Fyresdal 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' ...

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,

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 district of

Vest-Telemark Vest-Telemark () is a traditional district in Norway. The area comprises the western areas of the larger region known as Upper Telemark () in Vestfold og Telemark county. The region consists of six municipalities: Fyresdal, Tokke, Vinje, Nis ...

. 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 Moland. Other villages in Fyresdal include Kilegrend, Øvre Birtedalen, and

Øyane Øyane is a neighborhood (''delområde'') in the Stavanger (city), city of Stavanger which lies in the southwestern part of the large municipality of Stavanger in Rogaland county, Norway. It includes many of the islands located to the east of the m ...

. The municipality is the 78th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Fyresdal is the 317th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,224. 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 9.3% 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 ''Moland'' 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). In 1879, the name of the municipality was changed to ''Fyresdal''. The borders of the municipality have never changed, something which is pretty unusual in Norway.

Name

The municipality (originally the

) was first named after the old '' Moland'' farm () since the first Moland Church was built there. The first element is which means "

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...

" or "

heath A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and is characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a coole ...

". The last element is which means "land" or "district". On 28 June 1879, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to ''Fyresdal''. This name () was chosen since it is the name of the valley in which the municipality is located. The first element of this name 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 name of the local lake Fyresvatnet (). The name of the lake is derived from the word which means "

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

tree". The last element of the name is which means "

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains and typically containing 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".

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 24 April 1992. 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 ...

two bendwise axes

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 pale" (). This means the arms have a green field (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 broadaxe. The broadaxes 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 colored white most of the time, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field and the broadaxe were chosen to symbolize the importance of

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 ...

in the municipality. The arms were the result of a local competition, which resulted in 42 different proposals being submitted. The winning design for the arms was submitted by Halvor Holtskog Jr. 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 Fyresdal. It is part of the Øvre Telemark 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

Fyresdal is known for its many findings from the

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 ...

, its mighty Viking graves, heaps of

slag The general term slag may be a by-product or co-product of smelting (pyrometallurgical) ores and recycled metals depending on the type of material being produced. Slag is mainly a mixture of metal oxides and silicon dioxide. Broadly, it can be c ...

, and the former Heggland pilgrim church that once stood proudly north of the village centre. People traveled to this church from all over Norway and even from

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

. It was said that the

stream A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a strea ...

running behind the church had healing powers. A few miles south of the site where the Heggland Pilgrim Church (), once stood at ''Molandsmoen'', a stone with

Runic inscriptions A runic inscription is an inscription made in one of the various runic alphabets. They generally contained practical information or memorials instead of magic or mythic stories. The body of runic inscriptions falls into the three categories of E ...

can be found. This is a reminder from the Viking Age when horse battles were held there. Originally, one believes, there were four of them. ''Klokkarhamaren'' is a little

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 ...

on a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

in the municipal centre, and it is the location of a cave called ''Munkhola''. It is believed that a certain number of

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

s in medieval times resided, held masses, and sought refuge here.

Government

Fyresdal 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 Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

of Fyresdal 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 ...

Mayor

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 Fyresdal (incomplete list): *1999-2007: Saamund Gjersund ( LL) *2007-2011: Bjørn Fredrik Nome ( Sp) *2011–present: Erik Skjervagen ( Ap)

Economy

Most people in the municipality work in the fields of

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 ...

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

, and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. There are not many full-time farmers left in Fyresdal, but many people derive a secondary income from agriculture and forestry. The largest employer in the municipality is Telemark Kildevann which makes bottled water and soft drinks for the national and Swedish markets. There are also a few small high-competence mechanical factories which produce parts for the offshore industry.

Transportation

The Vest-Telemark airport, Fyresdal is located in Moland, with a nearby hotel. This is a joint operation under the name ''Airparc Fyresdal''. Fyresdal has bus connections with the town centres of

Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...

and

Porsgrunn is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Porsgrunn (town), city ...

in Telemark county;

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 ...

in Agder county;

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

Vestland Vestland is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. The county is located in Western Norway, and its administrative centre is Bergen, where the executive and political leadership is based. The County governor (Norway), County Governor is based in ...

county;

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipalities of Norway, municipality and List of towns and cities in Norway, town on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. As of December 2023, the municipality of Haugesund has a population of 37,855. The vast majority of ...

Rogaland Rogaland () is a Counties of Norway, county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. As of 1 January 2024, it had a population of 49 ...

county; and to the capital,

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

. A bus also travels every school day of the year between Fyresdal and Dalen, the municipal centre of the neighboring Tokke Municipality.

Geography

The municipality of Fyresdal consists of several little villages north of Moland, in the main valley of Fyresdal, and on the western and southeastern shores of Fyresvatnet, one of Norway's deepest lakes. Moland is the location of the municipal council, the school, the community house, kindergartens, the home for the elderly, and most of the commercial enterprises in the municipality. Moland is the most heavily populated aea of Fyresdal. Fyresdal is among the westernmost municipalities in Telemark. It borders the municipalities of

Tokke Tokke is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dal ...

Kviteseid Kviteseid is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional districts of Vest-Telemark and Upper Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kviteseidbyen. Other villages in Kviteseid ...

, and Nissedal in Telemark county. It also shares borders with the municipalities of

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 ...

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 ...

, and

Valle Valle may refer to: * Valle (surname) Geography *"Valle", the cultural and climatic zone of the dry subtropical Interandean Valles of the Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and northwest Argentina * University of Valle, a public university in Cali, Colomb ...

