| Gjøvdal | |
| Herred: | yes |
| Former: | yes |
| Former Name: | Gjevedal herred |
| Idnumber: | 0930 |
| County: | Aust-Agder |
| District: | Østre Agder |
| Capital: | Askland |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1908 |
| Preceded: | Åmli Municipality |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 1960 |
| Succeeded: | Åmli Municipality |
| Language: | Nynorsk[1] |
| Population As Of: | 1960 |
| Population Total: | 362 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Coordinates: | 58.8717°N 8.3039°W |
Gjøvdal (historic: Gjevedal) is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1908 until its dissolution in 1960. It covered the Gjøv river valley and the surrounding moors. It is currently part of the municipality of Åmli in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Askland where Gjøvdal Church is located.[2]
The parish of Gjøvdal (originally spelled Gjevedal) was part of the municipality of Åmli since 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1908, the municipality of Åmli was split into three separate municipalities: Gjevedal (population: 590), Lille Topdal (population: 389), and Åmli (population: 2,024). In 1911, the name Gjevedal was changed to "Gjøvdal".[3]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, the municipality of Gjøvdal (population: 362) was reunited with Åmli (population: 1,947) to form a new, enlarged Åmli municipality. (The municipality of Tovdal was merged into Åmli in 1967.)
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Gjevedal valley (Norse, Old: Gefardalr). The first element of the name comes from the name of the river Gjøv (Norse, Old: Gef) which flows through the valley. That name comes from the verb which means "to give someone something". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". Thus, "the valley that gives"[4] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Gjevedal. On 18 September 1914, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Gjøvdal.[5]
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[6]
The municipal council Norwegian: (Herredsstyre) of Gjøvdal 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.