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Mars Express

Mars Express is a space exploration mission being conducted by the European Space Agency (ESA). The Mars Express mission is exploring the planet Mars, and is the first planetary mission attempted by the agency. "Express" originally referred to the speed and efficiency with which the spacecraft was designed and built. However, "Express" also describes the spacecraft's relatively short interplanetary voyage, a result of being launched when the orbits of Earth and Mars brought them closer than they had been in about 60,000 years.

Mars Express consists of two parts, the Mars Express Orbiter and Beagle 2, a lander designed to perform exobiology and geochemistry research. Although the lander failed to fully deploy after it landed on the Martian surface, the orbiter has been successfully performing scientific measurements since early 2004, namely, high-resolution imaging and mineralogical mapping of the surface, radar sounding of the subsurface structure down to the permafrost, precise determination of the atmospheric circulation and composition, and study of the interaction of the atmosphere with the interplanetary medium.

Due to the valuable science return and the highly flexible mission profile, Mars Express has been granted several mission extensions. The latest was approved on March 7, 2023, consisting of a confirmed operating period until December 31, 2026, and a further provisional extension to December 31, 2028.

Some of the instruments on the orbiter, including the camera systems and some spectrometers, reuse designs from the failed launch of the Russian Mars 96 mission in 1996 (European countries had provided much of the instrumentation and financing for that unsuccessful mission). The design of Mars Express is based on ESA's Rosetta mission, on which a considerable sum was spent on development. The same design was also used for ESA's Venus Express mission in order to increase reliability and reduce development cost and time. Because of these redesigns and repurposings, the total cost of the project was about $345 million- less than half of comparable U.S. missions.

Arriving at Mars in 2003, 24 years, 6 months, 5 days ago (and counting), it is the second longest surviving, continually active spacecraft in orbit around a planet other than Earth, behind only NASA's still active 2001 Mars Odyssey.

Mission overview
The Mars Express mission is dedicated to the orbital (and originally in-situ) study of the interior, subsurface, surface and atmosphere, and environment of the planet Mars. The scientific objectives of the Mars Express mission represent an attempt to fulfill in part the lost scientific goals of the Russian Mars 96 mission, complemented by exobiology research with Beagle-2. Mars exploration is crucial for a better understanding of the Earth from the perspective of comparative planetology.

The spacecraft originally carried seven scientific instruments, a small lander, a lander relay and a Visual Monitoring Camera, all designed to contribute to solving the mystery of Mars' missing water. All of the instruments take measurements of the surface, atmosphere and interplanetary media, from the main spacecraft in polar orbit, which will allow it to gradually cover the whole planet.

The total initial Mars Express budget excluding the lander was €150 million. The prime contractor for the construction of Mars Express orbiter was EADS Astrium Satellites.

Mission preparation
In the years preceding the launch of a spacecraft numerous teams of experts distributed over the contributing companies and organisations prepared the space and ground segments. Each of these teams focussed on the area of its responsibility and interfacing as required. A major additional requirement raised for the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP) and all critical operational phases was that it was not enough merely to interface; the teams had to be integrated into one Mission Control Team. All the different experts had to work together in an operational environment and the interaction and interfaces between all elements of the system (software, hardware and human) had to run smoothly for this to happen:

 * the flight operations procedures had to be written and validated down to the smallest detail;
 * the control system had to be validated;
 * system Validation Tests (SVTs) with the satellite had to be performed to demonstrate the correct interfacing of the ground and space segments;
 * mission Readiness Test with the Ground Stations had to be performed;
 * a Simulations Campaign was run.

Launch
The spacecraft was launched on June 2, 2003, at 23:45 local time (17:45 UT, 1:45 p.m. EDT) from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, using a Soyuz-FG/Fregat rocket. The Mars Express and Fregat booster were initially put into a 200 km Earth parking orbit, then the Fregat was fired again at 19:14 UT to put the spacecraft into a Mars transfer orbit. The Fregat and Mars Express separated at approximately 19:17 UT. The solar panels were then deployed and a trajectory correction manoeuvre was performed on June 4 to aim Mars Express towards Mars and allow the Fregat booster to coast into interplanetary space. The Mars Express was the first Russian-launched probe to successfully make it out of low Earth orbit since the Soviet Union fell.

Near Earth commissioning phase
The Near Earth commissioning phase extended from the separation of the spacecraft from the launcher upper stage until the completion of the initial check out of the orbiter and payload. It included the solar array deployment, the initial attitude acquisition, the declamping of the Beagle-2 spin-up mechanism, the injection error correction manoeuvre and the first commissioning of the spacecraft and payload (final commissioning of payload took place after Mars Orbit Insertion). The payload was checked out one instrument at a time. This phase lasted about one month.

The interplanetary cruise phase
This five month phase lasted from the end of the Near Earth Commissioning phase until one month prior to the Mars capture manoeuvre and included trajectory correction manoeuvres and payloads calibration. The payload was mostly switched off during the cruise phase, with the exception of some intermediate check-outs. Although it was originally meant to be a "quiet cruise" phase, It soon became obvious that this "cruise" would be indeed very busy. There were star Tracker problems, a power wiring problem, extra manoeuvres, and on October 28, the spacecraft was hit by one of the largest solar flares ever recorded.

Lander jettison
The Beagle 2 lander was released on December 19, 2003, at 8:31 UTC (9:31 CET) on a ballistic cruise towards the surface. It entered Mars' atmosphere on the morning of December 25. Landing was expected to occur at about 02:45 UT on December 25 (9:45 p.m. EST December 24). However, after repeated attempts to contact the lander failed using the Mars Express craft and the NASA Mars Odyssey orbiter, it was declared lost on February 6, 2004, by the Beagle 2 management board. An inquiry was held and its findings were published later that year.

Orbit insertion

Mars Express arrived at Mars after a 400 million km journey and course corrections in September and in December 2003.

On December 20 Mars Express fired a short thruster burst to put it into position to orbit the planet. The Mars Express orbiter then fired its main engine and went into a highly elliptical initial-capture orbit of 250 km × 150,000 km with an inclination of 25 degrees on December 25 at 03:00 UT (10:00 p.m., December 24 EST).

First evaluation of the orbital insertion showed that the orbiter had reached its first milestone at Mars. The orbit was later adjusted by four more main engine firings to the desired 259 km × 11,560 km near-polar (86 degree inclination) orbit with a period of 7.5 hours. Near periapsis (nearest to Mars) the top deck is pointed down towards the Martian surface and near apoapsis (farthest from Mars in its orbit) the high gain antenna will be pointed towards Earth for uplink and downlink.

After 100 days the apoapsis was lowered to 10,107 km and periapsis raised to 298 km to give an orbital period of 6.7 hours.

MARSIS deployment

On May 4, 2005, Mars Express deployed the first of its two 20-metre-long radar booms for its MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) experiment. At first the boom did not lock fully into place; however, exposing it to sunlight for a few minutes on May 10 fixed the glitch. The second 20 m boom was successfully deployed on June 14. Both 20 m booms were needed to create a 40 m dipole antenna for MARSIS to work; a less crucial 7-meter-long monopole antenna was deployed on June 17. The radar booms were originally scheduled to be deployed in April 2004, but this was delayed out of fear that the deployment could damage the spacecraft through a whiplash effect. Due to the delay it was decided to split the four-week commissioning phase in two parts, with two weeks running up to July 4 and another two weeks in December 2005.

The deployment of the booms was a critical and highly complex task requiring effective inter-agency cooperation ESA, NASA, Industry and public Universities.

Nominal science observations began during July 2005.

Operations of the spacecraft
Operations for Mars Express are carried out by a multinational team of engineers from ESA's Operation Centre (ESOC) in Darmstadt. The team began preparations for the mission about 3 to 4 years prior to the actual launch. This involved preparing the ground segment and the operational procedures for the whole mission.

The Mission Control Team is composed of the Flight Control Team, Flight Dynamics Team, Ground Operations Managers, Software Support and Ground Facilities Engineers. All of these are located at ESOC but there are additionally external teams, such as the Project and Industry Support teams, who designed and built the spacecraft. The Flight Control Team currently consists of:

 * The Spacecraft Operations Manager
 * Six Operations Engineers (including three Mission Planners)
 * One Spacecraft Analyst
 * Six spacecraft controllers (SpaCons), shared with ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter, BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter.

The team build-up, headed by the Spacecraft Operations Manager, started about four years before launch. He was required to recruit a suitable team of engineers that could handle the varying tasks involved in the mission. For Mars Express the engineers came from various other missions. Most of them had been involved with Earth orbiting satellites.

Routine phase: science return

Since orbit insertion Mars Express has been progressively fulfilling its original scientific goals. Nominally the spacecraft points to Mars while acquiring science and then slews to Earth-pointing to downlink the data, although some instruments like Marsis or Radio Science might be operated while spacecraft is Earth-pointing.

Structure
The Mars Express orbiter is a cube-shaped spacecraft with two solar panel wings extending from opposite sides. The launch mass of 1223 kg includes a main bus with 113 kg of payload, the 60 kg lander, and 457 kg of propellant. The main body is 1.5 m × 1.8 m × 1.4 m in size, with an aluminium honeycomb structure covered by an aluminium skin. The solar panels measure about 12 m tip-to-tip. Two 20 m long wire dipole antennas extend from opposite side faces perpendicular to the solar panels as part of the radar sounder.

Propulsion
The Soyuz/Fregat launcher provided most of the thrust Mars Express needed to reach Mars. The final stage of the Fregat was jettisoned once the probe was safely on a course for Mars. The spacecraft's on-board means of propulsion was used to slow the probe for Mars orbit insertion and subsequently for orbit corrections.

