: | Vefsn Municipality |
| Demonym: | Drevjafolk |
| Language: | Nynorsk[1] |
| Mayor: | Ole J. Slåttrem |
| Mayor Party: | Ap |
| Mayor As Of: | 1960-1961 |
| Elevation Max M: | 1348 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [2] |
| Area Rank: | 381 |
| Area Total Km2: | 195.7 |
| Population As Of: | 1961 |
| Population Rank: | 641 |
| Population Total: | 1010 |
| Population Density Km2: | 5.2 |
| Population Increase: | -10.1 |
| Coordinates: | 65.9825°N 13.265°W |
Drevja is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1927 until its dissolution in 1962. It was located in the Drevja valley, north of the Vefsnfjorden in the northern part of the present-day Vefsn Municipality. Drevja Church was the main church for the municipality.[3]
Prior to its dissolution in 1962, the 196km2 municipality was the 381st largest by area out of the 731 municipalities in Norway. Drevja Municipality was the 641st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,010. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 10.1% over the previous 10-year period.[4] [5]
The municipality of Drevja was established on 1 July 1927 when the large Vefsn Municipality was divided into three municipalities: Drevja Municipality (population: 964) in the north, Grane Municipality (population: 1,746) in the south, and Vefsn Municipality (population: 3,119) in the center. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, Drevja Municipality (population: 1,001) was merged with the neighboring Elsfjord Municipality (population: 920) and Vefsn Municipality (population: 5,358) and with the town of Mosjøen) to form a new, larger Vefsn Municipality.[6]
During the German occupation of Norway (World War II), the occupiers operated a subcamp of the Stalag 380 prisoner-of-war camp in Drevja.[7]
The municipality was named after the river Drevja which flows from the lake Drevvatnet to the Vefsnfjorden. The name of the river is derived from the word Norwegian: drav which means "rubbish" or "waste". Thus the meaning of the name is something like "the river with unclean water".[8]
The Church of Norway had one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within Drevja Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Vefsn prestegjeld and the Indre Helgeland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.[9]
| Drevja | Drevja Church | Nillskogen | 1883 |
The highest point in the municipality was the 1348m (4,423feet) tall mountain Lukttinden on the border with Elsfjord Municipality.
While it existed, Drevja 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.[10] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.
The mayor (no|ordfører) of Drevja was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:[11]
The municipal council Norwegian: (Herredsstyre) of Drevja was made up of 13 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.
. 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.