Hosanger is a former municipality in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now divided between Alver Municipality and Osterøy Municipality in the traditional district of Nordhordland in Vestland county. The administrative centre was the village of Hosanger on the island of Osterøy, where Hosanger Church is located.
Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the municipality was the 343rd largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Hosanger Municipality was the 373rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 9.9% over the previous 10-year period.
The parish of Hosanger was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1885, the exclave of Seim was separated from Hosanger Municipality and merged into the new Alversund Municipality. This left Hosanger Municipality with 3,387 residents. On 1 January 1867, the ÃÂksendalen farm (population: 28) in the Eksingedalen valley was transferred from Voss Municipality to Hosanger Municipality by royal resolution. On 1 January 1910, the eastern part of Hosanger Municipality (population: 821) which included the Modalen and Eksingedalen valleys was separated to form the new Modalen Municipality. The split left Hosanger Municipality with 2,524 inhabitants.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Hosanger Municipality was dissolved and its lands were divided as follows amongst its neighbors:
The municipality (originally the parish) is named Hosanger () which was the old name of the local bay, now known as the MjøsvÃÂ¥gen. The first element is which means "long stocking". The last element is which means "bay" or "inlet".
The Church of Norway had one parish () within Hosanger Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Hosanger prestegjeld and the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.
The historic Hosanger Church was built in 1796. It is located in the village of Hosanger and it served as the main church for the municipality. It is a Romanesque-style church constructed of brick and stone. On the site there once was a stave church dating back to the Middle Ages. It was first mentioned in historical records in 1329. Later, a wooden church was constructed. The wooden church was struck by lightning and burned down on Christmas Day 1795. From 1863 until 1865, the church was extended to the west. The vestry extension on the south side of the church was built in 1962âÂÂ1964.
Hosanger Municipality originally included all the lands on both sides of the Osterfjorden-Romarheimsfjorden from the LonevÃÂ¥gen fjord all the way east to the county border at the end of the Modalen valley. Hosanger Municipality also included an exclave on the LindÃÂ¥s peninsula surrounding the village of Seim at the southern end of the Lurefjorden. Seim was separated from the rest of Hosanger by part of LindÃÂ¥s Municipality. Over time, the areas of Seim and Modalen were split off from Hosanger. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Høgafjellet, on the island of Osterøy, on the border with Bruvik Municipality.
Masfjorden Municipality was located to the north, Modalen Municipality was located to the northeast, Bruvik Municipality was located to the east, Haus Municipality was located to the south, Hamre Municipality was located to the southwest, and LindÃÂ¥s Municipality was located to the west.
While it existed, Hosanger 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 Gulating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council of Hosanger 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.
The mayor () of Hosanger Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people held this position: