Ullsfjord (historically: Sørfjord) is a former municipality in Troms county in Norway. The 658 km2 municipality existed from 1902 until its dissolution in 1964. It was located in what is now the eastern part of Tromsø Municipality and the southwestern part of Lyngen Municipality. The municipality encompassed the area surrounding the Ullsfjorden between Tromsø and Lyngen municipalities. The administrative centre was the village of Sjursnes where Ullsfjord Church is located. Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the 657.8 km2 municipality was the 150th largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Ullsfjord Municipality was the 406th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 2,208. The municipality's population density was 3.4 PD/km2 and its population had increased by 3.7% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Sørfjord Municipality (re-named Ullsfjord Municipality in 1908) was established on 1 January 1902 when Lyngen Municipality was divided in two: the western part (population: 1,139) became Sørfjord Municipality and the eastern part (population: 5,102) remained as Lyngen Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality ceased to exist and its land was divided as follows:

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Sørfjorden, a local fjord. The first element is which means "southern". The last element is which means "fjord". This "southern fjord" is referring to a branch off the larger Ullsfjorden. Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Sørfjorden. On 6 January 1908, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sørfjord. On 16 July 1937, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Ullsfjord effective 1 October 1937. This new name is the same as the local Ullsfjorden. The first element comes from the name, a god from ancient Germanic paganism. The last element is which means "fjord". Thus it is the "fjord of Ullr".

Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Ullsfjord Municipality. It was part of the Tromsøysund prestegjeld and the Indre Troms prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Geography

The highest point in the municipality was the 1834 m tall mountain Jiehkkevárri which was located on the municipal boundary between Ullsfjord Municipality and Lyngen Municipality.

Government

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

Mayors

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

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Ullsfjord 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.