is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality is the town of Farsund. Farsund is a coastal municipality in the far southwestern part of Norway, bordering Kvinesdal municipality in the north and

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, Hæ� ...

in the north and east. The municipality is the 276th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Farsund is the 116th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 9,622. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 2% over the previous 10-year period. The inhabitants of Farsund are concentrated in three centres of population: the town of Farsund (population: 3,265), Vanse (population: 2,016), and Vestbygda (population: 1,123).

Loshavn Loshavn is a small port village in Farsund municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located at the mouth of the Lyngdalsfjorden, about south of the town of Farsund. In 1865, there were over 200 residents, but today there are only a ha ...

with its wooden buildings is located outside the town of Farsund. Other villages in Farsund include Ore, Rødland, and Sande.

General information

The town of Farsund was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January ...

law), although it was already recognized as a trading center in 1795. The present municipality of Farsund was established on 1 January 1965 when the rural municipalities of Herad, Lista, and Spind were merged with the town of Farsund. On 1 January 1971, the ''Ytre og Indre Skarstein'' farms (population: 21) located along the western shore of the Rosfjorden were transferred from

to Farsund.

Name

The municipality is named ''Farsund'', after the small island of Farøy, which lies in the narrow strait through which the Lyngdalsfjorden passes as it goes by the town. The island's name comes from the Norwegian word ''far'' which means "travel" or "journey" (similar to the English word ''farewell'' meaning "good journey"). The last element is ''sund'' which means "

strait A strait is an oceanic landform connecting two seas or two other large areas of water. The surface water generally flows at the same elevation on both sides and through the strait in either direction. Most commonly, it is a narrow ocean channe ...

" or " sound".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms has been used since 1900 or 1901. It shows four green linden trees (''

Tilia ''Tilia'' is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperateness, temperate Northern Hemisphere. The tree is known as linden for the European species, and basswood for North American species. In Britain a ...

'') on a yellow background. This was chosen to represent the town since linden trees stood in the center of the town for many years.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

has three parishes () within the municipality of Farsund. It is part of the

Lister og Mandal prosti This list of churches in Agder og Telemark is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark in Agder and Vestfold og Telemark counties in southern Norway. The diocese is based at the Kristiansand Cathedral in the cit ...

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

in the

Diocese of Agder og Telemark The Diocese of Agder og Telemark ( no, Agder og Telemark bispedømme) is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and most of Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth larges ...

History

There is evidence of settlement in Farsund and Lista since the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

. Farsund held a strategic location in the

Atlantic wall The Atlantic Wall (german: link=no, Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defence against an anticip ...

during World War II, with the

Lundebanen The Lundebanen (German language, German: Lunde-Bahn) was a military narrow-gauge railway near Farsund in Norway operated by the German occupation of Norway, German occupying forces during World War II from 19 April 1943. Route The route ran fr ...

and over 400 bunkers built in Farsund municipality, many that can be visited. Between 1940–1945, large Soviet prison camps were located at Lista, with prison camps at Kåde and Ore holding over 600 prisoners. The Soviet prisoners were used as forced labour to build Farsund Airport, bunkers, barracks, and fortifications . Farsund previously had a

hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...

, which was closed down in 2007.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Farsund, are responsible for

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

, senior citizen services, unemployment and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the

Agder District Court Agder District Court ( no, Agder tingrett) is a district court located in Agder county, Norway. This court is based at three different courthouses which are located in Farsund, Kristiansand, and Arendal. The court serves most of Agder county and ...

and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Farsund is made up of 29 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:

Economy

The largest industries are

Alcoa Alcoa Corporation (an acronym for Aluminum Company of America) is a Pittsburgh-based industrial corporation. It is the world's eighth-largest producer of aluminum. Alcoa conducts operations in 10 countries. Alcoa is a major producer of primary ...

Lista, an aluminium plant, an
Farsund Aluminium Casting AS
which makes auto parts out of aluminium. Historically, shipping and fisheries have also been important. Farsund is the largest agricultural district in the county of Vest-Agder, having productive land, of forest, and freshwater areas. Farsund was already organized as a trading centre in 1795, and in 1995 celebrated its 200-year jubilee. Trade and shipping laid the foundation for prosperity, and "the city of the strait" was a period one of the world's largest shipping towns in relation to the size of population.

