Nedstrand is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1965. The area is now part of Tysvær Municipality in the traditional district of Haugaland. The administrative centre was the village of Nedstrand. Other villages in the municipality included HinderÃÂ¥vÃÂ¥g, Espevik, and Vassenden.
Prior to its dissolution in 1965, the municipality was the 403rd largest by area out of the 525 municipalities in Norway. Nedstrand Municipality was the 474th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had decreased by 6.9% over the previous 10-year period.
The parish of Nærstrand was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). Originally, it encompassed the two sokn (parishes) of Hinderaa (located on the northern mainland part of the municipality) and Sjærnerø (the southern island) in the Nedstrandfjorden). On 1 January 1868, the municipality was divided as follows:
On 10 August 1881, a royal resolution changed the name of Hinderaa Municipality back to Nerstrand Municipality (with a slight spelling change from its previous spelling). Later, between 1910 and 1920 the spelling was changed slightly to Nedstrand Municipality to better match the local pronunciation.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, Nedstrand Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form a new, larger Tysvær Municipality:
The municipality (originally the parish) was originally named Nærstrand Municipality, after the old Nærstrand farm (). The first element is the plural form of the word which means "headland". The last element is which means "beach" or "shore".
In 1868, when the municipality was divided, the southern islands became the new Sjærnerø Municipality and the remaining parts of the Nærstrand Municipality was re-named Hinderaa Municipality. This name came from the old Hinderaa farm () since the first Nedstrand Church was built there. The farm was named after a local river. The first element is which means "female deer". The last element is which means "river" or "creek".
On 10 August 1881, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality back to Nerstrand, using a more modern spelling of the old name. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Nedstrand, a spelling that more closely matched the local pronunciation of the name.
The Church of Norway had one parish () within Nedstrand Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Nedstrand prestegjeld and the Ryfylke prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.
The municipality was located on the north side of the Nedstrandfjorden, an inner branch off the large Boknafjorden. The municipality encompassed the majority of the Nedstrand peninsula. Originally (from 1838 to 1868) it also included the Sjernarøyane islands and the western part of the island of Ombo in the fjord to the south. The Nedstrand peninsula is surrounded by the Hervikfjorden and Skjoldafjorden to the west, Yrkjesfjorden to the north, and Vindafjorden on the west. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Lammanuten which was located along the border with Vats Municipality.
Vats Municipality was located to the north, Vikedal Municipality was located to the northeast, Jelsa Municipality was located to the southeast, Sjernarøy Municipality was located to the south, Bokn Municipality was located to the southwest, Tysvær Municipality was located to the west, and Skjold Municipality was located to the northwest.
While it existed, Nedstrand 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 Karmsund District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council of Nedstrand Municipality was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor () of Nedstrand Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position: