Rissa, Norway

Rissa is a former municipality in the old Sør-Trøndelag county in Norway in the Fosen region. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution on 1 January 2018 when it became part of the municipality of Indre Fosen in Trøndelag county. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Årnset. Other villages in the municipality included Askjem, Hasselvika, Husbysjøen, Rørvika, Råkvåg, and Stadsbygd.

The municipality was the 179th largest by area out of the then 426 municipalities in Norway. Rissa was the 158th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,628. The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 4.1% over the last decade.

The municipality was located on the southern end of the Fosen peninsula along the Trondheimsfjord and the Stjørnfjord. The large lake Storvatnet lies on the eastern border with Lensvik. To the north were the municipalities of Åfjord, Bjugn, and Ørland.

The Flakk–Rørvik Ferry crosses the Trondheimsfjord connecting the village of Rørvik with the city of Trondheim.

History

The former municipality of ''Rissen'' was established in 1860 when it was separated from the big municipality of Stadsbygd. Initially, Rissen had 3,733 residents. The spelling was later changed to ''Rissa''. On 1 January 1905, the southwestern district of Lensvik (population: 1,019) on the west side of the Trondheimsfjord was separated from Rissa to form a municipality of its own. This left Rissa with 3,394 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, most of Stadsbygd municipality (except for the Ingdalen area) and the southern part of the municipality of Stjørna were merged with Rissa to form a new, enlarged municipality of Rissa. On 1 January 2018, the neighboring municipalities of Rissa and Leksvik merged to form the new municipality of Indre Fosen which became part of the new Trøndelag county on the same date.

Toponym

The Old Norse form of the name was ''Rissi''. This was probably the old name of the brackish basin of Botn (literally "the bottom" of the fjord). Even though this is a heavily land-locked fjord with a river-like inlet from the Trondheimsfjord (it was probably a shallow bay in prehistoric times). The name is probably derived from the verb ''rísa'' which means "raise" or "rise". (The average water level of Botnen is today about above mean sea level and the surface water is almost fresh from accumulated internal runoff.) The name of the municipality was historically spelled ''Rissen''.

Coat of arms

The official municipal coat of arms was granted on 23 January 1987. The arms showed a silver crown on a green background. The crown is that of Skule Bårdsson as it is depicted on an old tombstone at the Nidaros Cathedral. Bårdsson was the founder of Rein kloster and the accompanying farm and Rein estate, which lies in the municipality. The crown is a typical headdress used by the medieval Norwegian dukes.

Government

The former municipal government of Rissa (1860-2018) was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Rissa was made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Landslide

In April 1978, a major quick-clay landslide occurred south of Rissa at . An area of sent of quick clay slid down into the shores of Botn. The landslip caused a tsunami to strike the north shore at Leira, which destroyed a saw mill and flooded several houses. Out of the 40 people who were in the area at the time of the slide, one person died. A large portion of the slide was recorded on film by two amateur photographers. Almost four years after the event, a new road and stabilisation work in the area had removed most traces of the slide. The area being returned to agricultural use.

Economy

Fosen Yards

One major employer in Rissa is Fosen Yard AS. Opened in 1972 as Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder, it has built a number of vessels used in Norway and abroad:

* MV Blue Puttees - ferry with Marine Atlantic - ferry with Marine Atlantic
* MV Highlanders - ferry with Marine Atlantic
* MV Leif Ericson - ferry with Marine Atlantic

Churches

The Church of Norway had four parishes () within the municipality of Rissa. It was part of the Fosen prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

See also

* List of former municipalities of Norway

References

External links

* The Quick Clay Landslide at Rissa
Youtube video

*

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1860 establishments in Norway
2018 disestablishments in Norway
Former municipalities of Norway
Landslides in 1978
Populated places disestablished in 2018
Populated places established in 1860