Sirdal 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 Agder 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 ...

. It is located in the northwestern part of 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 village of

Tonstad Tonstad is the administrative centre of the municipality of Sirdal in Agder county, Norway. The village is located at the northern end of the lake Sirdalsvatnet in the Sirdalen valley. The village has a population (2015) of 874, giving the vill ...

. Other villages in Sirdal include

Bjørnestad Bjørnestad is a village in Sirdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located about west of the village of Tonstad, just west of the lake Bjørnestadvatnet. The village is known for the ''Bjørnestad Skisenter'' skiing resort. ...

, Haughom, Kvæven,

Lunde Lunde may refer to: People Politics * Gulbrand Lunde (1901–1942), Norwegian councillor of state in the Nasjonal Samling government * Heidi Nordby Lunde (born 1973), Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party * Jens Lunde (1884–1974), Nor ...

, and Tjørhom. The municipality is the 52nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sirdal is the 291st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,810. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

is and its population has decreased by 0.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The old

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 or m ...

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 Fjotland is a village in Kvinesdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located in the northern part of the Kvinesdalen valley on the northeast side of the lake Fjotlandsvatnet. Fjotland is about southeast of the village of Ha ...

. On 1 January 1905, the municipality of Sirdal was dissolved and its territories were divided into two new municipalities:

(population: 828) and

Øvre Sirdal Øvre Sirdal is a former municipality that was located in the old Vest-Agder county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1905 until its dissolution in 1960. It was located in the northern part of the present-day municipality of Sirdal in A ...

(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 is named after the Sirdalen valley which runs through it. The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

form of the name was . The first element is the

genitive case In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...

of the river name ''Síra'' (now the Sira river). The last element is ''dalr'' which means "

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

" or "dale". The meaning of the river name is unknown (maybe "strong stream").

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was granted on 17 January 1986. The arms show three white-colored willow ptarmigans (

Lagopus lagopus The willow ptarmigan () (''Lagopus lagopus'') is a bird in the grouse subfamily Tetraoninae of the pheasant family Phasianidae. It is also known as the willow grouse and in Ireland and Britain, where the subspecies '' L. l. scotica'' was previo ...

) on a green background. The birds were chosen as a symbol for the hills and moors which make up the largest part of the municipality. The willow ptarmigan is a typical bird for the area.

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 one parish () within the municipality of Sirdal. 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 ...

Geography

Sirdal municipality includes the westernmost valley in Agder county, bordering

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 47 ...

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 Kulivatnet is a lake in the municipality of Sirdal in Agder county, Norway. It sits just downhill from the border with Bjerkreim municipality in Rogaland county. The lake is somewhat V-shaped and it has a small dam A dam is a barrie ...

Kvifjorden Kvifjorden is a lake in Agder county, Norway. THe lake straddles the borders of the municipalities of Bygland, Kvinesdal, and Sirdal. The lake was created when a dam was built along the Kvina river. The lake is located about northeast of the vi ...

Øyarvatnet Øyarvatnet or Øyarvatn is a lake in Agder county, Norway. It sits on the border between the municipalities of Valle and Sirdal, about northeast of the village of Lunde in Sirdal and about west of Austad in Bygland. The lake is part of the Kvi ...

Rosskreppfjorden Rosskreppfjorden is a lake in Norway. The lake lies on the border between the municipalities of Valle and Sirdal in Agder county. The lake is part of the Kvina river system and has a hydroelectric power plant in a dam on the south end of the la ...

Sirdalsvatnet Sirdalsvatnet is a lake in the municipalities of Sirdal and Flekkefjord in Agder county, Norway. The lake is about long running from the village of Tonstad Tonstad is the administrative centre of the municipality of Sirdal in Agder county, N ...

, and Valevatn. The mountain

Urddalsknuten Urddalsknuten or Urdalsknuten is a mountain that lies on the border of the municipalities of Sirdal and Valle in Agder county, Norway. The mountain is located in the Setesdalsheiene mountain range. The mountain lies about west of the village of ...

lies at the northern end of the municipality. In 1990, the mountain road opened between the Sirdalen valley and the

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 valley of ...

valley over the Suleskard mountain pass. It connected Sirdal to Brokke in the neighboring municipality of

Valle Valle may refer to: * Valle (surname) Geography *"Valle", the cultural and climatic zone of the dry subtropical Interandean Valles of the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina *University of Valle, a public university in Cali, Colombia ...

to the east. It shortened the distance from

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

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 ...

by in the summer, and the road passes through barren,

glacier A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its Ablation#Glaciology, ablation over many years, often Century, centuries. It acquires dis ...

