Stjørna is a former municipality in the old Sør-Trøndelag county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1899 until its dissolution in 1964. The 322.2 km2 municipality encompassed the land surrounding the Stjørnfjorden in what is now Ørland Municipality and Indre Fosen Municipality in Trøndelag county. The administrative centre of Stjørna was the village of Husbysjøen. The municipality of Stjørna also included the villages of Høybakken, Råkvåg, and Fevåg. The main church for the municipality was Stjørna Church which is now called Heggvik Church. Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the 322.2 km2 municipality was the 266th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Stjørna Municipality was the 355th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 2,572. The municipality's population density was 8 PD/km2 and its population had decreased by 7.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Skjørn was established on 1 January 1899 when Bjugn Municipality was divided into three separate municipalities: Bjugn Municipality (population: 1,256), Skjørn Municipality (population: 2,166), and Nes Municipality (population: 1,285). In 1918, the spelling of the name was changed from Skjørn Municipality to Stjørna Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Stjørna Municipality was dissolved and its lands were divided as follows:

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the local Stjørnfjorden. The name was once the old name for the river which flows into the fjord. The old river name has an uncertain meaning. It may come from the Old Norse word which means "governance". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Skjørn. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Stjørna.

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Stjørna Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Bjugn prestegjeld and the Fosen prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

Geography

Stjørna Municipality included the land surrounding the Stjørnfjorden on the Fosen peninsula. Ørland Municipality and Bjugn Municipality were located to the west, Jøssund Municipality was to the northwest, Åfjord Municipality was located to the north, and Rissa Municipality was located to the southeast. The highest point in the municipality was the 492.5 m tall mountain Seksortklumpen.

Government

While it existed, Stjørna 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 Stjørna was made up of 17 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 Stjørna was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position: