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Meland

Meland is a former municipality in the Nordhordland district in the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1923 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020 when it was merged into the new Alver Municipality in Vestland county. The municipality was located about 30 minutes north of the city of Bergen in Western Norway. The island municipality was mostly located on the island of Holsnøy, where the administrative centre of Frekhaug is located. Other villages in Meland include Hjartås, Holme, Io, Krossneset, Meland, and Rossland.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 93 km2 municipality is the 386th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Meland is the 135th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 8,021. The municipality's population density is 91.6 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 33.3% over the last decade.

General information
On 15 October 1923, the western part of the municipality of Alversund was separated to create the new municipality of Meland. Initially, Meland had a population of 1,716. Meland was one of many municipalities in Norway that were created for geographical reasons: Meland was separated from the rest of Alversund by the Radfjorden, and transportation between the different parts of the municipality was unreliable and time-consuming. The creation of the municipality was approved in 1922, and the first election for the municipal council was held 23 August 1923, with the municipality becoming official on 15 October 1923. Meland encompassed the southern two-thirds of the island of Holsnøy (the northern third belonged to Herdla municipality), a small area on the northeast coast of the island of Askøy, as well as some very small surrounding islands.

In 1962, the Schei Committee concluded its survey of the organization of Norway's municipalities. The committee recommended enlarging Meland municipality by transferring the northern part of Holsnøy and the minor island of Øpsøy (population: 811) from Herdla municipality to Meland and at the same time the island of Flatøy (population: 166) was transferred from Hamre municipality to Meland. Simultaneously, Meland would lose the parts of the municipality located on the island of Askøy and that area would go to Askøy Municipality. Hordaland county approved the move, and the border changes came into effect on 1 January 1964. A proposal to change the name of Meland municipality to "Holsenøy" was rejected. Hamre and Herdla municipalities ceased to exist, and their territory was divided between the municipalities of Lindås, Osterøy, and Meland, and Askøy, Øygarden, and Meland, respectively.

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Meland, Radøy, and Lindås were merged into a large, new municipality called Alver.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Meland farm (Meðalland) in the south-central part of the island of Holsnøy. The first element is which means "middle" or "amongst". The last element is which means "land" or "farm". Therefore the name as a whole roughly means "the farm that is located in the middle (of the island)". Historically, the name was spelled Mæland.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 15 May 1987 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Gules, an auger palewise issuant from chief argent" (På raud grunn ein kvit navar-spiss som vender nedover). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a local type of auger which is used in carpentry. The auger has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This design was chosen because in the 1850s, auger manufacturing started in the municipality, and the local drills were considered to be high quality. The design was meant to symbolize and emphasize the local traditions to be proud of and skills to be keep alive. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Meland. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
Meland consisted of a number of islands. The largest was Holsnøy, which has an area of 89 km2, out of a total area of 93 km2 for the entire municipality. Holsnøy was located between the island of Radøy and the Lindås peninsula to its north, the Åsane peninsula in Bergen to its east, the island of Askøy to its south, and the archipelago of Øygarden to its west. It was surrounded by fjords, namely (clockwise from north) Mangerfjorden, Radfjorden, Salhusfjorden, Herdlefjorden, and Hjeltefjorden. The second largest island in the municipality was Flatøy, located west of Holsnøy. The municipality also encompassed a number of minor islands.

The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Frekhaug, which was also its largest settlement. Frekhaug was located in the south-eastern part of Holsnøy, and its urban area had a population of 1649 as of 2012. An additional two urban areas were located in the municipality: Krossneset on Flatøy (population 468) and Holme (population 663).

Transport
As an island municipality, the road network of Meland depended upon bridges to connect it to the mainland. The Nordhordland Bridge, which spans the Salhusfjorden between Flatøy and Klauvaneset in Bergen, connected Meland to the mainland. The bridge is the main road northwards from Bergen, and is part of European route E39. The Krossnessundet Bridge, which is part of Fv 564, connects Flatøy to Holsnøy, the largest island of the municipality. The Krossnessundet Bridge opened in 1977, while the Nordhordland Bridge dates from 1994. The Hagelsund Bridge connects the island of Flatøy to Knarvik on the Lindås peninsula to the east.

History
Meland had several traces of early settlement, including remnants of stone houses, terraced walls, and farms. Holmeknappen (from the 18th century) was restored in 1992, and it includes equipment for barrel production and salting herring. Meland has been a church site since the mid-13th century. The stave church on this site was in use until 1616 when a new wooden church was built on the same site. That church was demolished in 1816 and the new (present) Meland Church was erected in 1816.

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Bergen District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Meland was made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Meland:

 * 1923–1931: Andreas Hagen (LL)
 * 1932–1938: Lars G. Hopland (LL)
 * 1938–1945: Nils Hvidsten (LL)
 * 1946–1968: Olav Åmdal (LL)
 * 1968–1979: Johannes H. Fosse (KrF)
 * 1980–1991: Harry Wiig Andersen (Sp)
 * 1992–1999: Arne I. Sakstad (Ap)
 * 1999–2007: Solbjørg Å. Sandvik (H)
 * 2007–2015: Nils Marton Aadland (H)
 * 2015–2019: Øyvind Helland Oddekalv (Ap)

title: Meland


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Øygarden

Øygarden is a municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is an island municipality located in the traditional district of Midhordland, stretching along the west coast of the county. The village of Straume is the administrative centre of the municipality. Other villages in the municipality include Alveim, Blomvåg, Vikavågen, Ågotnes, Fjell, Foldnes, Knappskog, Knarrevik, Kolltveit, Landro, Sekkingstad, Skogsvåg, Klokkarvik, Tælavåg, Kausland, and Hammarsland.

The municipality consists of a chain of islands to the north and west of the city of Bergen. Øygarden is connected to the mainland by a series of bridges and a single road running across the islands. Some of the major islands include Litlesotra, Store Sotra, Bildøy, Bjorøy, Misje, Turøy, Seløyna, Alvøyna, Ona, Blomøyna, Rongøyna, and Toftøyna.

The 315 km2 municipality is the 260th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Øygarden is the 27th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 39,368. The municipality's population density is 131.1 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 14.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Øygarden was established on 1 January 1964. It was created by a merger that was set in motion by the Schei Committee. The newly created Øygarden was made up of all of the old municipality of Hjelme (population: 956) and almost all of the municipality of Herdla (population: 2131) that was located west of the Hjeltefjorden (except for the islands of Turøy and Misje which went to the neighboring municipality of Fjell).

On 1 January 2020, the three neighboring municipalities of Fjell, Sund, and Øygarden were merged into one large island municipality called Øygarden.

The administrative centre of Øygarden has changed three times over the years. From 1964 until 2009, it was located at the village of Tjeldstø. From 2009 through 2019, it was located in the village of Rong. In 2020, the administrative centre was moved to the large village of Straume after the municipal merger with Fjell and Sund.

Name
The municipality of Øygarden was created in 1964 and the name was created at the same time. The name is the finite form of øygard which means "island group" or more specifically "row (fence) of islands". The first element is identical to the word which means "island". The last element is which means "the farm".

Coat of arms
The original coat of arms was granted in 1966, shortly after the establishment of the municipality. The blazon was "Azure, a fess engrailed argent below a cairn sable and argent". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a reference sea cairn sitting on an islet rising above a sea wave. The wave and a small stripe on the buoy both have a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The municipality consisted of larger and smaller islands and islets. The design was chosen to symbolize the importance of fishing and sea navigation for the area. Hence the importance of sea cairns, buoys and lighthouses for safety in the municipality. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

A new coat of arms was adopted in 2019 for use starting on 1 January 2020 after a municipal merger where Sund, Fjell, and Øygarden merged to form a new Øygarden municipality. The new municipality decided to use the coat of arms for the old Sund Municipality which had originally been granted to that municipality on 23 March 1988. The official blazon is "Argent, a lighthouse couped azure" (På sølv grunn ei blå fyrlykt). This means the arms have a field (background) 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 charge is a lighthouse. The lighthouse reflects the municipality's close ties to the sea, and the white colour represents the light emitted from the lighthouse. The arms were designed by Even Jarl Skoglund. 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 Øygarden. It is part of the Vesthordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Geography
The municipality is made up of many islands. The main islands are (from north to south): Seløyna (7.2 km2), Alvøyna (12.2 km2), Ona (6.8 km2), Blomøyna (9.1 km2), Rongøyna (2.7 km2), Toftøyna (7.5 km2), Misje, Turøyna Sotra, Litlesotra, Geitung, Bildøyna, Bjorøy, Algrøyna, Lokøyna, Syltøyna, Toftøya, Lerøyna, Bjelkarøyna, Tyssøyna, Risøy, Vardøy, Golten, and Viksøy. Besides these larger islands, the municipality consists of hundreds small islands, islets, and reefs. Some of the other islands include Hernar in the far north and Førehjelmo.

The landscape is low and relatively flat. Several smaller lakes are located on the islands. The west side of the islands is an important nesting site for birds. The North Sea lies to the west of the islands and the Hjeltefjorden.

Tjeldstø Marka on Alvøyna has been a protected nature reserve since 1995. It is one of the largest wetland reserves in Hordaland. The Ormhilleren friluftsområde is another nature reserve surrounding the Rongesundet strait.

Government
Øygarden 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 Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Øygarden is made up of 45 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 Øygarden (incomplete list):

 * 1990–1995: Otto Harkestad (Ap)
 * 1995–1999: Rolv Svein Rougnø (H)
 * 2000–2011: Olav Martin Vik (LL)
 * 2011–2014: Otto Harkestad (Ap)
 * 2015–2015: Åse Gunn Husebø (Ap)
 * 2015–2019: Børge Haugetun (LL)
 * 2019–present: Tom Georg Indrevik (H)

Economy
The municipality has a significant aquaculture industry, primarily with salmon, cod, and shellfish. Agriculture is limited in the municipality and is largely a part-time occupation, so most farmers have another profession too. Agriculture in Øygarden is dominated by raising livestock (sheep, cattle, and chickens).

Since 1988, petroleum activities have become a major industry in Øygarden. The transportation of oil from the Oseberg oil field through a pipeline to Sture on Alvøyna was the start of the oil boom. In 1996, a natural gas processing plant at Kollsnes on the island of Ona was completed.

In 2024 the company Norsk Kjernekraft signed an agreement with a landowner in the municipality to purchase 250 acre, to accommodate up to five SMR nuclear power units.

Notable people

 * Martin Rasmussen Hjelmen (1904 in Øygarden – 1944), a Norwegian sailor and communist activist
 * John Alvheim (1930 in Øygarden – 2005), a nurse anaesthetist, aid worker, and politician
 * Lars Arne Nilsen (born 1964 in Sotra), a Norwegian football manager
 * Alexander Dale Oen (1985 in Øygarden – 2012), a swimmer on the Norwegian national team and silver medallist at the 2008 Summer Olympics

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

title: Øygarden


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Radøy

Radøy is a former municipality in the Nordhordland district of the old Hordaland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1964 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was merged into the new municipality of Alver in Vestland county. The municipality included almost all of the island of Radøy plus many small surrounding islands. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Manger. Other villages in the municipality included Askeland, Austmarka, Bøvågen, Haugland, Sæbø, and Sletta.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 111 km2 municipality is the 372nd largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Radøy is the 199th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,128. The municipality's population density is 48 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 10.1% over the last decade.

General information
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. Radøy was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964. The new municipality was constructed from parts of several different municipalities:
 * all of the municipality of Manger (population: 1,344)
 * all of the municipality of Hordabø (population: 1,679)
 * the island of Bognøy from Herdla municipality (population: 29)
 * most of the municipality of Sæbø, except the Titland area on the Lindås peninsula (population: 916)
 * the Sletta area on the island of Radøy from Lindås municipality (population: 305)
 * the Straume area on the island of Radøy and the small island of Fesøy from Austrheim municipality (population: 56)

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Meland, Radøy, and Lindås were merged into a large, new municipality called Alver.

Name
The municipality is named after the island of Radøy (Rǫð) since the municipality encompassed the island. The first element is rǫð which means "row", "ridge", or "line" (here in the sense that it is a "long island" sticking out of the ocean). The last element, which means "island", was added later as a suffix to the name.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 14 June 1991 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Or, two oarlocks in pale sable" (På gul grunn to svarte årekeipar.). 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 pair of oarlocks, one above the other. Oarlocks are on the gunwale of a boat and they support the oar and give force to the rower's stroke. Some of these objects have been found in several places in Radøy and the artifacts date back to the first century BC. The arms were designed by Even Jarl Skoglund. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway had one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Radøy. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government
During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Radøy was made up of 25 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Radøy (incomplete list):
 * 1983–1990: Olav Marås
 * 2003–2007: Olav Steinar Namtvedt (Sp)
 * 2007–2019: Jon Askeland (Sp)

Geography
The municipality encompassed all of the island of Radøy, except the far southern tip (which belonged to Lindås municipality). The smaller surrounding islands of Toska, Bognøy, Fesøy, and others were also part of Radøy municipality. The Radfjorden separated Radøy municipality from the municipality of Meland to the south. The Radsundet strait separated the municipality of Radøy from the municipality of Lindås to the east. The island of Fosnøyna (in Austrheim) were located to the north. The islands of Øygarden sat across the Hjeltefjorden to the west.

title: Radøy


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Lindås

Lindås is a former municipality in the Nordhordland district in the old Hordaland county, Norway. It existed from 1838 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020 when it was merged into the new Alver Municipality. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Knarvik, located in the southwestern part of the municipality. Other notable villages in the municipality included Alversund, Isdalstø, Lindås, Ostereidet, and Seim. The Mongstad industrial area in extreme northern Lindås has one of the largest oil refineries and largest seaports in Norway. The oil refinery at Mongstad is by far the largest employer in the municipality.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 475 km2 municipality is the 213th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Lindås is the 75th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 15,731. The municipality's population density is 34.5 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 15.7% over the last decade.

General information
The parish of Lindaas was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 March 1879, the northeastern district of Lindaas was separated to form the new Masfjorden Municipality, leaving 6,374 inhabitants in Lindaas. On 1 January 1910, the northwestern island district of Lindaas was separated to form the new Austrheim Municipality. This left Lindaas with 4,433 residents.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the following places were merged into one large municipality of Lindås: Also on this date, there were two other changes. The Sletta area (population: 305) on the island of Radøy was switched from Lindås to the new Radøy Municipality. The other change was the Einestrand, Eikebotn, and Kikallen areas (population: 25) was transferred from Lindås to Masfjorden Municipality.
 * The Nipo, Dyrkelbotn, and Eitrdalen farms (population: 12) in extreme western Modalen Municipality
 * All of Hosanger Municipality located north of the Osterfjorden (population: 791)
 * All of Hamre Municipality located north of the Osterfjorden (population: 1,240)
 * The whole Alversund Municipality (population: 2,099)
 * The Titland area (population: 40) from Sæbø Municipality, northwest of the village of Seim
 * All of the old municipality of Lindås (population: 3,651)

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Meland, Radøy, and Lindås were merged the large new municipality of Alver.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Lindås farm (Lindiáss) since the first Lindås Church was built there. The first element is which means "linden (Tilia) wood" or "place overgrown with linden". The last element is which means "mountain ridge" or "rocky ridge". On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Lindaas with the digraph "Aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Lindås, using the letter Å instead.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 4 May 1979 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The blazon is "Gules, a linden tree eradicated argent" (På raud grunn eit kvitt lindetre). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a leaf-covered linden tree (Tilia × europaea) with its bare roots showing. 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 design is a canting arms since the name of the municipality refers to a linden tree. The arms were designed by Magnus Hardeland. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway had eight parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Lindås. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Bergen District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Lindås was made up of 31 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the final municipal council was as follows:

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Lindås (incomplete list):
 * 2003–2007: Tove Linnea Brandvik (Ap)
 * 2007–2019: Astrid Aarhus Byrknes (KrF)

History
Ancient settlements of Vikings are found in several places. At Lindås there are stories of monks coming from England and living with the Viking population.

Håkonshaugen (from Old Norse haugr meaning mound) at the village of Seim is the burial mound of King Haakon the Good, the third king of Norway. King Haakon was mortally wounded in 961 at the Battle of Fitjar at nearby Stord. Håkonshaugen is the millennium site in the municipality of Lindås.

The historical play Håkonarspelet ("King with the golden helmet") is performed here every year. The play is one of several plays written by author Johannes Heggland. The play was written in five parts between 1995 and 1996. It centers on events in the life of King Haakon the Good and the king's only daughter, Thora.

Geography
Lindås municipality was located mostly on the mainland of the Nordhordland region, just north of the city of Bergen. The municipality was north of the Osterfjorden and Romarheimsfjorden. The Lindås peninsula heads north from there. The peninsula juts out west of the Austfjorden, south of the Fensfjorden, and east of the Radfjorden. The municipality included the very southernmost tip of the neighboring island of Radøy as well as the island of Luro. The Lurefjorden cuts into the middle of the peninsula. On the east side of the municipality was a mountainous area that was sparsely populated.

The municipality was surrounded by water on three sides, and the fourth side is mountainous, so there were few road connections to Lindås. On the east side, the municipality was accessible by the Eikefet Tunnel, part of the European route E39 highway. On the southwest side, the Hagelsund Bridge crossed the fjord to connect to the municipalities of Bergen and Meland to the southwest. The Alversund Bridge on the west side connected Lindås to the island municipality of Radøy. The municipality of Austrheim was to the north, and it included a small part of the mainland Lindås peninsula, so there was road access there too.

Lindås Church
Lindås Church (Lindås kirke) was consecrated 20 September 1865. The church was built just west of where the old stone church stood. The architect was Ole Syslak who was responsible for the construction of several other churches in western Norway. The church received its first church organ in 1906, which was replaced in 1978 with an organ built by Josef Hilmar Jørgensen. The church has two church bells. The oldest clock was made by Laxevaag Værk in Bergen in 1865, while the other was made by O. Olsen & Son in Tønsberg in 1955.

The first time a church in Lindås mentioned was in 1315. This was a stone altar, which stood under the open sky. Walls were erected later, so that the priest was standing under a roof, while the audience stood on the ground outside and listened. Later walls were raised so that the church was under roof. This church was extended in 1600 and repaired in the 1700s.

Heathland Centre at Lygra
Heathland Centre at Lygra (Lyngheisenteret på Lygra) is a cultural museum consisting of a conserved heather moorland. It is also an information centre for the coastal heathlands. The center was established in the 1970s. An information center with a restaurant, auditorium, and permanent exhibition was opened in 2000. Heathland was founded by the University of Bergen, Vestland county, Lindås Municipality, the Regional Council in Nordhordland and Gulen. It is administrated by the Museum Centre in Hordaland.

title: Lindås


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Austrheim

Austrheim is a municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Årås. Other villages in the municipality include Austrheim and Kaland. The Mongstad industrial area lies along the border of Austrheim and neighboring Lindås municipality. The westernmost point of mainland Norway lies in the municipality at Vardetangen.

The 58 km2 municipality is the 347th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Austrheim is the 235th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,856. The municipality's population density is 50.3 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 0.8% over the previous 10-year period.

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station for Austrheim and Fedje be closed.

General information
Historically, Austrheim was a part of the large Lindås Municipality. On 1 January 1910, the northwestern district of Lindås (population: 2,518) was separated from Lindås to form the new municipality of Austrheim. On 1 January 1947, all of the islands located west of the Fedjefjorden (population: 920) were separated to form the new Fedje Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Straume area on the island of Radøy (population: 56) was transferred from Austrheim to the new Radøy Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Austrheim farm (Austrheimr) since the first Austrheim Church was built there. The first element is which means "east". The last element is which means "homestead" or "village". Until 1889, the name was written Østereim. After that the spelling was Austreim, and most recently it is spelled Austrheim.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 17 February 1989. The official blazon is "Azure, three bars embowed argent" (På blå grunn tre sølv bjelkar bøygde oppover). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the ordinary is a set of three arched bars. The bars have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if the arms are made out of metal, then silver is used. The three bows represent the many bridges in the island municipality. The color blue was chosen to represent the sea and the white/silver was to represent the land. The arms were designed by Svein Skauge. 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 Austrheim. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Government
Austrheim 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 Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Mayors
The mayors (ordførar) of Austrheim (incomplete list):
 * 1975-1976: Knut Johannes Risnes (KrF)
 * 1986-1992: Knut Johannes Risnes (KrF)
 * 2003–2011: Ole Lysø (Ap)
 * 2011–2023: Per Lerøy (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Morten Sognnes (H)

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Austrheim 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.

Economy
The Mongstad industrial complex lies on the border of Austrheim and Lindås. It is the largest oil port and refinery in Norway, is responsible for about 70% of all wet bulk. Many residents of Austrheim work at the facility.

Geography
Austrheim is an island municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county. It is located south of the Fensfjorden, east of the Fedjefjorden, north of the island of Radøy, and west of the Lindås peninsula. The municipality includes the far northwestern tip of the peninsula as well as many islands. The largest island (by far) is the island of Fosnøyna, where the municipal centre is located.

Gulen Municipality is located to the north (across the fjord), Fedje Municipality is located on islands to the west, Alver Municipality lies to the south.

Notable people

 * Kornelius Bergsvik (1889 in Austrheim – 1975), a Norwegian politician and County Governor of Telemark
 * Karsten Solheim (1911–2000), a golf equipment manufacturer who emigrated to the United States when he was two years old
 * Haakon Austrheim, a geology professor in Oslo
 * Roger Helland (born 1993 in Austrheim), a former football player with over 230 club caps
 * Gunnar Norebø (born 1976 in Austrheim), a retired Norwegian football midfielder

title: Austrheim


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Fedje

Fedje is an island municipality in the Nordhordland region of Vestland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fedje. The traditional economic activity of the inhabitants is fishing.

The 9 km2 municipality is the 354th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Fedje is the 350th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 513. The municipality's population density is 57.3 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 9.8% over the previous 10-year period. The municipality consists of the main island of Fedje which is also surrounded by about 125 smaller islands and rocks mostly north of the main island. The name Fedje applies both to the main island, the main village, and to all the islands and rocks as a whole municipality.

In 2016, the chief of police for Vestlandet formally suggested a reconfiguration of police districts and stations. He proposed that the police station in Fedje be closed.

General information
Historically, the islands of Fedje belonged to the prestegjeld of Lindås. In 1910, the northwestern part of Lindås was separated to become the new Austrheim Municipality (which included Fedje). On 1 January 1947, all of Austrheim located west of the Fedjefjorden (population: 920) was separated to become the new municipality of Fedje.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Fedje farm (Feðjar) since the first Fedje Church was built there. The name comes from the word (𐍆𐌰𐌸𐌰) which means "fence" or "wall". The meaning here refers to a row of islands or archipelago, separating the inshore waters (now called the Fedjefjorden) from the ocean.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 13 July 1990. The official blazon is "Azure, two oars argent in bend issuant from the base sinister" (På blå grunn to skrått framveksande sølv årar). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a pair of oars aligned diagonally one above the other. 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. This symbolizes the rich boating history of this island municipality. The arms were designed by Even Jarl Skoglund. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Fedje Municipality. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin.

Education
Fedje has an elementary school, and a junior high school, both of which are situated in the center of the island, and in the same building. The school is also used as a movie theater twice a week.

History
There are traces of human activity on Fedje from as long as 4,000 years ago. In the 18th century, the village of Fedje was an important trading place, with the small island of Kræmmerholmen being the location where the trading took place. Kræmmerholmen was reopened in 1991, and was a restaurant/hotel/museum area, but closed in September 2008. Fedje was previously a substantial producer of peat. The peat led to the construction of a railway. The railway was given up together with the peat industry in 1920.

During the Second World War Fedje was occupied by over 300 German soldiers. There are still remains of the German cannons and bunkers all over the island, especially in the western part close to the traffic station, which is actually built on the remains of a German radar station.

In February 1945, the German U-boat U-864 was sunk by the Royal Navy submarine HMS Venturer (P68) outside western Fedj, the only instance in history of a submarine being sunk by another submarine while both were submerged. The wreck of the U-boat was discovered in 2003 lying in 150 m of water, 2 nmi west of Fedje. Its cargo included 67 short tons (61 t) of mercury which was being shipped to Japan. Contained in 1,857 rusting steel bottles in the vessel's keel, the mercury was discovered to be leaking out and currently poses a severe environmental threat. The rusting mercury bottles, the delicate condition of the wreck, and the presence of live torpedoes aboard it make the raising or salvage of U-864 extremely hazardous, and it has instead been proposed that the wreck be entombed.

On 12 January 2007, M/V Server sunk outside Fedje. The ship leaked oil and caused major environmental damage. But due to intensive efforts to clean the coves and beaches, very few traces can be found today.

Government
Fedje 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 Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Fedje is made up of 15 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 Fedje:

 * 1947–1947:	Mons Storemark
 * 1948–1975: Oskar Tangen (V)
 * 1976–1979: Karl Storhaug (DNF)
 * 1980–1989: Erling Walderhaug (H)
 * 1990–1991: Ove Villanger (KrF)
 * 1992–1995: Erling Walderhaug (H)
 * 1995–2003: Vilgjerd Storset Husa (KrF)
 * 2003–2007: Erling Walderhaug (H)
 * 2007–2015: Kristin Handeland (Ap)
 * 2015-present: Stian Herøy (H)

Geography
The highest point on Fedje is the 42 m high hill called Fedjebjørnen. The largest lake is Storevatnet.

Islands
Other than the main island of Fedje, the best known smaller island is called Holmengrå. Holmengrå is the site of the 35 m tall Holmengrå Lighthouse. In the southern part of Fedje which is called Stormark, there is a lighthouse called Hellisøy Lighthouse, maybe the most famous feature of Fedje. Hellisøy Lighthouse was built in 1855. The 32.3 m tall tower is painted red and white. The islands of Fedje are all located on the western side of the Fedjefjorden.

People
The population of the island community is decreasing due to the high percentage of people over 60 years (25% as of 1 January 2003), and because many people decide to move from the island, many because of the lack of work.

