Byglandsfjorden is a

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

Agder Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("south ...

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 t ...

. The lake lies on the river

Otra The Otra is the largest river in the Sørlandet region of Norway. It begins in Setesdalsheiene mountains at the lake Breidvatnet in Bykle municipality in Agder county, just south of the border with Vinje municipality in Vestfold og Telemark cou ...

, primarily in the municipality of

Bygland Bygland is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Setesdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bygland. Other villages in the municipality include Åraksbø, Austad, By ...

, but the far southern tip of the lake extends into the neighboring municipality of

Evje og Hornnes Evje og Hornnes is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Setesdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Evje. Other villages in the municipality include Åneland, Dåsnesmo ...

. The river flows out of the lake

Åraksfjorden Åraksfjorden is a lake in the municipality of Bygland in Agder county, Norway. The lake is part of the Otra drainage basin. The northern part of the lake is fed directly by the river Otra. The southern part of the lake goes through a narrow ...

to the north and into the Byglandsfjorden through a narrow channel, and the southern end of the Byglandsfjorden is marked by a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use ...

along the river. The villages of

Byglandsfjord Byglandsfjord is a village in Bygland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located in the Setesdal valley along the Norwegian National Road 9 and the river Otra in the far southern part of the municipality, just north of the border ...

Grendi Grendi is a village in Bygland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the east side of the lake Byglandsfjorden in the south part of the municipality. Grendi sits along the Norwegian National Road 9 about north of the ...

Longerak Longerak is a village in Bygland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the eastern shore of the lake Byglandsfjorden. The village sits along the Norwegian National Road 9, about north of the village of Grendi and about ...

Lauvdal Lauvdal is a village in the municipality of Bygland in Agder county, Norway. It's located along the Norwegian National Road 9 on the east side of Byglandsfjorden. The village lies about south of the village of Bygland and about the same distance ...

, and

are all located on the eastern shore of the lake along the

Norwegian National Road 9 Norwegian National Road 9 ( no, Riksvei 9, ) is often called the ''Setesdal Road'' ( no, Setesdalsveien) and it is the main thoroughfare through the Setesdalen valley. It runs from the city of Kristiansand in the southern coast of Norway, throu ...

. The western shore of the lake is much more sparsely populated, with County Road 304 following that shoreline. The SS Bjoren is a wood-fueled

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

that travels on the Byglandsfjorden in the summers between the villages of Ose (on the

, and

. Prior to the opening of the roads along the shoreline, steamboat travel was the main method of transportation for those travelling north through

Setesdal Setesdal (; older name: Sætersdal) is a valley and a traditional district in Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes. The Otra river flows through the ...

. There is a special

relict A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon. Biology A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas. Geology and geomorphology In geology, a r ...

species of

salmon Salmon () is the common name for several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family (biology), family Salmonidae, which are native to tributary, tributaries of the ...

that live in Byglandsfjorden, called ''bleke''. This species of salmon only occurs right there. These are salmon which are not wandering, they spend their entire lives in freshwater.

References

{{Lakes in Norway Lakes of Agder Setesdal Bygland Evje og Hornnes

See also

References