The body is built around the main propulsion system, which consists of a bipropellant 400 N main engine. The two 267-liter propellant tanks have a total capacity of 595 kg. Approximately 370 kg are needed for the nominal mission. Pressurized helium from a 35-liter tank is used to force fuel into the engine. Trajectory corrections will be made using a set of eight 10 N thrusters, one attached to each corner of the spacecraft bus. The spacecraft configuration is optimized for a Soyuz/Fregat, and was fully compatible with a Delta II launch vehicle.

Power
Spacecraft power is provided by the solar panels which contain 11.42 square meters of silicon cells. The originally planned power was to be 660W at 1.5AU but a faulty connection has reduced the amount of power available by 30%, to about 460W. This loss of power does significantly impact the science return of the mission. Power is stored in three lithium-ion batteries with a total capacity of 64.8Ah for use during eclipses. The power is fully regulated at 28V, and the Terma power module (also used in Rosetta) is redundant. During routine phase, the spacecraft's power consumption is in the range of 450–550W.

Avionics
Attitude control (3-axis stabilization) is achieved using two 3-axis inertial measurement units, a set of two star cameras and two Sun sensors, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and four 12 N·m·s reaction wheels. Pointing accuracy is 0.04 degree with respect to the inertial reference frame and 0.8 degree with respect to the Mars orbital frame. Three on-board systems help Mars Express maintain a very precise pointing accuracy, which is essential to allow the spacecraft to use some of the science instruments.

Communications
The communications subsystem is composed of three antennas: A 1.6 m diameter parabolic dish high-gain antenna and two omnidirectional antennas. The first one provide links (telecommands uplink and telemetry downlink) in both X-band (8.4 GHz) and S-band (2.1 GHz) and is used during nominal science phase around Mars. The low gain antennas are used during launch and early operations to Mars and for eventual contingencies once in orbit. Two Mars lander relay UHF antennas are mounted on the top face for communication with the Beagle 2 or other landers, using a Melacom transceiver.

Earth stations
Although communications with Earth were originally scheduled to take place with the ESA 35-meter wide Ground Station in New Norcia (Australia) New Norcia Station, the mission profile of progressive enhancement and science return flexibility have triggered the use of the ESA ESTRACK Ground Stations in Cebreros Station, Madrid, Spain and Malargüe Station, Argentina.

In addition, further agreements with NASA Deep Space Network have made possible the use of American stations for nominal mission planning, thus increasing complexity but with a clear positive impact in scientific returns.

This inter-agency cooperation has proven effective, flexible and enriching for both sides. On the technical side, it has been made possible (among other reasons) thanks to the adoption of both Agencies of the Standards for Space Communications defined in CCSDS.

Thermal
Thermal control is maintained through the use of radiators, multi-layer insulation, and actively controlled heaters. The spacecraft must provide a benign environment for the instruments and on-board equipment. Two instruments, PFS and OMEGA, have infrared detectors that need to be kept at very low temperatures (about −180 °C). The sensors on the camera (HRSC) also need to be kept cool. But the rest of the instruments and on-board equipment function best at room temperatures (10–20 °C).

The spacecraft is covered in gold-plated aluminium-tin alloy thermal blankets to maintain a temperature of 10–20 °C inside the spacecraft. The instruments that operate at low temperatures to be kept cold are thermally insulated from this relatively high internal temperature, and emit excess heat into space using attached radiators.

Control unit and data storage
The spacecraft is run by two Control and Data management Units with 12 gigabits of solid state mass memory for storage of data and housekeeping information for transmission. The on-board computers control all aspects of the spacecraft functioning including switching instruments on and off, assessing the spacecraft orientation in space and issuing commands to change it.

Another key aspect of the Mars Express mission is its artificial intelligence tool (MEXAR2). The primary purpose of the AI tool is the scheduling of when to download various parts of the collected scientific data back to Earth, a process which used to take ground controllers a significant amount of time. The new AI tool saves operator time, optimizes bandwidth use on the DSN, prevents data loss, and allows better use of the DSN for other space operations as well. The AI decides how to manage the spacecraft's 12 gigabits of storage memory, when the DSN will be available and not be in use by another mission, how to make the best use of the DSN bandwidth allocated to it, and when the spacecraft will be oriented properly to transmit back to Earth.

Lander

The Beagle 2 lander objectives were to characterize the landing site geology, mineralogy, and geochemistry, the physical properties of the atmosphere and surface layers, collect data on Martian meteorology and climatology, and search for possible signatures of life on Mars. However, the landing attempt was unsuccessful and the lander was declared lost. A Commission of Inquiry on Beagle 2 identified several possible causes, including airbag problems, severe shocks to the lander's electronics which had not been simulated adequately before launch, and problems with parts of the landing system colliding; but was unable to reach any firm conclusions. The spacecraft's fate remained a mystery until it was announced in January 2015 that NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, using HiRISE, had found the probe intact on the surface of Mars. It was then determined that an error had prevented two of the spacecraft's four solar panels from deploying, blocking the spacecraft's communications. Beagle 2 was the first British and first European probe to achieve a landing on Mars.

Scientific instruments
The scientific objectives of the Mars Express payload are to obtain global high-resolution photo-geology (10 m resolution), mineralogical mapping (100 m resolution) and mapping of the atmospheric composition, study the subsurface structure, the global atmospheric circulation, and the interaction between the atmosphere and the subsurface, and the atmosphere and the interplanetary medium. The total mass budgeted for the science payload is 116 kg. The payload scientific instruments are:

 * Visible and Infrared Mineralogical Mapping Spectrometer (OMEGA) (Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité) – France – Determines mineral composition of the surface up to 100 m resolution. Is mounted inside pointing out the top face. Instrument mass: 28.6 kg
 * Ultraviolet and Infrared Atmospheric Spectrometer (SPICAM) – France – Assesses elemental composition of the atmosphere. Is mounted inside pointing out the top face. Instrument mass: 4.7 kg
 * Sub-Surface Sounding Radar Altimeter (MARSIS) – Italy – A radar altimeter used to assess composition of sub-surface aimed at search for frozen water. Is mounted in the body and is nadir pointing, and also incorporates the two 20 m antennas. Instrument mass: 13.7 kg
 * Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) – Italy – Makes observations of atmospheric temperature and pressure (observations suspended in September 2005). Is mounted inside pointing out the top face and is currently working. Instrument mass: 30.8 kg
 * Analyzer of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA) – Sweden – Investigates interactions between upper atmosphere and solar wind. Is mounted on the top face. Instrument mass: 7.9 kg
 * High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) – Germany – Produces color images with up to 2 m resolution. Is mounted inside the spacecraft body, aimed through the top face of the spacecraft, which is nadir pointing during Mars operations. Instrument mass: 20.4 kg
 * Mars Express Lander Communications (MELACOM) – UK – Allows Mars Express to act as a communication relay for landers on the Martian surface. (Has been used on both Mars Exploration Rovers, and was used to support the landing of NASA's Phoenix mission)
 * Mars Radio Science Experiment (MaRS) – Uses radio signals to investigate atmosphere, surface, subsurface, gravity and solar corona density during solar conjunctions. It uses the communications subsystem itself.
 * Visual Monitoring Camera, a small camera to monitor the lander ejection.

Scientific discoveries and important events
For more than 20,000 orbits, Mars Express payload instruments have been nominally and regularly operated. The HRSC camera has been consistently mapping the Martian surface with unprecedented resolution and has acquired multiple images.

2004

 * January 23
 * ESA announced the discovery of water ice in the south polar ice cap, using data collected by the OMEGA instrument.

 * January 28
 * Mars Express orbiter reaches final science orbit altitude around Mars.

 * March 17
 * Orbiter detects polar ice caps that contain 85% carbon dioxide (CO2) ice and 15% water ice.

 * March 30
 * A press release announces that the orbiter has detected methane in the Martian atmosphere. Although the amount is small, about 10 parts in a thousand million, it has excited scientists to question its source. Since methane is removed from the Martian atmosphere very rapidly, there must be a current source that replenishes it. Because one of the possible sources could be microbial life, it is planned to verify the reliability of these data and especially watch for difference in the concentration in various places on Mars. It is hoped that the source of this gas can be discovered by finding its location of release.

 * April 28
 * ESA announced that the deployment of the boom carrying the radar-based MARSIS antenna was delayed. It described concerns with the motion of the boom during deployment, which can cause the spacecraft to be struck by elements of it. Further investigations are planned to make sure that this will not happen.

 * July 15
 * Scientists working with the PFS instrument announced that they tentatively discovered the spectral features of the compound ammonia in the Martian atmosphere. Just like methane discovered earlier (see above), ammonia breaks down rapidly in Mars' atmosphere and needs to be constantly replenished. This points towards the existence of active life or geological activity; two contending phenomena whose presence so far have remained undetected.

2005

 * In 2005, ESA scientists reported that the OMEGA (Visible and Infrared Mineralogical Mapping Spectrometer)(Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l'Eau, les Glaces et l'Activité) instrument data indicates the presence of hydrated sulphates, silicates and various rock-forming minerals.
 * February 8
 * The delayed deployment of the MARSIS antenna has been given a green light by ESA. It is planned to take place in early May 2005.

 * May 5
 * The first boom of the MARSIS antenna was successfully deployed. At first, there was no indication of any problems, but later it was discovered that one segment of the boom did not lock. The deployment of the second boom was delayed to allow for further analysis of the problem.

 * May 11
 * Using the Sun's heat to expand the segments of the MARSIS antenna, the last segment locked in successfully.

 * June 14
 * The second boom was deployed, and on June 16 ESA announced it was a success.

 * June 22
 * ESA announces that MARSIS is fully operational and will soon begin acquiring data. This comes after the deployment of the third boom on June 17, and a successful transmission test on June 19.

