Country Norway County Hordaland Municipality ID NO-1257 Area 59 km² | Region Western Norway District Nordhordland Adm. Center Alversund | |
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Alversund is a former municipality in Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1885 until 1964 and it encompassed the southwestern part of the present-day municipality of Lindås, and it also originally included the municipality of Meland. Alversund covered 59 square kilometres (23 sq mi) upon its dissolution in 1964. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Alversund, where Alversund Church is located.
Contents
Map of 5911 Alversund, Norway
History
The municipality of Alversund was established on 1 January 1885 when the old municipality of Hammer was divided into two separate municipalities. The northwestern part of the old Hammer municipality became Alversund, and it also included the annex of Seim which had been a part of the municipality of Hosanger before that time. The initial population of Alversund was 2,793. On 1 January 1904, a small area near Hanevik on the island of Askøy (population: 32) was transferred from the municipality of Askøy to Alversund. On 15 October 1923, the western district of Alversund (population: 1716) was separated to form the new municipality of Meland. This left Alversund with 1,771 residents. On 1 January 1964, all of Alversund was merged with parts of the municipalities of Modalen, Hosanger, Hamre, Sæbø, and Lindås to form a new, larger municipality of Lindås. At its dissolution, Alversund had 2,099 residents.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Alver farm (Norse Alviðra) since the first church (Alversund Church) was built there. The meaning of the farm name is "all weather" (meaning "weather from all directions" - describing a farm with an exposed and unsheltered site). The last element is sund which means "sound" or "strait", referring to the nearby Alverstraumen strait.