-scoured highland. As it passes by the

, it ascends to over

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

Climate

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Sirdal, 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 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 (human activity), w ...

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 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 o ...

, 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 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 counci ...

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 a ...

. The municipality falls under the Dalane District Court and the

Gulating Court of Appeal The Gulating Court of Appeal ( no, Gulating lagmannsrett) is one of six Court of appeal (Norway), courts of appeal in the Norway, Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Bergen (city), Bergen. The court has jurisdiction over the cou ...

Municipal council

The

() of Sirdal is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. 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 feature f ...

breakdown is as follows:

Economy

The main source of income for Sirdal is the Sira-Kvina Power Company which gets its power from the big Sira and

Kvina Kvina is a river in Southern Norway. The long river begins in the Setesdalsheiene mountains in the municipality of Valle in Agder county and it flows south, along the former Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder county border, through the Kvinesdalen valle ...

rivers. The

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

s 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

river system, hence the company's name. Total annual production is , total installation is . The largest power station,

Tonstad Hydroelectric Power Station Tonstad Power Station (''Tonstad kraftverk'') is a hydroelectric power station located in the municipality of Sirdal in Agder county, Norway. The station is in Tonstad, at the northern end of the lake Sirdalsvatnet. It has a total installed capac ...

, was inaugurated in 1968, with two units, each producing . The power station has now 4 units, each 160 MW, and one unit at , giving a total output of . Total annual production in this station is approximately , which makes Tonstad the largest power station in

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 , and the concession is pending.

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring (disambiguation), touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tour (disambiguation), tours. Th ...

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 resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area – a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North ...

s for winter enjoyment. Downhill ski areas include Tjørhomfjellet,

Ski Centre, Ålsheia Ski Centre, Fidjeland Ski Centre, and Ådneram Ski lift.

Cross-country skiers Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

can enjoy dozens of trails over spectacular terrain. Summer activities include

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

, horseback riding, and river rafting.

History

From the oldest times the Sirdalen valley was divided by the river Sira with

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

should be a municipality, but no municipality should belong to more than one county (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). 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 A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

's shop, barn, and mountain farm cottage as well as original equipment.

Notable residents

Berit Kvæven Berit Kvæven (born 19 November 1942) is a Norwegian chemist and politician for the Liberal Party. She has been Vice President of the Liberal Party, president of the Norwegian Association for Women's Rights (2004–2006), President of Tekna and a ...

(born 1942 in

) a

sivilingeniør Sivilingeniør (shortened siv.ing), not to be confused with civil engineer, is a legally protected engineering title awarded by technical universities in Norway. To qualify for the title, a student must follow a structured study programme in tec ...

and politician * Gunnar Tjomlid (born 1974) a skeptic, secular humanist, blogger, and author; brought up in Sirdal *

Linda Grubben Linda Grubben (née Linda Tjørhom; 13 September 1979 in Stavanger) is a retired Norwegian biathlete. She won a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in the 4 × 7.5 km relay, while winning the gold medal at the Biathlon World Champion ...

(born 1979) a World Cup biathlete *

Arild Haugen Arild "Hulk" Haugen (born 30 December 1985) is a former strongman and currently a professional boxer from Sirdal, Norway. He set the Guinness World Record for being the youngest World's Strongest Man competitor at the age of 20 years, 258 days duri ...

(born 1985 in Sirdal) a boxer and former strongman

International relations

Twin towns — Sister cities

* Väike-Maarja Parish, Estonia (since 1994)

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 ...

Map of SirdalSirdal Mountain MuseumSirdal Mountain Museum, Official Website

SirdalsNett
- All you need to know about Sirdal
Sirdalsferie
- Information for tourists
Sirdal kommune

To & From Sirdal Transport Map
{{use dmy dates, date=December 2020 Municipalities of Agder 1849 establishments in Norway Valleys of Agder Ski areas and resorts in Norway