2006

 * September 21
 * The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) has obtained images of the Cydonia region, the location of the famous "Face on Mars". The massif became famous in a photo taken in 1976 by the American Viking 1 Orbiter. The image recorded with a ground resolution of approximately 13.7 metres per pixel.

 * September 26
 * The Mars Express spacecraft emerged from an unusually demanding eclipse introducing a special, ultra-low-power mode nicknamed 'Sumo' – an innovative configuration aimed at saving the power necessary to ensure spacecraft survival.
 * This mode was developed through teamwork between ESOC mission controllers, principal investigators, industry, and mission management.

 * October
 * In October 2006 the Mars Express spacecraft encountered a superior solar conjunction (alignment of Earth-Sun-Mars-orbiter). The angle Sun-Earth-orbiter reached a minimum on October 23 at 0.39° at a distance of 2.66 AU. Operational measures were undertaken to minimize the impact of the link degradation, since the higher density of electrons in the solar plasma heavily impacts the radio frequency signal.

 * December
 * Following the loss of NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MGS), Mars Express team was requested to perform actions in the hopes of visually identifying the American spacecraft. Based on last ephemeris of MGS provided by JPL, the on-board high definition HRSC camera swept a region of the MGS orbit. Two attempts were made to find the craft, both unsuccessful.

2007

 * January
 * First agreements with NASA undertaken for the support by Mars Express on the landing of the American lander Phoenix in May 2008.

 * February
 * The small camera VMC (used only once to monitor the lander ejection) was recommissioned and first steps were taken to offer students the possibility to participate in a campaign "Command Mars Express Spacecraft and take your own picture of Mars".

 * February 23
 * As result of the science return, the Science Program Committee (SPC) granted a mission extension until May 2009.

 * June 28
 * The High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) has produced images of key tectonic features in Aeolis Mensae.

2008

 * The Mars Express Team was the winner of the Sir Arthur Clarke Award for Best Team Achievement.

2009

 * February 4
 * The ESA's Science Programme Committee has extended the operations of Mars Express until December 31, 2009.

 * October 7
 * ESA's Science Programme Committee has approved the extension of mission operations for Mars Express until December 31, 2012.

2010

 * March 5
 * Flyby of Phobos to measure Phobos' gravity.

2011

 * August 13
 * Safe mode following a Solid-State Mass Memory problem.

 * August 23
 * Solid-State Mass Memory problem.

 * September 23
 * Safe mode following a Solid-State Mass Memory problem.

 * October 11
 * Solid-State Mass Memory problem.

 * October 16
 * Safe mode following a Solid-State Mass Memory problem.

 * November 24
 * Science operations are resumed using the Short Mission Timeline and Command Files instead of the Long Time Line resident on the suspect Solid-State Mass Memory.

2012

 * February 16
 * Resumes full science operations. There is still enough fuel for up to 14 additional years of operation.

 * July
 * Solar corona studied with radio waves.

 * August 5/6
 * Assisted US probes Mars Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter in data collection and transfer on the Mars Science Laboratory landing.

2013

 * Mars Express produced a near-complete topographical map of Mars' surface.
 * December 29
 * Mars Express performed the closest flyby to date of Phobos

2014

 * October 19
 * ESA reported Mars Express was healthy after the Comet Siding Spring flyby of Mars on October 19, 2014 — as were all NASA Mars orbiters and ISRO's orbiter, the Mars Orbiter Mission.

2016

 * October 19
 * Assisted with data collection and transfer for the Schiaparelli EDM lander landing.

2017

 * June 19
 * Takes noted image spanning from the North pole up to Alba Mons and even farther south. The image was released in December 20, 2017, and was captured by HRSC.

2018

 * Activated new AOCMS software which includes a gyroless attitude estimator to prolong the lifetime of the spacecraft's laser gyros
 * July 2018, a discovery is reported based on MARSIS radar studies, of a subglacial lake on Mars, 1.5 km below the southern polar ice cap, and about 20 km wide, the first known stable body of water on Mars.
 * December 2018 Mars Express relays images of the 80-kilometer wide Korolev Crater filled with approximately 2200 cubic kilometers of water ice on the Martian surface. Based on further evidence the crater ice is still part of much vaster ice resources at Mars poles.

2019

 * Based on data from the HRSC camera, there is geological evidence of an ancient planet-wide groundwater system.

2020

 * Sept 2020, a discovery is reported based on MARSIS radar studies, of a three more subglacial lakes on Mars, 1.5 km below the southern polar ice cap. The size of the first lake found, and the largest, has been corrected to 30 km wide. It is surrounded by 3 smaller lakes, each a few kilometres wide.

2021

 * Investigation of orographic cloud extending from Arsia Mons volcano
 * An experiment to test whether the Mars Express and TGO lander relay communications radio could be used to perform occultation radio science
 * Tests of data relay from the CNSA Zhurong Rover

2022

 * The onboard software of the MARSIS experiment was upgraded in order to improve the performance of the instrument.

2023

 * June 3
 * To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the spacecraft's launch, a livestream of images from the Visual Monitoring Camera was streamed online, marking the first livestream direct from Mars.

Payload principal investigators links

 * HRSC Mars Express FU Berlin
 * MARSIS Uni Roma "La Sapienza"
 * MRSE Uni Köln
 * ASPERA

title: Mars Express


text:
Siljan, Norway

Siljan is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Siljan. Other villages in Siljan include Snurråsen and Øverbø.

The 214 km2 municipality is the 299th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Siljan is the 261st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,375. The municipality's population density is 11.7 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 2.1% over the previous 10-year period.

The older main road that connects the cities of Skien, Larvik, and Oslo passes through Siljan.

General information
The parish of Slemdal (later renamed Siljan) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, a small area (population: 16) of Hedrum Municipality in Vestfold county was transferred to Siljan Municipality in Telemark county. Again on 1 January 1968, the unpopulated Svartangen area was transferred from Hedrum to Siljan.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) was originally named Slemdal, after the local valley (Sleimdalr). The first element is likely the old name of a river, the meaning of which is uncertain. The last element is which means "valley" or "dale".

On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to Siljan. This name comes from the old Siljan farm (Seljur) since the first Siljan Church was built there. The name's meaning is uncertain, but it is likely that it comes from the plura form of which means "sallow tree" or "willow".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 16 June 1989. The official blazon is "Vert, three saw blades argent palewise in fess" (I grønt tre opprette sølv sagblad). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a set of three saw blades standing vertically in a horizontal row. 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 green color in the field and the saw blade design symbolize the importance of the timber industry in Siljan. This type of saw blade was used locally throughout history. There were many saw mills located in Siljan along its waterways. The arms were designed by Halvor Holtskog, Jr. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Siljan. It is part of the Skien prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Government
Siljan Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Siljan (incomplete list):

 * 1991-2007: Finn Tallakstad (Ap)
 * 2007-2011: Ole Kristian Holtan (Ap)
 * 2011-2015: Gunn Berit Rygg Holmelid (Ap)
 * 2015-2023: Kjell Abraham Sølverød (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Elisabeth Hammer (KrF)

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Siljan is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Notable people

 * Kristian Norheim (born 1976), a Norwegian politician who was a municipal councillor in Siljan from 1995 to 1999

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Siljan, Norway


text:
Fyresdal

Fyresdal is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moland. Other villages in Fyresdal include Kilegrend, Øvre Birtedalen, and Øyane.

The 1280 km2 municipality is the 78th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Fyresdal is the 317th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,224. The municipality's population density is 1.1 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 9.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Moland was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1879, the name of the municipality was changed to Fyresdal. The borders of the municipality have never changed, something which is pretty unusual in Norway.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) was first named after the old Moland farm (Mólanda) since the first Moland Church was built there. The first element is which means "moorland" or "heath". The last element is which means "land" or "district".

On 28 June 1879, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to Fyresdal. This name (Fyrisdalr) was chosen since it is the name of the valley in which the municipality is located. The first element of this name is the genitive case of the name of the local lake Fyresvatnet (Fyrir). The name of the lake is derived from the word which means "pine tree". The last element of the name is which means "valley" or "dale".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 24 April 1992. The official blazon is "Vert two bendwise axes argent in pale" (På grøn grunn to skråstilte sølv øksar). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a broadaxe. The broadaxes have a tincture of argent which means it is colored white most of the time, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field and the broadaxe were chosen to symbolize the importance of forestry in the municipality. The arms were the result of a local competition, which resulted in 42 different proposals being submitted. The winning design for the arms was submitted by Halvor Holtskog Jr. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Fyresdal. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

History
Fyresdal is known for its many findings from the Viking Age, its mighty Viking graves, heaps of slag, and the former Heggland pilgrim church that once stood proudly north of the village centre. People traveled to this church from all over Norway and even from Europe. It was said that the stream running behind the church had healing powers.

A few miles south of the site where the Heggland Pilgrim Church (Heggland Kyrkje), once stood at Molandsmoen, a stone with Runic inscriptions can be found. This is a reminder from the Viking Age when horse battles were held there. Originally, one believes, there were four of them. Klokkarhamaren is a little mountain on a peninsula in the municipal centre, and it is the location of a cave called Munkhola. It is believed that a certain number of monks in medieval times resided, held masses, and sought refuge here.

Government
Fyresdal Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Fyresdal is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayor
The mayors (ordfører) of Fyresdal (incomplete list):
 * 1999-2007: Saamund Gjersund (LL)
 * 2007-2011: Bjørn Fredrik Nome (Sp)
 * 2011–present: Erik Skjervagen (Ap)

Economy
Most people in the municipality work in the fields of agriculture, forestry, trade, industry, and tourism. There are not many full-time farmers left in Fyresdal, but many people derive a secondary income from agriculture and forestry.

The largest employer in the municipality is Telemark Kildevann which makes bottled water and soft drinks for the national and Swedish markets. There are also a few small high-competence mechanical factories which produce parts for the offshore industry.

Transportation
The Vest-Telemark airport, Fyresdal is located in Moland, with a nearby hotel. This is a joint operation under the name Airparc Fyresdal. Fyresdal has bus connections with the town centres of Skien and Porsgrunn in Telemark county; Arendal in Agder county; Bergen in Vestland county; Haugesund in Rogaland county; and to the capital, Oslo. A bus also travels every school day of the year between Fyresdal and Dalen, the municipal centre of the neighboring Tokke Municipality.

Geography
The municipality of Fyresdal consists of several little villages north of Moland, in the main valley of Fyresdal, and on the western and southeastern shores of Fyresvatnet, one of Norway's deepest lakes. Moland is the location of the municipal council, the school, the community house, kindergartens, the home for the elderly, and most of the commercial enterprises in the municipality. Moland is the most heavily populated aea of Fyresdal.

Fyresdal is among the westernmost municipalities in Telemark. It borders the municipalities of Tokke, Kviteseid, and Nissedal in Telemark county. It also shares borders with the municipalities of Åmli, Bygland, and Valle in Agder county.

 * Village areas in Fyresdal municipality

 * Geitstadgrend
 * Spockeligrend
 * Momrak
 * Sitje
 * Tøddebakkane
 * Folkestadbyen
 * Øvre Birtedalen
 * Nedre Birtedalen
 * Fardal
 * Breivik
 * Hegglandsgrend
 * Grunnvik
 * Moland
 * Veum
 * Hauggrend
 * Liegrend
 * Fjellgardane
 * Kilegrend

Attractions

 * One of Fyresdal's two churches (Moland Church) and the vicarage (Fyresdal Prestegard) are located in Moland. According to Telemark folklore, the Troll of Røykjenes moved across the lake because the bells of the Moland Church were disturbing its nap. The vicarage is where Vidkun Quisling was born.
 * Within the administrative center of Moland, one also finds the old village centre, Folkestadbyen. Folkestadbyen is the location of the Fyresdal Vertshus, a Swiss-styled dwelling built in 1890. It has housed and served both food and drinks to locals and travellers for over 100 years. Øyskogen park, which contains Viking graves and a lot of traditional Telemark houses (e.g. lofts and stabburs) is also part of the old village. The Fyresdal Bygdemuseum, the village museum, is also located in Øyskogen.
 * Fv 355 runs straight through the municipality from north to south. Hegglandsgrend, Veum, and Hauggrend are villages along Fv 355 located north of Moland. Hegglandsgrend is the home of Heggland Gamle Kyrkjegard; Veum is the home of Veum Church. A Rudolf Steiner School (an upper secondary level school) was located at Foldsæ in Hauggrend. This  so-called friskole ("Free school") based on the thoughts and ideas of Rudolf Steiner was however closed down after few years. In Hauggrend, one also finds the most distinct mountain in Fyresdal, Roan.  This peak is 1192 m above sea level, but not the highest point in the municipality, since the border to Valle passes near the peak of Napuren, at a height of 1284 m above sea level, some 300 feet higher.
 * North of Moland, to the west from the main valley we find the little settlements of Kleivgrend, Åslandsgrend. Turning left of the Fv 355 in Hegglandsgrend, one comes to Kleivgrend and Åslandsgrend. Between Kleivgrend and the neighbouring municipality Valle on the western side of the mountains, one finds an old track that priests and bishops used to get between the counties of Agder and Telemark. This track is named Bispevegen ("Bishop's Road") and every year a march called Bispevegmarsjen ("The Bishop's Road March") starts in Kleivgrend. In Fjellgardane, Germans ran mines in the 16th century at Moisesberg.
 * On the western shores of the lake Fyresvatnet, to the southwest of Moland, one finds the villages of Fardal, Breivik. Here one finds an old and interesting stone called Røykjenessteinen. In 2005, one also found some arrowheads in this area that are believed to be 4000–4500 years old. Farther along the country road we find Øvre Birtedalen, a popular place for people to have mountain cabins.
 * South of Moland, at the southern end of Fv 355 across the scenic and mighty mountain of Våmur where one can see the lake from up above, one comes to the little village of Kilegrend. In the old days, there was no road connecting Kilegrend with the municipal centre. Thus one had to travel by boat. For years the steamboats called Teisner and Fyresdølen travelled between Moland and Kilegrend. The latter eventually capsized and sank. The wreck is still visible in Kilegrend.

Notable people

 * Petter Veum, (Norwegian Wiki) (1811 in Fyresdal - 1889), a fiddler
 * Jon Lauritz Qvisling, (Norwegian Wiki) (1844 in Fyresdal - 1930), a clergyman, author, and genealogist
 * John Lie, (Norwegian Wiki) (1846 in Fyresdal - 1916), an author
 * Ivar Peterson Tveiten (1850 in Fyresdal – 1934), a teacher and politician
 * Torgeir Vraa (1868 in Fyresdal – 1934), an educator, newspaper editor, and politician
 * Haakon Lie (1884 in Fyresdal – 1970), a forester, novelist, poet, and children's writer
 * Vidkun Quisling (1887 in Fyresdal – 1945), a military officer, politician, Nazi collaborator, & traitor
 * Frode Rui, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1969 im Fyresdal), a weightlifter
 * Sugar Plum Fairies (formed 2000 in Fyresdal – 2009), a folk and pop band

title: Fyresdal


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Nissedal

Nissedal is a rural municipality in Telemark region of Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Treungen. Other villages in Nissedal include Kyrkjebygda and Felle.

The 905 km2 municipality is the 129th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Nissedal is the 303rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,442. The municipality's population density is 1.8 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 0.8% over the previous 10-year period. Nissedal is also notable in that it has 2,246 vacation homes, so the population swells during holidays and vacation times.

Nissedal has been nicknamed the "Telemark Riviera" due to its close proximity to Gautefall Alpine Center, and due to its many campgrounds and places for outdoor activities. There is a total of 1,750 lakes in Nissedal, including Nisser, the seventh-largest lake in Norway, which Nissedal is named after. Gautefall, which is home to Telemark County’s largest alpine center, lies adjacent to the municipality. For residents of cities near the Oslo Fjord, Gautefall is the nearest winter sport destination.

Nissedal’s terrain is characterized by roche moutonnée rock formations, mountains, valleys, forests, wetlands, and lakes. Nissedal is a popular destination for outdoor activities such as paddling, fishing, swimming, mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, skiing, boating, and more. It is recognized as one of Norway’s best places for mountain climbing. Nissedal is home to Hægefjell, one of Norway’s most popular mountain climbing destinations.

General information
Nissedal was originally a part of the Kviteseid parish until Nissedal established its own parish in 1810. The parish of Nissedal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, the Espestøl area (population: 7) of Åmli Municipality in Aust-Agder county was transferred to Nissedal Municipality in Telemark county. Then again on 1 January 1965, the unpopulated Espestøl, Reinefoss, and Espestølstykket areas of Åmli Municipality in Aust-Agder county was transferred to Nissedal Municipality in Telemark county. The borders have not changed since that time.

Etymology
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Nissedalen valley (Nizidalr) since the first Nissedal Church was built in the valley. Nissedal was first mentioned in a written source in the 1300s under the name Nizudal. The current written form first emerged in the 1400s. The first element of the municipal name comes from the local lake Nisser, which was historically spelled Nizir. The first element is the lake name comes from the local river Nið, the old name for the river Nidelva. The last element of the lake name is which means "inland sea" or "large lake". Thus it is "the inland sea that feeds the river Nidelva". The last element of the municipal name is which means "valley" or "dale".

Today, the name Nissedal refers to three geographical areas: 1) the municipality of Nissedal, 2) the Nissedal parish in the Church of Norway which includes the villages on both sides of the lake Nisser, and 3) the villages of Nordbygda and Kyrkjebygda that are jointly referred to as "Nissedal village".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 30 October 1992. The official blazon is "Or, three nisse hats gules" (På gull grunn tre raude nisseluer, 2-1). This means the arms have a field (background) 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 charge is a set of three nisseluer, traditional red woolen hats often associated with the nisse, which were commonly worn until the late 19th century by farmers and common folk. It is a canting arms, since the name Nissedal has been "translated" into a visual pun with the three woolen hats, in spite of the name having nothing to do with the folkloric nisse. The arms were designed by Halvor Holtskog Jr. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Nissedal. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

History
Nissedal has been populated for over 10,000 years. It was likely one of the first areas in Telemark to be inhabited, likely by people migrating from the south and southwest after the Ice Age. Most artifacts retrieved in Nissedal are dated to the Iron Age. However, older traces such as cairns, arrowheads, and stone axes have also been retrieved. Two ancient rock paintings can still be seen on the western shore of Lake Nisser, including paintings at Kvithamar by Fjone and at Trontveit further south. Bronze Age artifacts include swords and keys, while there are large burial mounds found in Fjone ("Kjempehaugane"). The ancient burial mounds have a diameter of 15–20 meters and are dated to the Iron Age.

One of the earliest areas to be populated in Nissedal was the cave Holmevasshelleren, approximately 40 m from the lake Holmevatn at Kyrkjebygdheia. Archeological discoveries have dated prehistoric settlements at Holmevasshelleren to Neolithic times, 3800 BCE-6000 BCE. The cave is 18 m long, 4 m high, and 3 m deep.