Most of the people live on the lagoon-like northern part of the island in the village of Fedje where there is a grocery store, Fedje Church, and the ferry quay. Fedje used to be inhabited by fishermen and whalers. These days many are working on commercial ships or in the oil industry. By doing so they can still live on the island without having to work there.

Sports
The main sporting activity on Fedje is football, which can be played on the football grounds in the eastern part of the island. The football ground is also the home ground of the local football team called Fedje A-lag. The club is currently playing in the Norwegian 6th division.

Swimming is also popular, as there is a beautiful beach located on Fedje, which is to be found in the centre of the island on the shoreline of Lake Husavatnet. The water is clean and brackish, as it has a small opening to the sea which makes the tide flush it with sea water from time to time.

Infrastructure
Fedje Vessel Traffic Service Centre has been operating since 1 September 1992. It surveys the coast to allow safe passage to Mongstad and Sture. It also serves as a pilot station. Next to the station is Fedje Heliport, Høgden.

The island is supplied with power, telephone, and internet cables from an underwater cordless router to the mainland. A ferry, crossing 20 times a day, connects Fedje to the mainland. The voyage lasts for about 30 minutes. Fedje is about a 1-hour 40 minute drive (including a 30-minute ferry voyage) from the city of Bergen.

Notable people

 * Gisle Handeland (born 1943 in Fedje), a Norwegian politician who was county mayor of Hordaland from 1993-2003
 * Vidar Kleppe (born 1963), a somewhat controversial Norwegian politician who was brought up in Fedje

title: Fedje


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Masfjorden

Masfjorden is a municipality in the central part of Vestland county in Norway. The municipality is located in the Nordhordland district of the county. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Masfjordnes. Other villages in the municipality include Frøyset, Hosteland, Matre, and Solheim.

The municipality is centered on the Masfjorden which almost divides the municipality completely into a north side and a south side. A cable ferry crosses the fjord from Masfjordnes to Duesund in the western part of the municipality. The Matre Hydroelectric Power Station is located in the eastern part of the municipality.

The 556 km2 municipality is the 195th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Masfjorden is the 297th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,654. The municipality's population density is 3.2 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Masfjorden was established as a municipality on 1 March 1879 when it was separated from the large municipality of Lindås. Masfjorden was the northern part of Lindås, and its initial population was 2,336. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Einestrand, Eikebotn, and Kikallen area along the Austfjorden (population: 25) was transferred from Lindås to Masfjorden.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Masfjorden (Matrsfjǫrðr) since that fjord is a central geographical feature of the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of the old (uncompounded) name of the fjord: Matr. That name is identical to the word which means "food". The last element is which means "fjord" or "firth". Therefore, the meaning of the name is "the fjord that's full of food (fish)". The village of Matre lies at the inner end of the fjord, and that name has a similar origin.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, three clasps Or in pall" (På raud grunn tre gule heldrer stilte i trepass). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three heldrer, traditional tools made of wood for fastening a rope around a load. 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. They are meant to symbolize unity as well as the importance of forestry. The arms were designed by Rune Garmann. 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 Masfjorden. It is part of the Nordhordland prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Bjørgvin. Prior to 2020, the municipality had three parishes (Frøyset, Sandnes, and Solheim).

Government
Masfjorden 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 Hordaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

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

 * 1879–1880: Erik A. Riisnæs
 * 1880–1883: Kristen T. Bergsvik
 * 1884–1889: Thorbjørn Frølich
 * 1890–1895: Rasmus M. Haugsvær
 * 1896–1899: Torgeir R. Haugsvær
 * 1900–1901: Rasmus M. Haugsvær
 * 1901–1916: Hans Bergersen Wergeland
 * 1917–1919: Ivar R. Eikemo
 * 1920–1941: Martin H. Matre
 * 1942–1945: Gjert Daae
 * 1945–1945: Magnus Maurstad
 * 1945–1945: Martin H. Matre
 * 1945–1950: Magnus Halsøy
 * 1999–2003: Helge Haukeland
 * 2003–2011: Håkon Matre (H)
 * 2011-2023: Karstein Totland (H)
 * 2023-present: Erlend Kvamsdal (H)

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Masfjorden 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
Masfjorden municipality lies to the east of the Fensfjorden and Austfjorden. The Masfjorden runs east to west bisecting the municipality. The eastern part has mountains and as one heads westward, the land levels out before reaching the fjord in the east.

The municipality lies along the west coast in the central part of the county. The municipalities of Gulen and Høyanger lie to the north, the municipality of Modalen to the east, and the municipality of Alver lies to the south and west.

The European route E39 highway runs through eastern Masfjorden heading north and south. The 4.1 km long Masfjord Tunnel and the 2.5 km long Jernfjell Tunnel (and a few other tunnels) are part of the E39 highway which winds its way through some valleys in the mountainous eastern region of Masfjorden.

Notable people

 * Hans Bergersen Wergeland (1861–1931), a Norwegian politician, local mayor, and farmer
 * Ludvig Hope (1871–1954), a Norwegian lay preacher, writer, and teacher
 * Einar Hope (born 1937), a Norwegian economist
 * Bjarne Johannes Hope (1944–2006), a Norwegian civil servant

title: Masfjorden


text:
Hægebostad

Hægebostad is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tingvatn. Other villages in Hægebostad include Eiken, Haddeland, and Snartemo. The municipality encompasses the northern end of the Lyngdalen valley which follows the river Lygna.

The Sørlandet Line railroad runs through the municipality from east to west, stopping at Snartemo Station in Snartemo. To get into and out of the valley in which Hægebostad is located, the trains must go through two of the longest railway tunnels in Norway: Hægebostad Tunnel and Kvineshei Tunnel.

The 461 km2 municipality is the 215th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Hægebostad is the 296th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,750. The municipality's population density is 4.1 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 4.9% over the previous 10-year period.

Nine units of Sheltered housing are under construction (in 2022) after the previous ones were demolished.

History
The parish of Hægebostad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1915, the municipality was divided into two municipalities: Eiken (population: 932) in the north and Hægebostad (population: 867) in the south. On 1 January 1963, the two municipalities were merged back together as the municipality of Hægebostad once again. Prior to the merger, Hægebostad had 813 residents and Eiken had 784 residents.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hægebostad farm (Helgabólstaðir) since the first Hægebostad Church was built there. This farm is now on the north side of the village of Snartemo. The first element is helg- which means "holy". The last element is the plural form of bólstaðr which means "homestead" or "farm". Before 1889, the name was written Hegebostad.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 4 April 1986. The official blazon is "Gules, two swords Or, points to the base" (På raud grunn to gull sverd med oddane ned). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is two swords that are pointing downwards. The swords have a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The swords represent the two swards of Snartemo and Eiken dating from the 4th–6th century that were found in the municipality. The swords were highly decorated with silver and gold, but the ones on the arms are a more stylized heraldic design. The arms were designed by John Digernes. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Geography
Hægebostad is an inland municipality, with Åseral municipality to the northeast, Kvinesdal to the west and Lyngdal to the south and east. The municipality covers the upper Lyngdalen valley from the mountains in the north, along the river Lygna to Lyngdal municipality in the south. The lake Lygne lies in the central part of the municipality.

Government
Hægebostad 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 Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Hægebostad 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 Hægebostad (incomplete list):

 * 1889-1897: Aasulv Olsen Bryggesaa (V)
 * 1999-2011: Ånen Werdal (H)
 * 2007-2011: John Fidjeland (KrF)
 * 2011-2015: Ånen Werdal (H)
 * 2015-2023: Margrethe Handeland (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Jan Petter Gysland (H)

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

Notable people

 * Johan Arnt Wenaas (1941 in Hægebostad – 2015), a priest and writer

title: Hægebostad


text:
Kvinesdal

Kvinesdal is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Liknes. Other villages in Kvinesdal include Feda, Fjotland, and Storekvina.

Kvinesdal is an elongated mountain-to-coast municipality, reaching saltwater at the head of the Fedafjorden, which provides access to the North Sea in the south. Further north, the landscape is cut by narrow valleys with scattered small villages. There are also abandoned mines at Knaben, a popular ski resort. Because Kvinesdal resembles the geography of the nation as a whole, it is often referred to as "Little Norway".

The 963 km2 municipality is the 121st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvinesdal is the 159th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,024. The municipality's population density is 6.8 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 2.1% over the previous 10-year period.

Kvinesdal belongs to a central area in the Norwegian south from which many people emigrated to North America, particularly the United States, from the 1850s until the 1950s. It is noted for being an "American village" (Norwegian: Amerika-bygd) because of the high number of American residents. These are typically either Norwegians who moved to the States, obtained US Citizenship and later moved back to Norway, or are descendants of Norwegians who have never acquired Norwegian citizenship.

