Evje og Hornnes
Encyclopedia
Evje og Hornnes is a municipality in Aust-Agder
county
, Norway
. It is located in the traditional region
of Setesdal
. Evje og Hornnes was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1960 after the merger of the two older municipalities of Evje
and Hornnes
.
municipality to Evje og Hornnes.
and Hornnes
were joined in 1960 with the compound name Evje og Hornnes.
The municipality (originally the parish
) of Evje is named after an old Evje farm (Old Norse
: Efja), since the first church was built there. The name is identical with the word efja which means "eddy
".
The municipality (originally the parish) of Hornnes is named after an old Hornnes farm (Old Norse: Hornnes), since the first church was built there. The first element is horn which means "horn
" and the last element is nes which means "headland
". So the meaning of Hornnes is "the headland shaped like a horn".
is from modern times. They were granted on 24 April 1992. The arms show two mining wagons as mining
has been of great importance for the area already for many centuries. One of Europe
's largest nickel
mines is in the municipality.
mine for a period. Flåt mine came into operation in 1844 as a copper
mine. From 1872 until 1946 it was mined for nickel. At the point operations were terminated, it was 422 metres (1,384.5 ft) deep (reaching below sea level). Over three million tons of ore were removed and refined into 14,500 tons of copper and 20,000 tons of nickel. Local mining technology and mine history can be seen at the museum at Fennefoss.
Evjemoen
was a Norwegian military
camp in use from 1912 to 2002. The camp lies south of Evje in Evje og Hornnes municipality. From 1953 to 1995 Evjemoen was used as a training area for Infanteriets øvingsavdeling II (IØ2). It was retired in December 2002.
and Froland
, in the southeast by Birkenes
, and Iveland
. To the west in Vest-Agder
county it is bounded by Åseral
, Audnedal
, Marnardal
, and Vennesla
municipalities.
The Otra
river which flows through Evje og Hornnes is the largest river in the Sørlandet district. It flows from the Setesdalsheiene
in Bykle
municipality in Aust-Agder
in the north down to the municipality of Kristiansand
in the south. The lake Kilefjorden
is part of the Otra river, along the southern part of the municipality.
The lake Gyvatn
is located along the border with Bygland and Åseral. The lake Høvringsvatnet
is located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northeast of the municipal center of Evje.
, the exposed section of the East European craton
. Rocks in the area are dominated by different types of precambrian gneis and a large metagabbro body stretching into the neighboring Iveland municipality.
During the final stages of Sveconorwegian (0,9-1,1 Ga) orogeny
, a large pluton
of granitic
/monzonitic
composition was emplaced in the northern part of the municipality, and is assumed to have a relationship with the thousands of pegmatite
veins in the Evje-Iveland area.
Earlier during the Sveconorwegian orogeny mafic rocks (gabbro
-diorite
) were emplaced. Most of the gabbro has been affected by the Sveconorwegian orogeny and became a metagabbro (amfibolite) with only minor remnants of the original gabbro. The Flåt Nickel Mine is situated at the north-western margin in a diorite intrusion post-dating the gabbro.
The pegmatites of the Evje-Iveland area have become worldwide known for a large number of rare and often beautifully crystallized minerals.
The pegmatites were initially mined for quartz
, used in the melter at Fennefoss to extract the nickel from the ore from the Flåt Nickel Mine. Later large quantities of feldspar
were mined for use in the ceramic
industry, both in Norway and abroad. Also mica
(muscovite
), beryl
, rare earth elements—containing minerals, scandium
ore, and minor quantities of uranium
ore were mined.
After 1983, almost all mines were abandoned, and nowadays only minor quantities of "tannspat" or dentalspat are mined in a 1-2 mines. This is microcline
or plagioclase
feldspar of very high purity, and used to make porcelain
teeth-fillings or dentures
. The tannspat is exported to Germany
, Liechtenstein
, Austria
, and sometimes Japan
.
A number of the mines is still open to mineral collectors who hope to find some of the beautiful crystals the area is known for.
