| Hof | |
| Former: | yes |
| Former Name: | Hof herred |
| Idnumber: | 0714 |
| County: | Vestfold |
| District: | Jarlsberg |
| Capital: | Hof |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1838 |
| Preceded: | none |
| Disestablished: | 1 Jan 2018 |
| Succeeded: | Holmestrand Municipality |
| Demonym: | Hofsokning |
| Language: | Bokmål[1] |
| Mayor: | Mette Måge Olsen |
| Mayor Party: | Ap |
| Mayor As Of: | 2015-2018 |
| Area Total Km2: | 163.12 |
| Area Land Km2: | 148.58 |
| Area Water Km2: | 14.54 |
| Population As Of: | 2017 |
| Population Total: | 3176 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Coordinates: | 59.5303°N 10.087°W |
Hof is a former municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The 163km2 municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2018. The area is now part of Holmestrand Municipality in the traditional district of Jarlsberg. The administrative centre was the village of Hof. Other villages in the municipality included Eidsfoss and Sundbyfoss.[2]
The parish of Hof was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The borders of the municipality were never changed.[3] On 1 January 2018, Hof Municipality was merged into the neighboring Holmestrand Municipality.[4]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hof farm (non|Hof) since the first Hof Church was built there. The name is identical with the word hof which means "pagan temple", a place for worshiping the old Norse Gods.[5]
The coat of arms was granted on 17 July 1992. The official blazon is "Gules, three water lily leaves Or" (no|I rødt tre gull sjøblad, 2-1). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a seeblatt which is a water lily leaf design. 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 is meant to symbolize the many lakes in the municipality. There are three leaves in the design to symbolize the three church parishes in Hof: Hof, Vassås, and Eidsfoss. The arms were designed by Geir Helgen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[6] [7] [8]
The Church of Norway had one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within the municipality of Hof. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Nord-Jarlsberg prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Tunsberg.
| Hof, Vassås og Eidsfoss | Eidsfoss Church | Eidsfoss | 1904 |
| Hof Church | Hof | c. 1150 | |
| Vassås Church | Vassås | c. 1200 |
The municipality of Hof covered, of which was land. Of the land in the municipality, was farmland and was forests. Hof Municipality consisted of the three parishes: Hof, Eidsfoss, and Sundbyfoss. Mountains in Hof included: Buaren, Vestfjellet, Skibergfjell, and Grøntjernkollen. The large lake Eikeren was partially located in Hof. Approximately
Hof 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.[9]
The mayors (no|ordfører) of Hof:[10] [11]
The municipal council Norwegian: (Kommunestyre) of Hof was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Hof Municipality was a typical community based on agriculture and forestry. Its largest industry was a lumber mill. Hof was located in the climate zone best suited for agriculture in Norway. Therefore, wheat was one of the most important agricultural products of the municipality. However, between 1998 and 2008, 40% of the municipal farms become inactive, and the agricultural employment rate dropped to about 5%.[12]
Hof was known for its great hunting and fishing resources as well. With 120000acres of forest open for hunting, it was quite popular and there were commercial hunting opportunities. About 75 landowners in Hof united in a land owner union (Hof Utmarkslag), and hunters were required to purchase permits from them (mainly small game hunting) in order to use their land.[13]
In the first decade of the 21st century, hunters typically harvested the following amounts of game animals annually in Hof: over 100 moose, 1-5 red deer, 80-90 roe deer, and 0-10 beaver.
. Norske gaardnavne: Jarlsberg og Larviks amt . 1907 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 6 . Kristiania, Norge . 47 . no . Oluf Rygh.