Sauherad

Sauherad is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It was part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The 321 km2 municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now part of Midt-Telemark Municipality and Notodden Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Akkerhaugen. Other villages in the municipality included Gvarv, Holtsås, Hjukse, Hjuksebø, Nordagutu, and Sauherad. Sauherad bordered the municipalities of Kongsberg, Skien, Nome, Bø, and Notodden.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 321 km2 municipality was the 265th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Sauherad was the 224th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,293. The municipality's population density was 13 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 0.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Søfde (later spelled Saude, then Sauherad) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1903, an unpopulated area of Saude was transferred to the neighboring Gjerpen Municipality. On 1 July 1914 a small area of Sauherad (population: 27) was transferred to the neighboring Bø Municipality.

On 1 January 2020, Sauherad Municipality (population: 4,293) was merged with the neighboring Bø Municipality (population: 6,630) to form the new Midt-Telemark Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Sauar farm (Sauðar) since the first Sauherad Church was built there. The name comes from the plural form of sauðr which means "to boil" or "to seeth", likely referring to the current in the local river. The last element, herad (added in the 20th century) comes from the word which means "district" or "countryside". Thus it is "the district (herað) of Sauðar". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Søfde. In 1862, the spelling was changed to Saude. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sauherad.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 27 April 1989 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality became part of the new Midt-Telemark Municipality. The official blazon is "Azure, an apple tree Or" (I blått et gull epletre). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is an apple tree with leaves and apples. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The design was chosen since apple cultivation is a major industry in the municipality. The arms were designed by Halvor Holtskog. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Sauherad. It was part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Sauherad Church dates from the medieval era. The church was built between 1150 and 1250. The edifice is of stone and has 260 seats. The church is built in Romanesque style. On the ridge, in the middle of the gable roof, sits a turret. The church bells are from 1441. The altarpiece from 1663 is of Renaissance style. In 1781 the building was extended westward. In 1830 the church received a new interior. The frescoes in the nave were uncovered and restore during the 1940s and 1950s.

Railway
Both the Sørland Line and the Bratsberg Line ran through Sauherad. The Bratsberg Line runs as part of the Sørland Line between Hjuksebø and Nordagutu. The Hjukse Bridge at Hjuksebø on the Bratsberg Line is Norway's tallest railway bridge at 65 m. In 2019, Nordagutu Station was the only operating station left in Sauherad.

Roads
The Norwegian national roads 36 and 360 both went through Sauherad. Norwegian county roads 44, 151, 551, 553, and 555 also travelled through Sauherad. In 2008, all roads and streets got names, as one of the last municipalities in Norway to do this.

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this 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 Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sauherad was made up of 29 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Sauherad (incomplete list):
 * 1999-2015: Hans Sundsvalen (Ap)
 * 2015-2019: Mette Haugholt (Ap)

Events

 * Sauheraddagane (since 1993)
 * Kartfestivalen (Kart Festival, since 2005)
 * Norsk Eplefest (Norwegian apple festival, since 2006)

Buildings

 * Blæksås fortress (3-5th century)
 * Bratningsborg fortress (3-5th century)
 * Steinborg fortress (3-5th century)
 * Evju Bygdetun (Museum)
 * Nes stone church (12th century)
 * Sauherad stone church (12th century)

Notable people

 * Enevold Steenblock Høyum (1775–1830), a military officer who was a representative at the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly
 * Targjei Augundsson (1801 – 1872) known as Myllarguten (meaning the Millerboy), a fiddle player
 * Hans Aimar Mow Grønvold (1846–1926), a Norwegian civil servant and music writer
 * Lars Fykerud (1860–1902), a Norwegian Hardanger fiddler and composer
 * Sverre Granlund DCM (1918–1943), a Norwegian commando during WWII
 * Arne Haukvik (1926–2002), a politician and founder of the Bislett Games
 * Liv Holtskog (1934 in Gvarv - 2014), a Norwegian fruit farmer and poet
 * Johannes Akkerhaugen (born 1939), an archer who competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics

Sister cities
The following cities are twinned with Sauherad:
 * 🇸🇪 Karlsborg, Västra Götaland County, Sweden