| Skjerstad | |
| Former: | yes |
| Idnumber: | 1842 |
| County: | Nordland |
| District: | Salten |
| Capital: | Misvær |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1838 |
| Preceded: | none |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 2005 |
| Demonym: | Skjerstadværing |
| Language: | Bokmål |
| Area Total Km2: | 465 |
| Population As Of: | 2002 |
| Population Total: | 1,080 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Coordinates: | 67.117°N 15.0011°W |
Skjerstad (in Norwegian pronounced as /ˈʂæ̀ːʂtɑ/) is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 465km2 municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2005. The municipality generally encompassed the area around the Misværfjorden in what is now Bodø Municipality, although it originally was much larger, also including the entire present-day Fauske Municipality. The administrative centre of Skjerstad municipality was the village of Misvær.[1]
The municipality of Skjerstad was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1905, most of Skjerstad Municipality located on the north side of the Skjerstadfjorden (population: 4,646) was separated to form the new Fauske Municipality. In 1949, a small district of Skjerstad (population: 10) was transferred to neighboring Saltdal Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, the small area of Skjerstad on the north side of the fjord (population: 224) was transferred to neighboring Bodin Municipality. On 1 January 2005, the municipality of Skjerstad was merged with Bodø Municipality to form a new, larger Bodø Municipality. Just prior to the merger (in 2002), the population of Skjerstad was 1,080.[2]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Skjerstad farm (Norse, Old: Skírastaða) since the first Skjerstad Church was built there. The first element possibly comes from the old name for the local river which means "pure" or "clear". The last element is which means "homestead" or "farm".[3]
The coat of arms was granted on 14 July 1991 and they were in use until 1 January 2005 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Vert, a millstone argent" (Norwegian: I grønt en sølv kvernstein). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a millstone or grinding stone. The millstone has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The millstone was chosen to symbolize all the large and small mills that existed in Skjerstad in the past. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen.[4] [5] [6]
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 elected representatives, which in turn elected a mayor.[7]
The mayors of Skjerstad:[8] [9]
The municipal council Norwegian: (Kommunestyre) of Skjerstad was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
. Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt . 1905 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 16 . Kristiania, Norge . 218 . Norwegian . Oluf Rygh.