Ancient rock paintings from the Bronze Age can be seen at various sites in Nissedal, including by a steep mountain by Trontveit farm on the western side of the lake Nisser. Such paintings are also found by Kvithamar further north. The rock art site at Kvithammaren ("The White Crag") is named for the site where it is painted, namely a white niche in the mountainside, roughly 3–4 m above the surface of Nisser Lake, at the foot of a 50 m high cliff. It is easily visible from distance and may have been seen as openings in Earth and a link to the underworld. The other rock painting by Nisser Lake is known as Ovnen ("The Oven") and is located at the foot of a 20 m high escarpment which originally jutted up in front of the panel. This painting depicts a row of human figures, an animal pictograph, and a pattern of zigzag lines. A local clergyman visited the paintings in the early 1800s and claimed the human figures at Ovnen to have been drawn by a monk in the memory of a bridal procession that drowned. Their colloquial name, Munkeskrifta ("The Monk’s Drawings"), is a reference to this. The paintings at Ovnen are naturally filled in iron oxides.

An ancient archeological monument from the Bronze Age, dating to 1800 BCE-500 BCE, can also be seen by Stolsvasslonene. It is a solar symbol of a sun wheel which is 40-centimeter in diameter. It can be reached by hiking the DNT trail between Uvdalen and Gautefall. It is likely an ancient symbol of fertility and possibly related to the nearby lake.

Heigeitilen, a boundary marker on the border between the three historic parishes of Tørdal, Nissedal, and Treungen, was first mentioned in written sources in 1792. It is likely an ancient marker and can be reached from the Heigeitilløypa trail (Heigeitilstien). It is a Milky Quartz mineral rock.

The Uvdalen valley has been populated since the Stone Age. Protected from the wind by the mountain Heitfjell, the area was likely inhabited for hundreds of years. Archeological surveys here have retrieved various artifacts from the Stone Age, including arrowheads and flint tools. The first written record of inhabitants in Uvdalen dates to 1574, while the last permanent inhabitants left the valley in 1910. The 1733 census indicates that Bjørn Alvson and his wife Torbjørg lived on a farm here with nine cows, 42 sheep, 16 goats, and two horses, among other animals. The 1865 census showed a total population of 24 in Uvdalen. Uvdalen was once home to one of the largest farms in Treungen.

Reinsvasshytta by the lake Reinsvatn was built in 1900 by Amboritius Olsen Lindvig and was Gautefallheia's first cabin.

In the 20th century, a number of dams were constructed at various lakes throughout Nissedal. Constructed by Sveinung Solli in 1900, the dam Bjønntjønndammen above the Bjønntjønnfossen waterfall was in use until the 1960s. It is located by Bjønntjønn ("Bear Lake") in the valley known as Bjønntjønndalen. The dam by nearby Mjåvatn, Mjåvassdammen, was also constructed around the year 1900 and was in use until the late 1960s. Another dam was constructed by Holmevassosen at the lake Holmevatn at Kyrkjebygdheia in 1965.

Economy
Important industries in Nissedal are farming, forestry, fur farming, power supply and tourism. Forestry has been the most important industry in Nissedal since the 1600s. Berry collection was an important industry in the 1920s and 1930s, when berries were exported from Nissedal to Great Britain.

In recent years, tourism and the construction of vacation homes have become an important industry and largely replaced the fur farming industry. There were 2200 vacation homes in Nissedal in 2016, compared to a permanent population of 1476 inhabitants.

Hydropower remains an important industry in Nissedal. Aust-Agder Kraftverk has produced electricity here since 1919. Agder Energi has five stations in Treungen and Skagerak Energi has facilities in Fjone.

Two grocery stores are located in Treungen: SPAR and Coop Prix.

Culture
The Treungenfestival is an annual music festival attracting over 12,000 visitors per year.

Z Museum is located in Treungen and has exhibits of veteran cars and an over 1000-year-old wooden boat. The museum also has Norway's biggest collection of ancient telephones.

An additional museum, Sputnik Museum, is located nearby on the property of country music singer Sputnik (Knut T. Storbukås) in Bostrak. He was awarded Artist of the Year in 1990 by Dagbladet and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records. His collection of over 36 silver, gold, diamond, and platinum records are among the exhibits at the museum. The museum is notable for having a rocket placed on its rooftop.

Government
Nissedal Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Nissedal is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Nissedal (incomplete list):
 * 1995-2007: Øyvind Tveit (KrF)
 * 2007-2011: Anne-Nora Oma Dahle (Sp)
 * 2011–2023: Halvor Homme (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Ian Parry-Jones (Sp)

Geography
Nissedal is a municipality covering an area of 905.17 km2 in Telemark County. The municipality is bordered by the municipalities of Fyresdal to the west, Kviteseid to the north, Drangedal to the east (also in Telemark) and it is bordered by Gjerstad, Vegårshei, and Åmli municipalities to the south (in Agder county). It is centered on the less rugged eastern shore of the large lake Nisser. Nisser Lake, which is approximately 40 km in length and 250 m deep, is the largest in the county and the seventh-largest lake in Norway.

Nissedal is one of the municipalities with the most vacation homes in Norway. Nissedal is home to three times more cabins than residential homes as of 2018: 2,350 vacation cabins and 735 houses.

The only urban area in Nissedal is the village of Treungen (which includes Tveitsund), but the other notable villages include Felle, Nordbygda, Fjone, and Kyrkjebygda. While the village of Treungen is by far the largest settlement (with a population of about 500), Felle with 100 residents is the second-largest settlement in Nissedal. Treungen is located by the southernmost part of the lake Nisser. Treungen lies where the river Nidelva begins, a river that flows by Haugsjåhund, Åmli, and Arendal before discharging into the ocean near Arendal. Treungen is surrounded by tall mountains such as Baremlandsfjellet (Skuggenatten), Sollifjell, Husfjell, and Skålefjell.

The Telemark Road (Norwegian National Road 41) passes through Treungen and Kyrkjebygda on the east side of the lake.

The highest peak in the municipality is Førheinutane at 1049 m.

Nature preserves
Solhomfjell and Kvenntjønnane are two nature preserves located on the border between Gjerstad and Nissedal municipalities. In 1993, the 23400 daa Solhomfjell Nature Preserve was established near the valley Uvdalen. This preserve was expanded in 2005 and includes plateaus, roche moutonnée rock formations, valleys, swamps, along with forests of Wych-elm, Oak and Littleleaf linden trees. Another nearby preserve, Kvenntjønnane Nature Preserve, is located nearby on top of Mjeltenatten. This 12000 daa preserve was established in 2009 with the purpose of protecting the untouched nature with its wide biological diversity of various types of nature, ecosystems, and species. Although the main trailhead for these preserves is located at Felehovet on Gautefallheia, there are also trails here from the lakes Feletjønn and Bjønntjønn in Nissedal.

Other nature preserves in Nissedal include Lytingsdalen (established in 1989), Vidmyr (1975), and Heitfjell (2005). Lytingsdalen Nature Preserve was established to protect its untouched landscape and its wildlife and flora. Several pine trees at Lytingsdalen are over 500 years old. Vidmyr was established to protect its marsh-type landscape of suboceanic character. The flora here includes species such as purple moor-grass and bog asphodel.

Climate
Nissedal has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb by the Köppen-Geiger system). If 0 °C is used as winter threshold as in US, Nissedal has a humid continental climate. The all-time high temperature 31.8 °C has been recorded in all three summer months - June 1970, July 1991 and August 1975. The all-time low is -34.6 °C recorded 9 February 1966. Precipitation is fairly evenly spread out over the year, with significant precipitation also in the driest months. The wettest months are August - November, and the driest months are February - April. The Tveitsund weather station has been recording since 1944.

Demographics
Nissedal has the second-lowest population of all municipalities in Telemark. According to Statistics Norway, Nissedal was home to 1,489 inhabitants in 2017, but had 2,246 cabins. 28.2 percent of local residents lived on agricultural- or forestry properties. 74.3 percent were members of Church of Norway as of 2017, while 10.7 percent were members of another religious community. The largest immigrant groups in 2018 (first and second generation) were from the Netherlands (35 people), Syria (22), Poland (21) and Denmark (16).

Nissedal reached its highest population in the year 1850 when 1,800 people resided in Nissedal. Large-scale emigration to the United States took place from 1840. Today, there are more people originating from Nissedal in the U.S. than in Norway.

During the winter holiday season, Nissedal's population triples and occasionally quadruples.

Recreation
Located adjacent to Gautefall, Telemark County’s largest alpine center, Nissedal is primarily a winter destination. It is home to six cross-country skiing trails (loipes), including trails connecting Nissedal and Gautefall. Cross-country skiing trails are found throughout Nissedal, including at Kykjebygdheia, Fjone Høgfjell, Felle, Gautefallheia, and Vrådal. Opportunities for alpine skiing, snowblading, snowboarding, Telemark skiing, and mountain skiing are found at Vrådal Ski Center and Gautefall Alpine Center. Over 100 km (62 mi.) of marked cross country skiing trails are found at adjacent Gautefall.

Summer activities include fishing, swimming, mountain climbing, hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, camping, and more. Many of Nissedal's 1,750 lakes are used for fishing, including Nisser Lake. The sandy shores of Nisser Lake is used for sunbathing, while the lake is used for swimming, boating, fishing and more. Perch, Trout, Lavaret and Arctic char are some of the fish species found in the lake. At the last count in 1991, Nisser Lake was home to 3.9 million fish. The fishing license in Fjone gives access to 20 lakes used for fishing as well as use of recreational boats and various lean-to and lavvos used for lodging. Lake Nisser is a popular destination for boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing.

There are boat rentals by Nisser Lake, at Tjørull, and the river Nidelva. A ferry, Fjoneferja (M/F "Nissen"), has been operating at Nisser Lake since 1947 and is Norway's smallest cable ferry. It is one of few remaining active cable ferries in Norway, and connects Sundesodden to Fjone. Rock carvings, burial mounds and other remains of ancient civilization have been discovered surrounding Nisser Lake.

