Holt, Aust-Agder
Holt is a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The 176-square-kilometre (68 sq mi) municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1960 when it was merged into the present-day municipality of Tvedestrand. The administrative centre of Holt was located just south of the village of Fiane where Holt Church is located.[1]
Holt kommune | |
|---|---|
 View of Holt Church | |
  Holt kommune Location of the municipality  Holt kommune Holt kommune (Norway) | |
| Coordinates: 58°36′24″N 08°52′16″E | |
| Country | Norway |
| Region | Southern Norway |
| County | Aust-Agder |
| District | Østre Agder |
| Municipality ID | NO-0914 |
| Adm. Center | Fiane |
| Area | |
| • Total | 176 km2 (68 sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt in 1838 |
| Merged into | Tvedestrand in 1960 |
Holt Church probably dates from the twelfth century and has an ancient baptismal font. The interior was decorated by Torsten Hoff. The Nordkalottruta trail runs through the Holt area in Tvedestrand.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Holt farm (Old Norse: Holt), since the first Holt Church was built there. The name comes from skogholt (lund) which means "grove (of trees)".[2]
History
The parish of Holt was established as a civil municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). According to the 1835 census, the municipality had a population of 3,116.[3]
On 1 January 1881, a part of Holt with 52 inhabitants was moved to the neighboring municipality of Dypvåg, and on 1 July 1919 another part of Holt with 14 inhabitants was moved to the neighboring municipality of Moland. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, the municipalities of Holt (population: 3,759) and Dypvåg (population: 1,805) and the town of Tvedestrand (population: 868) were merged to form an enlarged municipality of Tvedestrand.[4]
Holt Church
Holt Church (Holt Kirke) is a cruciform church dating from the 1100s. The medieval-era church was constructed of stone. In 1753, it was expanded. The extension, choir and transepts were built of wood. The rebuilt church was also equipped with a chancel arch, decorated in the rococo style. The church has a baptismal font made out of soapstone, carved in high Gothic style. The Baroque altarpiece from 1732 is carved with a painting of Jesus in Gethsemane.[5]
Notable residents
- Aasulv Olsen Bryggesaa, a local politician
- Helga Gitmark, a local politician
- Harald Selås, a local politician
- Torje Olsen Solberg, a local politician
References
- Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (2015-07-24). "Holt". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
- Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nedenes amt (in Norwegian) (8 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 45.
- "Hjemmehørende folkemengde Aust-Agder 1801-1960" (in Norwegian). University of Tromsø: Registreringssentral for historiske data.
- Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. Cite journal requires
|journal=(help) - Aldin Thune, Nina, ed. (2012-03-16). "Holt kirke". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2018-01-01.
External links
