Sigdal is a

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

in Viken

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestfoss. The municipality of Sigdal was established 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 Janua ...

). The area of Krødsherad was separated from Sigdal on 1 January 1901. The municipality has common borders with the municipalities of Flå, Krødsherad, Modum, Øvre Eiker,

Flesberg Flesberg is a municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lampeland. The economy of F ...

, Rollag, and Nore og Uvdal.

Name

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 ''Sigmardalr'' or ''Sigmudalr''. 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 ...

of a river name ''Sigm(a)'' (now called the Simoa) and the last element is ''dalr'' which means "

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or 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 streams over ...

" or "dale". The Simoa river runs through Sigdal, flowing in a south-easterly course until it flows into Drammenselva at Åmot in Modum. The meaning of the river name is unknown, but is maybe derived from ''síga'' which means to "ooze" or "slide".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 18 November 1983. The arms show a heraldic image of the mountain that dominates the view around the village, the

Andersnatten Andersnatten is a mountain located at Eggedal in the municipality of Sigdal in Buskerud, Norway. Andersnatten is a distinctive, round-topped mountain that rises out of the valley floor. Norwegian artists Theodor Kittelsen and Christian Sk ...

. The profile of the mountain is yellow with a blue-colored sky above.

Geography and population

Most of the citizens live in the village of Eggedal or the administrative centre of Prestfoss. Sigdal is densely populated, dominated by

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

s and valleys. About 72% of the area is covered with

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

, 20% is mountain areas, and 4% of the area is cultivated.

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 peop ...

, forestry, and the kitchen-producing enterprise of ''Sigdal Kjøkken'' are still important industries.

Local Attractions

*Folk Music Center (''Folkemusikksenteret'') is a cultural heritage museum offering a good image of the building style and traditions of the district. The Folk Music Center is principally responsible for collecting, storing and promoting local folk music and dance. *Sigdal-Eggedal Museum is a regional museum for Krødsherad, Modum and Sigdal. This museum dedicated to the region's culture and history is arranged particularly authentically. *Vatnås Church (''Vatnås kirke'') is a historic church dating from 1660. *Lauvlia is the former home of Theodor Kittelsen, one of the most popular artists in Norway, who settled near Prestfoss during 1899. Today Lauvlia is a private museum featuring an exhibition of Kittelsen’s original work *

is a well-known mountain and landmark. The mountain has inspired painters visiting or living in Sigdal, notably Theodor Kittelsen and Christian Skredsvig. It is recognized by

mountain climbers A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

as a tough challenge. Trillemarka langseterfjell

Protected areas in Sigdal Municipality

* Heimseteråsen nature reserve, established on 13 December 2002, 2,515 acres * Solevatn nature reserve, established 20 June 1986, 538 acres * Trillemarka nature reserve, established on 13 December 2002, 43,285 acres

Notable residents

Portrett av Christian Skredsvig (1854-1924) (9454985153)

* Christian Skredsvig (1854 - 1924) Norwegian artist and painter * Theodor Kittelsen (1857 - 1914) Norwegian artist and painter *

Erik Ramstad Erik Reiersen Ramstad (January 17, 1860 – January 21, 1951) was one of the founders of Minot, North Dakota. Biography Ramstad was the son of tenant farmer Reier Pedersen and Anne Ellefsdatter. He was born at Køsahaugen in Sigdal in Buskerud, N ...

(1860 - 1951) Norwegian-American founder of

Minot, North Dakota Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

Eileif Kolsrud Eileif Kolsrud (8 February 1873 – 1953) was Norwegian educator and politician for the Labour Party. He was born at Strandbråten in Sigdal as a son of smallholders Helge Eileifson Kolsrud (1846–1911) and Kjersti Steffensen (1845–1898). H ...

(1873 – 1953) a Norwegian educator and politician, Mayor of Kristiansund *

Gulbrand Hagen Gulbrand Torsteinson Hagen (March 20, 1865 – February 25, 1919) was an American newspaper editor, writer and photographer in Minnesota and North Dakota at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. Biography G. T. Hagen was born at ...

(1864 - 1919) Norwegian-American newspaper editor and writer *

Olaf Solumsmoen Olaf Solumsmoen (19 July 1896 – 22 September 1972) was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Sigdal, and decided to be a stenographer. He was hired in the Labour Party newspaper ''Fremtiden'' in Dramme ...

(1896 - 1972) a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician *

Olaf Knudson Olaf Knudson (31 December 1915 – 8 January 1996) was a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Buskerud in 1954, and was re-elected on five occasions. Knudson was born in Sigdal and w ...

(1915 – 1996) politician, deputy mayor of Sigdal in 1950's * Erling Kroken (1928-2007) a Norwegian ski jumper *

Dag Aabye Dag Aabye (born 1941) is an endurance runner known for competing in the 125-kilometer Canadian Death Race, held yearly in August in Grande Cache, Alberta. The race is extremely grueling, with over 17,000 feet of climbing. He is also known for his ...

(born 1941) an endurance runner in British Columbia, ''"Father of Freeride Skiing"'' * Anne-Lise Berntsen (1943-2012) a Norwegian soprano * Grete Kummen (born 1952) a cross-country skier, competed at the

1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (german: XII. Olympische Winterspiele, french: XIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 ( bar, Innschbruck 1976, label= Austro-Bavarian), was a ...

* Josefine Frida Pettersen (born 1996) actress, played ''Noora Amalie Sætre'' in NRK drama series Skam

Sister cities

The following cities are

twinned Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to: * In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so; * Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning * Twinning inst ...

with Sigdal: * Äänekoski, Central Finland,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bo ...

* Hveragerði,

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...

* Örnsköldsvik,

Västernorrland County Västernorrland County ( sv, Västernorrlands län) is a county ('' län'') in the north of Sweden. It is bordered by the counties of Gävleborg, Jämtland, Västerbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. The name ''Västernorrland'' means "Western ...

, Sweden

Gallery

Image:Holmen kirke Sigdal.jpg, Holmen Church File:Haglebunatten 1.gif, Haglebunatten File:Solumsmoen kapell.jpg, Solumsmoen Chapel File:Haglebuvatna.jpg, Haglebuvatna

References

Other sources

*Mørch, Andreas & Thormod Skatvedt ''Sigdal og Eggedal'' (Sigdal og Eggedal, 1914) *Mørch, Andreas ''Frå gamle dagar. Folkeminne frå Sigdal og Eggedal'' (

Norsk Folkeminnelag Norsk folkeminnelag (NFL) Norwegian Folklore Societyfounded in 1920, is a voluntary, non-profit cultural organization communicating and disseminating traditional folk poetry and customs. The society both protects collected materials through book ...

: 1932)

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 ye ...

*
Kunstnerdalen, Valley of ArtistsSigdal & Eggedal Tourist ServiceSigdalslagSigdal Kommune official webpage

Krødsherad, Sigdal and Modum

Information and news from Sigdal and Eggedal
{{Buskerud Municipalities of Buskerud Municipalities of Viken (county) Ringerike (traditional district) la:Ål