Verran


Verran is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1901 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was divided between Steinkjer Municipality and Indre Fosen Municipality. It was part of the Innherred region. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Malm. Other villages in Verran included Follafoss, Sela, Verrabotn, and Verrastranda.
At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the municipality was the 185th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Verran was the 294th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,473. The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 16.1% over the last decade.

General information

The municipality of Verran was established on 1 January 1901 when the old municipality of Mosvik og Verran was divided into two new municipalities: Mosvik and Verran. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of Malm to the north and Verran to the south were merged to form a new municipality of Verran. After the merger, there were 4,778 residents in Verran. On 1 January 1968, the Framverran area on the south side of the Verrasundet fjord was transferred from Verran to the neighboring municipality of Mosvik.
On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.
On 1 January 2020 the municipality of Verran was merged with the neighboring municipality of Steinkjer to form a new, larger Steinkjer Municipality. Also on that date, the Verrabotn area in southwestern Verran was merged with the neighboring municipality of Indre Fosen.

Name

The municipality is named after the Verrasundet fjord, which is an arm of the great Trondheimsfjord. The meaning of the old name is probably "the quiet one" or "the fjord with still water".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 September 1987. The arms show a blue background with a silver verranjekt, a type of boat that is common in the area.

Churches

The Church of Norway had two parishes within the municipality of Verran. It is part of the Nord-Innherad prosti in the Diocese of Nidaros.
Parish Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
MalmMalm ChurchMalm1885
MalmSela ChurchSela1997
VerranFines ChurchVerrabotn1913
VerranFollafoss ChurchFollafoss1954

Geography

Verran bordered the municipalities of Åfjord to the west, Indre Fosen to the south, Inderøy to the southeast, Steinkjer to the east, and Namdalseid to the north. Verran encompasses the western coastline of the Beitstadfjord, an arm of the Trondheimsfjord. There are three large lakes in Verran: Ormsetvatnet, Selavatnet, and Holden. The river Follaelva runs through the municipality, emptying into the Trondheimsfjord at Follafoss.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Verran, 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 Inntrøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Verran is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Economy

is an important industry in Verran. There is also a paper mill in Follafoss that is a large factory. The paper mill is owned by Södra Cell Folla.