Froland 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 part of 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 ...

Sørlandet Southern Norway (; lit. "The Southland") is the geographical List of regions of Norway, region (''landsdel'') along the Skagerrak coast of southern Norway. The region is an informal description since it does not have any governmental function ...

. The administrative center is the village of Blakstad, which along with

Osedalen Blakstad or Blakstad-Osedalen is a village which is also the administrative centre of the municipality of Froland in Agder county, Norway. It is located along the river Nidelva, about northwest of the town of Arendal (where many residents of Bla ...

form the main population center of the municipality. Other villages in Froland include

Bøylefoss Bøylefoss is a village in Froland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the river Nidelva at the location of the Bøylefoss waterfall. The river is dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surfa ...

Bøylestad Bøylestad is a village in Froland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the river Nidelva about northeast of the village of Blakstad– Osedalen and about south of the village of Bøylefoss Bøylefoss is a vi ...

Froland Froland is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Blakst ...

Frolands verk Frolands verk is a small village area in Froland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the Norwegian County Road 42, almost west of the municipal centre of Blakstad/ Osedalen and about southeast of the village of ...

Heldalsmo Heldalsmo is a village in Froland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the Sørlandsbanen railway line, about southwest of the lake Nelaug. The village is only accessible by rail from Hynnekleiv to the west or Nelau ...

, Hinnebu,

Hynnekleiv Hynnekleiv is a village in Froland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located at the junction of the Norwegian National Road 41 and the Norwegian County Road 42. The Sørlandsbanen railway line runs through the village as well, ...

Jomås Jomås is a village in Froland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the Norwegian County Road 152, about half-way between the villages of Heldalsmo and Løvjomås Løvjomås is a village in Froland municipality i ...

, Lauvrak, Libru,

Løvjomås Løvjomås is a village in Froland municipality in Agder county, 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 ...

Mjåvatn Mjåvatn is a village in Froland municipality in Agder county, 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 ...

Mjølhus Mjølhus is a village in Froland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the west shore of the river Nidelva Nidelva is a river in Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. The name of the long river translates to "the R ...

, Mykland, and

Risdal Risdal is a village in Froland municipality in Agder county, 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 M ...

. The municipality is the 176th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Froland is the 155th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,174. 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 increased by 13.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Froland was established when it was separated from the municipality of

Øyestad Øyestad is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Aust-Agder Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until 1992, when it was merged into the present-day municipality of Arenda ...

in 1850. The new municipality had an initial population of 1,976. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee () 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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. On 1 January 1967, the neighboring municipality of Mykland (population: 604) was merged into the municipality of Froland. The newly enlarged municipality had a population of 3,372. On 1 January 1968, the Flateland area of neighboring

Åmli Åmli is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The main population centre and administrative cen ...

municipality (population: 6) was transferred to Froland. On 1 January 1970, the two uninhabited areas of Neset and Råbudal were separated from Froland and transferred to neighboring

Birkenes Birkenes is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Birkeland, where about half the municipal population lives. Other vill ...

municipality. Then on 1 January 1979, the uninhabited Landheia area was transferred from Froland to Birkenes municipality. On 1 January 1991, the Dalen area in

municipality (population: 60) was transferred from Birkenes to Froland municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally 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 ...

) is named after the old ''

'' farm () since the first

Froland Church Froland Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Froland Municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the village of Froland. It is one of the two churches for the Froland parish which is part of the Arendal prosti (dea ...

was built there. 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 ca ...

of the male name

Fróði Fróði (; ; Middle High German: ''Vruote'') is the name of a number of legendary Danish kings in various texts including ''Beowulf'', Snorri Sturluson's ''Prose Edda'' and his ''Ynglinga saga'', Saxo Grammaticus' ''Gesta Danorum'', and the ''Gro ...

. The last element is which means "land" or "district".

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 17 January 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 ''"

Vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme versio ...

, a squirrel sejant erect

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 ...

"'' (). This means the arms have a green

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

(background) and the

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is a

squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae (), a family that includes small or medium-sized rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrel ...

sitting on its haunches with its front paws raised. The squirrel has 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 green color in the field and the squirrel was chosen as a symbol for the

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s and

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introdu ...

in the municipality. The arms were designed by David Rike. 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 Froland. It is part of the

Arendal prosti Several Church of Norway churches are in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark in Norway. This list includes all of the parishes in Agder and Telemark counties. The diocese is based at the Kristiansand Cathedral in the city of Kristiansand (town), Kris ...

(

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 The Diocese of Agder og Telemark () is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth largest city. Kristiansand Cathedral serves as the seat of t ...

History

The

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

production facility, ''

'', was founded in 1763 and continued in production through 1867. After that the facility became a

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

. Today the main building from 1791 is a historically protected building, and the old

stable A stable is a building in which working animals are kept, especially horses or oxen. The building is usually divided into stalls, and may include storage for equipment and feed. Styles There are many different types of stables in use tod ...

s are used as a cultural center.

Geography

The municipality is bordered on the north by the municipality of

; on the east by

Tvedestrand is List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative center is the Tvedestrand (town), t ...

; on the south by

Arendal Arendal () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county in southeastern Norway. Arendal belongs to the Districts of Norway, region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the munici ...

Grimstad Grimstad () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder counties of Norway, county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Southern Norway, Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the Grimstad (to ...

