Prior to its dissolution in 1964, the 185.6-square-kilometre (71.7sqmi) municipality was the 392nd largest by area out of the 689 municipalities in Norway. Brekke Municipality was the 647th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about 782. The municipality's population density was 4.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (11/sqmi) and its population had decreased by 6.8% over the previous 10-year period.[6][7]
On 1 January 1875, a part of Klævold Municipality (population: 90) was transferred to Lavik og Brekke Municipality. On 1 January 1905, Lavik og Brekke Municipality (population: 2,164) was divided, reverting to the pre-1861 borders (except for the small change in 1875) and re-creating Lavik Municipality (population: 1,182) and Brekke Municipality (population: 982) as separate municipalities once again.[8]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Brekke Municipality (population: 782) was merged with the neighboring Gulen Municipality (population: 2,468), creating a new, larger Gulen Municipality.[8]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Brekke farm (Old Norse: Brekka) since the first Brekke Church was built there. The name is identical to the word brekka which means "slope". Historically, the spelling of the name was not formalized until the 1800s, so spellings such as Breche, Bræcke, and Brække were also used.[9][10]
The municipality was located in the outer Sogn region, on the south side of the Sognefjorden and centered around the Risnesfjorden, a fjord arm that reaches to the south from the main fjord. The highest point in the municipality was the 877.44-metre (2,878.7ft) tall mountain Svadfjellet, located in the southeastern part of the municipality, near the border with Masfjorden Municipality.[1]
The municipal council(Heradsstyre) of Brekke Municipality was made up of 13 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (Nynorsk: ordførar) of Brekke Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people held this position:[18]
↑Askheim, Svein, ed. (26 November 2024). "Brekke (Gulen)". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
↑Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
