Bolsøy is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal

Møre og Romsdal

is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...

 county, Norway

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. Bolsøy encompassed the area around the Fannefjord

Fannefjord

Fannefjorden is a fjord located in the municipality of Molde in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is a long extension of the Moldefjord, running east-west near the south side of the Romsdal peninsula. The fjord begins just east of the city of Molde on the north shore with the island of Bolsøya...

 including most of the present-day municipality of Molde, excluding the city of Molde. The municipality also included the Molde Archipelago

Molde archipelago

The Molde Archipelago is a chain of about 50 tree-clad islands and islets, 2 km south the city of Molde, Norway. The archipelago is public, protected land, and a recreational resort...

 and the island of Bolsøya

Bolsøya

Bolsøya is an island in the Fannefjord in the Romsdalsfjord in the municipality of Molde in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is connected to the mainland by the Bolsøy Bridge and to the city of Molde by the Fannefjord Tunnel, both on County Road 64. The island is unique due to its long...

, where the main church was located.

History

The parish of Bolsøy was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt

Formannskapsdistrikt

Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...

). According to the 1835 census, Bolsøy had a population of 2,391. On 1 January 1877, the Sotnakken farm (population: 19) was added to Bolsøy from Nesset

Nesset

Nesset is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre is the village of Eidsvåg. Other population centers include Rausand, Boggestranda, Myklebostad, Eresfjord, and Eikesdalen....

. In 1915, a part of Bolsøy with 183 inhabitants was transferred to Molde

Molde

is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...

. Again in 1952, another part of Bolsøy (population: 1,913) was transferred to Molde. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Bolsøy was incorporated into Molde. Prior to the merger, Bolsøy had a population of 7,996.