Hidra is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1893 until its dissolution in 1965. The area is now part of Flekkefjord Municipality in the traditional district of Lister in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Kirkehamn where Hidra Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1965, the municipality was the 430th largest by area out of the 525 municipalities in Norway. Hidra Municipality was the 467th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 7.5% over the previous 10-year period.
General information The municipality of Hitterø was established on 8 October 1893 when the old Nes og Hitterø Municipality was split into two: the northern district (population: 1,704) became the new Nes Municipality and the southern district (population: 2,075) became the new Hitterø Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, Nes Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form a new, larger Flekkefjord Municipality: the town of Flekkefjord (population: 3,163) all of Hidra Municipality (population: 1,277) all of Nes Municipality (population: 2,757) all of Gyland Municipality (population: 691) most of Bakke Municipality (population: 925), except for the Øksendal area which went to Sirdal Municipality
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the island of Hidra () since the first Hidra Church was built there. The name is the plural form of which means "split" or "cleft" (referring to the fact that the island is almost split in two by the Rasvåg fjord).
Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Hitterø. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Hidra.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Hidra Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Flekkefjord prestegjeld and the Flekkefjord prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Hidra MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtHidraHidra ChurchKirkehamn1854
Geography The municipality encompassed the islands of Hidra and Andabeløya as well as 56 other islands, plus the mainland coast from Abelsnes to the river Sira. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Myrekilen. Lund Municipality was located to the north (in Rogaland county), Nes Municipality was located to the east, Herad Municipality was located to the southeast, Lista Municipality was located to the south, the North Sea was to the southwest, and Sokndal Municipality was located to the northwest (in Rogaland county).
Government While it existed, Hidra 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 Flekkefjord District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Hidra Municipality 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.
Mayors
The mayor () of Hidra Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1893–1898: Ole Sivertsen Kirkehavn 1898–1904: Nils Fuglesang 1904–1913: Petter Jakobsen 1914–1916: Nils Fuglesang 1917–1923: Lauritz Ulland 1923–1938: Sven E. Lemvig
Notable people Olav Omland (1909–1998), a landscape and coastal painter, a poet and songwriter, and composer of the song about Hidra "Hidrasangen" Tatjana Lars Kristian Guldbrandsen, the eccentric personality and artist
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References