Geography

The municipality sits in southwestern Norway along the North Sea. The

Fedafjorden Fedafjorden is a fjord in Agder county, Norway. The is located in the municipalities of Kvinesdal, Flekkefjord, and Farsund. The long, narrow fjord runs south from the mouth of the river Kvina to the Listafjorden. The fjord is long and only ...

and Listafjorden lie along the northwestern side of the municipality and the Lyngdalsfjorden lies in the eastern part of Farsund. The coastal municipality has two lighthouses: Lista Lighthouse in the west and

Søndre Katland Lighthouse Søndre Katland is a coastal lighthouse in the municipality of Farsund in Agder county, Norway. The lighthouse sits on a small island just south of the mouth of the Lyngdalsfjorden, about southeast of the town of Farsund. The tall lighthouse is ...

in the south.

Climate

Farsund Airport

Farsund Airport, Lista (FAN) was closed in 2002. The airport had from 1955 to 2002 scheduled traffic to

Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...

, Bergen and Oslo. Airlines which have frequented at Lista are among others Braathens SAFE, Norving and

Air Stord Air Stord A/S was an airline which operated between 1990 and 1999. Based at Stord Airport, Sørstokken, it operated a fleet of Beechcraft Super King Air and later Dornier 328 aircraft. The airline was established as Nye Partnair A/S in January ...

. The Airport was built by Luftwaffe in 1940, and they operated the airport with several fighter squadrons during World War II. After the war, the Royal Norwegian Air Force took over the airport, and for a period it was used as training camp for conscripts. Today, the airport is privatized and is an industrial area with only minor GA-traffic.

Education

Farsund has 3 primary schools, located in Farsund, Vanse, and

Borhaug Vestbygd or Borhaug is a village in Farsund municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the southwestern shore of the Lista peninsula, about straight west of the village of Vanse. The Farsund Airport, Lista is located on the ...

. Furthermore, there are two junior high schools, in Farsund and Vanse, and two high schools also located in Farsund and Vanse.

Outdoor Activities

*Farsund is a town linked to the fjords. Its guest harbour was considered one of the best in Norway, and is full of boats in summer months. *Every year, Strandmila (5k / 10k run) takes place in Husenby Park. The course covers countryside trails, forest paths and sand beaches. *The annual Kaperdagene (Pirate Town) festival takes place in July and depicts a battle between British and Norwegian ships who were fighting a war in the 1800s. It has been running since 1996. *The American Festival (Last weekend in June) is considered one of the most popular festivals in the region. It takes place, as mention in their name, in the last weekend in June in Vanse. And it celebrates the American heritage that many families from Lista brought home with them from the United States in the late 60s and early 70s. It is celebrated with an American inspired parade and also an old Am-Car Parade.

Twin towns

Farsund is twinned with:

Notable people

Jochum Brinch Lund Jochum Brinch Lund (25 November 1743, in Farsund – 16 September 1807, in Farsund) was a Norwegian merchant, shipowner and industrial pioneer. He is also regarded as the founder of the town of Farsund. Not much is known about Jochum Brinch Lund' ...

(1743–1807) a merchant and shipowner; founded the town of Farsund *

Thomas Fasting Thomas Fasting (25 February 1769 – 21 November 1841) was a Norwegian Naval officer and government minister. Fasting was born at Lista in Lister, Norway. He was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Soren Christian Fasting (1729–1782) and Benedicte ...

(1769–1841) a Norwegian Naval officer and government minister *

Evert Andersen Evert Andersen (1 February 1772 – 29 July 1809) was a Norwegian sea captain who fought in the Gunboat War against Great Britain and Sweden 1807–09. Early life Andersen was a farmer's son from Lista who left his father's farm to his young ...

(1772–1809) a Norwegian sea captain who fought in the Gunboat War *

Gabriel Lund Gabriel Lund (4 October 1773 – 3 November 1832) was a Norwegian merchant and representative at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly. Biography Gabriel Jochumsen Lund was born in Farsund in Vest-Agder, Norway. He graduated with a degree ...

(1773–1832) a merchant and rep. at the

Norwegian Constituent Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised th ...