, quartz
, feldspar
, mica
, beryl
, REE-minerals, scandium
, and uranium
ore have been exploited. Nowadays only ultra-pure feldspar for dental applications is being mined.
Tourism
is a major source of income for the entire area. During the summer many thousands of tourist visit Evje. It is possible to walk for hours in the beautiful hills and forests without encountering any other people. There are many outdoor activities: rafting http://www.trollaktiv.no, rock climbing, biking, cross country skiing, kayaking, canoeing, paddling, water skiing, riverboarding, swimming, fishing, mineral collecting, mine excursions etc. Additionally there are several museum
s and farms open to visitors.
The lively shopping center of Evje is of regional importance.
In addition there is some industry, among which a wellknown producer of fiberglass
boat
s, Skibsplast.
The Evje og Hornnes Geomuseum på Fennesfoss is part of the larger Setesdalsmuseet, which has its main seat in Rysstad, Valle municipality. The geomuseum has an extensive collection of local minerals, most notably minerals from the pegmatite veins in the Evje-Iveland district. These pegmatites have been exploited for quartz, feldspar, mica, beryl, thortveitite
, REE-containing minerals and uraninite
. In addition, excellent gemstone material has been found: aquamarine, gold beryl, rock crystal, smoky quartz, citrine, spessartine
and amazonite
. The geomuseum has excellent samples of all these minerals. Marie Curie
had several consignments of radioactive minerals sent to her from this region. The museum includes a collection of laboratory equipment, among which an electroscope with "Pierre Curie" engraved.
The Setesdal Mineralpark is located at Auensneset, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Evje. The displays are entirely constructed in underground mining adits. The collection consists of more than 1000 foreign and Norwegian minerals. The Setesdal Mineralpark is internationally acclaimed to be a unique museum, with a collection of very high quality. The Evje-Iveland district is known for its mineral richness and is yearly visited by thousands of collectors trying their luck in one of the pegmatite mines.
The Flåt nickel mine is situated a couple of hundreds of meters behind the Evje Mineralsti, and has been Europe's largest nickel mine. The mine was operated from 1844 initially as a copper mine, but from 1872 to 1946 as a nickel mine. The upper parts of the Flåt Nickel Mine is open to visitors and during the summer there are daily guided tours.
The five pegmatite quarries at the 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long Evje Mineralsti are accessible to collectors against a modest fee. Here it is possible to collect excellent samples of amazonite, different types of quartz, fluorite, pyrite and many others. It is also possible to find beautiful samples of the pegmatite rock, with feldspar/quartz/mica that could be used in your garden. The first mine, Landsverk I, is also the most mineral-rich pegmatite of the entire Evje-Iveland district, and internationally known for an exciting suit of minerals, many of which occur in good crystals.
The Oddestemmen Steinsliperi is probably the only remaining old-fashioned stone-cutter workshop left in Norway. The workshop specializes in the cabochon
technique and produces silver jewelry with stones from own production.
The Evje-Iveland area is famous for its mineral richness and is visited by thousands of collectors and mineral-minded people every year. In the area several of the old pegmatite mines are open to collectors on a fee-basis. During the 2008 season the following mines are open: Birkeland, Håvarstad, Knipane, Litjønn, Slobrekka, Solås, Steli (all in Iveland), and Evje Mineralsti (in Evje).
In all these mines it is possible to collect nice samples of the basic minerals: quartz, feldspar and mica. Additionally it is possible to find many other different minerals, varying from mine to mine. A valid collecting permit is necessary in order to be allowed to collect minerals at these places. It is not allowed to collect in any of the other mines without prior, explicit permission of the owner of the mine.
is a large inland lake 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) in length situated in the Bygland municipality, just north of the Evje og Hornnes municipality. It is part of the Otra river. The lake provides swimming and fishing opportunities.
The only wood-burning steamboat in the country, the "Bjoren", provides tourist trips on Byglandsfjorden. It was built in 1866.
