Agdenes is a former municipality in

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denmar ...

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 municipality existed from 1896 until its dissolution in 2020 when it became part of Orkland Municipality. It was part of the Fosen

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...

. 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, L ...

was the village of Selbekken. Other villages in the municipality included Ingdalen, Lensvik, Vassbygda, Vernes, and

Leksa Leksa refers to two islands in the Trondheimsleia strait in Trøndelag county, Norway. They are located in the municipality of Orkland. Leksa is made up of the smaller north island, Nord-Leksa, and the larger south island, Sør-Leksa. The two i ...

. The Brekstad–Valset Ferry connected Agdenes to the town of Brekstad in

Ørland Ørland is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Fosen region. Ørland is located at the southwestern tip of the Fosen peninsula at the northern shore of the mouth of Trondheimsfjord where the Stjørnfjorden arm begin ...

municipality on the other side of the Trondheimsfjorden. At the time of its dissolution, the municipality is the 270th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Agdenes is the 344th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,684. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

is and its population has decreased by 4.2% over the last decade.

General information

The municipality of ''Værnes'' was established on 1 January 1896 when it was separated from the large municipality of

which originally included land on both sides of the mouth of the Trondheimsfjorden. The new municipality of Værnes encompassed the area along the south side of the Trondheimsleia and Trondheimsfjorden and it initially had a population of 1,412. The name was changed to ''Agdenes'' on 17 May 1897 by a royal resolution. The

was originally at the village of Værnes where the Agdenes Church is located. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWI ...

. On 1 January 1964, the western part of Agdenes (''Ytre Agdenes'') was separated from the rest of the municipality and it was merged with the neighboring municipalities of

Snillfjord Snillfjord is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1924 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was split between the municipalities of Hitra, Heim, and Orkland. It was part of the Fosen region. The adm ...

(population: 681) and Heim (population: 724) to form the new municipality of

. On the same date, the rest of Agdenes municipality (population: 858) was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Lensvik (population: 1,136) and the Ingdalen area of Stadsbygd (population: 171) and together, they formed a new, larger municipality of Agdenes. On 1 January 1995, the Moldtun area (population: 21) was transferred from Agdenes to the neighboring municipality of

. This transfer was approved because the area had been without an outside road connection, and so the only connection was by boat which made it very close to the village of Vernes in Agdenes. When the road was built, it was built to the west, connecting it to Snillfjord, not Agdenes. Therefore, it was logical for the residents to vote to change municipalities. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old

Sør-Trøndelag Sør-Trøndelag () was a county comprising the southern portion of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Nord-Trøndelag county as well as the counties of Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, and Hedmark. To the west is the No ...

county to the new

county. On 1 January 2020, the municipalities of Agdenes,

Orkdal Orkdal is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it joined Orkland Municipality. It was part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the munici ...

, and Meldal along with the majority of

were merged to form the new municipality of

Orkland Orkland is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Orkdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Orkanger. Other notable population centres in the municipality include ...

Name

The municipality (originally the

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 ...

) is named after the old ''Agdenes'' farm ( non, Agðanes), since the first Agdenes Church was built there. The meaning of the first element is unknown (but it is probably the same meaning as in the name

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 ("sou ...

) and the last element is ''nes'' which means "

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Joh ...

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...

was granted on 30 August 1991. The arms show a field of ermine under a red chief. The ermine field symbolizes the fur farming in the municipality. As ermine is also a royal symbol, it symbolises the fact that in historical times the local overlords ('' jarls'') and kings have resided in the village. The red chief across the top was chosen to represent the importance of

strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely a ...

farming in the municipality.

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 Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...

had one parish () within the municipality of Agdenes. It is part of the Orkdal prosti (

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 reside ...

) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

Economy

The industrial density of Agdenes is above the national average, and the primary sector is the biggest. Most of the inhabitants work within the

milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulati ...

or forest industry. The growth of

strawberries The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown Hybrid (biology), hybrid species of the genus ''Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The f ...

and the breeding of fur animals are important industries as well. The growth of

has been a major industry in Agdenes for the past 100 years, started by the farmer Lars H. Selbæk in 1886 by planting some strawberry flowers and then giving them away to neighbouring farms. The most common

varieties of strawberry The following is a partial list of strawberry cultivars. Strawberries come in a wide assortment of commercially available cultivars (cultivated varieties). Differences between cultivars may include the date the fruit ripens, disease resistance, ...

grown here are Korona, Sephyr, Senga Sengana, and Bounty. Today, strawberry collection is performed by foreign workers, which are mainly from

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

and Lithuania. In the initial stages, the Norwegian youth were the main workforce, but after the 1970s, it became less attractive for them to pick strawberries in a field.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Agdenes, are responsible for primary education (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 Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usag ...

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 during the refer ...

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 adminis ...

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 s ...

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 a ...

, 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 coun ...

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 as ...

. The municipality falls under the Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Agdenes is made up of 17 representatives that are elected every four years. 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 ...

breakdown of the final municipal council is as follows:

Geography

The municipality is situated at the south end of the mouth of the Trondheimsfjord where it meets the Trondheimsleia. It includes several islands including

. The municipality borders the municipalities of Hitra,

, Indre Fosen,

, and

. The lake Øyangsvatnet is located in the west central part of the municipality. The

Agdenes Lighthouse The Agdenes Lighthouse or Ringflua is a lighthouse on the Trondheimsfjord in the municipality of Orkland in Trøndelag county, Norway. The lighthouse sits just offshore at a 90 degree bend in the fjord which leads to the city of Trondheim. The ...

sits on the edge of the Trondheimsfjord.

Birdlife

The municipality of Agdenes has a rich and varied birdlife. One of the better places is Litlvatnet. Fully protected since 1983, this

nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

comprises shallow water with extensive

reed bed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

s. The lake is surrounded by farm land, which in its own right provides food and shelter for several species. Formed during the last

ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages and gre ...

when sea levels dropped leaving exposed areas of land and trapped water from the melting ice, today's Litlvatnet is a remnant of this.

References

External links

* {{authority control Former municipalities of Norway 1896 establishments in Norway 2020 disestablishments in Norway Orkland Populated places disestablished in 2020