* Eilert Sundt (1817–1875) a theologist and sociologist, worked on mortality and marriage * James DeNoon Reymert (1821–1896) an American newspaper editor, mine operator, lawyer and pioneer settler in Wisconsin Territory *

Lorentz Severin Skougaard Lorentz Severin Skougaard (11 May 1837 - 14 February 1885) was a Norwegian tenor. Early life Lorentz Severin Skougaard was born on 11 May 1837 in Farsund, Norway, the son of Jonas Eilertsen Lund Schougaard (1807-1877) and Sara Helene Jonasdatte ...

(1837-1885) a Norwegian tenor, moved to the US in 1866 *

Abraham Berge Abraham Theodor Berge (20 August 1851 – 10 July 1936) was the 15th prime minister of Norway from 1923 to 1924. He was a teacher and civil servant who represented the Liberal Party, the social liberal party, and later Free-minded Liberal Party, a ...

(1851–1936) Mayor of Lista, 1882 and Prime Minister of Norway 1923/1924 *

Halfdan Sundt Halfdan Sundt (12 August 1873 – 18 January 1951) was a Norwegian physician and politician. He was a president of the Norwegian Medical Association. Personal life He was born in Farsund as a son of consul Peter Ingvard Sundt (1841–1917) and hi ...

(1873–1951) a physician, president of the

Norwegian Medical Association The Norwegian Medical Association ( no, Den norske lægeforening (1886–2008), spelled ''Den norske legeforening'' since 2008) is the main Norwegian medical association and trade union, and was founded in 1886. It has 32 555 members (as of 2016) o ...

Vigleik Trygve Sundt Vigleik Trygve Sundt (12 August 1873 – 23 August 1948) was a Norwegian attorney, genealogist and politician for the Liberal Party (Norway), Liberal Party. Personal life He was born in Farsund as a son of consul Peter Ingvard Sundt (1841–1917) ...

(1873–1948) a Norwegian attorney, genealogist and politician *

Richard Birkeland Richard Birkeland (6 June 1879 – 10 April 1928) was a Norwegian mathematician, author and professor. He is known for his contributions to the theory of algebraic equations. Biography He was born at Farsund in Vest-Agder, Norway. He was ...

(1879–1928) a mathematician, wrote on the theory of algebraic equations. * Einar Høiland (1907–1974) a meteorologist, studied the theory of lee waves *

Olav Selvaag Olav Selvaag (17 December 1912 – 14 January 2002) was a Norwegian engineer and residential contractor, known for his innovative approach to designing and building affordable housing during the later half of the twentieth century. He was largel ...

(1912–2002) a Norwegian engineer and residential contractor with an innovative approach to designing and building affordable housing *

Odd Starheim Odd Kjell Starheim, DSO (14 June 1916 – 1 March 1943) was a Norwegian resistance fighter and SOE agent during the Second World War. He died when a Norwegian ship he had captured off the coast of Norway was sunk by German bombers on its wa ...

DSO (1916–1943) a

Norwegian resistance The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...

fighter and

SOE SOE may refer to: Organizations * State-owned enterprise * Special Operations Executive, a British World War II clandestine sabotage and resistance organisation ** Special Operations Executive in the Netherlands, or Englandspiel * Society of Opera ...

agent in WWII *

Vesla Vetlesen Gunvor "Vesla" Vetlesen (née Hansen, born 19 October 1930) is a Norwegian weaver, trade unionist, writer and politician for the Labour Party. She was Minister of International Development from 1986 to 1988. Biography She was born in Farsund a ...

(born 1930) a Norwegian weaver, trade unionist, writer and politician * Alf Meberg (born 1942) a Norwegian pediatrician, works on congenital heart defects * Toril Moi (born 1953) academic, writer and works on feminist theory and women's writing *

Kjell Elvis Kjell Henning Bjørnestad (born March 12, 1968), known as Kjell Elvis (or K. Elvis), is a Norwegian professional Elvis impersonator: He is an Elvis look alike and has had plastic surgery to look more like Elvis. He is also a sound alike and has r ...

(born 1968) a Norwegian professional Elvis impersonator * Ingvild Stensland (born 1981) a footballer with 144 caps with Norway women

References

External links

* * *
Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every yea ...

Some Photographs of Farsund in August 1986, including the TorvestueneFarsund Kommune
{{use dmy dates, date=December 2020 Municipalities of Agder 1838 establishments in Norway