Aust-Agder
is a county in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland, and Vest-Agder. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is . The administrative center of the county is in Arendal....
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It is located in the traditional region
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...
of Setesdal
Setesdal
Setesdal is a valley and a traditional district in Aust-Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes....
. Evje og Hornnes was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1960 after the merger of the two older municipalities of Evje
Evje
Evje is a village and former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The village of Evje is the administrative center of the current municipality of Evje og Hornnes in the Setesdal valley region...
and Hornnes
Hornnes
Hornnes is a village and a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. Hornnes is located in the present-day municipality of Evje og Hornnes in the traditional district of Setesdal...
.
General information
During the 1960s, Norway enacted many municipal reforms such as mergers and border adjustments, and the municipality of Evje og Hornnes was established during this time. On 1 January 1960, the neighboring municipalities of Evje (population: 1,646) and Hornnes (population: 1,280) were merged together to form Evje og Hornnes. On 1 January 1986, the Lislevand farm area (population: 8) was transferred from neighboring BirkenesBirkenes
Birkenes is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The village of Birkeland is the administrative center and about half of the municipality's residents live there...
municipality to Evje og Hornnes.
Name
The municipalities of EvjeEvje
Evje is a village and former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The village of Evje is the administrative center of the current municipality of Evje og Hornnes in the Setesdal valley region...
and Hornnes
Hornnes
Hornnes is a village and a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. Hornnes is located in the present-day municipality of Evje og Hornnes in the traditional district of Setesdal...
were joined in 1960 with the compound name Evje og Hornnes.
The municipality (originally the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
) of Evje is named after an old Evje farm (Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
: Efja), since the first church was built there. The name is identical with the word efja which means "eddy
Eddy current
Eddy currents are electric currents induced in conductors when a conductor is exposed to a changing magnetic field; due to relative motion of the field source and conductor or due to variations of the field with time. This can cause a circulating flow of electrons, or current, within the body of...
".
The municipality (originally the parish) of Hornnes is named after an old Hornnes farm (Old Norse: Hornnes), since the first church was built there. The first element is horn which means "horn
Horn (anatomy)
A horn is a pointed projection of the skin on the head of various animals, consisting of a covering of horn surrounding a core of living bone. True horns are found mainly among the ruminant artiodactyls, in the families Antilocapridae and Bovidae...
" and the last element is nes which means "headland
Headland
A headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...
". So the meaning of Hornnes is "the headland shaped like a horn".
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is from modern times. They were granted on 24 April 1992. The arms show two mining wagons as mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
has been of great importance for the area already for many centuries. One of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's largest nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
mines is in the municipality.
History
Flåt mine in Evje og Hornnes municipality was Europe’s largest nickelNickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
mine for a period. Flåt mine came into operation in 1844 as a copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
mine. From 1872 until 1946 it was mined for nickel. At the point operations were terminated, it was 422 metres (1,384.5 ft) deep (reaching below sea level). Over three million tons of ore were removed and refined into 14,500 tons of copper and 20,000 tons of nickel. Local mining technology and mine history can be seen at the museum at Fennefoss.
Evjemoen
Evjemoen
Evjemoen was a Norwegian military camp in use from 1912 to 2002. The camp lies south of Evje in Evje og Hornnes municipality in the county of Aust-Agder. From 1953 to 1995 Evjemoen was used as a training area for Infanteriets øvingsavdeling II...
was a Norwegian military
Norwegian Armed Forces
The Norwegian Armed Forces numbers about 23,000 personnel, including civilian employees. According to mobilisation plans , the strength during full mobilisation would be approximately 83,000 combatant personnel. Norway has mandatory military service for men and voluntary service for women...
camp in use from 1912 to 2002. The camp lies south of Evje in Evje og Hornnes municipality. From 1953 to 1995 Evjemoen was used as a training area for Infanteriets øvingsavdeling II (IØ2). It was retired in December 2002.
