# Sørli Municipality

Sørli is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county in Norway. The 1,431-square-kilometre (553 sq mi) municipality existed from 1915 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now the southern part of Lierne Municipality in Trøndelag county. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Mebygda.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the 1,431-square-kilometre (553 sq mi) municipality was the 51st largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Sørli Municipality was the 625th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 908. The municipality's population density was 0.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (1.6/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 0.5% over the previous 10-year period.

## General information

The municipality of Sørli was established on 1 July 1915 when the old Lierne Municipality (sometimes referred to as Finnlierne) was split in two parts: Nordli Municipality (population: 863) in the north and Sørli Municipality (population: 739) in the south. The old Lierne Municipality had been created on 1 January 1874 when it was separated from the large Snåsa Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring Sørli Municipality (population: 898) and Nordli Municipality (population: 1,147) were reunited to once again form Lierne Municipality.

### Name

The municipal name is named after the old name for the region (Hlíð) which means "mountainside" (similar to the Norwegian word li). Historically, the prefix Finna- was often added to the name: Finnahlíð. This prefix is the plural genitive case of finnr which means "Sami person" (or Finn) because the district was historically populated by Sami people prior to the arrival of ethnic Norwegians. Later, the prefix was dropped and the definite plural form of li was used, Lierne. In 1915, the old municipality was divided into two parts: Nordli and Sørli. The names of these new municipalities came from the older name. The definite singular form of the name was used, li, and the prefix sør was added to show that this was the southern part of Li.

### Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Sørli Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Lierne prestegjeld and the Indre Namdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.
Churches in Sørli :
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Sørli | Sørli Church | Mebygda | 1876 |

## Geography

The highest point in the municipality was the 1,390-metre (4,560 ft) tall mountain Hestkjøltoppen.

## Government

While it existed, Sørli 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.

### Mayors

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Sørli was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:
* 1915–1919: Hans H. Skjelbred
* 1920–1922: Theodor Brønstad
* 1923–1925: Paul P. Østborg
* 1926–1945: Teodor L. Østnor
* 1945–1945: Hans H. Udland
* 1946–1946: Frits Gravseth (Ap)
* 1946–1955: Emil Gåsbak (LL)
* 1956–1963: Ole Strand (V)

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Sørli 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.
Sørli herredsstyre 1960–1963 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 3 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |
| Note: On 1 January 1964, Sørli Municipality became part of Lierne Municipality. |||
Sørli herredsstyre 1956–1959 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 |
| | Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 4 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |
Sørli herredsstyre 1952–1955 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 8 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Sørli herredsstyre 1948–1951 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 4 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 8 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Sørli herredsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 7 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Sørli herredsstyre 1938–1941* :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 12 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
| 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. |||