Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18

counties 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 ...

(''fylker'') in

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 ...

from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, after it was merged with Aust-Agder to form

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. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total population of Norway. Its area was about . The county administration was located in its largest city,

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality is the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 116,000 as of January 2020, following th ...

. Vest-Agder was a major source of timber for Dutch and later English shipping from the 16th century onwards. Historically, the area exported timber, wooden products,

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

herring Herring are various species of forage fish, belonging to the Order (biology), order Clupeiformes. Herring often move in large Shoaling and schooling, schools around fishing banks and near the coast, found particularly in shallow, temperate wate ...

, ships, and later nickel, paper, and ferrous and silica alloys. Compared to other

counties of Norway There are 15 counties in Norway. The 15 county, counties are administrative division, administrative regions that are the first-level administrative divisions of Norway. The counties are further subdivided into 357 municipalities of Norway, ...

, today's exports-intensive industry produces shipping and offshore equipment ( National Oilwell Varco), cranes ( Cargotec), ships ( Umoe Mandal, Flekkefjord Slip), wind turbine equipment, nickel (

Glencore Glencore plc is an Anglo-Swiss Multinational corporation, multinational commodity trading and mining company with headquarters in Baar, Switzerland, Baar, Switzerland. Glencore's oil and gas headquarters are in London, London, England as well a ...

), and solar industry microsilica ( Elkem). A major tourist attraction is Kristiansand Dyrepark. Vest-Agder grew to political prominence with the decision of King Christian IV to establish Kristiansand as a key naval base, trading centre, and bishopric in

1641 Events January–March * January 4 – The stratovolcano Mount Parker (Philippines), Mount Parker in the Philippines has a major eruption. * January 14 – Battle of Malacca (1641), The Battle of Malacca concludes with the D ...

, forcing urban citizens and merchants from all over Agder to settle in the city. The county had large-scale emigration to North America from the 1850s onwards.

General information

Name

The meaning of the name is "(the) western (part of)

". ''Lister og Mandal amt'' was created on 1 January 1662 and it consisted of the two old lens of '' Lister'' and

Mandal A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative c ...

. This name continued until 1 January 1919, when the name was changed to Vest-Agder.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 12 December 1958. They show an oak tree in yellow on a green background, representing the historic rich nature and oak woods in the area.

Geography

Vest-Agder is the western and southernmost part of the current county of

, extending inland from the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

and its arm, the

Skagerrak The Skagerrak (; , , ) is a strait running between the North Jutlandic Island of Denmark, the east coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea. The Skagerrak contains some of the busiest shipping ...

, to the southern fringes of Setesdalen, surrounded by the mountain range Setesdalsheiene. It includes the southernmost point of the entire country, Pysen island south of

, and the southernmost part of continental Norway, Lindesnes. It has a very broken and hilly surface. From the coast there are six

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 ...

s that stretch north into the county: Audnedalen,

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 Lyngdalsfjorde ...

, Kvinesdalen, Mandalen, Sirdalen, and Otradalen (which continues into Aust-Agder where it is called Setesdalen). Most of the habitation lies along the coast, including the towns

, Flekkefjord, and Farsund. About 31

fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...

s are located there. The northern portion is mountainous and sparsely settled, while the central upland

moors The term Moor is an Endonym and exonym, exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslims, Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a s ...

are used for pasturing of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

and

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

. Since the

Gulf Stream The Gulf Stream is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States, then veers east near 36°N latitude (North Carolin ...

touches the coast of Vest-Agder, it is also called "the Norwegian Riviera", and Agder as a whole is also called "The California of Norway".

History

The oldest ever remains of an 8,000+ year old human in Norway has been found at Søgne, she endured an almost exclusively marine diet. In Kristiansand, a ''Sarup''-style

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

funeral site from 3,400 BC has been excavated. Just before and after the onset of the

common era Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the ...

, the region was uniquely rich in sites dedicated to the God Ull (Ullr), and also had a semi-urban settlement at Oddernes (Kristiansand). Norway's first possible all-national king, Halvdan Svarte, was raised probably in the Kvinesdal valley at a matrimonial manor, his mother was presumably the daughter of King Harald of Agder. He was followed by his son King Harald Fairhair, who had his easternmost manor at Kongsgård near Kristiansand. Churches are known since Viking ages. Vest-Agder was not particularly preeminent in the later Viking and Medieval Ages.

(Vesterrisør) and Kristiansand (Ottrunes) had semi-urban trading centers from the 1300s onwards, but did not enjoy urban economic privileges until the 1632 (Mandal) and 1641 (Kristiansand). A general lack of agricultural fertility made the region remaining a relatively poor part of Norway through the centuries. In the 16th century, Dutch

merchant vessel A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which a ...

s began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase

and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...

. As the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

developed in the 17th century, it began to suffer from a severe labor shortage, and many families from Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder emigrated to the Netherlands, especially the coastal areas. In the 19th century, emigration to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

started. One of the most important causes of this emigration was the emergence of

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

s. While Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder historically had very strong positions in the manufacture and repair of

sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on Mast (sailing), masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing Square rig, square-rigged or Fore-an ...

s, the shift to steamships was poorly utilised and resulted in a cyclical slope for the shipbuilding and shipping industries. Emigration to the United States was a means of escaping from the high unemployment that followed. Many

Americans Americans are the Citizenship of the United States, citizens and United States nationality law, nationals of the United States, United States of America.; ; Law of the United States, U.S. federal law does not equate nationality with Race (hu ...

returning to the county after

became prosperous. This feature is particularly predominant in Kvinesdal and Farsund in the west, which maintains strong cultural links with the

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the area had substantial fortifications and German personnel, with major bases and airfields in Lista, Mandal and Kristiansand. Batterie Vara near Kristiansand was constructed as one out of two 40 cm coastal artillery forts covering the Skagerrak Sea in conjunction with a similar fort in northern Denmark. After the war, Kristiansand grew considerably whereas other cities lost much of their relative economic and demographic importance.

Municipalities

On 1 January 1838, all the counties were divided into local administrative units each with their own governments (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 number and borders of these

municipalities 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' ...

were based on 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 ...

es of 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 ...

. Over time the number and locations of these have changed, and at present there are 15 municipalities in Vest-Agder. The municipality of Åseral was part of the neighboring county of Nedenes until 1880, when it was moved to Vest-Agder.

Municipalities before 2020

Cities

* Alleen * Farsund * Flekkefjord *

Lyngdal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Lister Region, Lister. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Alleen ...

Parishes

* Austad * Bakke * Bjelland * Eiken (Egen) * Farsund * Feda * Finsland * Fjotland * Flekkefjord * Flekkerøy * Frelseren * Greipstad * Grim * Grindheim (Grindum) * Gyland * Halse (Halsaa) * Harkmark * Haughom * Hellemyr * Herad (Herred) * Hidra (Hitterø) * Holum (Holme) * Hægebostad (Øvre Kvinesdal) * Hægeland (Heggeland) * Hånes * Justvik * Konsmo * Korshamn *

* * Kvinesdal * Kvævemoen * Kvås (Qvås) * Laudal * Liknes, see Kvinesdal * Lista (Vanse) * Ljosland *

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

* Lunde *

* Nes * Nord-Audnedal * Netlandsnes *

Oddernes Oddernes is a List of boroughs of Kristiansand, borough in the Kristiansand (town), city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. The borough covers eastern Kristiansand on the east side of the Topda ...

* Randesund * Sirdal * Spangereid * Spind * Søgne * Old Søgne * Søm * Sør-Audnedal *

Tonstad Tonstad is the administrative centre of the municipality of Sirdal in Agder county, Norway. The village is located at the northern end of the lake Sirdalsvatnet in the Sirdalen valley. The village has a population (2015) of 874, giving the villa ...

* Torridal * Tveit * Valle * Vanse * Vennesla * Vestbygda * Vigmostad * Voie *

Vågsbygd Vågsbygd is a List of boroughs of Kristiansand, borough and district in the Kristiansand (town), city of Kristiansand which lies in the municipality of Kristiansand in Agder county, Norway. It is the largest borough and district in Kristiansand. ...

* Øvrebø * Øvre Sirdal * Øyslebø * Åknes * Åseral * Flekkefjord Branch (LDS, 1899–1904) * Kristiansand Branch (LDS, 1856–1912) * Kristiansand (Katolske Apostoliske, 1896–1925)

Villages

* Alleen * Andabeløy * Aukland * Austad * Ausvika * Birkeland * Bjelland * Bjørnestad * Breland * Brennåsen * Eik * Eiken * Eikerapen * Feda * Finsland * Fjotland * Fleseland * Grindheim * Grovane * Gyland * Haddeland * Harkmark * Heddeland * Homstean * Hægeland * Hæåk * Høllen * Høllen * Hånes * Ime * Justvik (Gjusvik) * Kilen * Kirkehavn * Knaben * Koland * Konsmo * Korshamn * Krossen * Kvås * Kyrkjebygda * Langenes * Laudal * Liknes * Ljosland * Lohne * Loshavn * Lunde, Sirdal * Lunde * Mosby * Mushom * Nodeland * Nodelandsheia * Ny-Hellesund * Ore * Randesund * Rasvåg * Røyknes * Sande * Skarpengland * Skofteland * Skomrak * Sira * Sirnes * Skålevik * Snartemo * Storekvina * Strai * Svenevig * Svenevik * Tangvall * Tingvatn *

* Trysnes * Tveit * Vanse * Ve * Vedderheia * Vennesla * Vestbygd * Vigeland * Vigmostad * Volleberg * Øvre Eikeland * Øvrebø * Øyslebø * Åknes * Ålefjær * Ålo * Åna-Sira * Åros * Åvik

Former Municipalities

* Austad * Bakke * Bjelland * Bjelland og Grindum * Eiken * Feda * Finsland * Fjotland * Greipstad * Grindheim * Gyland * Halse og Harkmark * Herad * Hidra * Holum * Hægeland * Konsmo * Kvås * Laudal * Lista * Nes * Nes og Hitterø * Nord-Audnedal *

* Randesund * Spangereid * Spind * Sør-Audnedal *

* Tveit * Undal * Vigmostad * Øvre Sirdal * Øvrebø * Øvrebø og Hægeland * Øyslebø * Øyslebø og Laudal

Notable residents

:People from Vest-Agder * Sofus Arctander (1845–1924), Liberal politician, Prime Minister for a brief period in 1905. * Bernt Balchen (1899–1973), aeronaut, WWII pilot, polar navigator, military officer. * Jens Bjørneboe (1920–1976), author and playwright. * Camilla Collett (Wergeland) (1813–1895), author, writer, feminist, emancipator. * Bjøro Håland, country & western musician. * Bjarne Lingås (1933–2011), heavyweight boxer, amateur (198, 14 losses) and professional (14, 2 losses). * Rolf Løvland, musician, composer, director, twice winning European Song Contest. * Herman Wedel Major (1814–1854, born in Ireland), regarded as the founder of modern psychiatry in Norway. * Svein Mathisen (1952–2011), football player for IK Start, Hibernian, and Norway. * Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway (1973–), Crown Princess of Norway. * Jørgen Moe (1813–1882), writer, folklorist ( Asbjørnsen og Moe), poet, bishop of Kristiansand. * Nicolai Tangen (1966), hedgefund investor, CEO of the Norwegian Soveregin Wealth Fund (NBIM) since 2020. * Christian Rynning-Tønnesen (1959–), business leader, CEO of Norske Skog, Statkraft. * Emanuel Vigeland (1875–1948), artist, sculptor, painter, creator of the Vigeland installation in Frogner Park in Oslo. * Gustav Vigeland (1869–1945), artist, sculptor, painter. * Henrik Wergeland (1808–1845), author, writer, playwright, educator, national archivar, bureaucrat, emancipator.

References

External links

* *
Vest-Agder fylkeskommune

Vest-Agder: Norway's southernmost county
{{Authority control Former counties of Norway 2020 disestablishments in Norway States and territories disestablished in 2020