Campgrounds include Sandnesodden, Vik (north of Kykjebygda), and Nisser Hyttegrend and Camping.

Skiing
Popular destinations for skiing include Fjone Høgfjell, Kyrkjebygdheia Skisenter, near Breilivatn at Kyrkjebygdheia, at Baksås, Nordbø Skileikanlegg, and Alpinbakken and Ljosløypa in Treungen. There are a total of 45 km of cross-country skiing trails at Felle with trails leading over mountains such as Havrefjell and Vedlausfjell. Vrådal Alpine and Ski Center is used for both cross country skiing and alpine skiing. This center lies in-between Vråvatn and Nisser.

Mountain climbing
Nissedal is one of Norway's most popular destinations for mountain climbing. Roughly twenty mountains are regularly used for climbing and Hægefjell is the most hiked mountain in Nissedal. Other attractions include mountains such as Ånundsbufjellet, Langfjell, Skålfjell and Baremslandsfjellet. Hægefjell has since the late 1980s become one of the most popular sites for mountain climbing in Norway. The mountain, which has been featured in the TV series 71 Degrees North in 2010, has around 50 different hiking trails. It has an elevation of 1021 m.  From Hægefjell are views of Lake Nisser and Vrådal in the northeast, Nordbygda and Kyrkjebygda in the southeast, Fyresdal and Setesdalsheiene in the west, and as far as Seljord and Gaustatoppen in the north. The most popular trail on Hægefjell Mountain is Via Lara.

Hiking trails
Nissedal is home to a wide range of cross-country skiing trails and hiking trails, including 39 peak trails. Some of these include Havrefjell, Grønlifjell, Reinvassnuten, Skornetten, Hægefjell, and Skuggenatten in Treungen. While the trail to the mountain Havrefjell also has trailheads by Bjønntjønn Lake and Gautefall Alpine Center, the closest trail is found in the village of Felle.

A large number of trailheads are found near the lake Bjønntjønn, including trails maintained by the Norwegian Trekking Association leading to Felehovet, Mjåvassdammen, Havrefjell, and Reinvassnuten. There are also trails from Bjønntjønn to Gautefall Tourist Hotel and lakes such as Øverlandsvatnet and Østre Breivatn. The trail Heigeitilløypa, which has its trailhead at Gautefall Biathlon, leads to Jørundskårheia, Gråndalsfjell mountain, and Djupvatn Lake, before reaching the seter Holmvasstøylen by Holmvatn Lake at Kyrkjebygdheia. A dirt road leads from the lake down to the village center in Kyrkjebygda. Heigeitilløypa trail is named for the ancient boundary marker Heigeitilen.

Mountain biking
Over 100 km of mountain bike trails are located in Nissedal. Some popular trailheads are found at Felehovet and Heimdal. The area between Heimdalsheia and Gautefallheia is particularly popular for mountain biking. In 2010, Canvas Hotel was established at Heimdal and is constructed as a Mongolian Yurt. The hotel was established for mountain bikers and is situated far into the wilderness and connected to the many biking trails. The hotel was established by Jan Fasting, the person behind the TV series 71 Degrees North. The hotel has a Maldivian dock with its own fireplace situated in the nearby lake Øytjønnane.

An additional biking trail follows the old train tracks between Treungen and Åmli.

Swimming
Lake Nisser is the lake with the most sandy beaches of any lake in Norway. Sandy beaches are found by several lakes, including Sandnesodden at Nisser, which is the longest sandy beach in Nissedal. A campground is located on this beach. Other beaches include Sommarsletta in Treungen, Haugsjåsund, Tjønnfoss, Heimdøl, Skavannsgrova, Årekrokane, Røyrodden, Åraksøya (islet), Raudnes, Sandvikland, Sauodden, Furelund, Midtvann, Sandnes, and Bjønntjønn. Tjørull is another place used for fishing, kayaking and camping. It is Nissedal's second-largest lake (only Nisser is larger).

Another attraction is the Nissedal Potholes (Jettegrytene). Carved during the Ice Age, the giant's kettle functions as a water park during summer months. The potholes are located at Eikhom and is a tourist destination during summers. The area is used for picnicking, swimming, and there are areas to slide down the riverbed as well as mountain ledges suited for jumping. After the river here was dammed for the production of power, the potholes were revealed and have since been a popular bathing destination.

Places of interest

 * Gautefall, largest ski resort in Telemark County.
 * Nisser Lake, 7th-largest lake in Norway.
 * Treungen, village and administrative center for Nissedal.
 * Nissedal Potholes, potholes functioning as a water park during summer.
 * Fjoneferja, Norway's smallest cable ferry, connecting the west- and east sides of Nisser Lake.
 * Skuggenatten, mountain peak and Treungen landmark. It is one of Nissedal's most visited mountains.
 * Hægefjell, 1021 meter (3350 ft.) high mountain with fifty hiking trails. One of Norway's most popular sites for mountain climbing. Featured in the TV series 71 Degrees North.
 * Heimdalsheia, the site with the largest continuous slopes of naked rocks (svaberg) in Northern Europe.
 * Kvithamar and Trontveit, ancient rock paintings by Lake Nisser.

Wildlife
In 2014 two reindeer were photographed, apparently roaming in the municipality. Reindeer are often observed near Fjone.

More commonly encountered wildlife includes the Mountain hare, European badger, European beaver, Roe deer, Red deer, Elk, Red fox, European hedgehog, Wolverine, Short-tailed weasel, European otter, European pine marten and Norway lemming. More rare but occasionally encountered are the Gray wolf, Eurasian lynx and Brown bear. Avifauna includes raptors such as various species of owls, eagles, falcons, and hawks, including the Western Osprey.

Brown bears were common throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, and a number of place names derives from this, including Bjønntjønn, Bjortjønn, Bjørnåsen, Bjønndalsåsen, Bjønndalane, Bjorvatnet, and Bjønnsteinen. The last bear to be shot in Tørdal was by Bjønnsteinen in February 1911. Olav Tverrstøyl of Åmli shot a total of eight bears at Horgevika. The last bear to be shot in this area was by Landtaksdammen in 1920 by Jon Kraakenes of Vrådal. The last certified observation of bears in Nissedal happened in the summer of 2000 at Lauvlunden. The last documented person to be killed by bear in Nissedal was Hæge Kyrkjebø in July 1832.

A felling license is required by the municipality for wildlife such as Moose, Red deer, Roe deer, and Mountain reindeer. Hunting is particularly popular among Nissedal's southern border to Gjerstad where small game, deer and beavers are regularly hunted. Rabbit hunting is common in Ljosvassteigen on the border to Gjerstad and Vegårshei. Gjerstadskogene by Solhomfjell is a popular destination for those hunting birds, rabbits, beavers, and deer.

Notable people

 * Jacob Gløersen (1852-1912), a painter of unsentimental images of Norwegian peasants
 * Paul Tjøstolsen Sunde (1896-1958), a parliamentarian from the Labour Party from 1945-1953
 * Torkell Tande (1901-2001), a priest/provost, parliamentarian for the Liberal Party 1954-1969
 * Dagny Tande Lid (1903-1998), a painter, illustrator, and poet
 * Johannes Setekleiv (1927-2017), a medical researcher, professor (neuropharmacology) at University of Oslo (UiO)
 * Eldrid Nordbø (born 1942), a parliamentarian, Minister of Trade and Shipping from 1990–91
 * Sigvald Oppebøen Hansen (born 1950), a parliamentarian for the Labour Party from 1993-2013

title: Nissedal


text:
Hjartdal

Hjartdal is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Upper Telemark and Aust-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sauland. Other villages in the municipality include Tuddal and Hjartdalsbygda.

The 792 km2 municipality is the 146th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Hjartdal is the 299th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,588. The municipality's population density is 2.2 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 1.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Hierdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). In 1860, the Gransherad area of eastern Hjartdal (population: 1,310) was separated to become part of the new Gransherad Municipality. Also in 1860, the administrative centre of the municipality was moved from Hjartdalsbygda to Sauland. On 23 January 1905, a small, unpopulated area of Hjartdal was transferred to the neighboring Seljord Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the valley name, Hjartdalen (Hjartdalr) since the first Hjartdal Church was built there. The first element is the old name for the local river Hjartdøla. The old river name is likely derived from the word which means "red deer". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". Prior to the 20th century, the name was often spelled Hierdal, a corruption of the original name. In the 20th century, the spelling was standardized to Hjartdal, bringing back more of the original spelling.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 17 February 1989. The official blazon is "Vert, a deer at bay argent" (På grøn grunn ein ståande sølv hjort). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a red deer (Cervus elaphus) standing at bay. The deer has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. They are canting arms because the name of the municipality is derived from the word for deer, a common animal in the rural municipality. The color green was chosen to represent the forests in the area. The arms were designed by Svein G. Carlsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Hjartdal. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

History
Up to the 1500s, the Hjartdal parish had been quite large. It stretched from Rauland in the west and Kongsberg to the east. Counting from west to east, the villages of Åmotsdal, Svartdal, Hjartdal, Tuddal, Sauland, Gransherad, Bolkesjø, Jondalen and Lisleherad were all at one point included in the same parish. Sometime after 1687 Lisleherad was transferred to the partish of Heddal. Then in 1860, the Gransherad area was separated. Today, the Hjartdal parish and municipality consists of the three main village areas: Hjartdalsbygda, Sauland, and Tuddal.

