Bjerkreim is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in Rogaland county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Dalane Dalane is a traditional district in the southwestern part of Norway, consisting of the municipalities of Lund, Sokndal, Eigersund, and Bjerkreim. Dalane is one of the 15 districts in Western Norway. It sits to the southeast of the very flat J� ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of

Vikeså Vikeså or Vigjeså is the administrative centre of Bjerkreim municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located along the European route E39 highway at a crossroads with the village of Ålgård about to the northwest, the villag ...

. Other villages in the municipality include

Bjerkreim Bjerkreim is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Dalane. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vikeså. Other villages in the municipality include Bjerkreim and ...

and

Øvrebygd Øvrebygd is a small village in Bjerkreim municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. The village is located about northeast of the municipal centre of Vikeså along the road leading to the neighboring municipality of Gjesdal. Ivesdal Chapel i ...

. Nature has been generous in giving Bjerkreim many idyllic places, making Bjerkreim a good place to live by living in a countryside environment, but still relatively close to a major city, Stavanger. Bjerkreim has one of the most important

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...

rivers in Norway, ''Bjerkreimselva''. The most important livelihoods are

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

and small-scale industries. The municipality is the 173rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Bjerkreim is the 238th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,789. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

is and its population has increased by 1.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of ''Birkrem'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1965, there were many municipal changes in Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. On that date, the ''Nedre Maudal'' area of Bjerkreim (population: 40) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of

Gjesdal Gjesdal is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ålgård. Other villages in Gjesdal include Dirdal, Frafjord, Gilja, ...

Name

The municipality (originally the

) is named after the old ''

'' farm ( non, Bjarkarheimr), since the first Bjerkreim Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of ''bjørk'' which means "

birch A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus ''Betula'' (), in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech- oak family Fagaceae. The genus ''Betula'' contains ...

" and the last element is ''heimr'' which means "homestead" or "farm". Before 1889, the name was written ''"Birkrem"''.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was granted on 11 July 1986. The green and white arms are

canting ' (IPA: , VOS Spelling: ''tjanting'', jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦛꦶꦁ, Tjanting) is a pen-like tool used to apply liquid hot wax ( jv, ) in the batik-making process in Indonesia, more precisely ''batik tulis'' (lit. "written batik"). Traditional '' ...

, showing a white (or silver)

branch on a green background. This was chosen since the name of the municipality is derived from the Norwegian word for birch, '.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Bjerkreim. It is part of the

Dalane prosti This list of churches in Rogaland is a list of the Church of Norway churches in Rogaland county, Norway. The churches are all part of the Diocese of Stavanger. The diocese is based at the Stavanger Cathedral in the city of Stavanger. The ...

( deanery) in the

Diocese of Stavanger The Diocese of Stavanger ( no, Stavanger bispedømme) is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers all of Rogaland county in western Norway. The cathedral city is Stavanger, where the Stavanger Cathedral is located. The bishop is Anne Li ...

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Bjerkreim, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

and other social services,

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality has 2 primary schools and 2 kindergartens. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The municipality falls under the

Sør-Rogaland District Court Sør-Rogaland District Court ( no, Sør-Rogaland tingrett) is a district court located in Rogaland and Agder counties in Norway. This court is based at three different courthouses which are located in Stavanger, Sandnes, and Egersund. The court s ...

and the Gulating Court of Appeal. A notable local politician is Olaf Gjedrem, mayor from 1979 to 1993 and later a member of the national parliament.

Municipal council

The

() of Bjerkreim is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The executive committee of the council has 5 members, who also make up the authority's planning and economic committee. The mayor of Bjerkreim leads both the council and the executive committee. Currently, the

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

breakdown is as follows:

Geography

Bjerkreim municipality lies at the northern end of the hilly, rugged

district, just south of the very flat

Jæren Jæren is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Rogaland county, Norway. The other districts in Rogaland are Dalane, Ryfylke, and Haugalandet. Jæren is one of the 15 districts that comprise Western Norway. At about , Jæren is the large ...

district. There are several large lakes in Bjerkreim including Austrumdalsvatnet,

Byrkjelandsvatnet Byrkjelandsvatnet or Storavatnet is a lake in the municipality of Bjerkreim in Rogaland county, Norway. The lake lies about north of the village of Øvrebygd. The lake flows out through the short river Malmeisåna which flows into the lake Hof ...

Hofreistæ Hofreistæ is a lake in the municipality of Bjerkreim in Rogaland county, Norway. The lake immediately south of the village of Øvrebygd. The lake is fed by a short river from the lakes Austrumdalsvatnet and Byrkjelandsvatnet Byrkjelandsva ...

, and Ørsdalsvatnet.

Climate

Transportation

The main means of transportation to Bjerkreim is via the European route E39 highway which passes through the municipality from south to north. The municipality lies in the southwestern part of the country. The distance to the nearest airport, Stavanger airport in

Sola Sola is a municipality and a Seaside resort in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Solakrossen. Other villages include Tananger, Hål ...

, is approximately 40 minutes by car.

Notable people

* Olaf Gjedrem (born 1948 in Bjerkreim) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Bjerkreim 1979 to 1993 *

Ragnar Bjerkreim Ragnar Bjerkreim (born 19 April 1958) is Norwegian composer with film scores as his specialty. Bjerkreim was born in Bjerkreim, and has a master's degree in music from University of Oslo; his thesis was entitled "The Function of Film Music". He ...

(born 1958 in Bjerkreim) a Norwegian composer of film scores IMDb Database
retrieved 19 January 2021

References

External links

*
Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway
The River Bjerkreim (Bjerkreimselva)Fishing equipment
{{use dmy dates, date=June 2020 Municipalities of Rogaland 1838 establishments in Norway