Borge Municipality (Nordland)

For other uses, see Borge (disambiguation).

Borge is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 193-square-kilometre (75 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until 1963.^[6] It was located on the northern part of the island of Vestvågøya in what is now Vestvågøy Municipality. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Bøstad where Borge Church is located. Other villages in the municipality included Borg, Knutstad, and Tangstad.^[7]

Borge Municipality Borge herred
Former municipality
View of the old Borge Church (burned down in 1983)
Nordland within Norway
Borge within Nordland
Coordinates: 68°14′41″N 13°46′14″E
Country	Norway
County	Nordland
District	Lofoten
Established	1 Jan 1838
• Created as	Formannskapsdistrikt
Disestablished	1 Jan 1963
• Succeeded by	Vestvågøy Municipality
Administrative centre	Bøstad
Government
• Mayor (1951-1962)	Birger Val (H)
Area  (upon dissolution)
• Total	193.4 km2 (74.7 sq mi)
• Rank	#379 in Norway
Highest elevation [1]	955.91 m (3,136.19 ft)
Population  (1962)
• Total	4,082
• Rank	#208 in Norway
• Density	21.1/km2 (55/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	−10.4%
Demonyms	Borgefjerding Borgfjerding[2]
Official language [3]
• Norwegian form	Neutral[4]
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-1862[5]
Data from Statistics Norway

Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the 193-square-kilometre (75 sq mi) municipality was the 379th largest by area out of the 705 municipalities in Norway. Borge Municipality was the 208th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 4,082. The municipality's population density was 21.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (55/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 10.4% over the previous 10-year period.^[8][9]

General information

The prestegjeld of Borge was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1927, the southern district of Borge (population: 625) acrimoniously split off to form the new Valberg Municipality. This left Borge Municipality with 4,093 inhabitants. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Borge Municipality (population: 4,056) was merged with the neighboring Buksnes Municipality (population: 4,416), Hol Municipality (population: 3,154), and Valberg Municipality (population: 662) to create the new Vestvågøy Municipality.^[10]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Borge farm (Old Norse: Borgar) since the first Borge Church was built there. The name is the plural form of borg which means "castle" or "hill/plateau suitable for a castle".^[11]

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Borge Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Borge prestegjeld and the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.

Churches in Borge

Parish (sokn)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Borge	Borge Church	Bøstad	1898 (burned down in 1983)
	Knutstad Chapel	Knutstad	1915

Geography

The municipality was located on the northern part of the large island of Vestvågøya. Valberg Municipality was located to the southeast and Buksnes Municipality was located to the southwest. The highest point in the municipality is the 955.9-metre (3,136 ft) tall mountain Himmeltindan, which was located on the border with neighboring Buksnes Municipality.^[1]

Government

While it existed, Borge 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.^[12] The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Mayors

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Borge 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 (incomplete list):

• 1871-1884: Jens Foslie^[13]
• 1888-1889: K. Nilsen^[14]
• 1898-1900: Hans D.W. Smith^[15]
• 1900-1904: Jens Riksheim^[16]
• 1904-1905: Anton Pettersen Sand^[17]
• 1919-1934: William P. Olsen^[18]
• 1934-1941: Johan Walle (Ap)^[19]
• 1941-1942: Trygve Sand^[20]
• 1943-1944: Kristoffer Angelsen^[21]
• 1945-1951: Johan Walle (Ap)^[22]
• 1951-1962: Birger Val (H)^[23]

Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Borge was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Borge herredsstyre 1960–1963 ^[24]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	2
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	10
Total number of members:		17
Note: On 1 January 1963, Borge Municipality became part of Vestvågøy Municipality.

Borge herredsstyre 1956–1959 ^[25]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	7
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	2
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste)	1
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	7
Total number of members:		17

Borge herredsstyre 1952–1955 ^[26]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	3
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste)	2
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	5
Total number of members:		16

Borge herredsstyre 1948–1951 ^[27]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	8
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	4
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	4
Total number of members:		16

Borge herredsstyre 1945–1947 ^[28]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	9
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	3
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	4
Total number of members:		16

Borge herredsstyre 1938–1941* ^[29]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	10
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste)	1
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister)	5
Total number of members:		16
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

See also

• List of former municipalities of Norway

References

1. "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. 16 January 2024.
2. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
3. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
4. "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1932. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norway: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 453–471. 1932.
5. Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
6. Helland, Amund (1908). "Borge herred". Norges land og folk: Nordlands amt (in Norwegian). Vol. XVIII. Kristiania, Norway: H. Aschehoug & Company. p. 595. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
7. Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (15 April 2018). "Borge – tidligere kommune i Lofoten". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
8. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
9. Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 1951). Norges Sivile, Geistlige, Rettslige og Militære Inndeling 1. Januar 1951 (PDF). Norges Offisielle Statistikk (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: H. Aschehoug & Co.
10. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
11. Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nordlands amt (in Norwegian) (16 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 324.
12. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
13. "Fra amtets herreder mødte følgende:". Nordlands Amtstidende (in Norwegian). 26 July 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
14. "Anbud". Nordlandsposten (in Norwegian). 6 July 1888. p. 3. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
15. "Nordlands amtsting". Helgelands Tidende (in Norwegian). 5 May 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
16. "Ordførervalg". Vesteraalens Avis (in Norwegian). 3 January 1902. p. 3. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
17. "I Borge". Lofotposten (in Norwegian). 22 August 1904. p. 2. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
18. "Ordførervalgene". Nordlandsposten (in Norwegian). 19 December 1919. p. 2. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
19. "De nye ordførere i Nordland fylke". Nordlandsposten (in Norwegian). 18 February 1935. p. 2. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
20. "De nye ordførere og varaordførere i Nordland opnevnt". Lofotposten (in Norwegian). 16 January 1941. pp. 1 & 6. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
21. "Nye ordførere og varaordførere i Nordland fylke". Nordlandsposten (in Norwegian). 5 January 1943. p. 4. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
22. "De nye, midlertidige ordførere i Nordland og Troms". Lofotposten (in Norwegian). 14 May 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
23. "Borgerlig ordfører i Borge". Lofotposten (in Norwegian). 29 December 1951. p. 15. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
24. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
25. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 18 March 2020.