Molde, Norway

Molde Municipality () is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Romsdal. It is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Molde which is also the administrative centre of Møre og Romsdal county, the commercial hub of the Romsdal region, and the seat of the Diocese of Møre. Other main population centres in the municipality include the villages of Hjelset, Kleive, Nesjestranda, Midsund, Nord-Heggdal, Eidsvåg, Raudsand, Boggestranda, Myklebostad, Eresfjord, and Eikesdalen.

The municipality is the 56th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Molde is the 32nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 32,816. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 5.6% over the previous 10-year period.

Molde has a maritime, temperate climate, with cool-to-warm summers, and relatively mild winters. The city of Molde is nicknamed ''The City of Roses''. Molde is a centre for Norwegian textile and garment industry as well as a major tourist destination.

Molde was originally the name of a farm by a natural harbour, which grew into a timber trading port in the late 16th century. Formal trading rights were introduced before 1604, and the town was incorporated as a kjøpstad through a royal charter in 1742. The town of Molde was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law) and over the years, the municipality has grown significantly in area such that the municipality is now vastly larger than the urban city of Molde.

History

The town of Molde was established as an urban municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). It was surrounded by the rural Bolsøy Municipality. On 1 July 1915, a part of Bolsøy Municipality (population: 183) was transferred into the city of Molde. On 1 January 1952, another part of Bolsøy Municipality (population: 1,913) was transferred into the city of Molde.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Molde (town) (population: 8,289) merged with the Sekken, Veøya, and Nesjestranda parts of Veøy Municipality (population: 756), all of Bolsøy Municipality (population: 7,996), and the Mordal area of Nord-Aukra Municipality (population: 77) to form a new, larger Molde Municipality.

On 1 January 2020, the neighbouring Midsund Municipality and Nesset Municipality merged with Molde to form a much larger Molde Municipality.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 29 June 1742. The informal blazon is ''"a water spouting whale, which drives a barrel in front of itself"'' (). The arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a whale and barrel floating on the ocean waves. It also has a mural crown above the escutcheon since the municipality includes a town. The exact design of the coat of arms is not formally depicted in law, so it has varied some over the centuries. The arms symbolize a whale chasing herring into a barrel, based on an old myth that the whales (guided by God) chased the schools of herring into the fjords at certain times. It also portrays the city's founding industries of herring fisheries and timber exports. Molde was never a whaling port, but the unusually bountiful fisheries in the early 1740s alleviated the city's suffering during a major famine. The sighting of whales, usually pods of orca, was commonly held to be the start of the spring herring fisheries. The municipal flag is a white flag with the coat of arms in the centre.

Moldesangen () is the semi-official anthem. It was written by Palle Godtfred Olaus Dørum (1818–1886) and composed by Karl Groos (1789–1861), supposedly in 1818, and is the same tune used the anthem of the German federal state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Geography

Molde Municipality includes part of the Romsdal peninsula as well as many islands including the islands of Otrøya and Midøya. To the southeast, Molde Municipality stretches about inland. The town of Molde consists of a long and wide strip of urban land running east–west along the north shore of the Moldefjord, an arm of the Romsdalsfjord, on the Romsdal peninsula. The city is sheltered by Bolsøya and the Molde archipelago, a chain of low-lying islands and islets, to the south, and the wood-clad hills of Moldemarka to the north. The city centre is located just west of the river Moldeelva, which runs into the city from the north, originating in the Moldevatnet lake, through the valley Moldedalen. Despite the river being minor and seasonal, it supported several sawmills in the 16th and 17th centuries. This gave rise to the original town itself through a combination of a good harbour, proximity to the sea routes, vast timber resources, and a river capable of supporting mills. In 1909, the river housed the first hydro electric power plant capable of providing sufficient electricity for the city, and the upper reaches of the river still provide drinking water for most of the city.

The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Kleneggen. Its panoramic view of some 222 partly snow-clad peaks, usually referred to as the Molde panorama, is one of Molde's main attractions, and has drawn tourists to the city since the 19th century. Molde is nicknamed the ''Town of Roses'', a name which originated during Molde's era as a tourist destination of international fame in the late 19th century.

Neighbouring municipalities are Aukra, Gjemnes, and Hustadvika (to the north); Ã…lesund (to the southwest); Vestnes and Rauma (to the south); and Tingvoll and Sunndal (to the east).

Government

Molde Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Møre og Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Molde is made up of 49 representatives who are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor () of Molde is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:

* 1837–1838: C.B. Brinchmann
* 1839–1839: J.S. Sommerschield
* 1840–1840: C.B. Brinchmann
* 1841–1841: Bastian Width
* 1842–1842: Edvard Kraft
* 1843–1844: K.A. Bjørseth
* 1845–1845: Claus S. Jervell
* 1846–1846: K.A. Bjørseth
* 1847–1847: Johan Olivarius Horn
* 1848–1848: Claus S. Jervell
* 1849–1850: Johan Olivarius Horn
* 1851–1853: Isach Georg Dass
* 1854–1854: Christen Smith
* 1855–1855: Johan Olivarius Horn
* 1856–1856: Claus S. Jervell
* 1857–1857: Johan Olivarius Horn
* 1858–1858: Gunder Paulsen
* 1859–1859: Andreas Lind
* 1860–1860: Gunder Paulsen
* 1861–1861: Andreas Lind
* 1862–1862: Henrik L. Sommerschield
* 1863–1864: Thorvald Johannes Owren
* 1865–1865: Isach Georg Dass
* 1866–1866: Ludvig Arnoldus Leth
* 1867–1867: Gunder Paulsen
* 1868–1869: Ludvig Arnoldus Leth
* 1870–1870: Fredrik Christian Sand
* 1871–1874: K.F. Feilberg
* 1875–1876: Ferdinand Nicolai Roll

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