Sigdal 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' ...

Buskerud Buskerud () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Innlandet, Vestland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Hardanger ...

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 ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of

Prestfoss Prestfoss is the administrative center of Sigdal municipality in Buskerud, Norway. Highway Fv287 passes through Prestfoss. Both Fv132 and Fv133 start from here. Summary The population of Pressfoss as of 2005 was 465. Prestfoss is located 1.5 ho ...

. The municipality of Sigdal was established 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 ...

). The area of

Krødsherad Krødsherad (''Krødsherad kommune'') is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Noresund. The municipality of Krødsherad was establ ...

was separated from Sigdal on 1 January 1901. The municipality has common borders with the municipalities of

Flå Flå is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Flå. The municipality of Flå was established when it was separated from the municipality of Nes on 1 January 1905. The munici ...

, Krødsherad,

Modum Modum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area has a long tradition of ...

Øvre Eiker Øvre Eiker is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hokksund. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into ''Øvre Eiker'' ...

Flesberg Flesberg is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lampeland. ...

Rollag Rollag is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rollag, al ...

, and

Nore og Uvdal Nore og Uvdal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rødberg. The area of ''Nore'' was separated from the municipality of ...

Name

The

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants ...

form of the name was ''Sigmardalr'' or ''Sigmudalr''. 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 a river name ''Sigm(a)'' (now called the

Simoa Simoa is the name of a river which flows through the municipalities of Sigdal and Modum in Buskerud County, Norway. Location The Simoa river runs from Lake Soneren through the municipality of Sigdal in a south-easterly course until it flows into ...

) and the last element is ''dalr'' 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". The Simoa river runs through Sigdal, flowing in a south-easterly course until it flows into

Drammenselva Drammenselva () is a river in Buskerud Counties of Norway, county, southeastern Norway. Location Drammenselva is one of the largest rivers in Norway, with a drainage basin of about and a Discharge (hydrology), discharge of per second. Drammen R ...

at Åmot in

Modum Municipality Modum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area has a long tradition of ...

. The meaning of the river name is unknown, but is maybe derived from ''síga'' which means to "ooze" or "slide".

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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achiev ...

is from modern times. They were granted on 18 November 1983. The arms show a heraldic image of the mountain that dominates the view around the village, the

Andersnatten Andersnatten is a mountain located at Eggedal in the municipality of Sigdal in Buskerud, Norway. Andersnatten is a distinctive, round-topped mountain that rises out of the valley floor. Norwegian artists Theodor Kittelsen and Christian Skredsv ...

. The profile of the mountain is yellow with a blue-colored sky above.

Geography and population

Most of the citizens live in the village of

Eggedal Eggedal is a valley and parish in Buskerud county, Norway. It consisting of the northwestern half of the municipality of Sigdal. Location Eggedal is located between Numedalsfjellene in the west and Norefjell in the east, stretching northwards ...

or the administrative centre of Prestfoss. Sigdal is densely populated, dominated by

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 ...

s and valleys. About 72% of the area is covered with

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, ...

, 20% is mountain areas, and 4% of the area is cultivated.

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 ...

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 ...

, and the kitchen-producing enterprise of ''Sigdal Kjøkken'' are still important industries.

Climate

Sigdal has a humid continental ( ''Dfb''), near subarctic climate ( ''Dfc''), '' Dsb'', and ''

Dsc DSC or Dsc may refer to: Education * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dyal Sin ...

'' (the dry-summer versions, respectively) at once. The average summer high is 69 F, and the average winter low is 20 F. Snowfall in winter is fairly reliable, at 68 days per year on average, and rainfall peaks in summer and early fall. The highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in Sigdal are 93 F (34 C) in July and-11 F (-24 C) in February, respectively.

Local Attractions

*Folk Music Center (''Folkemusikksenteret'') is a cultural heritage museum offering a good image of the building style and traditions of the district. The Folk Music Center is principally responsible for collecting, storing and promoting local folk music and dance. *Sigdal-Eggedal Museum is a regional museum for Krødsherad, Modum and Sigdal. This museum dedicated to the region's culture and history is arranged particularly authentically. *Vatnås Church (''Vatnås kirke'') is a historic church dating from 1660. *Lauvlia is the former home of

Theodor Kittelsen Theodor Severin Kittelsen (27 April 1857 – 21 January 1914) was a Norwegian artist. He is one of the most popular artists in Norway. Kittelsen became famous for his nature paintings, as well as for his illustrations of fairy tales and legend ...