Geography
Evje og Hornnes is bordered in Aust-Agder county on the northeast by the municipalities of ByglandBygland
Bygland is a municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. The municipal center is the village of Bygland. Other villages in the municipality include Byglandsfjord, Lauvdal, and Åraksbø...
and Froland
Froland
Froland is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Blakstad, which along with Osedalen form the main population center of the municipality....
, in the southeast by Birkenes
Birkenes
Birkenes is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The village of Birkeland is the administrative center and about half of the municipality's residents live there...
, and Iveland
Iveland
Iveland is a village and municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Birketveit.-General information:...
. To the west in Vest-Agder
Vest-Agder
In the 16th century, Dutch merchant vessels began to visit ports in southern Norway to purchase salmon and other goods. Soon thereafter the export of timber began, as oak from southern Norway was exceptionally well suited for shipbuilding...
county it is bounded by Åseral
Åseral
Åseral is a municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. The administrative center is the village of Kyrkjebygda.The parish of Bjelland had to be divided into two formannskapsdistrikts on 1 January 1838. This is because the main part of Bjelland belonged to the county of Vest-Agder, while the annex...
, Audnedal
Audnedal
Audnedal is a municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway. The new municipality of Audnedal was created on 1 January 1964 after the merger of Grindheim and Konsmo....
, Marnardal
Marnardal
Marnardal is a municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. Marnardal was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 through the merger of the former municipalities of Bjelland, Laudal, and Øyslebø....
, and Vennesla
Vennesla
Vennesla is a municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. Vennesla was separated from Øvrebø in 1861. Øvrebø and Hægeland were merged with Vennesla again on 1 January 1964...
municipalities.
The Otra
Otra
The Otra river is the largest river in the Sørlandet region of Norway. It flows from the Setesdalsheiene mountains in Bykle municipality in Aust-Agder county in the north, down to the municipality of Kristiansand in the south, where it flows into the Skagerrak.The Otra is long, making it Norway’s...
river which flows through Evje og Hornnes is the largest river in the Sørlandet district. It flows from the Setesdalsheiene
Setesdalsheiene
Setesdalsheiene is the collective term for the mountains to the west and east of the Setesdalen valley in Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder counties in Southern Norway. The river Otra flows through the valley between the mountains....
in Bykle
Bykle
Bykle is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Setesdal. The administrative center is the village of Bykle in the southern part of the municipality. Another village nearby is Nordbygdi...
municipality in Aust-Agder
Aust-Agder
is a county in Norway, bordering Telemark, Rogaland, and Vest-Agder. In 2002, there were 102,945 inhabitants, which is 2.2% of the total population in Norway. Its area is . The administrative center of the county is in Arendal....
in the north down to the municipality of Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
in the south. The lake Kilefjorden
Kilefjorden
Kilefjorden is a lake in the municipalities of Evje og Hornnes and Iveland in Aust-Agder county and Vennesla in Vest-Agder county, Norway. The lake is part of the Otra river and was home to the steamship Bjoren from 1866–1896 when it was moved to the Byglandsfjorden.The lake is located about...
is part of the Otra river, along the southern part of the municipality.
The lake Gyvatn
Gyvatn
Gyvatn is a lake which straddles the borders of the three Norwegian municipalities of Bygland and Evje og Hornnes and Åseral . It's located about northwest of the village of Byglandsfjord and the lake Byglandsfjorden....
is located along the border with Bygland and Åseral. The lake Høvringsvatnet
Høvringsvatnet
Høvringsvatnet is a lake in the municipality of Evje og Hornnes in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It's located about northeast of the village area of Evje and about southeast of the village area of Byglandsfjord...
is located about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) northeast of the municipal center of Evje.
Geology
The Evje og Hornnes municipality is situated at the south-western margin of the Baltic ShieldBaltic Shield
The Baltic Shield is located in Fennoscandia , northwest Russia and under the Baltic Sea. The Baltic Shield is defined as the exposed Precambrian northwest segment of the East European Craton...
