Kvam is a former municipality in what was Nord-Trøndelag county in Norway. The 377 km2 municipality existed from 1909 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality encompassed the areas north and west of the lake Snåsavatnet in what is now Steinkjer Municipality in Trøndelag county. The administrative centre was the village of Kvam on the shore of the lake. Most of the population of Kvam Municipality lived along the lake shore. Farther north from the lake includes a wilderness area including the large lakes Gilten and Bangsjøene. The main church for the municipality was Kvam Church, located in the village of Kvam. Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the 377 km2 municipality was the 239th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Kvam Municipality was the 573rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 1,258. The municipality's population density was 3.3 PD/km2 and its population had decreased by 3.9% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Kvam was established on 1 January 1909 when the large Stod Municipality was split into two: Kvam Municipality (population: 934) in the north and Stod Municipality (population: 1,169) in the south. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, a large municipal merger took place involving six rural municipalities and the town of Steinkjer. The following places were merged to form a new, larger Steinkjer Municipality:

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Kvam farm since the first Kvam Church was built there. The name comes from the word which means "grassy hollow" or "little vale".

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Kvam Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Stod prestegjeld and the Nord-Innherad prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

Geography

Kvam Municipality was located north of the town of Steinkjer. It was surrounded by Klinga Municipality and Overhalla Municipality to the north, Snåsa Municipality to the east, Stod Municipality and Egge Municipality to the south, and Beitstad Municipality to the west. The highest point in the municipality was the 555 m tall mountain Saursheia, near the border with Snåsa Municipality.

Government

While it existed, Kvam Municipality was 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 was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Kvam was made up of 13 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor of Kvam was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position: