# Borge Municipality (Nordland)

Borge is a former municipality in Nordland county, Norway. The 193-square-kilometre (75 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until 1963. It was located on the northern part of the island of Vestvågøya in what is now Vestvågøy Municipality. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Bøstad where Borge Church is located. Other villages in the municipality included Borg, Knutstad, and Tangstad.
Prior to its dissolution in 1963, the 193-square-kilometre (75 sq mi) municipality was the 379th largest by area out of the 705 municipalities in Norway. Borge Municipality was the 208th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 4,082. The municipality's population density was 21.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (55/sq mi) and its population had decreased by 10.4% over the previous 10-year period.

## General information

The prestegjeld of Borge was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1927, the southern district of Borge (population: 625) acrimoniously split off to form the new Valberg Municipality. This left Borge Municipality with 4,093 inhabitants. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Borge Municipality (population: 4,056) was merged with the neighboring Buksnes Municipality (population: 4,416), Hol Municipality (population: 3,154), and Valberg Municipality (population: 662) to create the new Vestvågøy Municipality.

### Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Borge farm (Old Norse: Borgar) since the first Borge Church was built there. The name is the plural form of borg which means "castle" or "hill/plateau suitable for a castle".

### Churches

The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within Borge 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 Borge :
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Borge | Borge Church | Bøstad | 1898 (burned down in 1983) |
| Borge | Knutstad Chapel | Knutstad | 1915 |

## Geography

The municipality was located on the northern part of the large island of Vestvågøya. Valberg Municipality was located to the southeast and Buksnes Municipality was located to the southwest. The highest point in the municipality is the 955.9-metre (3,136 ft) tall mountain Himmeltindan, which was located on the border with neighboring Buksnes Municipality.

## Government

While it existed, Borge 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 Borge 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 (incomplete list):
* 1871-1884: Jens Foslie
* 1888-1889: K. Nilsen
* 1898-1900: Hans D.W. Smith
* 1900-1904: Jens Riksheim
* 1904-1905: Anton Pettersen Sand
* 1919-1934: William P. Olsen
* 1934-1941: Johan Walle (Ap)
* 1941-1942: Trygve Sand
* 1943-1944: Kristoffer Angelsen
* 1945-1951: Johan Walle (Ap)
* 1951-1962: Birger Val (H)

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Borge 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.
Borge herredsstyre 1960–1963 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 10 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
| Note: On 1 January 1963, Borge Municipality became part of Vestvågøy Municipality. |||
Borge herredsstyre 1956–1959 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 |
| | List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 1 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 7 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 17 |
Borge herredsstyre 1952–1955 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 |
| | List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 2 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 5 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
Borge herredsstyre 1948–1951 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 4 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
Borge herredsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 4 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 16 |
Borge herredsstyre 1938–1941* :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 |
| | List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 1 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 5 |
| 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. |||