, the exposed section of the East European craton
East European craton
The East European craton is the core of the Baltica proto-plate and consists of three crustal regions/segments: Fennoscandia to the northwest, Volgo-Uralia to the east, and Sarmatia to the south...
. Rocks in the area are dominated by different types of precambrian gneis and a large metagabbro body stretching into the neighboring Iveland municipality.
During the final stages of Sveconorwegian (0,9-1,1 Ga) orogeny
Orogeny
Orogeny refers to forces and events leading to a severe structural deformation of the Earth's crust due to the engagement of tectonic plates. Response to such engagement results in the formation of long tracts of highly deformed rock called orogens or orogenic belts...
, a large pluton
Pluton
A pluton in geology is a body of intrusive igneous rock that crystallized from magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Plutons include batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, lopoliths, and other igneous bodies...
of granitic
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
/monzonitic
Monzonite
Monzonite is an intermediate igneous intrusive rock composed of approximately equal amounts of sodic to intermediate plagioclase and orthoclase feldspars with minor amounts of hornblende, biotite and other minerals...
composition was emplaced in the northern part of the municipality, and is assumed to have a relationship with the thousands of pegmatite
Pegmatite
A pegmatite is a very crystalline, intrusive igneous rock composed of interlocking crystals usually larger than 2.5 cm in size; such rocks are referred to as pegmatitic....
veins in the Evje-Iveland area.
Earlier during the Sveconorwegian orogeny mafic rocks (gabbro
Gabbro
Gabbro refers to a large group of dark, coarse-grained, intrusive mafic igneous rocks chemically equivalent to basalt. The rocks are plutonic, formed when molten magma is trapped beneath the Earth's surface and cools into a crystalline mass....
-diorite
Diorite
Diorite is a grey to dark grey intermediate intrusive igneous rock composed principally of plagioclase feldspar , biotite, hornblende, and/or pyroxene. It may contain small amounts of quartz, microcline and olivine. Zircon, apatite, sphene, magnetite, ilmenite and sulfides occur as accessory...
) were emplaced. Most of the gabbro has been affected by the Sveconorwegian orogeny and became a metagabbro (amfibolite) with only minor remnants of the original gabbro. The Flåt Nickel Mine is situated at the north-western margin in a diorite intrusion post-dating the gabbro.
The pegmatites of the Evje-Iveland area have become worldwide known for a large number of rare and often beautifully crystallized minerals.
The pegmatites were initially mined for quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, used in the melter at Fennefoss to extract the nickel from the ore from the Flåt Nickel Mine. Later large quantities of feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
were mined for use in the ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
industry, both in Norway and abroad. Also mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
(muscovite
Muscovite
Muscovite is a phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula KAl22, or 236. It has a highly-perfect basal cleavage yielding remarkably-thin laminæ which are often highly elastic...
), beryl
Beryl
The mineral beryl is a beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al26. The hexagonal crystals of beryl may be very small or range to several meters in size. Terminated crystals are relatively rare...
, rare earth elements—containing minerals, scandium
Scandium
Scandium is a chemical element with symbol Sc and atomic number 21. A silvery-white metallic transition metal, it has historically been sometimes classified as a rare earth element, together with yttrium and the lanthanoids...
ore, and minor quantities of uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
ore were mined.
After 1983, almost all mines were abandoned, and nowadays only minor quantities of "tannspat" or dentalspat are mined in a 1-2 mines. This is microcline
Microcline
Microcline is an important igneous rock-forming tectosilicate mineral. It is a potassium-rich alkali feldspar. Microcline typically contains minor amounts of sodium. It is common in granite and pegmatites. Microcline forms during slow cooling of orthoclase; it is more stable at lower temperatures...
or plagioclase
Plagioclase
Plagioclase is an important series of tectosilicate minerals within the feldspar family. Rather than referring to a particular mineral with a specific chemical composition, plagioclase is a solid solution series, more properly known as the plagioclase feldspar series...
feldspar of very high purity, and used to make porcelain
Porcelain
Porcelain is a ceramic material made by heating raw materials, generally including clay in the form of kaolin, in a kiln to temperatures between and...
teeth-fillings or dentures
Dentures
Dentures are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth, and which are supported by surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable, however there are many different denture designs, some which rely on bonding or clasping onto teeth or dental...