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. :Village areas in Fyresdal municipality *Geitstadgrend *Spockeligrend *Momrak *Sitje *Tøddebakkane *Folkestadbyen * Øvre Birtedalen *Nedre Birtedalen *Fardal *Breivik *Hegglandsgrend *Grunnvik * Moland * Veum *Hauggrend *Liegrend *Fjellgardane * Kilegrend

Attractions

*One of Fyresdal's two churches ( Moland Church) and the

vicarage A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or Minister (Christianity), 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 n ...

(''Fyresdal Prestegard'') are located in Moland. According to Telemark

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

, the ''

Troll A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human bei ...

of Røykjenes'' moved across the lake because the bells of the Moland Church were disturbing its nap. The vicarage is where

Vidkun Quisling Vidkun Abraham Lauritz Jonssøn Quisling (; ; 18 July 1887 – 24 October 1945) was a Norwegian military officer, politician and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, Nazi collaborator who Quisling regime, headed the government of N ...

was born. *Within the administrative center of Moland, one also finds the old village centre, ''Folkestadbyen''. Folkestadbyen is the location of the ''Fyresdal Vertshus'', a Swiss-styled dwelling built in 1890. It has housed and served both food and drinks to locals and travellers for over 100 years. ''Øyskogen'' park, which contains Viking graves and a lot of traditional Telemark houses ''(e.g. lofts and stabburs)'' is also part of the old village. The ''Fyresdal Bygdemuseum'', the village museum, is also located in Øyskogen. *'' Fv 355'' runs straight through the municipality from north to south. ''Hegglandsgrend'', '' Veum'', and ''Hauggrend'' are villages along Fv 355 located north of Moland. Hegglandsgrend is the home of ''Heggland Gamle Kyrkjegard''; Veum is the home of Veum Church. A ''Rudolf Steiner School'' (an upper secondary level school) was located at ''Foldsæ'' in Hauggrend. This so-called ''friskole'' ("Free school") based on the thoughts and ideas of

Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (; 27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century ...

was however closed down after few years. In Hauggrend, one also finds the most distinct mountain in Fyresdal, ''Roan''. This peak is above sea level, but not the highest point in the municipality, since the border to

passes near the peak of ''Napuren'', at a height of above sea level, some 300 feet higher. *North of Moland, to the west from the main valley we find the little settlements of ''Kleivgrend'', ''Åslandsgrend''. Turning left of the Fv 355 in Hegglandsgrend, one comes to Kleivgrend and Åslandsgrend. Between Kleivgrend and the neighbouring municipality

on the western side of the mountains, one finds an old track that priests and bishops used to get between the counties of

and Telemark. This track is named '' Bispevegen'' ("Bishop's Road") and every year a march called ''Bispevegmarsjen'' ("The Bishop's Road March") starts in Kleivgrend. In Fjellgardane, Germans ran mines in the 16th century at ''Moisesberg''. *On the western shores of the lake Fyresvatnet, to the southwest of Moland, one finds the villages of ''Fardal'', ''Breivik''. Here one finds an old and interesting stone called ''Røykjenessteinen''. In 2005, one also found some

arrowhead An arrowhead or point is the usually sharpened and hardened tip of an arrow, which contributes a majority of the projectile mass and is responsible for impacting and penetrating a target, or sometimes for special purposes such as signaling. ...

s in this area that are believed to be 4000–4500 years old. Farther along the country road we find '' Øvre Birtedalen'', a popular place for people to have mountain cabins. *South of Moland, at the southern end of Fv 355 across the scenic and mighty mountain of ''Våmur'' where one can see the lake from up above, one comes to the little village of Kilegrend. In the old days, there was no road connecting Kilegrend with the municipal centre. Thus one had to travel by boat. For years the steamboats called ''Teisner'' and ''Fyresdølen'' travelled between Moland and Kilegrend. The latter eventually capsized and sank. The wreck is still visible in Kilegrend. Moland kyrkje.JPG, Moland Church Fyresdal flyplass (tårn).JPG, Fyresdal Airport Veum kyrkje.JPG, Veum Church Fyresvatn.JPG, Fyresvatn (Lake Fyresdal)

Notable people

* Petter Veum, (Norwegian Wiki) (1811 in Fyresdal - 1889), a

fiddler A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially syno ...

* Jon Lauritz Qvisling, (Norwegian Wiki) (1844 in Fyresdal - 1930), a

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...

, and

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family ...

* John Lie, (Norwegian Wiki) (1846 in Fyresdal - 1916), an

* Ivar Peterson Tveiten (1850 in Fyresdal – 1934), a teacher and politician *

Torgeir Vraa Torgeir Tarjei Olavsson Vraa (16 May 1868 – 21 June 1934) was a Norwegian educator, newspaper editor and politician for the Labour Party. Biography He was born on the Rui farm in the parish of Fyresdal in Telemark. Upon graduating from ...

(1868 in Fyresdal – 1934), an educator, newspaper editor, and politician * Haakon Lie (1884 in Fyresdal – 1970), a forester, novelist, poet, and children's writer *

(1887 in Fyresdal – 1945), a military officer, politician, Nazi collaborator, &

traitor Treason is the crime of attacking a state (polity), state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to Coup d'état, overthrow its government, spy ...

* Frode Rui, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1969 im Fyresdal), a

weightlifter Weightlifting or weight lifting generally refers to physical exercises and sports in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells, barbells or machines. People engage in weightlifting for a variety of different reasons. These can ...

* Sugar Plum Fairies (formed 2000 in Fyresdal – 2009), a folk and pop band

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 ...

* {{use dmy dates, date=January 2023 Municipalities of Telemark 1838 establishments in Norway