Kvinesdal 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 village of

Liknes Liknes is the administrative centre of Kvinesdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the river Kvina, about north of the mouth where it empties into the Fedafjorden. The village of Storekvina lies about to the nor ...

. Other villages in Kvinesdal include Feda,

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 ...

, and

Storekvina Storekvina is a village in Kvinesdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the shore of the river Kvina, about north of the village of Liknes. The village had a population of 323 in 2015. The Sørlandet Line The Sør ...

. Kvinesdal is an elongated mountain-to-coast municipality, reaching saltwater at the head of 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 ...

, 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 municipality is the 121st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kvinesdal is the 161st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,883. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 0.8% over the previous 10-year period. Kvinesdal belongs to a central area in the Norwegian south from which many people emigrated to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, 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 Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

and later moved back to Norway, or are descendants of Norwegians who have never acquired

Norwegian citizenship Norwegian nationality law is based on the principle of jus sanguinis. In general, Norwegian citizenship is conferred by birth to a Norwegian parent, or by naturalisation in Norway. Birth in Norway In general, birth in Norway does not, in itself ...

General information

Kvinesdal kirke, Vest-Agder - Riksantikvaren-T216 01 0022

The parish of Kvinesdal 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). In 1841, the neighboring municipality of

(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

(population: 1,244), Feda (population: 576), and Kvinesdal (population: 3,218) were merged to form one large municipality of Kvinesdal.

Name

The Old Norse 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 fjord name ''Hvínir'' (now called the

) and the last element is ''dalr'' which means "valley" or "dale". The name of the fjord is derived from the river name ''Hvín'' (now Kvina), and that name is derived from the verb ''hvína'' which means "squeal". During the period from 1900 to 1917, the municipality was named ''Liknes''.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 15 March 1985. The arms show a Y-shaped silver or white figure on a blue background (

Azure Azure may refer to: Colour * Azure (color), a hue of blue ** Azure (heraldry) ** Shades of azure, shades and variations Arts and media * ''Azure'' (Art Farmer and Fritz Pauer album), 1987 * Azure (Gary Peacock and Marilyn Crispell album), 2013 ...

pall Pall may refer to: * Pall (funeral), a cloth used to cover a coffin * Pall (heraldry), a Y-shaped heraldic charge * Pall (liturgy), a piece of stiffened linen used to cover the chalice at the Eucharist * Pall Corporation, a global business * Pall. ...

engrailed argent). The Y-shape symbolizes the meeting of the two rivers: Kvina and Litleåna which join and then flow into the

just south of Liknes.

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 Kvinesdal. 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

The long, narrow municipality of Kvinesdal stretches from the mountains in the north, along the Kvinesdalen valley to the

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 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� ...

, 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.

Climate

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 A skald, or skáld (Old Norse: , later ; , meaning "poet"), is one of the often named poets who composed skaldic poetry, one of the two kinds of Old Norse poetry, the other being Eddic poetry, which is anonymous. Skaldic poems were traditionally ...

'' 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 Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...

. In northern Kvinesdal, along the high plateau which sits at above sea level, records show that the Salmeli Farm dates back at least to the year 1300. During the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

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 Peder Claussøn Friis (1 April 1545 – 15 October 1614) was a Norwegian clergyman, author and historian. He is most associated with his translation of ''Snorre Sturlessøns Norske Kongers Chronica''. Peder Claussen Friis grew up in Audnedal i ...

, 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 Nedenes is a village in Arendal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located in the southern part of Arendal, just north of the municipal border with Grimstad. The Norwegian County Road 420 runs through the village heading north ...

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 Walcheren () is a region and former island in the Dutch province of Zeeland at the mouth of the Scheldt estuary. It lies between the Eastern Scheldt in the north and the Western Scheldt in the south and is roughly the shape of a rhombus. The two ...

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Kvinesdal, 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 Kvinesdal is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:

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 residents

* Peder Jacobsen Bøgvald (1762 in Feda – 1829) a sea captain, farmer and politician * Kristian Marcelius Førland (1891–1978) an artist, lived and painted in Kvinesdal *

Erling Moi Erling August Moi (30 June 1918 – 8 September 1944) was a Norwegian resistance member of World War II. He was born and raised in Kvinesdal, and had attended middle school and commercial school. During the Norwegian Campaign in 1940, he f ...

