is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. 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 the municipality is the town of

Alleen Alleen or Lyngdal is a town which is the administrative centre of the municipality of Lyngdal in Agder county, Norway. It lies along the east side of the river Lygna, just north of the head of the Rosfjorden and northeast of the head of the Lyngd ...

. Some of the main villages in Lyngdal include Austad, Byremo, Fleseland,

Hæåk Hæåk is a very small farming village in Lyngdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located about northwest of the town of Lyngdal. Originally, the farm was not accessible by road, and only a few farmers lived there. However, i ...

, Konsmo, Korshamn,

Kvås Kvås is a village in Lyngdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located in the Lyngdalen valley, along the river Lygna, about northeast of the municipal centre of Alleen and about west of the village of Konsmo. The Kvås Chu ...

, Skomrak, Svenevik, and Vivlemo. The municipal economy centers around wood processing, agriculture, and commerce. Tourism is also central to the community, with the beaches along the Lyngdalsfjorden and Rosfjorden being popular resorts during the summer. The municipality is the 177th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lyngdal is the 107th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 10,751. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 10.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The parish of ''Aa'' was established as the municipality of Lyngdal on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January ...

law). On 1 January 1909, the municipality was split into three: Austad in the south (population: 1,263),

in the north (population: 736) and Lyngdal in the central area (population: 2,698). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipalities of Austad (population: 608), Kvås (population: 493), Lyngdal (population: 2,916) as well as the Gitlevåg area (population: 103) in Spangereid municipality, west of Lenesfjorden, were all merged to form one large municipality of Lyngdal. On 1 January 1971, the Ytre Skarstein and Indre Skarstein areas of Lyngdal (population: 21) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Farsund. On 1 January 2001, the municipality of Lyngdal declared that the municipal centre of

would be a town called ''

Lyngdal is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Alleen. Some of the main villages in Lyngdal include Austad, Byremo, Fleseland, Hæ� ...

''. On 1 January 2020, the neighboring municipality of Audnedal was merged into Lyngdal municipality.

Name

The municipality is named after the Lyngdalen valley ( non, Lygnudalr) since it is the valley in which the municipality is located. 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 can al ...

of the river name ''

Lygna Lygna or Lyngdalselva is a river in Agder county, Norway. The river runs from the mountains in northern Hægebostad municipality, through the Lyngdalen valley to the municipality of Lyngdal to its mouth at Alleen, where it runs into Lyngdalsfjo ...

''. This name comes from the word which means "quietness" or "calm". The last element is which means " valley" or "dale". Prior to 1908, the parish (but not the municipality) of Lyngdal was called ''Aa'', named after the vicarage. The name of the vicarage was first mentioned in 1312 as "a Am", the dative plural of ''á'' which means "(small) river". The farm lies between two rivers.

Coat of arms

The original coat of arms was granted on 27 March 1987 and in use until 1 January 2020 when the municipality was enlarged. The official blazon was "

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 vers ...

a cow statant argent" ( no, I grønt en stående sølv ku). This means the arms had a green field (background) and the charge was a cow that was facing to the left. The cow had a tincture of argent which meant it was commonly colored white, but if it was made out of metal, then silver was used. The cow was chosen since the local breed of cows () has been very well known across Norway since the 19th century. The yearly cattle fair traders from all over Southern Norway and Western Norway visit the municipality to get cows. The arms were designed by Torgeir Schjølberg. The current coat of arms was approved for use starting on 1 January 2020. The arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a tree on top of three wavy lines. The tree and wavy lines have a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The tree symbolizes growth. It has nine leaves symbolizing the nine main population centres within Lyngdal. The wavy lines represent waves and meadows. There are three white lines to represent the three large rivers in the municipality:

, Audna, and Mandalselva. The two green wavy lines (between the white wavy lines represent the two valleys in the municipality:

Lyngdalen Lyngdalen is a valley in Agder county, Norway. The long valley runs north-south through the municipalities of Hægebostad and Lyngdal. The valley follows the river Lygna from the mountain plateaus in northern Hægebostad to the Lyngdalsfjorden, ...

and Audnedalen. The arms were designed by Richard Haugland.

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

has five parishes () within the municipality of Lyngdal. It is part of the

Lister og Mandal prosti This list of churches in Agder og Telemark is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark in Agder and Vestfold og Telemark counties in southern Norway. The diocese is based at the Kristiansand Cathedral in the cit ...

