# Valberg Municipality

Valberg is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 57-square-kilometre (22 sq mi) municipality existed from 1927 until 1963. The municipality covered the southeastern coast of the island of Vestvågøya in what is now Vestvågøy Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Valberg where Valberg Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the 57-square-kilometre (22 sq mi) municipality was the 593rd largest by area out of the 705 municipalities in Norway. Valberg Municipality was the 671st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 672. The municipality's population density was 11.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (31/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 9.1% over the previous 10-year period.

## General information

The municipality of Valberg was established by a royal resolution on 25 February 1927 after an acrimonious split within the large Borge Municipality. The southern part of Borge became the new Valberg Municipality (population: 625). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Valberg Municipality (population: 662) was merged with the neighboring Borge Municipality (population: 4,056), Buksnes Municipality (population: 4,416), and Hol Municipality (population: 3,154) to create the new Vestvågøy Municipality.

### Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Valberg farm (Old Norse: Valberg or Valaberg) since the first Valberg Church was built there. The farm was named after a nearby mountain. The first element is valr which means "falcon". The last element is berg which means "mountain".

### Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Valberg Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Borge prestegjeld and the Lofoten prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Sør-Hålogaland.
Churches in Valberg :
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Valberg | Valberg Church | Valberg | 1889 |

## Geography

The municipality was located on the southeastern part of the island of Vestvågøya. Hol Municipality was located to the west, Borge Municipality was to the north, and Gimsøy Municipality and Vågan Municipality were to the east (on the islands of Gimsøya and Austvågøya). The highest point in Valberg Municipality is the 738-metre (2,421 ft) tall mountain Justadtinden, which was located on the border with neighboring Hol Municipality.

## Government

While it existed, Valberg 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 (Norwegian: ordfører) of Valberg 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:
* 1927-1928: Ole Moland
* 1929-1930: N. Finstad
* 1931-1934: Ragnar Riksheim
* 1935-1942: Arne Blix (H)
* 1942-1945: Ole Martin Johansen (NS)
* 1945-1945: Arne Blix (H)
* 1946-1951: Paul Jensen (Ap)
* 1951-1959: Arne Blix (H)
* 1959-1962: Paul Jensen (Ap)

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Valberg was made up of 13 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Valberg herredsstyre 1960–1962 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 7 |
| | Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 6 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |
| Note: On 1 January 1963, Valberg Municipality became part of Vestvågøy Municipality. |||
Valberg herredsstyre 1956–1959 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 7 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 13 |
Valberg herredsstyre 1952–1955 :
| 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 |
Valberg herredsstyre 1948–1951 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 6 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Valberg herredsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 12 |
Valberg herredsstyre 1938–1941* :
| 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 |
| 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. |||