Nesset


Nesset is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre was the village of Eidsvåg. Other population centers included Rausand, Boggestranda, Myklebostad, Eresfjord, and Eikesdalen.
Mardalsfossen, one of Norway's tallest waterfalls, a popular tourist attraction during the tourist season, is located in Nesset, along the shores of the lake Eikesdalsvatnet.
At the time if its dissolution in 2020, the municipality is the 100th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Nesset is the 267th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,946. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 3.8% over the last decade.

General information

The parish of Nesset was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. On 1 January 1890, all of Nesset south of the Langfjorden was separated to form the new municipality of Eresfjord og Vistdal. This split left Nesset with 1,706 residents. On 1 January 1877, the Sotnakken farm on the Romsdal peninsula was transferred from Nesset to the neighboring Bolsøy municipality. Also on that date, the Tiltereidet and Meisalstranda areas of Tingvoll Municipality, along the west coast of the Tingvollfjorden, were transferred to Nesset Municipality. On 1 January 1890, the Bersås, Nævergjeld, Rausandhaugen, and Rausand area was transferred from Tingvoll Municipality to Nesset Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Eresfjord og Vistdal Municipality was merged back into Nesset Municipality. Prior to the merger, Nesset had 2,360 residents.
On 1 January 2020, the municipality of Nesset merged with the neighboring municipalities of Molde and Midsund to form a much larger Molde Municipality.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Nesset farm and vicarage since this is where the old Nesset Church was located. The first element is probably nes which means "headlands" and the last element is setr or sætr which means "farm". Before 1889, the name was written Næsset.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 10 March 1986. The broken gray line symbolizes the two stage drop on one of Europe's highest waterfalls, the Mardalsfossen, which is located in the municipality. The designer was Olav Sandø, from Eidsvåg.

Churches

The Church of Norway had four parishes within the municipality of Nesset. It is part of the Indre Romsdal prosti in the Diocese of Møre.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
EikesdalEikesdal ChurchEikesdalen1866
EresfjordSira ChurchEresfjord1869
NessetNesset ChurchEidsvåg1878
VistdalVistdal ChurchMyklebostad1869

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Nesset, are responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Nesset is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown for the final municipal council was as follows:

Geography

The municipality is made up mostly of the Eikesdalen valley which surrounds the lake Eikesdalsvatnet. The lake is fed from the lake Aursjøen on the border of Oppland county. The water then flows through the Aura River into the lake Eikesdalsvatnet. That water then flows into the river Eira and then on to the Eresfjorden, a branch of the Langfjorden which itself is a branch off the great Romsdal Fjord. The mountains Skjorta, Fløtatinden, and Gjuratinden surround the main valley.

Birdlife

From the shores of the fjord, to the towering mountains at above sea level, the rural community of Nesset offers the visiting birder a range of habitats, and several interesting areas. One area worth checking is Eidsvågleirene. Though the selection of species will not be high, several of the commoner species can be found. The grey heron and mallard are characteristic species in the area.