Tresfjord is former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1899 until its dissolution in 1964. It encompassed about 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi) in the southern part of the present-day Vestnes Municipality. The municipality included the Skorgedalen valley and the area surrounding both sides of the southern half of the Tresfjorden. The village of Tresfjord was the administrative centre of the municipality, and it was the location of Tresfjord Church, the main church for the municipality.

History

The municipality of Sylte was established on 1 January 1899 when it was separated from Vestnes Municipality. The initial population was 1,408. The name was changed to Tresfjord on 28 April 1922.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality ceased to exist when it became a part of Vestnes Municipality once again. The population at that time was 1,319.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) was first named Sylte. This comes from the old Sylte farm (Old Norse: Sultar) since the first Sylte Church was built there. The name comes from the genitive case of the word sultr which means "hunger" or "famine", possibly referring to a swampy area near the farm that is not suitable for farming.

On 26 April 1922, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to Tresfjord. The new name was taken from the local fjord, Tresfjorden (Old Norse: Þræsir). The main village in the municipality was located at the head of the fjord and it was also named Tresfjord. The first element comes from the local river Tressa. This name is probably derived from the word træsa which means "to walk restlessly back and forth" or "to trot about". This likely refers to the strong current in the fjord. The last element is fjord which means "fjord".

Government

While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Heradsstyre) of Tresfjord was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

See also

• List of former municipalities of Norway