Høvåg is a former municipality in the old Aust-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1865 until its dissolution in 1962. The area is now part of Lillesand Municipality in the traditional district of Sørlandet in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Høvåg where the Høvåg Church is located. Other villages and coastal settlements in Høvåg included Ulvøysund, Gamle Hellesund, Skotteviga, Kjøbmannsvig and Ågerøyhavn. The village of Høvåg is located midway between the towns of Lillesand and Kristiansand.

Prior to its dissolution in 1962, the municipality was the 572nd largest by area out of the 731 municipalities in Norway. Høvåg Municipality was the 582nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 7% over the previous 10-year period.

General information The municipality of Høvaag (later spelled Høvåg) was established in 1865 when Vestre Moland Municipality was divided into two: the southwestern district (population: ) became the new Høvaag Municipality and the northeastern district (population: ) continued as a smaller Vestre Moland Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Høvåg Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form an enlarged Lillesand Municipality: all of Høvåg Municipality (population: ) all of Vestre Moland Municipality (population: ) the town of Lillesand (population: ) the Gitmark farm area from Eide Municipality (population: )

Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Høvaag farm (). The first element is which means "hay". The last element is the plural form of which means "bay" or "inlet". This is likely because the land along the bay is the site of lush vegetation.

On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Høvaag with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Høvåg, using the letter å instead.

Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Høvåg Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Høvåg prestegjeld and the Vest-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.

Churches in Høvåg MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtHøvågHøvåg ChurchHøvåg

Geography The municipality was the southernmost municipality in Aust-Agder county. The Blindleia inland strait flowed through the municipality. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Steinåsheia.

Government While it existed, Høvåg 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 Sand District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council The municipal council of Høvåg Municipality 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.

Mayors The mayor () of Høvåg Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

1864–1865: Carl O. Gregersen 1866–1868: Rev. Peder Allarich Christensen 1868–1869: Abraham Olsen Kjøstvedt 1870–1871: Nils Andreas Andersen Stendal 1872–1873: Nils Jakobsen 1874–1885: Nils Andreas Andersen Stendal (V) 1886–1889: Ole Tobias Johannesen Vallesvær (MV) 1890–1895: Ole Andersen Aagerøy (V) 1896–1898: Ole Tobias Vallesvær (MV) 1899–1904: Karl Kvaase (V) 1905–1913: Svend A. Kjøstvedt (H) 1914–1919: Karl Kvaase (V) 1920–1925: Thor Andersen Aagerøy (V) 1926–1928: Anders Abrahamsen (H) 1929–1931: Thor Andersen Aagerøy (V) 1932–1942: Jonas Jonassen 1942–1945: Henry J. Erichsen (NS) 1945–1945: Jonas Jonassen 1945–1955: Thorvald Kjøstvedt (V) 1956–1959: Abraham Kjøstvedt (Bp) 1960–1961: Sigurd Kleveland (V)

Attractions Høvåg Church

Høvåg Church () is located in the Høvåg parish in Vest-Nedenes prosti. It is constructed of brick and was built circa 1100-1150. The church uses a cruciform floor plan and has 400 seats. The nave is shaped like a T with the altar in the center. In 1723, the congregation started a project to expand, maintain, and refurbish the church. The west wing was joined in 1768, the north wing, which is the current main entrance was built in 1828. The tower was built in 1831. The altarpiece is a triptych representing faith, hope, and love. It is from about 1620 and was completed by an unknown artist. The pulpit is from about 1660. Around 1900 the altarpiece was painted white, but in 1935 it was restored to the present form. The pictures on the pulpit is of the four evangelists.

Notable people Karl Johan Fjermeros, a local politician

See also List of former municipalities of Norway

References

External links 1960 census and map of the municipality (page 4)