Ølen is a former municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1916 until its dissolution in 2006. The area is now part of Vindafjord Municipality in the traditional district of Haugaland (although it was part of Hordaland county from 1916 until 2002 when it switched counties). The administrative centre was the village of Ølensjøen. Other villages in the municipality included Ølensvåg, Vikebygd, and Bjoa.
General information
thumb|left|Map of Ølen in Hordaland county prior to 2002 when it was transferred to Rogaland county
thumb|left|View of Ølen in the first half of the 20th century
thumb|left|[[Ølen Church]]
The parish of Ølen was established as a municipality on 1 July 1916 when the large Fjelberg Municipality was divided as follows:
- the southern mainland areas (population: 1,715) became the new Ølen Municipality
- the northern district (population: 1,926) remained as a smaller Fjelberg Municipality
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring Vikebygd Municipality was dissolved and the eastern half of it (population: 578) was merged into Ølen Municipality.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Ølsfjorden () since it was a central geographical feature of the municipality. The meaning of the name is uncertain, but it may come from the word which means "to produce" or "to nourish", possibly referring to the rich fishing in the fjord.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 4 April 1986 and it was in used until 2006 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon was "Gyronny embowed argent and vert" (). This means the arms are a whirl design that divides the shield into 8 curved sections. The field (background) alternates colors, with half having a tincture of green and the other half have a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design was chosen to symbolise the way that several major roads come together in the municipality, making it an important centre of trade. The arms were designed by Vigdis Viland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.
In 2006, the new coat of arms for the new Vindafjord Municipality was designed to combine aspects of the two predecessor municipalities. It bears the design of the old Ølen Municipality coat of arms and the colours of the old Vindafjord Municipality coat of arms.
Churches
The Church of Norway had three parishes () within Ølen Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Ølen prestegjeld and the Nordre Ryfylke prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ style="font-size:medium"|Churches in Ølen Municipality
!Parish ()!!Church name!!Location of the church!!Year built
|-
|rowspan="1"|Austre Vikebygd||Vikebygd Church||Vikebygd||1937
|-
|rowspan="1"|Bjoa||Bjoa Church||Bjoa||1895
|-
|rowspan="1"|Ølen||Ølen Church||Ølensjøen||1874
|}
Geography
The municipality was located on the mainland south of the Hardangerfjorden, along the shores of the smaller side-fjords: Ålfjorden, Bjoafjorden, and Olsfjorden. The municipality is located along the traditional districts of Sunnhordland (to the north in Hordaland county) and Haugalandet (to the south in Rogaland county). The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Gråhorga. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Karmsund District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
The municipal council of Ølen Municipality was made up of 21 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Mayors
The mayor () of Ølen Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
- 1916–1919: J.H. Haugland
- 1920–1922: Gunner T. Lunde
- 1923–1925: Jonas Svendsbø
- 1926–1937: Tørris T. Heggen
- 1937–1942: H.J. Haugland
- 1942–1945: Anders Vik
- 1945–1945: H.J. Haugland
- 1946–1955: Thomas Skålnes (V)
- 1955–1959: Johannes Haugland (H)
- 1959–1963: Thomas Haraldsen (LL)
- 1963–1967: Johannes Eikeland (H)
- 1967–1975: Magnus Haugland (Sp)
- 1975–1979: Endre Heggen (H)
- 1979–1999: Dominikus N. Bjordal (V)
- 1999–2005: Arne Bergsvåg (Sp)
See also
- List of former municipalities of Norway