, one of the most popular artists in Norway, who settled near Prestfoss during 1899. Today Lauvlia is a private museum featuring an exhibition of Kittelsen’s original work *

is a well-known mountain and landmark. The mountain has inspired painters visiting or living in Sigdal, notably

and Christian Skredsvig. It is recognized by mountain climbers as a tough challenge. Trillemarka langseterfjell

Protected areas in Sigdal Municipality

* Heimseteråsen nature reserve, established on 13 December 2002, 2,515 acres * Solevatn nature reserve, established 20 June 1986, 538 acres * Trillemarka nature reserve, established on 13 December 2002, 43,285 acres

Notable residents

* Christian Skredsvig (1854 - 1924) Norwegian artist and painter *

(1857 - 1914) Norwegian artist and painter * Erik Ramstad (1860 - 1951) Norwegian-American founder of

Minot, North Dakota Minot ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ward County, North Dakota, United States, in the state's north-central region. It is most widely known for the Air Force base approximately north of the city. With a population of 48,377 at the 2 ...

* Eileif Kolsrud (1873 – 1953) a Norwegian educator and politician, Mayor of Kristiansund * Gulbrand Hagen (1864 - 1919) Norwegian-American newspaper editor and writer * Olaf Solumsmoen (1896 - 1972) a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician * Olaf Knudson (1915 – 1996) politician, deputy mayor of Sigdal in the 1950s * Erling Kroken (1928-2007) a Norwegian ski jumper * Dag Aabye (born 1941) an endurance runner in British Columbia, ''"Father of Freeride Skiing"'' *

Anne-Lise Berntsen Anne-Lise Berntsen (28 August 1943 – 3 November 2012) was a Norwegian soprano. The daughter of Harald Berntsen (1901–1974) and Arnhild Rossetnes (1916–1991), she was born in Drammen, and grew up in Eggedal. She studied at the Mozarteum, S ...

(1943-2012) a Norwegian soprano * Grete Kummen (born 1952) a cross-country skier, competed at the

1976 Winter Olympics The 1976 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games (, ) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1976 (), were a winter multi-sport event celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from February 4 to 15, 1976. The games were awarded to Inn ...

* Josefine Frida Pettersen (born 1996) actress, played ''Noora Amalie Sætre'' in

NRK The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...

drama series Skam

Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Sigdal: *

Äänekoski Äänekoski () is a town in Finland, located in the Central Finland regions of Finland, region, about north of Jyväskylä, the region's capital city. Äänekoski has a population of , as of , and covers an area of of which , or 22%, is water. ...

Central Finland Central Finland (; ) is a Regions of Finland, region ( / ) in Finland. It borders the regions of Päijät-Häme, Pirkanmaa, South Ostrobothnia, Central Ostrobothnia, North Ostrobothnia, Northern Savonia, North Savo, and Southern Savonia, South S ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

Hveragerði Hveragerði (, "hot-spring yard") is a town and municipality in the south of Iceland, 45 km east of Reykjavík on Iceland's main ringroad, Route 1. The river Varmá runs through the town. With an area of 9 square kilometers, Hveragerði ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

Örnsköldsvik Örnsköldsvik (; ), often shortened to just Ö-vik, is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Örnsköldsvik Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden, with 32,953 inhabitants in 2017. Its natural harbour and archipelago is in th ...

Västernorrland County Västernorrland County () is a county ('' län'') in the north of Sweden. It is bordered by the counties of Gävleborg, Jämtland, Västerbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. The name ''Västernorrland'' means "Western Norrland", as it was in the ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Gallery

Image:Holmen kirke Sigdal.jpg, Holmen Church File:Haglebunatten 1.gif, Haglebunatten File:Solumsmoen kapell.jpg, Solumsmoen Chapel File:Haglebuvatna.jpg, Haglebuvatna

References

Other sources

*Mørch, Andreas & Thormod Skatvedt ''Sigdal og Eggedal'' (Sigdal og Eggedal, 1914) *Mørch, Andreas ''Frå gamle dagar. Folkeminne frå Sigdal og Eggedal'' (

Norsk Folkeminnelag Norsk folkeminnelag (NFL) Norwegian Folklore Societyfounded in 1920, is a voluntary, non-profit cultural organization communicating and disseminating traditional folk poetry and customs. Society protects collected materials through book releases, ...

: 1932)

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 ...

*
Kunstnerdalen, Valley of ArtistsSigdal & Eggedal Tourist ServiceSigdalslagSigdal Kommune official webpage

Krødsherad, Sigdal and Modum

Information and news from Sigdal and Eggedal
{{Buskerud Municipalities of Buskerud Ringerike (traditional district)