Holt, Aust-Agder


Holt is a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The 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.
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 is named after the old Holt farm, since the first Holt Church was built there. The name comes from skogholt which means "grove ".

History

The parish of Holt was established as a civil municipality on 1 January 1838. According to the 1835 census, the municipality had a population of 3,116.
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 and Dypvåg and the town of Tvedestrand were merged to form an enlarged municipality of Tvedestrand.

Holt Church

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.

Notable residents