Buksnes is a former municipality in

Nordland Nordland (; , , , ) is one of the three northernmost Counties of Norway, counties in Norway in the Northern Norway region, bordering Troms in the north, Trøndelag in the south, Norrbotten County in Sweden to the east, Västerbotten County to t ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1963. It comprised the western part of the island of

Vestvågøya Vestvågøya (or less-commonly: ''Vest-Vågøy'') is an island in the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. The island is located within Vestvågøy Municipality. The island lies between the islands of Austvågøya and Gimsøya to t ...

in what is now

Vestvågøy Municipality Vestvågøy is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of t ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune, is located. In countries with French as the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

was located in the village of Gravdal where the main church for the municipality,

Buksnes Church Buksnes Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Vestvågøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the village of Gravdal on the island of Vestvågøya. It is the church for the Buksnes parish which is part of t ...

, is located. Other villages in Buksnes included

Ballstad Ballstad is a village in Vestvågøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on a small island off the southwestern tip of the island of Vestvågøya in the Lofoten archipelago. It is one of the largest fishing villages in Lofote ...

and

Leknes Leknes () is a town in Vestvågøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The town is also the administrative centre of Vestvågøy Municipality (with 11,619 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality in Lofoten and Vesterålen). Lek ...

. Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the municipality was the 521st largest by area out of the 705 municipalities in Norway. Buksnes Municipality was the 197th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 4,373. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was and its population had decreased by 5.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Buksnes was established on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

law). On 1 July 1919, the southeastern district of Buksnes Municipality (population: 2,272) was separated from it to create the new Hol Municipality. The split left Buksnes Municipality with 3,188 inhabitants. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee () was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. On 1 January 1963, Buksnes Municipality (population: 4,416) was merged with the neighboring Borge Municipality (population: 4,056), Hol Municipality (population: 3,154), and

Valberg Municipality Valberg is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1927 until 1963. The municipality covered the southeastern coast of the island of Vestvågøya in what is now Vestvågøy Municipality. The administrativ ...

(population: 662) to create the new

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

) is named after the old ''Buksnes'' farm (historically: ''Buxnnæs'') since the first

was built there. The meaning of the name is uncertain, but the first element may be derived from which means "sign" or "mark", possibly referring to a

sea mark A sea mark, also seamark and navigation mark, is a form of aid to navigation and pilotage that identifies the approximate position of a maritime channel, hazard, or administrative area to allow boats, ships, and seaplanes to navigate safely. ...

. The last element is which means "

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

had one parish () within Buksnes Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Buksnes

prestegjeld A ''prestegjeld'' was a geographic and administrative area within the Church of Norway (''Den Norske Kirke'') roughly equivalent to a parish. This traditional designation was in use for centuries to divide the kingdom into ecclesiastical areas tha ...

and the

Lofoten prosti Lofoten ( , ; ; ) is an archipelago and a traditional district in the county of Nordland, Norway. Lofoten has distinctive scenery with dramatic mountains and peaks, open sea and sheltered bays, beaches, and untouched lands. There are two towns, ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland Sør-Hålogaland is a diocese in the Church of Norway. The Diocese covers the Lutheran Church of Norway churches located within Nordland county in Norway. The diocese is headquartered in the Bodø (town), town of Bodø at Bodø Cathedral, the sea ...

Geography

The municipality was located on the western part of the large island of

. Borge Municipality was located to the northeast,

was to the east, Hol Municipality was located to the south, and

Flakstad Municipality Flakstad is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Nordland Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of the island group Lofoten. The administrative centre of the municipality is ...

was located to the west (on the island of

Flakstadøya Flakstadøya is an island in the Lofoten archipelago in Nordland county, Norway. The entire island lies within Flakstad Municipality with the Vestfjorden on the east side of the island and the Norwegian Sea on the west side of the island. Geog ...

). The highest point in Buksnes Municipality is the tall mountain Himmeltindan, which was located on the border with neighboring Borge Municipality.

Government

While it existed, Buksnes Municipality was responsible for

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or economic and social development) is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the

Hålogaland Court of Appeal The Hålogaland Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Tromsø. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Nordland, Troms, and Finnmark as well as the island territor ...

Mayors

The

() of Buksnes 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): *1838-1839: Andreas Daae *1840-1843: Caspar Westerwaldt *1844-1844: Andreas Daae *1854-1854: Nils Andreas Schøning *1860-1860: Johan Dybfest Iversen *1861-1866: Johan Rist *1866-1870: Nils Andreas Schøning *1870-1871: Johan Rist *1871-1872: Kristian T. Stillesen *1873-1874: P.E. Jentoft *1876-1880: Jacob L. Jentoft *1881-1884: Johan Larsen Storfjord *1885-1886: Johan Rist *1886-1888: Petter L. Wulff *1889-1890: Mathias Salomonsen *1890-1890: Petter L. Wulff *1891-1892: Fredrik W. Wulff *1893-1894: Mathias Salomonsen Leknes *1895-1896: Fredrik W. Wulff *1896-1896: Jørgen Pedersen Ballstad *1897-1897: Mathias Salomonsen Leknes *1898-1900: Jørgen Pedersen Ballstad *1901-1904: Heitman Hansen *1905-1911: S.L. Aasen *1912-1914: Ingvald Johansen Myklevik *1915-1916: S.L. Aasen *1917-1919: Andreas Tetlie *1919-1919: Mathias Salomonsen Leknes *1926-1932: Oluf Svendsen Haug *1933-1934: P.A. Pedersen Ballstad *1935-1937: Jens Finstad *1938-1941: P.A. Pedersen Ballstad *1941-1941: B. Fiksdal *1942-1943: Harald Leknes *1943-1945: J. Seljeseth *1945-1945: Schj. Salomonsen *1945-1945: P.A. Pedersen Ballstad *1946-1951: Rolf Jentoft Ballstad ( V) *1952-1955: Børge Fiksdal ( Ap) *1956-1962: Alsing Wik ( H)

Municipal council

The

of Buksnes 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 A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will oft ...

Notable people

Leonhard Christian Borchgrevink Holmboe Leonhard Christian Borchgrevink Holmboe (10 October 1802 – 24 September 1887) was a Norwegian Lutheran minister and politician. Personal life He was born on 10 October 1802, in Trondenes Municipality as the son of bailiff Jens Holmboe (1752– ...

(1802-1887), a Lutheran clergymen who was the vicar in Buksnes * Arnold Carl Johansen (1898–1957), a member of the

Norwegian Parliament The Storting ( ; ) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years based on party-list proportional represe ...

from Nordland *

Gerhard Schøning Gerhard Schøning (2 May 1722 – 18 July 1780) was a Norwegian historian. His ''Reise som giennem en Deel af Norge i de Aar 1773, 1774, 1775 paa Hans Majestets Kongens Bekostning'' documenting travel through Trondhjem, Gudbrandsdalen, and Hedem ...

(1722-1780), a historian * Harald Sverdrup (1923–1992), a poet and children's writer

References

{{Authority control Vestvågøy Former municipalities of Norway 1838 establishments in Norway 1963 disestablishments in Norway Populated places established in 1838 Populated places disestablished in 1963