Government
Hjartdal Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Hjartdal (incomplete list):

 * 1837/38-1841: Gunleik Olsen Bolkesjø
 * 1841-ab.1844: Gunleik Torbjørnsen Omnes
 * ab.1843-1847: Mathias Mathiassen Kleppen
 * incomplete
 * 1859-1872: Torkel Olsen Mosebø
 * incomplete
 * 1877-1879: Leif Gregarsen Særsland
 * incomplete
 * ab.1890-NA: Kjetil Olsen Dahlen
 * 1895-ab.1908: Ole Torkildsen Mosebø
 * 1898-NA: Nils Flugon
 * incomplete
 * ab.1920-NA: Torgrim Mathiassen Kleppen
 * ab.1921-1923: Ole Gunleiksen Hafsteen
 * incomplete
 * 1928-1940/41: Knut Halvorsen Hovde
 * 1941-1944: Mathis Torbjørnsen
 * 1946-ab.1947: Johannes H. Strand
 * 1947-ab.1961: Olav Olsen Asland
 * 1962/63-1975: Søren Johnsen Bekkhus
 * 1975-1979 Olav Johnsen Bøen
 * 1979/80-1986: Thomas Harald Timland (Sp)
 * 1985/86-1989: Knut Olsen Bekkhus
 * 1989-1991: Olav Tho (Sp)
 * 1991-1999: Torunn Hovde Kaasa (Sp)
 * 1999-2011: Olav Tho (Sp)
 * 2011-2015: Sven Tore Løkslid (Ap)
 * 2015–present: Bengt Halvard Odden (Ap)

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hjartdal is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Geography
The rural municipality is located in the mountains of Telemark. The mountain Gaustatoppen is located on the northern border of the municipality. The main river of the municipality is the Hjartdøla which empties into the Heddøla river at Sauland.

Transportation
The European route E134 highway runs through the municipality. The Mælefjell Tunnel is a road tunnel that is part of the E134 highway and it runs through the Mælefjell mountain.

Notable people

 * Hans Paus (1656–1715), a priest and poet
 * Drengman Aaker (1839–1894), an American politician and businessman who served in the Iowa House of Representatives
 * Kittel Halvorson (1846–1936), a farmer and U.S. Representative from Minnesota
 * Knut Buen (born 1948), a fiddler, composer, folklorist, and publisher who lives in Tuddal
 * Sven Tore Løkslid, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1984), the county governor of Telemark and former mayor of Hjartdal

title: Hjartdal


text:
Tokke

Tokke is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dalen. Other villages in Tokke include Åmdals Verk, Eidsborg, Høydalsmo, Lårdal, and Øvre Byrte. The Eidsborg Stave Church is one of Norway's old stave churches and it is located in Eidsborg, just north of Dalen.

The 985 km2 municipality is the 117th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Tokke is the 268th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,198. The municipality's population density is 2.4 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 3.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of Lårdal (population: 1,929) and Mo (population: 1,658) were merged to form the new municipality of Tokke.

Name
The municipality is named after the local river Tokke (Þotka). The name is related to the name of the lake Totak (from which the river originates). The river name is probably derived from the Old Norse word þot meaning "roaring", "rushing", or "howling".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 6 February 1987. The official blazon is "Or a bear passant sable" (På gulll grunn ein gåande svart bjørn). This means the arms have a field (background) with a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The charge is a bear which is displayed with a tincture of sable which means it is black. The bear symbolizes the rich nature in the forests in the municipality. The bear also plays a major role in many local legends and stories. The arms were designed by Stein Davidsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Tokke. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Geography
Tokke Municipality is located in the Vest-Telemark region. It borders the municipalities of Vinje, Kviteseid, Seljord, Fyresdal (in Telemark) and the municipalities of Valle and Bykle (in Agder). The highest peak is Urdenosi which is 1520 m above sea level. Other mountains in Tokke including Brandsnutene, Gråsteinsnosi, Sæbyggjenuten, Stølsdalsnutane, and Svolhusgreini. The river Tokke and the lakes Bandak, Botnedalsvatn, and Byrtevatn are all located in the municipality as well.

Government
Tokke Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Tokke is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayor
The mayors (ordførar) of Tokke:

 * 1964-1971: Gunvald Jupskås
 * 1972-1979: Olav K. Tho
 * 1980-1984: Gunvald Jupskås
 * 1984-1987: Marie Sund
 * 1988-1989: Geirmund Skaalen (H)
 * 1990-2005: Birger Nygård (Sp)
 * 2005-2011: Olav Seltveit Urbø (Sp)
 * 2011-2015: Hilde Alice Vågslid (Ap)
 * 2015–present: Jarand Felland (Sp)

Notable people

 * Talleiv Huvestad (1761 in Skafså – 1847), a teacher, farmer, and politician
 * Søren Georg Abel (1772 in Mo – 1820), a priest and politician
 * Jens Matthias Pram Kaurin (1804 in Lårdal – 1863), a theology professor and Lutheran priest
 * Marcus Jacob Monrad (1816–1897), a philosopher and academic who grew up in Mo
 * Vetle Vislie (1858 in Skafså – 1933), a educationalist, writer, and politician
 * Alf Blütecher (1880 in Lårdal – 1959), an actor
 * Thomas Offenberg Backer (1892 in Mo – 1987), an engineer
 * Andreas Backer (1895 in Mo – 1975), a journalist and newspaper editor
 * Anne Grimdalen (1899 in Skafså – 1961), a sculptor
 * Eivind Groven (1901 in Eidsborg – 1977), a microtonal composer and music-theorist
 * Arvid Torgeir Lie (1938 in Skafså – 2020), a poet, short story writer, and translator
 * Lene Vågslid (born 1986 in Tokke), a teacher and politician

title: Tokke


text:
Kviteseid

Kviteseid is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional districts of Vest-Telemark and Upper Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kviteseidbyen. Other villages in Kviteseid include Åsgrend, Brunkeberg, Eidstod, Fjågesund, Kilen, Morgedal, and Vrådal.

The 708 km2 municipality is the 163rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kviteseid is the 258th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,427. The municipality's population density is 3.9 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 3.2% over the previous 10-year period.

Kviteseid Seminar was the first public teacher training school in Norway which started in 1819 and was in operation until 1889. Kviteseid Library (Kviteseid Folkebibliotek) was founded in 1895. The library was first based on a book collection from Kviteseid Seminar. The main industries of the municipality are forestry, agriculture, tourism, and hydroelectric power. The Telemark Canal goes through Kviteseid. There are also several ski resorts in Kviteseid.

The little village of Morgedal is located in northern Kviteseid. It is known as the "Cradle of Modern Skiing" ("Skisportens vugge") and the home of Sondre Norheim. Here, the Olympic Flame was lit for the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, and 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

General information
The parish of Hvideseid was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The spelling of the name was later changed to Kviteseid. On 11 October 1873, an unpopulated area of Kviteseid was transferred to Seljord Municipality. The boundaries have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Kviteseid farm (Hvítingseið) since the Old Kviteseid Church was built there. The first element comes from the old name for the lake Kviteseidvatnet. That name is the plural genitive case of the word which means "white" or "the white one". The last element is which means "isthmus" or "path between two lakes". Prior to 1889, the name was spelled "Hviteseid".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 27 November 1987. The official blazon is "Or, a lock plate sable" (På gull grunn eit svart låsskilt). This means the arms have a field (background) 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 charge is a black lock plate. The lock design is based on one from the Tveitloftet medieval storehouse on the local Tveit farm dating back to the year 1350. The design symbolises the long traditions of lock-making and building construction in the area. The arms were designed by Daniel Rike. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Kviteseid. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Geography
Kviteseid borders the municipalities of Seljord to the northwest; Nome to the east; Drangedal, Nissedal, and Fyresdal to the south; and Tokke to the west. The highest point is Sveinsheia at 1141 m above sea level. There are several large lakes that are located in or partially in Kviteseid including Kviteseidvatnet, Flåvatn, and Bandak (all three of which are part of the Telemark Canal, plus Nisser and Vråvatn.

Government
Kviteseid Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Kviteseid is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Kviteseid:

 * 1838-1841: Ole Blom
 * 1842-1843: Ole Bjørnsen Haukom
 * 1844-1861: Tormod Knudsen Borgejorde
 * 1862-1879: Knut Taraldsen
 * 1880-1883: Bjørn Brekke
 * 1884-1890: Knut Taraldsen
 * 1890-1900: Ludvig Kristoffersen
 * 1901-1913: Sigurd Torleivson Kolltveit (V)
 * 1914-1919: Halvor Straand
 * 1920-1922: Sigurd Kolltveit
 * 1923-1924: Knut Skarprud
 * 1925-1928: Halvor Straand
 * 1929-1932: Olaf Hegland (V)
 * 1932-1933: Torleiv Kolltveit
 * 1934-1941: Sigurd Rinden (Ap)
 * 1941-1945: Håkon Eikland (NS)
 * 1945-1946: Sigurd Rinden (Ap)
 * 1946-1947: Knut Nørstrud (Ap)
 * 1948-1951: Trygve Bergland
 * 1952-1967: Svein Landsverk (Ap)
 * 1968-1970: Sigurd Rinden (Ap)
 * 1970-1975: Øystein Strondi (Ap)
 * 1976-1979: Arne Bjørnson (Sp)
 * 1980-1983: Nils Sandvik (Sp)
 * 1984-1991: Johannes Skarprud (Ap)
 * 1992-1998: Inge Fjalestad (Sp)
 * 1998-1999: Anne Lise Råmunddal (Sp)
 * 1999-2003: Karin Maria Larsen (Ap)
 * 2003-2015: Torstein Tveito (Sp)
 * 2015-2019: Tarjei Gjelstad (Ap)
 * 2019–2023: Bjørn Nordskog (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Tarjei Draugedal (KrF)

Notable people

 * Peter Paulson Paus (1590 - 1653 in Kviteseid), a high-ranking cleric and provost of Upper Telemark from 1633-1653
 * Knut Mevasstaul (1785 in Kviteseid – 1862), a painter specializing in rosemåling
 * Sondre Norheim (1825 in Morgedal – 1897), a pioneer skier and father of Telemark skiing
 * brothers Torjus Hemmestveit (1860–1930) and Mikkjel Hemmestveit (1863–1957) born in Morgedal, two Norwegian-American Nordic skiers who shared the Holmenkollen medal in 1928
 * Olav Bjaaland (1873 in Morgedal – 1961), a skiing champion and polar explorer who was one of the five men to reach the South Pole as part of Amundsen's South Pole expedition in 1911
 * Einar Landvik (1898 in Kviteseid – 1993), a Nordic skier who competed in 1924 Winter Olympics
 * Dyre Vaa (1903 in Kviteseid – 1980), a sculptor and painter
 * Solveig Muren Sanden (1918 in Vrådal – 2013), an illustrator and comics artist

title: Kviteseid


text:
Seljord

Seljord is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional districts of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Seljord. Other villages in the municipality include Flatdal and Åmotsdal.