General information
The parish of Kvinesdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1841, the neighboring municipality of Fjotland (population: 980) was merged with Kvinesdal to form a new, larger municipality of Kvinesdal, although this was short-lived. In 1858, the merger was un-done and Fjotland became a separate municipality once again. After the split, Kvinesdal had 4,485 residents.

On 1 January 1900, the municipality of Kvinesdal was divided into two: the municipality of Feda in the far southern part (population: 1,090) and the municipality of Liknes in the northern part (population: 2,937). The name of Liknes municipality was changed (back) to Kvinesdal in 1917. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, the municipalities of Fjotland (population: 1,244), Feda (population: 576), and Kvinesdal (population: 3,218) were merged to form one large municipality of Kvinesdal.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Kvinesdalen valley (Hvínisdalr). The first element of the name comes from the old name for the local Fedafjorden. The old name of the fjord was Hvínir. The old fjord name comes from the name of the main river, Kvina, which flows into the fjord. The old river name, Hvín is derived from the verb which means "to squeal" or "to whistle". The last element of the name is which means "valley" or "dale".

In 1900, the municipality was renamed Liknes. This was short-lived, however, and in 1917 the name was changed back to Kvinesdal. The new name came from the old Liknes farm (Leiknes). The first element comes from the word which means "game" or "sport". The last element is which means "headland". Thus, a headland for games or sports.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 15 March 1985. The official blazon is "Azure a pall engrailed argent" (I blått et sølv gaffelkors dannet ved taggesnitt). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a Y-shaped figure called a pall with edges that are engrailed. The pall 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 blue color in the field and the pall design was chosen to symbolize the meeting of the two local rivers: Kvina and Litleåna which join at the village of Liknes and then flow south together to the Fedafjorden. The arms were designed by Truls Nygaard who developed it using ideas by Hans Freddy Larsen and Lars Olsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Kvinesdal. It is part of the Lister og Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Geography
The long, narrow municipality of Kvinesdal stretches from the mountains in the north, along the Kvinesdalen valley to the Fedafjorden in the south. To the west, Kvinesdal is bordered by Flekkefjord and Sirdal municipalities. To the east, it is bordered by Åseral and Hægebostad. To the south, it is bordered by Lyngdal, and it is bordered by Farsund in the east and south. A small segment of the northern boundary borders Bygland municipality in Agder county.

The river Kvina, which runs through the municipality, is known for its salmon, and salmon fishing is a popular activity.

Two valleys meet in Kvinesdal's center: Vesterdalen (the Western Valley) through which flows the river Kvina and Austerdalen (the Eastern Valley) through which flows the river Litleåna to join the Kvina.

Population
About 10% of the inhabitants of Kvinesdal are American citizens, and Kvinesdal does enjoy a special relationship with the United States. Every year, the municipality hosts a special festival remembering the days when local people emigrated to the new world.

History
Kvinesdal was home of many prominent characters in the Saga Period. Among them were the Skald Tjodolv the Frode. Frode means one with great knowledge of the history of ancestors. He composed a historic poem for his king Harold Fairhair. His work was later combined into the Heimskringla when it was recorded by Snorri Sturluson.

In northern Kvinesdal, along the high plateau which sits at 550 m above sea level, records show that the Salmeli Farm dates back at least to the year 1300. During the Black Death years of 1350 the farm became deserted, but was back as a working farm again by 1647. It is now a historic site.

The bailiff Stig Bagge, who was granted local leadership from 1536 to 1542 by king Christian III, was an energetic man when he lived at his ancestral home of Eikeland in Kvinesdal. According to the reports of Peder Claussøn Friis, he executed refractory peasants so willingly that the district thought it was to excess; he was the district's bogeyman for many years thereafter. When the bailiff in Nedenes was killed in his bed and rebels came in an unsuccessful attempt to capture and execute Stig, he collected his men and brutally stifled the revolt. Stig himself died by being drawn and quartered by the Dutch when he was caught in piracy or espionage off their coast at Walcheren.

Government
Kvinesdal 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 Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Kvinesdal is made up of 27 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 Kvinesdal (incomplete list):

 * 1990-1999: Anders Mathias Larsen (KrF)
 * 1999-2003: Sigmund Oksefjell (Sp)
 * 2003-2013: Odd Omland (Ap)
 * 2013-2015: Svein Arne Jerstad (Ap)
 * 2015-present: Per Sverre Kvinlaug (KrF)

Economy
In addition to various small businesses and public services, Kvinesdal's economy is driven in part by hydroelectric power. The Sira-Kvina power company derives hydroelectric power from the Kvina river, in addition to various smaller dams. Eramet is an important local employer that provides work to about 200 persons in producing manganese-alloys. There is also a small tourism industry, with golfing and fishing being the main draws.

Notable people

 * Peder Jacobsen Bøgvald (1762 in Feda – 1829), a sea captain, farmer, and politician
 * Kristian Marcelius Førland (1891–1978), an artist who lived and painted in Kvinesdal
 * Erling Moi (1918 in Kvinesdal – 1944), a Norwegian resistance member in WWII
 * Sigbjørn Hølmebakk (1922 in Feda – 1981), a Norwegian author
 * Anne Gullestad (1925 in Kvinesdal – 1998), an actress and theatre director
 * Gordon Hølmebakk (1928 in Feda – 2018), a publishing editor, essayist, and novelist
 * Aril Edvardsen (1938 in Kvinesdal – 2008), an evangelical preacher and missionary whose former home is now a museum
 * Andreas Hompland (born 1946 in Kvinesdal), a social scientist, journalist, and non-fiction writer
 * Arnfinn Moland (born 1951 in Kvinesdal), a historian and writer
 * Odd Omland (born 1956), a politician who was mayor of Kvinesdal from 2003 to 2013
 * Per Sverre Kvinlaug (born 1974), a politician who was mayor of Kvinesdal starting in 2015
 * Silvia Moi (born 1978 in Kvinesdal), an opera singer
 * Luxus Leverpostei, (Norwegian Wiki), a Norwegian band formed in Kvinesdal in 1991

Sport

 * Ludvig Hunsbedt, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1961 in Kvinesdal), a rallycross driver
 * Roger Eskeland (born 1977), a Norwegian football goalkeeper
 * Atle Roar Håland (born 1977), a retired footballer with over 300 club caps

title: Kvinesdal


text:
Sirdal

Sirdal is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the northwestern part of the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tonstad. Other villages in Sirdal include Bjørnestad, Haughom, Kvæven, Lunde, and Tjørhom.

The 1554 km2 municipality is the 52nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sirdal is the 290th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,837. The municipality's population density is 1.3 PD/km2 and its population has inmcreased by 0.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The old parish of Sirdal was first established as a municipality in 1849 when it was separated from the large municipality of Bakke. Initially, Sirdal had 1,804 residents. On 1 January 1903, a small area of Sirdal (population: 63) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Fjotland. On 1 January 1905, the municipality of Sirdal was dissolved and its territories were divided into two new municipalities: Tonstad (population: 828) and Øvre Sirdal (population: 753). These large, sparsely populated municipalities merged along with the Øksendal area of Bakke municipality to recreate the municipality of Sirdal on 1 January 1960. This time, Sirdal started out with a population of 1,426. On 1 January 1987, the Virak and Espetveit areas of northern Flekkefjord (population: 41) were transferred to Sirdal municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Sirdalen valley (Sírudalr) since the valley runs through the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of the river name Síra (now the Sira river). The river name has an unknown meaning, but it could be something like "strong stream". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 17 January 1986. The official blazon is "Vert, three ptarmigans volant argent" (I grønt tre oppflygande sølv ryper, 2 - 1). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus). The ptarmigan 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 ptarmigans were chosen as a symbol for the hills and moorland which make up the largest part of the municipality. The willow ptarmigan is a typical bird for the area. 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 one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Sirdal. It is part of the Lister og Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Geography
Sirdal municipality includes the westernmost valley in Agder county, bordering Rogaland county to the west. To the south, it borders on the municipality of Flekkefjord and to the east is Kvinesdal. Sirdal is the largest municipality by area in Agder. Lakes in the region include Gravatnet, Kulivatnet, Kvifjorden, Øyarvatnet, Rosskreppfjorden, Sirdalsvatnet, and Valevatn. The mountain Urddalsknuten lies at the northern end of the municipality.

In 1990, the mountain road opened between the Sirdalen valley and the Setesdal valley over the Suleskard mountain pass. It connected Sirdal to Brokke in the neighboring municipality of Valle to the east. It shortened the distance from Oslo to Stavanger by 110 km in the summer, and the road passes through barren, glacier-scoured highland. As it passes by the Rosskreppfjorden, it ascends to over 1000 m above sea level.

