Vennesla is 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 Vennesla municipality in

Agder Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("south ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, 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 ...

. The village is located in the upper

Torridal Torridal is a V-shaped valley in Agder county, Norway. The valley passes through portions of the municipalities of Kristiansand and Vennesla in an area that was historically a part of the former Oddernes municipality. Today it includes areas north ...

valley along the river Otra, about north of the city of

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporati ...

. The village itself extends for about along both sides of the river. The Norwegian National Road 9 passes through Mosby, about south of Vennesla. The Sørlandsbanen railway line passes through Vennesla, stopping at Vennesla Station. The lake Venneslafjorden is located on the river Otra (due to a dam on the river) in the northern part of the village of Vennesla. The village of Vennesla has significant industry, and nearby along the river Otra there are several hydroelectric power plants. The village has considerable government, commercial, and service industries as well as the Vennesla high school which has both general and vocational classes.

Vennesla Church Vennesla Church ( no, Vennesla kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Vennesla Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Vennesla. It is the church for the Vennesla parish which is part of the Otredal pr ...

is located in the village, serving as the main church for the municipality. The Vennesla Library and Culture House was completed in 2011. The football club of Vennesla is Vindbjart FK, founded in 1896. Vindbjart plays in the

Norwegian Second Division The Norwegian Second Division, also called 2. divisjon and often referred to as PostNord-ligaen for sponsorship reasons, is the third-highest level of the Norwegian football league system. There are 28 teams divided into two groups, and at the ...

at a Moseidmoen stadium in Vennesla.

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 ...

includes the Mosby area in nearby

municipality as part of the whole urban area of Vennesla. The whole urban area has a population (2016) of 12,816 which includes 2,307 people who live in Mosby. This gives Vennesla a

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 RosenberPopu ...

of .

Town status

The "village" of Vennesla has 12,816 residents in 2016 which makes it one of the largest urban areas in the county, and it is much larger than many

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an or ...

Southern Norway Southern Norway ( no, Sørlandet; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function. It rough ...

. There has been political talk of granting town status to Vennesla, but there was little support, so politicians have not pursued the cause.

References

{{use dmy dates, date=November 2020 Villages in Agder Vennesla