(

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 residenc ...

) in the

Diocese of Agder og Telemark The Diocese of Agder og Telemark ( no, Agder og Telemark bispedømme) is a diocese of the Church of Norway, covering all of Agder county and most of Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. The cathedral city is Kristiansand, Norway's fifth larges ...

History

The island of

Sælør Korshamn or Korshavn is a fishing village in the southern part of Lyngdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located on the island of Revøy, located at the mouth of the Grønsfjorden. Korshamn lies about south of the vil ...

on the southern coast of the municipality is mentioned in Snorre, as the king Saint Olav spent a winter here in 1028. Based around the port of

Agnefest The Rosfjord or Rosfjorden is a fjord in Lyngdal municipality in Agder county, Norway. The long fjord runs from the town of Lyngdal to the North Sea in the south. The Austad peninsula lies on the east side of the fjord, with the village of Aust ...

, Lyngdal prospered on maritime trade, and in 1771 an application was made for status as a small coastal town. Its coastal location also facilitated emigration; in the 17th and 18th century largely to the Dutch Republic, and in the 19th century to the United States. Even before the merger of the municipalities in 1964, the parishes of Austad and Kvås, together with Å (or ''Aa'' - Lyngdal proper), made up the greater Lyngdal parish. A census from 1801 showed 3529 inhabitants in the area that today makes up Lyngdal: 1850 in Å, 929 in Austad, 585 in Kvås and 165 in the eastern part of Spangereid. The number today is approximately 8000 inhabitants. Religious life and missionary work have always had a strong position in Lyngdal, and worthy of special note is the minister Gabriel Kielland (1796–1854), who served in the parish from 1837 to 1854, and his wife Gustava (1800–1889). Known today as a missionary pioneer and a popular songwriter, Gustava also wrote one of the first autobiographies by a woman in Norway: her "''Reminiscence from my Life''" from 1880.

Geography

Lyngdal natural harbour Agnefest harbour official registered since 1771 - Norway Foto Wolfgang Pehlemann IMG 9432

Lyngdal is a coastal municipality that and borders Lindesnes municipality to the east, Evje og Hornnes and Åseral to the north, Hægebostad and Kvinesdal and Farsund to the west. Lyngdal municipality includes the southern portion of the

valley which follows the river

to the Lyngdalsfjorden in the west. The Lenesfjorden, Grønsfjorden, and Rosfjorden also are located in the southern part of Lyngdal. As part of Lyngdal village there is Agnefest on site in the south with a natural harbour at Rosfjorden; the harbour is registered since 1771.

Climate

Government

Lyngdal Municipality is responsible for

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

(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 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. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of

directly elected Direct election is a system of choosing political officeholders in which the voters directly cast ballots for the persons or political party that they desire to see elected. The method by which the winner or winners of a direct election are cho ...

representatives. The mayor is

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 old ...

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

Agder District Court Agder District Court ( no, Agder tingrett) 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 serves most of Agder county and ...

and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Lyngdal is made up of 29 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

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 responsibilities ...

( no, ordfører) of Lyngdal (incomplete list): *1838-1838: Abraham Severin Holbye *1842-1843: Abraham Kvelland *1844-1847: Aanen Bergsager *1849-1857: Aanen Bergsager *1858-1859: Lars Tallaksen Foss *1860-1861: Jørgen Thorsen *1862-1874: Aanen Bergsager *1878-1881: Eilert Paulsen Tjersland *1882-1893: Erik Jaabæk *1894-1901: Nils Tobias Larsen Foss *1902-1904: Erik Jaabæk *1905-1907: Nils Tobias Larsen Foss *1909-1912: Gabriel A. Svenevig *1913-1916: Karl B. Lehne *1917-1919: Jørgen Aarnæs *1920-1931: Olaus Kvaavik *1932-1934: Abel Fidjeland *1935-1937: Olaus Kvaavik *1938-1941: Abel Fidjeland *1942-1943: Olav Harveland ( NS) *1943-1945: Torleiv Seland ( NS) *1945-1947: Abel Fidjeland *1948-1955:

Mikal Grøvan Mikal Grøvan (15 February 1899 - 25 April 1956) was a Norwegian politician for the Liberal Party. He served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Vest-Agder Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') ...

