Former municipality in Sør-Trøndelag, Norway
Rissa is a former municipality in the old Sør-Trøndelag county in Norway in the Fosen region. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution on 1 January 2018 when it became part of the newly created Indre Fosen Municipality in Trøndelag county. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Årnset. Other villages in the municipality included Askjem, Hasselvika, Husbysjøen, Rørvika, Råkvåg, Sørfjorden, and Stadsbygd.
Prior to its dissolution in 2018, the municipality was the 179th largest by area out of the then 426 municipalities in Norway. Rissa Municipality was the 158th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,628. The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 4.1% over the last decade.
General information.
Municipal history.
The former municipality of "Rissen" was established in 1860 when it was separated from the large Stadsbygd Municipality. Initially, Rissen Municipality had 3,733 residents. The spelling of the name was later changed to "Rissa Municipality". On 1 January 1905, the southwestern district of the municipality (population: 1,019) on the west side of the Trondheimsfjord was separated to form the new Lensvik Municipality. This left Rissa Municipality with 3,394 residents. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, most of Stadsbygd Municipality (except for the Ingdalen area) and the southern part of Stjørna Municipality were merged with Rissa to form a new, larger Rissa Municipality.
On 1 January 2018, Rissa Municipality and its neighbor Leksvik Municipality were merged to form the newly created Indre Fosen Municipality which became part of the new Trøndelag county on the same date.
Toponymy.
The municipality (originally the parish) was historically named "Rissen", or more recently spelled "Rissa" (). This was probably the old name of the brackish basin of Botn (literally "the bottom" of the fjord). Even though this is a heavily land-locked fjord with a river-like inlet from the Trondheimsfjord (it was probably a shallow bay in prehistoric times). The name is probably derived from the verb which means "raise" or "rise". (The average water level of Botnen is today about above mean sea level and the surface water is almost fresh from accumulated internal runoff.) Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled "Rissen". On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to "Rissa".
Coat of arms.
The coat of arms was granted on 23 January 1987 and it was in use until 1 January 2018 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Vert, a chaplet of three quatrefoils argent" (). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a chaplet (crown) with three quatrefoils. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The crown design was chosen to symbolize a similar crown of Skule Bårdsson that is depicted on an old tombstone at the Nidaros Cathedral. Bårdsson was the founder of Rein kloster at the Rein estate (which he also owned) in Rissa. The crown is a typical headdress used by the medieval Norwegian dukes. Typically, there are five quatrefoils on a crown like this, but Rissa has only three to symbolize the three municipalities that were merged in 1964 to form Rissa (Rissa, Stadsbygd, and Stjørna). The arms were designed by Oscar Bergsaune. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.
Geography.
The municipality was located on the southern end of the Fosen peninsula along the Trondheimsfjord and the Stjørnfjord. The large lake Storvatnet was located on the eastern border with Leksvik Municipality. To the north was Åfjord Municipality, to the east was Bjugn Municipality. Ørland Municipality was located to the northwest, and Leksvik Municipality was to the east. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Ytter Skurvhatten. The Flakk–Rørvik Ferry crosses the Trondheimsfjord connecting the village of Rørvika with the city of Trondheim.
Landslide.
On 29 April 1978, a major quick-clay landslide occurred south of Rissa at . An area of sent of quick clay slid down into the shores of Botn. The landslip caused a tsunami to strike the north shore at Leira, which destroyed a saw mill and flooded several houses. Out of the 40 people who were in the area at the time of the slide, one person died. A large portion of the slide was recorded on film by two amateur photographers. Almost four years after the event, a new road and stabilisation work in the area had removed most traces of the slide. The area being returned to agricultural use.
Governance.
While it existed, Rissa Municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The 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 Frostating Court of Appeal. 
Municipal council.
The municipal council of Rissa was made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party. 
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Mayors.
The mayor () of Rissa was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who held this position:
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Economy.
Fosen Yards.
One major employer in Rissa is Fosen Yard AS. Opened in 1972 as Fosen Mekaniske Verksteder, it has built a number of vessels used in Norway and abroad:
The company was originally Frengen Slip and Motorverksted (c. 1918) located in Fevåg and moved to Fosen by Jens Petter Bye who acquired Frengen Slip and Motorverksted in 1962.
Culture.
Churches.
The Church of Norway had four parishes () within Rissa Municipality. It was part of the Fosen prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.
References.
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