Biri is a former municipality in the old Oppland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Gjøvik Municipality in the traditional district of Vestoppland. The administrative centre was the village of Biri. Other villages in the municipality included Biri Øverbygd and Biristrand.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 388th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Biri Municipality was the 277th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 3,267. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 0.8% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The parish of Biri was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1910, Biri Municipality was divided in two. The western part (population: 2,028) became Snertingdal Municipality and the eastern part (population: 2,815) continued as Biri Municipality.
During the 1960s there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the following areas were merged to form a new, larger Gjøvik Municipality with 23,608 residents: the town of Gjøvik (population: 8,251) Biri Municipality (population: 3,274) Snertingdal Municipality (population: 2,471) most of Vardal Municipality (population: (9,612)
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Biri farm () since the first Biri Church was built there. The name is presumably very old and its meaning is uncertain. One possibility is that the Old Norse name is derived from the word which means "bear den".
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Biri Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Biri prestegjeld and the Toten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.
Churches in Biri MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtBiriBiri ChurchBiri1777
Geography Fåberg Municipality was located to the north, Ringsaker Municipality (in Hedmark county) was located to the east, Nes Municipality (also in Hedmark county) was located to the southeast, Vardal Municipality was located to the south, Snertingdal Municipality was located to the west, and Torpa Municipality was located to the northwest. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Åsgardshaugen, located on the border with Snertingdal Municipality.
Government While it existed, Biri 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. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Biri Municipality was made up of 21 representatives that were elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Mayors The mayor () of Biri Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1838–1843: Christian Semb 1844–1845: Nils Larsen Melby 1846–1847: Nils Johan Hagerup 1848–1849: Anders Lysgaard, Jr. 1850–1851: Nils Larsen Melby 1852–1855: Anders Lysgaard, Jr. 1856–1857: Johannes Alseth 1858–1859: Halvor Olsen 1860–1867: Iver Lier 1868–1871: Nils Berg 1872–1873: Johannes Alseth 1874–1875: Even Nøss 1876–1881: Mathias Larsen Bratberg 1882–1883: Anton Skulhus 1890–1893: Julius Bjørnstad 1894–1895: Anton Skulhus 1896–1904: Iver Fliflet 1905–1907: Ole E. Huskelhus 1908–1910: Kristian Oudenstad (LL) 1911–1913: Julius Bjørnstad 1914–1931: Hagbart Wiklund (AD) 1931–1934: Einar Sigstad (Bp) 1934–1941: Henrik Eilert Brekke (Ap) 1941–1941: Harald Bratberg (NS) 1941–1945: Einar Sigstad (NS) 1945–1951: Henrik Eilert Brekke (Ap) 1952–1963: Nils Røstadstuen (Ap)
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References