Gjerstad 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' ...

Agder Agder is a counties of Norway, county () and districts of Norway, traditional region in the southern part of Norway and is coextensive with the Southern Norway region. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Au ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located in the

traditional region A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

of Sørlandet, in the southeastern part of the county, along the border with

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

county. The

administrative centre An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the village of Gjerstad. Other villages in the municipality include Ausland, Eikeland, Fiane, Gryting, Østerholt, Rød, Sundebru, and Vestøl. The municipality is the 256th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Gjerstad is the 260th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,421. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

is and its population has decreased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Gjerstad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

law). The borders have not changed since that time.

Name

The municipality (originally the

) is named after the old '' Gjerstad'' farm () since the first Gjerstad Church was built there. The meaning of the first element is uncertain. One possibility is that it 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 ca ...

of the male name . Another possibility is that it comes from the word which means "spear". The last element of the name is the plural form of which means "place", "abode", or "town". Historically, the name of the parish was spelled Gerikstadum (c. 1400), Gierestat (c. 1567), Gierrestad, and Gjerrestad.

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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 18 April 1986. The official

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

, three knives

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

in fess palewise points to the base"'' (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three knives pointing downwards. The knives have a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The knife was chosen as a symbol for the smithies and knife makers in the municipality. Knife making has long been a local tradition for which Gjerstad is well known. The arms were designed by Odd Kjell Mostad. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

has one parish () within the municipality of Gjerstad. It is part of the Aust-Nedenes prosti (

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

History

Until about 1650, the

prestegjeld A ''prestegjeld'' was a geographic and administrative area within the Church of Norway (''Den Norske Kirke'') roughly equivalent to a parish. This traditional designation was in use for centuries to divide the kingdom into ecclesiastical areas tha ...

of Gjerstad (the precursor to today's municipality) was named ''Vissedal'' (from ''vidr-ser-dalr'' meaning "wood-sea-dale"), a very proper description of the area. Gjerstad has been inhabited from the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistory, prehistoric period during which Rock (geology), stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended b ...

and

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

through modern times.

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

has long been important, and until only decades ago the more marginal outfields in Upper Gjerstad were still utilized.

Forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

also provided an important historic economic contribution, and logs were driven on rivers and streams in the municipality. To aid log transport by floating, numerous

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, aqua ...

s were constructed. Eikeland Ironworks were a significant contribution to the economy as well.

Geography

Gjerstad municipality has numerous glacially formed features, including a U-shaped valley, tarns, and lakes, most notably the large lake Gjerstadvatnet. It located in

county and it is bordered to the north by Nissedal and Drangedal municipalities (both in

county); to the east by Kragerø municipality (also in Telemark); to the south by

Risør is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located on the Skagerrak coast in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of Ri ...

municipality; and to the southwest by Vegårshei municipality. There are several larger roads that traverse Gjerstad:

European route E18 European route E18 runs between Craigavon, County Armagh, Craigavon in Northern Ireland and Saint Petersburg in Russia, passing through Scotland, England, Norway, Sweden and Finland. It is about in length. Although the designation implies the ...

, Norwegian County Road 417, and Norwegian County Road 418.

Government

Gjerstad Municipality is responsible for

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

(through 10th grade), outpatient

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

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services, welfare 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. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or 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 object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. 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, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Gjerstad is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, 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 oft ...

