Hidra, Norway

Hitterø herred
Hidra herred
Former Municipality

Kirkehavn on Hidra
Coordinates: 58°13′15″N 06°34′45″E / 58.22083°N 6.57917°E / 58.22083; 6.57917Coordinates: 58°13′15″N 06°34′45″E / 58.22083°N 6.57917°E / 58.22083; 6.57917
Country Norway
County Vest-Agder
District Sørlandet
Municipality ID NO-1042
Area[1]
 • Land 20.4 km2 (7.9 sq mi)
Created from Nes og Hitterø in 1893
Merged into Flekkefjord in 1965
This article is about the Norwegian Island. For the Greek island, see Hydra (island). For the Tunisian town, see Haïdra.

Hidra is an island and a former municipality in Vest-Agder county in Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Flekkefjord. The island has two harbours: Rasvåg and Kirkehavn. It is the largest island in Vest-Agder county and it is separated from the mainland by the 350 m (1,150 ft) wide Hidrasund fjord.[1]

Hidra was home to the landscape and coastal painter Olav Omland (1909–1998). He was also a poet and songwriter, and composed the song about Hidra "Hidrasangen". Hidra was also home to the eccentric personality and artist Tatjana Lars Kristian Guldbrandsen.

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Hitr. The name is probably derived from a word with the meaning "split" or "cleft" (referring to the fact that the island is almost split in two by the Rasvåg fjord).[1][2] Prior to 1918, the name was spelled Hitterø.

See also: Hitra

History

Nes og Hitterø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). However, on 1 January 1894, this municipality was split into two municipalities: Hitterø (population: 2,075) and Nes (population: 1,704).

On 1 January 1965, Hidra (formerly called Hitterø) was merged with Nes, Gyland, most of Bakke, and the town of Flekkefjord to form the new municipality of Flekkefjord. Prior to the merger, Hidra had a population of 1,277.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Hidra" (in Norwegian). Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  2. ↑ Rygh, Oluf (1912). Norske gaardnavne: Lister og Mandals amt (in Norwegian) (9 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 303.
  3. ↑ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.

External links

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