, and Birkenes; and on the west by

Evje og Hornnes Evje og Hornnes is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Setesdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Evje. Other villages in the municipality include Åneland, Dåsn ...

and

Bygland Bygland is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Setesdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bygland ...

. The large rivers

Nidelva Nidelva is a river in Trondheim in Trøndelag county, Norway. The name of the long river translates to "the River Nid" since the suffix ''elva'' is the Norwegian language, Norwegian word for "the river". Location The Nidelva starts at the Hytt ...

and

Tovdalselva Tovdalselva (also known as the ''Tofdalselva'', ''Tovdalsåna'', ''Tovdalsåni'', literally: the ''Tov valley river'') is long and is one of the longest rivers in Southern Norway. The river flows through Agder county from the mountains on the nor ...

both run through Froland. There are also many lakes in Froland, including

Homstølvatnet Homstølvatnet or Eptevatn is a lake in the far western part of the municipality of Froland in Agder county, Norway. It is located about east of the village of Byglandsfjord (in Bygland municipality) and about northwest of the village of Mykla ...

Nelaug Nelaug is a village in the southern part of the municipality of Åmli in Agder county, Norway. The population (2001) was 161. The village lies at east of the Nelaug lake, which is regulated by a hydroelectric power plant. The most notable featu ...

, Nystølfjorden, and

Uldalsåna Uldalsåna is a lake on the border of the municipalities of Birkenes and Froland in Agder county, Norway. It is part of the Tovdalselva river drainage basin. On the southeastern end of the lake, there is a hydroelectric dam which releases water ...

Government

Froland 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 Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

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 ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the

Agder District Court Agder District Court () 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 is subordinate to the Agder Court of Appeal. The co ...

and the

Agder Court of Appeal The Agder Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the town of Skien. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Vestfold og Telemark and Agder (except for Sirdal Municipality which ...

Municipal council

The

() of Froland is made up of 19 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 Froland (incomplete list): *1983-2003: Aadne K. Mykland ( Ap) *2003-2015: Sigmund Pedersen ( Sp) *2015-2023: Ove Gundersen ( KrF) *2023-present: Inger-Lene Håland ( Ap)

Transportation

The

Arendalsbanen The Arendal Line () is a long railway line between Arendal and Simonstad in Norway. At Nelaug, north of Arendal, the line intersects with the Sørland Line. The southern section is electrified and provides a feeder passenger service. The lin ...

railway which runs from

connects Froland and Arendal to the railway system in Norway.

Blakstad Station Blakstad Station () is a railway station in the village of Blakstad on the east side of the river Nidelva in the municipality of Froland in Agder county, Norway. Located along the Arendalsbanen railway line, it is served by the Go-Ahead Norge ...

is in the municipal centre of Blakstad,

Froland Station Froland Station () is a railway station in the village of Froland which lies along the river Nidelva in Froland municipality in Agder county, Norway. Located along the Arendalsbanen railway line, it is served by Go-Ahead Norge Go-Ahead Nordic ...

is located in the village of

, and Bøylestad Station is in the village of

. There are also several highways in Froland including the

Norwegian National Road 41 Norwegian National Road 41 (''Rv 41''; also known as the ''Telemarksveien'') is a Norwegian national road that runs through Telemark and Agder counties in Norway. The road runs between the village of Brunkeberg (Telemark), Brunkeberg in Kvitese ...

Norwegian County Road 408 Norwegian county road 408 (Fylkesvei 408 or Fv408) is a long Norwegian county road which runs between the villages of Blakstad, Aust-Agder, Blakstad in Froland municipality and Rykene in Arendal municipality. The road roughly follows the river ...

, and

Norwegian County Road 413 Norwegian county road 413 (Fv413) is a Norwegian county road in Agder county, Norway. The long road which runs between the village of Dølemo in Åmli municipality and just west of the village of Mykland in Froland municipality. The northern ...

Media

The newspaper '' Frolendingen'' is published in Froland.

Notable people

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 in Froland), a distinguished mathematician who was buried at Froland cemetery *

Iver Steen Thomle Iver Steen Thomle (1 March 1812, in Froland – 16 September 1889, in Kristiania) was a Norwegian jurist. He was the son of Erich Andreas Thomle and his wife Mette Maria, née Binneballe. His brother was politician and jurist August Thomle. In ...

(1812 in Froland – 1889), a jurist and

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway The chief justice of the Supreme Court of Norway ( Norwegian , ) is the judicial leader of the Supreme Court of Norway. The following is a chronological list of chief justices since the court was established: * 1814–27: Johan Randulf Bull - ...

from 1878–86 *

Gotfred Kvifte Gotfred Ingolf Kvifte (1914, Froland, Aust-Agder – 1997) was a Norwegian physicist. He was born in Froland. He took the dr.philos. degree in 1953, and worked as a lecturer at the University of Bergen for one year. He was then a professor at the ...

(1914 in Froland – 1997), a physicist and academic *

Marte Olsbu Røiseland Marte Olsbu Røiseland (born 7 December 1990) is a former Norwegian Biathlon, biathlete and 3 time 2018 Winter Olympics, Winter Olympic gold medalist. In addition, she won two Olympic silver medals and two bronze medals. Her world championships a ...

(born 1990), a biathlete who was a triple gold medalist at the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

and team silver medalist at the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

who resides in Froland.

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 ...

*
Arendals fossekompani

Froland.org

Municipal website

Froland Curlingklubb
{{use dmy dates, date=December 2020 Municipalities of Agder 1850 establishments in Norway