Mayors

The

mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

() of Gjerstad (incomplete list): * 1856–1859: Nils T. Ulltveit * 1860–1861: Gunder Hansen Ulltveit * 1864–1867: Nils T. Ulltveit * 1868–1869: Gunder Hansen Ulltveit * 1870–1873: Knut N. Ausland * 1874–1879: Nils Larsen Røed * 1880–1881: Lars Th. Røed * 1882–1883: Jens O. Trydal * 1884–1884: Nils Larsen Røed * 1892–1895: Nils Larsen Røed * 1896–1898: Kittil Th. Moe * 1899–1901: Peder K. Eikeland * 1902–1907: Svend Tellefsen Kveim * 1908–1916: Lars Th. Eskeland * 1917–1922: Anders O. Moe * 1923–1928: G.M. Skomedal * 1929–1931: Kristen Fløgstad * 1931–1934: Isak K. Strat * 1934–1937: Torkjell Imenes * 1937–1940: Isak K. Strat * 1941–1945: Samuel Johannessen ( NS) * 1945–1946: Isak K. Strat * 1947–1947: Olav Hegna ( Ap) * 1948–1955: Teodor Moen * 1956–1957: Olav Hegna ( Ap) * 1958–1965: Torje Vehus * 1966–1973: Knut H. Ulltveit ( Ap) * 1975–1979: Arthur Løite ( Ap) * 1980–1983: Finn Birkedal ( KrF) * 1984–1991: Knut H. Ulltveit ( Ap) * 1992–1999: Jan Olav Olsen ( H) * 1999–2003: Kjell Arild Haugen ( Sp) * 2003–2007: Odvar Voie Eikeland ( Sp) * 2007–2011: Rune Hagestrand ( H) * 2011–2015: Kjell Trygve Grunnsvoll ( Sp) * 2015–2022: Inger Løite ( Sp) * 2022-present: Steinar Pedersen ( H)

Attractions

* The remains of Eikeland

Ironworks An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloome ...

can still be seen in the upper valley. Gjerstad was known for its handmade knives and the coat-of-arms recognizes this heritage. * Horga was a former

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

place of sacrifice which was destroyed by Olav Trygvason, during the introduction of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

to Gjerstad. It lies from ''Holmen Gård''. *
Holmen Gård
' in Gjerstad () is the site of a former farm. It was a Norwegian national center for folk art and

handicraft A handicraft is a traditional main sector of craft making and applies to a wide range of creative and design activities that are related to making things with one's hands and skill, including work with textiles, moldable and rigid material ...

until it was sold into private ownership in 2013. The site has been awarded the St. Olaf's Rose (''Olavsrosa''), a hallmark for Norwegian Heritage which designates especially distinguished places. Eikeland Verk.JPG, Eikeland verk building Eikelands verk, Egelandsverk, Gata, Aust-Agder - Riksantikvaren-T179 01 0163.jpg, Road with houses at the Eikeland verk in 1939 Holmen Gård026.jpg, View of the buildings at Holmen Gård Holmengard-040.jpg, Main house at Holmen Gård

Notable people

* Hans Mathias Abel (1738–1803), the priest at Gjerstad Church from 1785 to 1804 * Søren Georg Abel (1772–1820), a politician and also priest at Gjerstad from 1804 to 1821 *

Niels Henrik Abel Niels Henrik Abel ( , ; 5 August 1802 – 6 April 1829) was a Norwegian mathematician who made pioneering contributions in a variety of fields. His most famous single result is the first complete proof demonstrating the impossibility of solvin ...

(1802–1829), a distinguished

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, mathematical structure, structure, space, Mathematica ...

who spent his boyhood in the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

at Gjerstad and died young of TB * Svenum Jensen Vævestad (1849 in Gjerstad – 1898), a farmer and politician * Morten Ansgar Kveim (1892 in Gjerstad – 1966), a pathologist who described the Kveim test * Magnhild Hagelia (1904 in Gjerstad – 1996), a politician * Jan Olav Olsen (born 1950), a politician who was mayor of Gjerstad from 1991 to 1999 * Inger Løite (born 1958 in Gjerstad), a politician * Knut Magne Valle (born 1974 in Gjerstad), a heavy metal guitarist, songwriter, composer, recording studio owner, record producer, and music arranger * Torbjørn Urfjell (born 1977), a politician

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, 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 year on its web site. All rele ...

*
Welcome to Holmen Gård in GjerstadGjerstad.org

Culture in Gjerstad on the map
{{use dmy dates, date=December 2020 Municipalities of Agder 1838 establishments in Norway