| Gimsøy | |
| Herred: | yes |
| Former: | yes |
| Former Name: | Gimsø herred |
| Idnumber: | 1864 |
| County: | Nordland |
| District: | Lofoten |
| Capital: | Gimsøysand |
| Established: | 1856 |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 1964 |
| Succeeded: | Vågan Municipality |
| Demonym: | Gimsøy-folk |
| Language: | Bokmål[1] |
| Mayor: | Konrad Høydal |
| Mayor Party: | (V) |
| Mayor As Of: | 1956-1963 |
| Elevation Max M: | 818 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [2] |
| Area Rank: | 386 |
| Area Total Km2: | 186.5 |
| Population As Of: | 1963 |
| Population Rank: | 521 |
| Population Total: | 1600 |
| Population Density Km2: | 8.6 |
| Population Increase: | -10 |
| Coordinates: | 68.3207°N 14.2413°W |
Gimsøy is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 186.5km2 municipality existed from 1856 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in the northwestern part of what is now Vågan Municipality. The municipality consisted of the island of Gimsøya and the northwestern part of the larger neighboring island of Austvågøya. The municipality also included 407 other small islands as well as hundreds of little islets and skerries, all of which are located in the Lofoten archipelago. The administrative centre was located at the village of Gimsøysand, where the Gimsøy Church is located.[3] [4]
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the 186.5km2 municipality was the 386th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Gimsøy Municipality was the 521st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,600. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 10% over the previous 10-year period.[5] [6]
The municipality of Gimsøy was established in 1856 when it was split off from the large Vågan Municipality. Initially, Gimsøy had a population of 987. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Gimsøy Municipality (population: 1,551) was merged with the neighboring town of Svolvær (population: 3,952) and Vågan Municipality (population: 4,820) to form the new, larger Vågan Municipality.[7]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island of Gimsøya (non|Gimista) since the first Gimsøy Church was built there. The first element is the dative case of the word Norse, Old: gimisto which is a contraction of the Old Norse words Norse, Old: gimist which means "sheep" and Norse, Old: vista which means "place of residence". The island was historical used for sheep farming.[8] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Gimsø. On 6 January 1908, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Gimsøy.[9]
The Church of Norway had one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within Gimsøy Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Gimsøy prestegjeld and the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
| Gimsøy | Gimsøy Church | Gimsøysand | 1876 |
The municipality encompassed the whole island of Gimsøya and the northwestern part of the island of Austvågøya plus many smaller islets and skerries surrounding the two large islands. The highest point in the municipality is the 818m (2,684feet) tall mountain Breitinden on the island of Austvågøya. Valberg Municipality and Borge Municipality were located to the west (on the island of Vestvågøya), Vågan Municipality was to the south (on the island of Austvågøya), and Hadsel Municipality (also on Austvågøya).
While it existed, Gimsøy 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.[10] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.
The mayor (no|ordfører) of Gimsøy 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:[11] [12]
The municipal council Norwegian: (Herredsstyre) of Gimsøy was made up of 15 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 . Statistics Norway.
. Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt . 1905 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 16 . Kristiania, Norge . 316 . no . Oluf Rygh.