| Verran | |
| Former: | yes |
| Idnumber: | 5039 |
| County: | Trøndelag |
| District: | Innherad |
| Capital: | Malm |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1901 |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 2020 |
| Succeeded: | Steinkjer Municipality and Indre Fosen Municipality |
| Demonym: | Verrabygg |
| Language: | Neutral |
| Mayor: | Anders Lindstrøm |
| Mayor Party: | Ap |
| Mayor As Of: | 2015-2019 |
| Elevation Max M: | 655.2 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [1] |
| Area Rank: | 185 |
| Area Total Km2: | 601.66 |
| Area Land Km2: | 558.15 |
| Area Water Km2: | 43.51 |
| Area Water Percent: | 7.2 |
| Population As Of: | 2019 |
| Population Rank: | 296 |
| Population Total: | 2449 |
| Population Density Km2: | 4.1 |
| Population Increase: | -16.2 |
| Coordinates: | 64.0242°N 10.9789°W |
Verran is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1901 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was divided between Steinkjer Municipality and Indre Fosen Municipality. It was part of the Innherred region. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Malm. Other villages in Verran included Follafoss, Sela, Verrabotn, and Verrastranda.
At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the 602km2 municipality was the 185th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Verran was the 296th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,449. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 16.2% over the last decade.[2] [3]
The municipality of Verran was established on 1 January 1901 when the old Mosvik og Verran Municipality was divided into two new municipalities: Mosvik Municipality (population: 969) and Verran Municipality (population: 1,456). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Malm Municipality (population: 2,975) and Verran Municipality (population: 1,803) were merged to form a new, larger Verran Municipality. After the merger, there were 4,778 residents in Verran Municipality. On 1 January 1968, the Framverran area on the south side of the Verrasundet fjord (population: 395) was transferred from Verran Municipality to the neighboring Mosvik Municipality.[4]
On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.
On 1 January 2020, Verran Municipality was dissolved. Most of the municipality was merged with the neighboring Steinkjer Municipality to form a new, larger Steinkjer Municipality.[5] The remaining Verrabotn area in the southwestern part of Verran Municipality was merged with the neighboring Indre Fosen Municipality.[6]
The municipality is named after the Verrasundet fjord (non|Veri), which is an arm of the great Trondheimsfjord. The meaning of the old name is probably "the quiet one" or "the fjord with still water".[7]
The coat of arms was granted on 11 September 1987 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Azure, a boat with raised square sail and topsail argent" (no|I blått en sølv båt med råseil og toppseil). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a Verranjekt (boat) with a raised square sail and topsail. The boat 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 design was chosen to symbolize the historical importance of boating and boatbuilding for the area. The Norwegian: Verranjekt (literally translated as "a yacht from Verran") is a type of boat has been built in Verran for centuries. The arms were designed by Rolf Tidemann. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms. After the merger of Verran and Steinkjer municipalities on 1 January 2020, these arms were adopted to represent the new Steinkjer municipality.[8] [9]
The Church of Norway had two parishes (Norwegian: sokn) within Verran Municipality. It was part of the Nord-Innherad prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.
| Malm | Malm Church | Malm | 1885 |
| Sela Church | Sela | 1997 | |
| Verran | Fines Church | Verrabotn | 1913 |
| Follafoss Church | Follafoss | 1954 |
Verran bordered Åfjord Municipality to the west, Indre Fosen Municipality to the south, Inderøy Municipality to the southeast, Steinkjer Municipality to the east, and Namdalseid Municipality to the north. Verran Municipality encompassed the western coastline of the Beitstadfjord, an arm of the Trondheimsfjord. There were three large lakes in Verran: Ormsetvatnet, Selavatnet, and Holden. The river Follaelva flowed through the municipality, emptying into the Trondheimsfjord at Follafoss. The highest point in the municipality was the 655.2m (2,149.6feet) tall mountain Sandvassheia.
While it existed, Verran 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 Inntrøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council (Norwegian: Kommunestyre) of Verran was made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (no|ordfører) of Verran 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]
Forestry was an important industry in Verran. There was also a paper mill in Follafoss that is a large factory. The paper mill was owned by Södra Cell Folla.
. Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Trondhjems amt . 1903 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 15 . Kristiania, Norge . 168 . no . Oluf Rygh.