Government
Sirdal 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 Dalane District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sirdal is made up of 19 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 Sirdal (incomplete list):

 * 1893-1894: Bernt Andreas Lindeland
 * 1897-1898: Bernt Andreas Lindeland
 * (1905-1959: Municipality dissolved)
 * 1960-1963: Erik Kvæven
 * 1964-1995: Sven Tjørhom
 * 1995-2003: Torjus Kvæven (Sp)
 * 2003-2011: Thor Jørgen Tjørhom (Sp)
 * 2011-2015: Jonny Liland (Ap)
 * 2015-2019: Thor Jørgen Tjørhom (Sp)
 * 2019-present: Jonny Liland (Ap)

Economy
The main source of income for Sirdal is the Sira-Kvina Power Company which gets its power from the big Sira and Kvina rivers. The waterfalls on the river Sira are utilized in four power stations owned by Sira-Kvina power company. The company also owns three power stations in the Kvina river system, hence the company's name. Total annual production is 6000 GWh, total installation is 1760 MW. The largest power station, Tonstad Hydroelectric Power Station, was inaugurated in 1968, with two units, each producing 160 MW. The power station has now 4 units, each 160 MW, and one unit at 320 MW, giving a total output of 960 MW. Total annual production in this station is approximately 4000 GWh, which makes Tonstad the largest power station in Norway in terms of production. Sira-Kvina power company applied in 2007 for concession to expand the power station with two new units (reversible turbines), each containing 480 MW, and the concession is pending.

Tourism is also an important source of income for the Sirdal economy, taking advantage of the extensive mountains, mountainous plateaus, lakes, and great views. There are multiple alpine resorts and hotels in the valley, as well as cottages and camping spots. Winter activities include six ski resorts for winter enjoyment. Downhill ski areas include Tjørhomfjellet, Bjørnestad Ski Centre, Ålsheia Ski Centre, Fidjeland Ski Centre, and Ådneram Ski lift. Cross-country skiers can enjoy dozens of trails over spectacular terrain. Summer activities include hiking, horseback riding, and river rafting.

History
From the oldest times the Sirdalen valley was divided by the river Sira with Rogaland county controlling the west side and Agder county controlling the east side. The two sides of the valley, however, was established as one single parish in Christian times, even though it crossed county lines, something that was not very common in Norway.

In 1837, it was decided that every parish should be a municipality, but no municipality should belong to more than one county (see formannskapsdistrikt law). Sirdal parish was therefore first divided in two municipalities. This was a bad decision because they had very few inhabitants separately. A new solution was found in 1839 when the two municipalities were re-joined, and the county border was moved so that all of Sirdalen was in Vest-Agder county.

At Kvæven, in northern Sirdal one finds the Sirdal Mountain Museum. This museum has a collection of old Sirdal buildings. Former lifestyles are visible in the farmhouse, a schoolhouse, stable, blacksmith's shop, barn, and mountain farm cottage as well as original equipment.

Notable people

 * Berit Kvæven (born 1942 in Øvre Sirdal), a sivilingeniør and politician
 * Gunnar Tjomlid (born 1974), a skeptic, secular humanist, blogger, and author who was brought up in Sirdal
 * Linda Grubben (born 1979), a World Cup biathlete
 * Arild Haugen (born 1985 in Sirdal), a boxer and former strongman

Twin towns — Sister cities

 * 🇪🇪 Väike-Maarja Parish, Estonia (since 1994)

title: Sirdal


text:
Lyngdal

is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Alleen. Some of the main villages in Lyngdal include Austad, Byremo, Fleseland, Hæåk, Konsmo, Korshamn, Kvås, Skomrak, Svenevik, and Vivlemo.

The municipal economy centers around wood processing, agriculture, and commerce. Tourism is also central to the community, with the beaches along the Lyngdalsfjorden and Rosfjorden being popular resorts during the summer.

The 643 km2 municipality is the 177th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lyngdal is the 107th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 10,751. The municipality's population density is 17.7 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 10.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Aa was established as the municipality of Lyngdal on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1909, the municipality was split into three: Austad in the south (population: 1,263), Kvås in the north (population: 736) and Lyngdal in the central area (population: 2,698). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipalities of Austad (population: 608), Kvås (population: 493), Lyngdal (population: 2,916) as well as the Gitlevåg area (population: 103) in Spangereid municipality, west of Lenesfjorden, were all merged to form one large municipality of Lyngdal. On 1 January 1971, the Ytre Skarstein and Indre Skarstein areas of Lyngdal (population: 21) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Farsund. On 1 January 2001, the municipality of Lyngdal declared that the municipal centre of Alleen would be a town called Lyngdal.

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipality of Audnedal was merged into Lyngdal municipality.

Name
The municipality is named after the Lyngdalen valley (Lygnudalr) since it is the valley in which the municipality is located. The first element is the genitive case of the river name Lygna. This name comes from the word which means "quietness" or "calm". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". Prior to 1908, the parish (but not the municipality) of Lyngdal was called Aa, named after the vicarage. The name of the vicarage was first mentioned in 1312 as "a Am", the dative plural of á which means "(small) river". The farm lies between two rivers.

Coat of arms
The original coat of arms was granted on 27 March 1987 and in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was enlarged. The official blazon was "Vert a cow statant argent" (I grønt en stående sølv ku). This means the arms had a green field (background) and the charge was a cow that was facing to the left. The cow had a tincture of argent which meant it was commonly colored white, but if it was made out of metal, then silver was used. The cow was chosen since the local breed of cows (lyngdalsku) has been very well known across Norway since the 19th century. The yearly cattle fair traders from all over Southern Norway and Western Norway visit the municipality to get cows. The arms were designed by Torgeir Schjølberg.

The current coat of arms was approved for use starting on 1 January 2020. The arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a tree on top of three wavy lines. The tree and wavy lines have a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The tree symbolizes growth. It has nine leaves symbolizing the nine main population centres within Lyngdal. The wavy lines represent waves and meadows. There are three white lines to represent the three large rivers in the municipality: Lygna, Audna, and Mandalselva. The two green wavy lines (between the white wavy lines represent the two valleys in the municipality: Lyngdalen and Audnedalen. The arms were designed by Richard Haugland.

Churches
The Church of Norway has five parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Lyngdal. It is part of the Lister og Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

History
The island of Sælør on the southern coast of the municipality is mentioned in Snorre, as the king Saint Olav spent a winter here in 1028. Based around the port of Agnefest, Lyngdal prospered on maritime trade, and in 1771 an application was made for status as a small coastal town. Its coastal location also facilitated emigration; in the 17th and 18th century largely to the Dutch Republic, and in the 19th century to the United States.

Even before the merger of the municipalities in 1964, the parishes of Austad and Kvås, together with Å (or Aa - Lyngdal proper), made up the greater Lyngdal parish. A census from 1801 showed 3529 inhabitants in the area that today makes up Lyngdal: 1850 in Å, 929 in Austad, 585 in Kvås and 165 in the eastern part of Spangereid. The number today is approximately 8000 inhabitants.

Religious life and missionary work have always had a strong position in Lyngdal, and worthy of special note is the minister Gabriel Kielland (1796–1854), who served in the parish from 1837 to 1854, and his wife Gustava (1800–1889). Known today as a missionary pioneer and a popular songwriter, Gustava also wrote one of the first autobiographies by a woman in Norway: her "Reminiscence from my Life" from 1880.

Geography
Lyngdal is a coastal municipality that and borders Lindesnes municipality to the east, Evje og Hornnes and Åseral to the north, Hægebostad and Kvinesdal and Farsund to the west. Lyngdal municipality includes the southern portion of the Lyngdalen valley which follows the river Lygna to the Lyngdalsfjorden in the west. The Lenesfjorden, Grønsfjorden, and Rosfjorden also are located in the southern part of Lyngdal. As part of Lyngdal village there is Agnefest on site in the south with a natural harbour at Rosfjorden; the harbour is registered since 1771.