. The tannspat is exported to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein
The Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over , and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz. The biggest town is Schaan...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and sometimes Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
A number of the mines is still open to mineral collectors who hope to find some of the beautiful crystals the area is known for.
Economy
The area is internationally known for its interesting geology and its mineral richness. Deposits of nickelNickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
, quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, feldspar
Feldspar
Feldspars are a group of rock-forming tectosilicate minerals which make up as much as 60% of the Earth's crust....
, mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
, beryl
Beryl
The mineral beryl is a beryllium aluminium cyclosilicate with the chemical formula Be3Al26. The hexagonal crystals of beryl may be very small or range to several meters in size. Terminated crystals are relatively rare...
, REE-minerals, scandium
Scandium
Scandium is a chemical element with symbol Sc and atomic number 21. A silvery-white metallic transition metal, it has historically been sometimes classified as a rare earth element, together with yttrium and the lanthanoids...
, and uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
ore have been exploited. Nowadays only ultra-pure feldspar for dental applications is being mined.
Tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
is a major source of income for the entire area. During the summer many thousands of tourist visit Evje. It is possible to walk for hours in the beautiful hills and forests without encountering any other people. There are many outdoor activities: rafting http://www.trollaktiv.no, rock climbing, biking, cross country skiing, kayaking, canoeing, paddling, water skiing, riverboarding, swimming, fishing, mineral collecting, mine excursions etc. Additionally there are several museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s and farms open to visitors.
The lively shopping center of Evje is of regional importance.
In addition there is some industry, among which a wellknown producer of fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
s, Skibsplast.
Geology
- Geomuseum in Fennefoss
The Evje og Hornnes Geomuseum på Fennesfoss is part of the larger Setesdalsmuseet, which has its main seat in Rysstad, Valle municipality. The geomuseum has an extensive collection of local minerals, most notably minerals from the pegmatite veins in the Evje-Iveland district. These pegmatites have been exploited for quartz, feldspar, mica, beryl, thortveitite
Thortveitite
Thortveitite is a mineral consisting of scandium yttrium silicate 2Si2O7. It is the primary source of scandium. Occurrence is in granitic pegmatites. It was named after Olaus Thortveit, Norwegian engineer. It is greyish-green, black or grey in color....
, REE-containing minerals and uraninite
Uraninite
Uraninite is a radioactive, uranium-rich mineral and ore with a chemical composition that is largely UO2, but also contains UO3 and oxides of lead, thorium, and rare earth elements...
. In addition, excellent gemstone material has been found: aquamarine, gold beryl, rock crystal, smoky quartz, citrine, spessartine
Spessartine
Spessartine previously named spessartite, is a nesosilicate, manganese aluminium garnet species, Mn3Al23.The name is a derivative of Spessart in Bavaria, Germany, the type locality of the mineral. It occurs most often in granite pegmatite and allied rock types and in certain low grade metamorphic...
and amazonite
Amazonite
Amazonite is a green variety of microcline feldspar.The name is taken from that of the Amazon River, from which certain green stones were formerly obtained, but it is doubtful whether green feldspar occurs in the Amazon area.Amazonite is a mineral of limited occurrence...
. The geomuseum has excellent samples of all these minerals. Marie Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
had several consignments of radioactive minerals sent to her from this region. The museum includes a collection of laboratory equipment, among which an electroscope with "Pierre Curie" engraved.
- Setesdal Mineralpark
The Setesdal Mineralpark is located at Auensneset, 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of Evje. The displays are entirely constructed in underground mining adits. The collection consists of more than 1000 foreign and Norwegian minerals. The Setesdal Mineralpark is internationally acclaimed to be a unique museum, with a collection of very high quality. The Evje-Iveland district is known for its mineral richness and is yearly visited by thousands of collectors trying their luck in one of the pegmatite mines.
