Holmsland
Encyclopedia
Until January 1, 2007 Holmsland was a municipality
(Danish
, kommune) in Ringkjøbing County
on the west coast of the Jutland
peninsula in west Denmark
. The municipality covered an area of 95 km² on a narrow strip of land, Holmsland Dunes (Holmsland Klit), which is connected to the mainland on the north and south, and bounded on the east by Ringkøbing Fjord
and on the west by the North Sea
. It had a total population of 5,285 (2005). Its last mayor was Ivar Enevoldsen. The main town and the site of its municipal council was the town of Hvide Sande
("White Sands").
The municipality was created in 1970 due to a kommunalreform ("Municipality Reform") that combined a number of existing parish
es:
Holmsland municipality ceased to exist due to Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It was merged with existing Egvad
, Ringkøbing
, Skjern, and Videbæk
municipalities to form the new Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality
. This created a municipality with an area of 1,485 km² and a total population of 57,818 (2005). The new municipality belong to Region Midtjylland
("Mid-Jutland Region"). The merger was a hot issue in Holmsland municipality, since Holmslund distinguished itself by having Denmark's lowest tax rate, and residents expected that this rate would increase on account of the merger. According to Dagbladet Børsen
, Denmark's leading business paper, residents risked a loss on their properties of more than 250,000 DKr
, and a yearly tax increase of 15,000 DKr on account of the merger http://www.borsen.dk/dagens-nyheder/?ids%5B%5D=62846.
. The canal was dedicated in 1931.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
(Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
, kommune) in Ringkjøbing County
Ringkjøbing County
Ringkjøbing Amt is a former county on the Jutland peninsula in western Denmark. It had the lowest population density of all the Danish counties. The county was abolished effective January 1, 2007, when it merged into Region Midtjylland Ringkjøbing Amt (English, Ringkjøbing County) is a former...
on the west coast of the Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
peninsula in west Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. The municipality covered an area of 95 km² on a narrow strip of land, Holmsland Dunes (Holmsland Klit), which is connected to the mainland on the north and south, and bounded on the east by Ringkøbing Fjord
Ringkøbing Fjord
Ringkøbing Fjord, despite its name, is in fact a shallow lagoon in the west of Jutland that is shielded from the North Sea by the long isthmus of Holmsland Dunes. On the Hvide Sande Canal in the middle of the isthmus, there is a floodgate that provides access to the sea to the west. The fjord is...
and on the west by the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. It had a total population of 5,285 (2005). Its last mayor was Ivar Enevoldsen. The main town and the site of its municipal council was the town of Hvide Sande
Hvide Sande
Hvide Sande is a small town on the northern tip of the Holmsland Dunes, in the western part of Central Denmark Region, formerly Ringkjøbing County, Denmark....
("White Sands").
The municipality was created in 1970 due to a kommunalreform ("Municipality Reform") that combined a number of existing parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
es:
- Gammelsogn Parish
- Holmsland Klit Parish
- Nysogn Parish
Holmsland municipality ceased to exist due to Kommunalreformen ("The Municipality Reform" of 2007). It was merged with existing Egvad
Egvad Municipality
Until January 1, 2007, Egvad was a municipality in Ringkøbing County near the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. The municipality covered an area of 377 km², and had a total population of 9,396 . Its last mayor was Kent Skaanning. The municipality's main town and the site of...
, Ringkøbing
Ringkøbing
Ringkøbing is a town in Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality in Region Midtjylland on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. The town has a population of 9,742 .-History:...
, Skjern, and Videbæk
Videbæk
Videbæk is a town and a former municipality in Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality, Region Midtjylland. The town is close to Ringkøbing Fjord on the Jutland peninsula in west Denmark. The former Videbæk municipality covered an area of 289 km², and had a total population of 12,140...
municipalities to form the new Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality
Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality
Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality is a municipality in Denmark. It was formed on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 administrative reform from the former municipalities of Egvad, Holmsland, Ringkøbing, Skjern, and Videbæk. The new municipality has an area of 1,485 km², the largest, area wise,...
. This created a municipality with an area of 1,485 km² and a total population of 57,818 (2005). The new municipality belong to Region Midtjylland
Region Midtjylland
Central Denmark Region or Central Jutland Region is an administrative region of Denmark established on January 1, 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which replaced the traditional counties with five larger regions. At the same time, smaller municipalities were merged into larger...
("Mid-Jutland Region"). The merger was a hot issue in Holmsland municipality, since Holmslund distinguished itself by having Denmark's lowest tax rate, and residents expected that this rate would increase on account of the merger. According to Dagbladet Børsen
Dagbladet Børsen
Børsen is a Danish daily newspaper specialising in business news....
, Denmark's leading business paper, residents risked a loss on their properties of more than 250,000 DKr
Danish krone
The krone is the official currency of the Kingdom of Denmark consisting of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. It is subdivided into 100 øre...
, and a yearly tax increase of 15,000 DKr on account of the merger http://www.borsen.dk/dagens-nyheder/?ids%5B%5D=62846.
The town of Hvide Sande
The town of Hvide Sande lies in the middle of the former municipality and is Denmark's 5th largest fishing harbour. It was established on either side of the canal that runs from the North Sea into Ringkøbing FjordRingkøbing Fjord
Ringkøbing Fjord, despite its name, is in fact a shallow lagoon in the west of Jutland that is shielded from the North Sea by the long isthmus of Holmsland Dunes. On the Hvide Sande Canal in the middle of the isthmus, there is a floodgate that provides access to the sea to the west. The fjord is...
. The canal was dedicated in 1931.