# Eresfjord og Vistdal

Eresfjord og Vistdal is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It existed from 1890 until its dissolution in 1964. The 750-square-kilometre (290 sq mi) municipality encompassed all of the present-day Molde Municipality that lies south of the Langfjorden and surrounding the Eresfjorden. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Eresfjord. The municipality included the two parishes of Vistdal and Eresfjord and there were two churches in the municipality: Sira Church in Eresfjord and Vistdal Church in Myklebostad.

## History

The municipality of Eresfjord og Vistdal was established on 1 January 1890 when it was split off from Nesset Municipality. Eresfjord og Vistdal had an initial population of 2,155. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality was reunited with Nesset Municipality. Prior to the merger, Eresfjord og Vistdal had a population of 1,289.

### Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named Eresfjord og Vistdal, a compound name meaning "Eresfjord and Vistdal", referring to the local Eresfjorden (fjord) and Vistdalen valley. The first part is Eresfjord (Old Norse: Œyrisfjǫrðr). The first element of this part comes from the old name of the local river Aura (Œyrir). This name comes from the word aurr which means "gravel" or "coarse sand". The last element of this part is fjǫrðr which means "fjord". The second part of the name is Vistdal or Vistdalen (Old Norse: Vistardalr). The first element of this part is the genitive case of the word vistr which means "calm" or "quiet one", referring to the main river running through the valley. The lower part of the river is a particularly quiet and gentle river. The last element of this part is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Eresfjord og Vistdalen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Eresfjord og Vistdal, removing the definite form ending -en.

## 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.

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Eresfjord og Vistdal was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four-year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:
Eresfjord og Vistdal herredsstyre 1960–1963 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 17 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eresfjord og Vistdal herredsstyre 1956–1959 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 2 |
| | Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 1 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 11 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Eresfjord og Vistdal herredsstyre 1952–1955 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 |
| | List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 3 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 8 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
Eresfjord og Vistdal herredsstyre 1948–1951 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 2 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 6 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 8 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
Eresfjord og Vistdal herredsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 1 |
| | List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 1 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 12 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
Eresfjord og Vistdal herredsstyre 1938–1941* :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 3 |
| | Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 2 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 5 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
| 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. |||