- Flåt nickel mine
The Flåt nickel mine is situated a couple of hundreds of meters behind the Evje Mineralsti, and has been Europe's largest nickel mine. The mine was operated from 1844 initially as a copper mine, but from 1872 to 1946 as a nickel mine. The upper parts of the Flåt Nickel Mine is open to visitors and during the summer there are daily guided tours.
- Evje mineral trail
The five pegmatite quarries at the 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) long Evje Mineralsti are accessible to collectors against a modest fee. Here it is possible to collect excellent samples of amazonite, different types of quartz, fluorite, pyrite and many others. It is also possible to find beautiful samples of the pegmatite rock, with feldspar/quartz/mica that could be used in your garden. The first mine, Landsverk I, is also the most mineral-rich pegmatite of the entire Evje-Iveland district, and internationally known for an exciting suit of minerals, many of which occur in good crystals.
- Oddestemmen steinsliperi
The Oddestemmen Steinsliperi is probably the only remaining old-fashioned stone-cutter workshop left in Norway. The workshop specializes in the cabochon
Cabochon
A cabochon , from the Middle French caboche , is a gemstone which has been shaped and polished as opposed to faceted. The resulting form is usually a convex top with a flat bottom. Cutting en cabochon is usually applied to opaque gems, while faceting is usually applied to transparent stones...
technique and produces silver jewelry with stones from own production.
- Mineral tourism
The Evje-Iveland area is famous for its mineral richness and is visited by thousands of collectors and mineral-minded people every year. In the area several of the old pegmatite mines are open to collectors on a fee-basis. During the 2008 season the following mines are open: Birkeland, Håvarstad, Knipane, Litjønn, Slobrekka, Solås, Steli (all in Iveland), and Evje Mineralsti (in Evje).
In all these mines it is possible to collect nice samples of the basic minerals: quartz, feldspar and mica. Additionally it is possible to find many other different minerals, varying from mine to mine. A valid collecting permit is necessary in order to be allowed to collect minerals at these places. It is not allowed to collect in any of the other mines without prior, explicit permission of the owner of the mine.
Byglandsfjorden
The ByglandsfjordenByglandsfjorden
Byglandsfjorden is a lake in the municipalities of Bygland and Evje og Hornnes in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is part of the river Otra, flowing out of the Åraksfjorden...
is a large inland lake 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) in length situated in the Bygland municipality, just north of the Evje og Hornnes municipality. It is part of the Otra river. The lake provides swimming and fishing opportunities.
The only wood-burning steamboat in the country, the "Bjoren", provides tourist trips on Byglandsfjorden. It was built in 1866.
Otra
The Otra river is the largest river in the south of Norway. It springs from the Setesdalsheiene in the Bykle municipality in the Aust-Agder county and runs southwards to Kristiansand in the Vest-Agder county, where it runs out in the sea. The Otra is known as an excellent river for salmon fishing all the way up to Vigeland in the Vennesla municipality. The Byglandsfjord -a very wide part of the Otra- is known for a rare salmon variety, the "bleka" or "bleke". The Otra is extensively used for outdoor activities, like rafting, paddling, swimming and fishing.TrollAktiv
TrollAktiv AS is located at Syrtveit, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) north from Evje centre on route 9. TrollAktiv offers many different activities throughout the entire summer from April to October. The white water rafting trip is one of the most exciting in Norway. Trips last 3 hours and run twice daily with all equipment and instruction provided. In addition to the many activities on offer TrollAktiv has accommodation in a Youth Hostel, cabins and teepee tents.External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway 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 releases are published both in Norwegian and English...
- Municipal website
- Setesdal.com
- Kultur i Evje og Hornnes på kart (map)
- Evje og Hornnes Geomuseum på Fennefoss
- Iveland Kommunehus
- Setesdal Mineralpark