(1918 in Kvinesdal – 1944) 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, ...

member in WWII *

Sigbjørn Hølmebakk Sigbjørn Hølmebakk (2 February 1922 – 25 November 1981) was a Norwegian author. Biography Hølmebakk was born at Feda (now Kvinesdal) in Vest-Agder, Norway. His parents were Søren Adolf Svindland (1881–1966) and Inger Marie Abrahamsen M ...

(1922 in Feda – 1981) a Norwegian author *

Anne Gullestad Anne Gullestad (26 October 1925 – 1 April 1998) was a Norwegian actress and theatre director. She was born in Kvinesdal, and finished her secondary education in 1945. She made her stage debut in 1950 at Den Nationale Scene. She co-founded Sogn ...

(1925 in Kvinesdal – 1998) an actress and theatre director *

Gordon Hølmebakk Gordon Hølmebakk (26 February 1928 – 10 January 2018) was a Norwegian publishing editor, essayist and novelist. Biography He was born in Feda, (now Kvinesdal) in Vest-Agder, Norway. He was the son of Søren Adolf Svindland (1881–1966) and ...

(1928 in Feda – 2018) a publishing editor, essayist and novelist * Aril Edvardsen (1938 in Kvinesdal – 2008) an evangelical preacher and missionary, former home now a museum * Andreas Hompland (born 1946 in Kvinesdal) a social scientist, journalist and non-fiction writer *

Arnfinn Moland Arnfinn Moland (born 25 August 1951) is a Norwegian historian. He was born in Kvinesdal. He finished his secondary education in Flekkefjord in 1970, served in His Majesty the King's Guard from 1973 to 1974, and graduated from the University of Os ...

(born 1951 in Kvinesdal) a Norwegian historian and writer *

Odd Omland Odd Omland (born 29 January 1956) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He is Member of Parliament (Stortinget) for Vest-Agder County since 2013 where he is a member of the Standing Committee on Business and Industry.Per Sverre Kvinlaug FIle:Per Sverre Kvinlaug (cropped).jpg, thumb Per Sverre Kvinlaug (born 13 December 1974) is a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party (Norway), Christian Democratic Party. He served as a deputy representative to the Parliament of ...

(born 1974) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Kvinesdalin from 2015 *

Silvia Moi Silvia Moi (born 26 July 1978 in Kvinesdal, Vest-Agder) is a Norwegian opera singer. She has been a soloist with the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet since 2006. She appeared in Kenneth Branagh's 2006 film adaptation of ''The Magic Flute ' ...

(born 1978 in Kvinesdal) a Norwegian opera singer IMDb Database
retrieved 14 November 2020 * Luxus Leverpostei, (Norwegian Wiki) a Norwegian band formed in Kvinesdal in 1991

Sport

* Ludvig Hunsbedt, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1961 in Kvinesdal) rallycross driver *

Roger Eskeland Roger Eskeland (born 11 November 1977) is a Norwegian football goalkeeper who currently plays for Norwegian team Bryne FK. He joined the team in 1994, having played for lower league clubs Feda IL and Kvinesdal IL. He played for Bryne in the Nor ...

(born 1977) a Norwegian football goalkeeper *

Atle Roar Håland Atle Roar Håland (born 26 July 1977) is a retired Norwegian football centreback. Around 1997, he played for Vålerenga IF. Before joining IK Start in 2004, he had been crucial to FK Mandalskameratene's success in the 1. divisjon the previo ...

(born 1977) a retired footballer with over 300 club caps

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 ...

Kvinesdal Guest House and Hotel

Official website of Kvinesdal

Webcam from Kvinesdal Tourist Information Kvinesdal Golf Club Kvinesdal Rock Festival Kvinesdaladressen - din egen @kvinesedal.co addresse!
{{use dmy dates, date=December 2020 Municipalities of Agder 1838 establishments in Norway