Government
Lyngdal 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 Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Lyngdal is made up of 29 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 Lyngdal (incomplete list):

 * 1838-1838: Abraham Severin Holbye
 * 1842-1843: Abraham Kvelland
 * 1844-1847: Aanen Bergsager
 * 1849-1857: Aanen Bergsager
 * 1858-1859: Lars Tallaksen Foss
 * 1860-1861: Jørgen Thorsen
 * 1862-1874: Aanen Bergsager
 * 1878-1881: Eilert Paulsen Tjersland
 * 1882-1893: Erik Jaabæk
 * 1894-1901: Nils Tobias Larsen Foss
 * 1902-1904: Erik Jaabæk
 * 1905-1907: Nils Tobias Larsen Foss
 * 1909-1912: Gabriel A. Svenevig
 * 1913-1916: Karl B. Lehne
 * 1917-1919: Jørgen Aarnæs
 * 1920-1931: Olaus Kvaavik
 * 1932-1934: Abel Fidjeland
 * 1935-1937: Olaus Kvaavik
 * 1938-1941: Abel Fidjeland
 * 1942-1943: Olav Harveland (NS)
 * 1943-1945: Torleiv Seland (NS)
 * 1945-1947: Abel Fidjeland
 * 1948-1955: Mikal Grøvan
 * 1956-1959: Olav Drangeid
 * 1960-1963: Thorvald Hagen
 * 1964-1967: Olav Benestvedt
 * 1968-1975: Thorvald Hagen
 * 1976-1979: Carl Johan Lehne (H)
 * 1980-1983: Oluf Opsahl
 * 1984-1995: Anders Nøkland
 * 1995-2007: Hans Fredrik Grøvan (KrF)
 * 2007-2013: Ingunn Foss (H)
 * 2013-2023: Jan Kristensen (H)
 * 2023-present: Unni Nilsen Husøy (FrP)

Transportation
Bus lines from/through Lyngdal Bus Terminal:

Notable people

 * Teis Lundegaard (1774 in Austad – 1856), a Norwegian farmer, shipowner, and politician
 * Abraham Berge (1851 in Lyngdal – 1936), a politician who was Prime Minister of Norway from 1923 to 1924
 * Kristian Andvord (1855 in Lyngdal – 1934), a physician and medical researcher into tuberculosis
 * Theodore Abrahamson (1900 in Lyngdal - 1978), a dairy farmer and politician; Mayor of Tigerton, Wisconsin
 * Kjell Elvis (born 1968), a Norwegian professional Elvis Presley impersonator, lives in Lyngdal

Sport

 * Ingvild Stensland (born 1981), a footballer, 144 caps for Norway women, grew up in Lyngdal
 * Stefan Strandberg (born 1990 in Lyngdal), a footballer with 230 club caps and 12 for Norway
 * Zlatko Tripić (born 1992), a Norwegian-Bosnian footballer with over 200 club caps, grew up in Lyngdal
 * Julian Ryerson (born 1997), a Norwegian-American footballer playing for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, born in Lyngdal.

title: Lyngdal


text:
Lindesnes

Lindesnes (the Naze) is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Mandal. Other villages in Lindesnes include Åvik, Høllen, Skofteland, Svenevig, Vigmostad, Heddeland, Bjelland, Breland, Koland, Laudal, Øyslebø, Bykjernen, Skjebstad, Sånum-Lundevik, Skogsfjord-Hesland, Krossen, Harkmark, Skinsnes-Ime, and Tregde-Skjernøy.

The 934 km2 municipality is the 126th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lindesnes is the 55th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 23,479. The municipality's population density is 26.6 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 5.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Lindesnes was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 after the merger of the older municipalities of Spangereid (population: 899), Sør-Audnedal (population: 2,323), and Vigmostad (population: 589).

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Mandal and Marnardal were merged into Lindesnes, creating a much larger municipality of Lindesnes. At the same time, the administrative centre of the new, larger municipality was moved to the town of Mandal.

Name
The oldest Old Norse form of the name was Líðandi. That name is derived from the verb which means "lead to an end" or "go to the end" and the meaning of this name is probably just "the end", referring to its location at the southern tip of Norway. A later form was Líðandisnes where the word which means "headland" was added (a word that is related to the English forms ness and naze). The traditional English language version of the name is just the Naze, derived from ness meaning headland.

Coat of arms
The original coat of arms was granted on 25 April 1986 and it was in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was enlarged and a new coat of arms was adopted. The official blazon was "Azure a lighthouse issuant argent" (I blått et oppvoksende sølv fyrtårn). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is the top of a lighthouse. The lighthouse 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 lighthouse represents the local Lindesnes Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in Norway. It was built in 1655 on the Lindesnes peninsula. The arms were designed by Truls Nygaard who based it after a design by Rolf Dybvig. The municipal flag had the same design as the coat of arms.

The new coat of arms was granted on 1 January 2020 and it was a slightly more modern take on the old arms. The blazon is "Azure, a lighthouse issuant and a crest a mural crown argent" (På blågrønn bakgrunn, et hvitt fyrtårn med murkrone). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a lighthouse with a crown above the shield. 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 new arms have a slightly different design and the addition of a mural crown above the escutcheon to represent the fact that the municipality now includes the town of Mandal. The color was also changed to a more teal blue.

Churches
The Church of Norway has eight parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Lindesnes. It is part of the Lister og Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Government
Lindesnes 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 Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Lindesnes is made up of 39 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 Lindesnes:

 * 1964–1967: Gunnar Gulli (V)
 * 1968–1971: Daniel Leland (Sp)
 * 1972–1975: Knut Lunden (KrF)
 * 1976–1979: Terje Gabrielsen (H)
 * 1980–1981: Kenneth Skofteland (KrF)
 * 1982–1983: Peder Skofteland (H)
 * 1984–1987: Kenneth Skofteland (KrF)
 * 1988–1993: Ansgar Gabrielsen (H)
 * 1993–1999: Oddleiv Skagestad (H)
 * 1999–2011: Ivar Lindal (KrF)
 * 2011–2019: Janne Fardal Kristoffersen (H)
 * 2019-2023: Even Sagebakken (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Alf Erik Andersen (FrP)

Geography
Lindesnes is a coastal municipality, with a long stretch of coastline to the south. It borders Lyngdal municipality to the west, Evje og Hornnes to the north, and Kristiansand and Vennesla to the east. The Lindesnes Lighthouse stands on the southernmost point of the mainland of Norway, nearly 1700 km southwest of Knivskjellodden, the northernmost point of mainland Norway. The southern coast of Lindesnes is rugged and includes several fjords such as the Snigsfjorden and Grønsfjorden as well as many islands such as Svinør. The interior of the municipality follows the Audnadalen valley through which the river Audna flows south into the Snigsfjorden.

Climate
Lindesnes has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb). The weather station has been recording since January 1863, and is situated near the Lindesnes lighthouse on a peninsula protruding into the sea. It is the southernmost mainland point in Norway. The all-time high temperature is 27.3 °C recorded August 1975; the all-time low is -18.1 °C recorded in January 1987. The five months May - September have not seen any overnight freeze, with coldest low 0.6 °C in May 1981 (data since 1954).

Public service & public thinking

 * Peder Claussøn Friis (1545–1614), a Norwegian clergyman and author
 * Søren Jaabæk (1814 in Holum – 1894), a farmer and politician who was the longest-serving member of the Norwegian Parliament from 1845 to 1891
 * Geirulf Bugge (1862 in Mandal – 1940), a judge and Norwegian Supreme Court Justice
 * Ivar An Christensen (1868 in Mandal – 1934), a ship owner with a fleet of eleven steam ships
 * Elise Sem (1870–1950), a barrister, women's activist, and sports official who grew up in Manadal
 * Ellen Gleditsch (1879 in Mandal – 1968), a radiochemist and Norway's second female professor
 * Karen Platou (1879 in Mandal – 1950), a politician who was the first woman elected Member of Parliament
 * Arne Askildsen (1898–1982), a politician and bailiff of Mandal and Halse og Harkmark from 1928–1968, except during WWII
 * Asbjørn Aavik (1902 in Åvik - 1997), a Norwegian Lutheran missionary to China and writer
 * Leif Edwardsen (1922 in Mandal - 2002), a Norwegian diplomat
 * Knut Aukland (1929 in Vigmostad – 2014), a Norwegian physiologist
 * Ole-Johan Dahl (1931 in Mandal – 2002), Norway's foremost computer scientist
 * Ludvig Hope Faye (1931–2017), a politician who was Mayor of Mandal from 1972–1975
 * Ansgar Gabrielsen (born 1955 in Mandal), a consultant and former politician
 * Janne Haaland Matláry (born 1957), a political scientist, writer, politician, and academic

The Arts

 * Adolph Tidemand (1814 in Mandal – 1876), a romantic nationalism painter
 * Olaf Isaachsen (1835 in Madal – 1893), a landscape and genre painter
 * Amaldus Nielsen (1838 in Halse – 1932), a painter known as "Norway's first naturalist painter"
 * Gustav Vigeland (1869 in Halse og Harkmark - 1943), a sculptor who is associated with the Vigeland Sculptures in Frogner Park in Oslo and designed the Nobel Peace Prize medal
 * Emanuel Vigeland (1875 in Halse og Harkmark - 1948), a multi-talented Norwegian artist
 * Kjell Askildsen (born 1929 in Mandal), a writer of minimalistic short stories
 * Tobias Santelmann (born 1980), a German-born Norwegian actor, grew up in Lindesnes
 * Helene Bøksle (born 1981 in Mandal), a singer and actress

Sport

 * Per Arne Nilsen (born 1961 in Mandal), a sailor who participated at the 1984 Summer Olympics
 * Bjarne Røyland (born 1971 in Mandal), a bobsledder who competed at the 2002 Winter Olympics

title: Lindesnes


text:
Audnedal

Audnedal is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. It was located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Konsmo. Other villages in Audnedal include Byremo and Vivlemo. The municipality existed from 1964 until its dissolution in 2020 when Audnedal was merged into the neighboring municipality of Lyngdal in what is now Agder county.

Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the 251 km2 municipality was the 302nd largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Audnedal was the 341st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,765.

General information
The old municipality of Undal was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). That municipality only existed until 1845 when it was split into Nord-Audnedal and Sør-Audnedal. Those municipalities were later divided also. Sør-Audnedal was divided into Spangereid in 1899 and Nord-Audnedal was divided into Konsmo and Vigmostad in 1911. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. This is when the present-day municipality of Audnedal was created.

Audnedal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1964 when the municipality of Konsmo (population: 712), the municipality of Grindheim (population: 701), and the Ågedal and Midtbø areas (population: 96) of Bjelland municipality were merged. This new Audnedal municipality mostly corresponded to the historical borders of the old municipality of Nord-Audnedal.

On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipalities of Audnedal and Lyngdal merged into a new, larger municipality called Lyngdal.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Audnedalen valley (Auðnudalr). The first element is the genitive case of the river name Auðna (now Audna). The river name is derived from the word which means "destruction" or "wasteland" (because of the flooding that often happens along the river). The last element is which means "valley" or "dale".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 30 August 1991 and in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was dissolved. The official blazon is "Vert, a circular sawblade argent" (I grønt et sølv sirkelsagblad). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a circular sawblade. The sawblade 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 sawblade was chosen to represent the importance of the timber and forestry industries in the municipality. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

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

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Audnedal was made up of 17 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Audnedal:
 * 2003-2015: Tønnes Seland (Sp)
 * 2015-2019: Reidun Bakken (KrF)

Geography
Audnedal was an inland municipality, located in the Audnedalen valley which follows the river Audna. The municipality of Åseral bordered it to the north, Hægebostad to the west, Lyngdal and Lindesnes to the south, and Marnardal to the east. To the northeast, Audnedal bordered the municipality of Evje og Hornnes in neighboring Aust-Agder county.

Audnedal municipality had two large lakes: Ytre Øydnavatnet and Øvre Øydnavatnet. The Mandalselva river also passed through the northern part of the municipality.

Attractions

 * "Blomliknuten" hiking trail
 * Sveindal museum
 * Fishing for salmon in the Mandalselva river

title: Audnedal


text:
Åseral

Åseral is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kyrkjebygda. Other villages in Åseral include Eikerapen, Kylland, Ljosland, and Åknes.

Åseral is an inland municipality, bordering Bygland municipality to the north and east, Evje og Hornnes to the east, Lyngdal to the south, Hægebostad to the southwest, and Kvinesdal in the west. Åseral is the headwaters of the river Mandalselva and the Mandalen valley.

The 888 km2 municipality is the 131st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Åseral is the 338th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 911. The municipality's population density is 1.1 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 0.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
For centuries, the large parish of Bjelland encompassed the northern half of the Mandalen valley. The northern annex of the parish was Aaserald which was in the neighboring county of Nedenes while the main part of the parish was in Lister og Mandal county. When the formannskapsdistrikt law went into effect on 1 January 1838, each parish was created as a municipality, however, since Bjelland covered areas in two counties, it had to be split into two municipalities. The northern annex became the municipality of Aaserald (later spelled Åseral) in Nedenes county and the rest became the municipality of Bjelland og Grindum in Lister og Mandal county. On 1 September 1880, the municipality of Åseral was transferred from Nedenes county to Lister og Mandal county. Its municipal boundaries have never changed.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old name for the area (Ásaráll). The meaning of the name is somewhat uncertain. One theory is that the first element comes from the word which refers to "Æsir", the old pagan Norse gods and the last element is  (Old Norse) or  (Gothic) which means "gods' temple". Another theory is that the first element the genitive case of the word which means "hill" or "mountain ridge" and the last element is  which means "long strip" or "eel-shaped", which likely refers to the long, narrow lake Øre which is surrounded by mountains and hills. Historically, the name was spelled Aaserald or Aaseral. On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Aaseral with the digraph "Aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Åseral, using the letter Å instead.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 20 January 1989. The official blazon is "Vert, a horseshoe argent" (På grøn grunn ein sølv hestesko). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a horseshoe. The horseshoe 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 symbolizes the importance of forestry and the horseshoe was chosen to represent the historical importance of horses in the farming culture of Åseral as well as the symbol of good luck. The arms were designed by Ulf Dreyer. 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 Åseral. It is part of the Otredal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. Until 2019, it was part of the old Mandal prosti.

Government
Åseral 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 Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Åseral 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 Åseral (incomplete list):

 * 1857-1863: G.F.L. Shubeler
 * 1867-1869: Ola O. Forgard
 * 1869-1876: Ole O. Ljosland
 * 1877-1877: Jakob Berg
 * 1877-1884: Morten Kittelstad
 * 1884-1892: Ola O. Thorsland
 * 1892-1898: Morten Kittelstad
 * 1899-1911: Petter Ljosland
 * 1911-1929: Knut Egså
 * 1929-1935: Salve Taraldsen Østerhus
 * 1935-1941: Olav J. Åsland
 * 1946-1952: Olav J. Åsland
 * 1952-1957: Olav Byklüm
 * 1958-1963: Olav Øyulvstad
 * 1964-1971: Tom Kaddeberg
 * 1972-1975: Ånund Berg
 * 1976-1977: Sigmund Jortveit
 * 1977-1979: Jens M. Forgard
 * 1980-1991: Kristen Kylland (Sp)
 * 1992-2007: Jørgen Åsland (Sp)
 * 2007-2019: Oddmund Ljosland (Sp)
 * 2019-present: Inger Lise Lund Stulien (Ap)

Geography
Åseral is in the central, inland part of Southern Norway. It is in the Setesdalsheiene mountains and adjacent to the Setesdal valley to the northeast. Åseral has many lakes, some of which are dammed for purposes of hydroelectric power. Some of the lakes include Nåvatnet, Juvatn, Øre and Gyvatn. The river Mandalselva and the Mandalen valley both begin in Åseral.

Attractions
Åseral is a popular winter tourist destination with three ski resorts in the villages of Bortelid, Ljosland, and Eikerapen. Eikerapen is also the site of the annual Eikerapen Roots Festival, an international music festival attracting thousands of people from all over Europe.

Notable people

 * Lars Knutson Liestøl (1839–1912), a politician who was Mayor of Bygland for 12 years
 * Knut Liestøl (1881 in Åseral – 1952), a folklorist, Nynorsk proponent, and politician

title: Åseral


text:
Marnardal

Marnardal is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. It existed from 1964 until 2020 when it was merged into Lindesnes Municipality in what is now Agder county. It was located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Heddeland. Other villages in Marnardal include Bjelland, Breland, Koland, Laudal, and Øyslebø.

The Sørlandet Railway Line runs through the municipality stopping at Breland Station and Marnardal Station.

At the time of its dissolution in 2020, the 395 km2 municipality is the 240th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Marnardal is the 306th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,309. The municipality's population density is 6.1 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 7.5% over the last decade.

General information
Marnardal was established as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 through the merger of several municipalities. These areas that became Marnardal included all Bjelland municipality except for the Midtbø and Ågedal areas (population: 535), all of the municipality of Laudal, the Kleveland bru area of Finsland (population: 34), and all of Øyslebø municipality except for the Brunvatne area (population: 1,068).

On 1 January 2020, the three neighboring municipalities of Mandal, Marnardal, and Lindesnes were merged into one large municipality called Lindesnes with its administrative centre being the town of Mandal.

Name
The municipality is named after the Mandalen valley (Marnardalr) in an attempt to revive the Old Norse name for the valley. The first element is the genitive case of the river name Mǫrn which is now called Mandalselva. The meaning of this old river name is uncertain, but it may be derived from the word which means "sea". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 June 1987 until the municipality was dissolved on 1 January 2020. The official blazon is "Vert, three pine cones in pall stems conjoined Or" (I grønt tre gull furukongler forent i trepass). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a pine cone. The pine cones have a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The green color in the field and the choice of pine cones on the arms symbolize the importance of the forests which cover areas of the municipality. There are three conjoined pine cones to represent each of the three former municipalities of Bjelland, Laudal, and Øyslebø which were merged into Marnardal in 1964. The arms were designed by Ulf Dreyer using an idea by Kjersti Tveit Nilsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

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

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment, social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Kristiansand District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Marnardal was made up of 21 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Marnardal (incomplete list):
 * 1999-2007: Ånen Trygsland (Sp)
 * 2007-2019: Helge Sandåker (Ap)

Geography
Marnardal was an inland municipality which follows the Mandalselva river through the Mandalen valley. The municipality bordered Evje og Hornnes municipality to the north in Aust-Agder county; Audnedal municipality to the west; Lindesnes, Mandal, and Søgne municipalities to the south; and Songdalen and Vennesla municipalities in the east.

title: Marnardal