# Sannidal

Sannidal is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The 197-square-kilometre (76 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1960. The area is now part of Kragerø Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Kil where the Sannidal Church is located.
Sannidal Municipality was located just inland from the town of Kragerø. The main population centre of Sannidal was the village of Kil, which is situated at the end of the Kilsfjord. For this reason it was one of the earliest settlements in the area, being an important link between the sea and the land. The village was important for both exports and imports since the boat was the main means of transport at the time. Exports of timber dating from 1600s-1700s gave the area a good income and made Kil the first commercial center for Sannidal and surrounding country.

## History

The parish of Sannikedal (later spelled Sandøkedal or Sannidal) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1861, an area of Sandøkedal (population: 857) that was adjacent to the growing town of Kragerø was annexed and transferred from Sandøkedal to Kragerø. On 1 January 1882, the southeastern coastal and island areas of the municipality (population: 3,907) were separated to form the new Skaatø Municipality. This left Sandøkedal with 2,186 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, Sannidal Municipality (population: 2,604) was merged with the neighboring Skåtøy Municipality (population: 3,208) and the neighboring town of Kragerø (population: 4,638).

### Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Sannidal valley (Old Norse: Sandaukadalr) since the first Sannidal Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the word sandauki which means "an increase of sand". This is likely referring to some sandbanks. The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Sannikedal. In 1857, the spelling was changed to Sandøkedal. In 1889, the name was changed back to Sannikedal. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sannidal.

## Government

While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.

### Mayors

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Sannidal (incomplete list):
* 1871-1874: Peder Rinde (V)
* 1879-1882: Peder Rinde (V)
* 1945-1955: Eigil Liane (Ap)

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Sannidal was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Sannidal herredsstyre 1956–1959 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 12 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 |
| | Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 3 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 21 |
Sannidal herredsstyre 1952–1955 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 4 |
| | Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 4 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 20 |
Sannidal herredsstyre 1948–1951 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 4 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 |
| | Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 20 |
Sannidal herredsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 5 |
| | Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) | 2 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 20 |
Sannidal herredsstyre 1938–1941* :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 7 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 6 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 20 |
| Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945. |||