The 715 km2 municipality is the 161st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Seljord is the 229th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,939. The municipality's population density is 4.4 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 0.2% over the previous 10-year period.

Seljord is famous for its sea serpent, Selma, who allegedly lives in Lake Seljord (Seljordsvatnet).

The yearly Dyrsku'n market, held since 1866, attracts 60,000 to 80,000 visitors each year. The large fair started as a show of farm animals. More recently, it also includes a huge market with vendors selling a variety of goods including base layer clothing, Bergans outdoors equipment, crafts, and food. Amusement rides are also featured.

Seljord folk high school is located in Seljord. The school offers a variety of courses including outdoor adventure, theater, music, and art.

General information
The parish of Sillejord (later spelled Seljord) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 11 October 1873, an unpopulated area of Kviteseid Municipality was transferred to Seljord. On 1 January 1883, an area of southeastern Seljord (population: 235) was transferred to the neighboring Bø Municipality. On 23 January 1905, an unpopulated part of Hjartdal Municipality was transferred to Seljord.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Seljord farm (Seljugerði) since the first Seljord Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the word which means "sallow-tree" or "willow". The last element is which means "field". Prior to 1889, the name was spelled Silgjord or Sillejord.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 15 September 1989. The official blazon is "Gules, a sea serpent Or" (På raud grunn ein gull sjøorm). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a sea serpent. 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 symbolizes the local legend of a sea serpent named Selma who allegedly lives in the lake Seljordsvatn. The arms were designed by Trygve Magnus Barstad. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Seljord. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Government
Seljord Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Seljord (incomplete list):

 * 1878-1884: Jørund Telnes
 * 1886-1886: Jørund Telnes
 * 2004-2007: John Kleivstaul (Sp)
 * 2007-2013: Solveig Sundbø Abrahamsen (H)
 * 2013-2015: Jon Svartdal (KrF)
 * 2015-2019: Halfdan Haugan (Ap)
 * 2019–2023: Beate Marie Dahl Eide (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Solveig Sundbø Abrahamsen (H)

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Seljord is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Notable people

 * Anne Godlid (1773-1863), a 19th-century Norwegian storyteller
 * Jacob Andreas Wille (1777–1850), a priest, teacher, and Mayor of Seljord
 * Daniel Bremer Juell (1808-1855), the Bishop of Tromsø from 1849-1855
 * Jørund Telnes (1845-1892), a farmer, teacher, writer, and Mayor of Seljord
 * Halvor J. Sandsdalen (1911-1998), a writer and folklore collector
 * Ingebjørg Kasin Sandsdalen (1915-2003), a poet
 * Aslaug Høydal (1916-2007), a schoolteacher, novelist, poet, and children's writer
 * Terje Grøstad (1925–2011), a painter and illustrator who lived in Flatdal
 * Hallvard Flatland (born 1957), a TV personality
 * Kim Leine (born 1961), a Danish-Norwegian author
 * Helga Flatland (born 1984), a novelist and children's writer who was brought up in Flatdal

title: Seljord


text:
Vinje

Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vest-Telemark which is part of Øvre Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Åmot. Other villages in the municipality include Arabygdi, Edland, Grunge, Haukeli, Krossen, Møsstrond, Nesland, Øyfjell, Raulandsgrend, and Vinje.

The 3106 km2 municipality is the 14th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vinje is the 209th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,832. The municipality's population density is 1.4 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Vinje was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1860, the northern district of Vinje (population: 745) and the Øyfjell area of Lårdal (population: 243) were combined to form the new municipality of Rauland. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Rauland municipality (population: 1,656) and Vinje municipality (population: 2,565) were merged to form a new, larger Vinje municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Vinje farm (Vinjar) since the first Vinje Church was built there. The name is the plural form of the word which means "meadow" or "pasture".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 16 November 1990. The official blazon is "Azure a billy goat argent" (På blå grunn ein sølv geitebukk). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a billy goat. The billy goat 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 color blue and the goat were chosen based on an old poem written by Aasmund Olavsson Vinje. The poem is called Blåmann (lit. 'blue man') which is about a goat named Blåmann. This was also chosen to represent the importance of sheep and goat farming in the mountainous municipality. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Vinje. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

History
The longstanding local traditions of arts and crafts have been well maintained. Rauland hosts a national academy for arts, crafts, and traditional music. Folk music has always been strong in Vinje. The Myllarguten, Targjei Augundsson lived the last years of his life in Rauland. Vinje has also been home to many rosemåling artists.

Vinje became a site of heavy battles during World War II, at the Battle of Vinjesvingen when Norwegian forces held out for over a month against superior German forces.

Geography
Vinje is situated on both the Hardangervidda plateau and parts of the Setesdalsheiene mountain plateau. Most of the land area of the municipality is quite high in elevation. The European route E134 highway passes through Vinje on its way over the mountain pass to connect Eastern Norway and Western Norway. Vinje sits along the highway about halfway between Oslo (in the east) and Haugesund (on Norway's west coast). Starting at Haukeli, the Norwegian National Road 9 leads up the steep slopes to Hovden and further south down the Setesdal valley to the southern coastal city of Kristiansand.

The mountain ski resort Haukelifjell is also found nearby. The isolated and sparsely populated area is known for its rugged, mountainous terrain that supports a wide variety of outdoor activities, amongst them hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, skiing, fishing, and canoeing. The Hardangervidda National Park lies partially in western Vinje. The village of Arabygdi lies on the lake Totak in the western part of Rauland. Its famous attraction is the "Urdbøuri", the largest stone scree in Northern Europe, with huge boulders scattered on the floor of the valley.

The rivers Tokke and Vinjeåi both flow through the municipality. The lakes Holmavatnet, Møsvatn, Songavatnet, Totak, and Vinjevatn are all located in Vinje as well. The mountains Fitjanuten, Kistenuten, and Vassdalseggi all lie on the municipal and county border in western Vinje.

Government
Vinje Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vinje is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayor
The mayors (ordførar) of Vinje (incomplete list):

 * 1960–1971: Aslak Versto (Ap)
 * 1976–1979: Ingvald Godal (Sp)
 * 1980–1987: Aslak Versto (Ap)
 * 1988-1995: Olav Nystog (Ap)
 * 1995-1999: Olav Nordstoga (Sp)
 * 1999–2003: Børre Rønningen (Ap)
 * 2003–2015: Arne Vinje (SV)
 * 2015–present: Jon Rikard Kleven (Sp)

The Arts

 * Sveinung Svalastoga (1772 in Rauland – 1809), a rosemåling painter, poet, and woodcarver
 * Myllarguten (Torgeir Agundson Øygarden) (1801–1872), a folk musician and master fiddler
 * Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1818–1870), a poet and journalist who used Nynorsk
 * Rikard Berge (1881 in Rauland – 1969), a folklorist, museologist, biographer, and editor
 * Tarjei Vesaas (1897–1970), a poet and novelist
 * Aslaug Vaa (1889 in Rauland – 1965), a poet and playwright
 * Aslak Brekke (1901–1978), a vocalist using stev and a folk singer
 * Dyre Vaa (1903–1980), a sculptor and painter whose works are found in Oslo and Vinje
 * Anne Lofthus (1932–2003), a ceramic artist and art teacher
 * Guri Vesaas (born 1939), a writer and translator of children's books
 * Stein Versto (born 1957), a poet, novelist, translator, and folk musician
 * Aasmund Nordstoga (born 1964), a musician, singer, composer, and TV presenter
 * Sven Erik Kristiansen (born 1969), a musician and former vocalist in the black metal band Mayhem
 * Arve Moen Bergset (born 1972), a traditional folk singer, hardanger fiddler, and classical violinist
 * Odd Nordstoga (born 1972), a folk singer, musician, actor and editor
 * Ingebjørg Bratland (born 1990), a folk singer, kveder, and artist

Public Service

 * Paul Peterson Paus (1625-1682), a cleric, political activist, and poet
 * Olav Aslakson Versto (1892 in Rauland – 1977), a politician
 * Einar Skinnarland (1918–2002), a Norwegian resistance fighter during WWII and dam builder
 * Aslak Versto (1924-1992), a politician
 * Olav Vesaas (born 1935), a journalist, biographer, and publisher
 * Olav Versto (1950–2011), a journalist and editor
 * Astrid Versto (born 1953), a journalist and diplomat

Sport

 * Olav Jenssen (born 1962), a discus thrower who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics
 * Knut Tore Apeland (born 1968), a former Nordic combined skier and two-time team silver medallist at the 1992 & 1994 Winter Olympics
 * Terje Håkonsen (born 1974), a snowboarder

Attractions

 * The home of Myllarguten is now a small museum. (The cotters place Kosi in Arabygdi.)
 * The monument of Myllarguten, the 19th century musician, who played for kings and who inspired Edvard Grieg . It is located on the roadside vis-a-vis Kosi.

title: Vinje