*1956-1959: Olav Drangeid *1960-1963: Thorvald Hagen *1964-1967: Olav Benestvedt *1968-1975: Thorvald Hagen *1976-1979: Carl Johan Lehne ( H) *1980-1983: Oluf Opsahl *1984-1995: Anders Nøkland *1995-2007:

Hans Fredrik Grøvan Hans Fredrik Grøvan (born 1 November 1953) is a Norwegian politician for the Christian Democratic Party. He served as the party’s parliamentary leader from 2019 to 2021. Career Parliament He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Vest- ...

( KrF) *2007-2013:

Ingunn Foss Ingunn Foss (born 7 February 1960) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. She is Member of Parliament (Stortinget) for Vest-Agder County since 2013. She served as a deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Vest-Agder ...

( H) *2013-2023: Jan Kristensen ( H) *2023-present: Unni Nilsen Husøy ( FrP)

Transportation

Bus lines from/through Lyngdal Bus Terminal:

Notable people

Teis Lundegaard Theis Jacob Thorkildsen Lundegaard (8 October 1774 – 26 February 1856) was a Norwegian farmer, shipowner and politician. He represented Lister amt (now Vest-Agder) at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly in 1814. He was elected to the Parlia ...

(1774 in Austad – 1856), a Norwegian farmer, shipowner, and politician *

Abraham Berge Abraham Theodor Berge (20 August 1851 – 10 July 1936) was the 15th prime minister of Norway from 1923 to 1924. He was a teacher and civil servant who represented the Liberal Party, the social liberal party, and later Free-minded Liberal Party, a ...

(1851 in Lyngdal – 1936), a politician who was Prime Minister of Norway from 1923 to 1924 *

Kristian Andvord Kristian Feyer Andvord (17 May 185519 May 1934) was a Norwegian physician and medical researcher. He was a pioneer in the study and treatment of tuberculosis. He was born at Lyngdal in Vest-Agder as a son of parish priest Thorstein Rolfsen Andvord ...

(1855 in Lyngdal – 1934), a physician and medical researcher into tuberculosis *

Theodore Abrahamson Theodore Abrahamson (June 24, 1900 – October 21, 1978) was a dairy farmer, businessman and politician. He was a Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and Mayor of Tigerton, Wisconsin. Biography Abrahamson was born in Lyngdal, ...

(1900 in Lyngdal - 1978), a dairy farmer and politician; Mayor of

Tigerton, Wisconsin Tigerton is a village in Shawano County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 741 at the 2010 census. History The Lake Shore Railroad ran through the area from 1879 to 1981. Established in 1896, the village is named after Tiger Creek. ...

Kjell Elvis Kjell Henning Bjørnestad (born March 12, 1968), known as Kjell Elvis (or K. Elvis), is a Norwegian professional Elvis impersonator: He is an Elvis look alike and has had plastic surgery to look more like Elvis. He is also a sound alike and has r ...

(born 1968), a Norwegian professional Elvis Presley impersonator, lives in Lyngdal

Sport

* Ingvild Stensland (born 1981), a footballer, 144 caps for Norway women, grew up in Lyngdal *

Stefan Strandberg Ken Remi Stefan Strandberg (born 25 July 1990) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Eliteserien club Vålerenga and the Norway national team. Hailing from Lyngdal, Strandberg started his senior career for Mandals ...

(born 1990 in Lyngdal), a footballer with 230 club caps and 12 for Norway *

Zlatko Tripić Zlatko Tripić (born 2 December 1992) is a Norwegian-Bosnian footballer who plays as a winger for Viking FK. Club career Tripić was born in Rijeka, Croatia to Bosnian parents. When he was 9 months old, he moved to Norway with his parents and ...

(born 1992), a Norwegian-Bosnian footballer with over 200 club caps, grew up in Lyngdal *

Julian Ryerson Julian Ryerson (born 17 November 1997) is a Norwegian professional association football, footballer who plays as a right-back for club Borussia Dortmund and the Norway national football team, Norway national team. Career Ryerson signed for ...

(born 1997), a Norwegian-American footballer playing for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, born in Lyngdal.

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

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 yea ...

Municipal website
{{use dmy dates, date=December 2020 Municipalities of Agder 1838 establishments in Norway