Klepp
Encyclopedia
Klepp is a municipality
in Rogaland
county
, Norway
. The parish of Klep was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
).
Klepp, belonging to the traditional district of Jæren
, is a flat and open agricultural
landscape. The highest point, Tinghaug, is at 102 metres (334.6 ft) above sea level
. There are long stretches of sand beaches along the North Sea
coastline in the west.
The administrative centre is called Kleppe
(or Kleppekrossen), and is located in the centre of the municipality. The population around Kleppe is growing rapidly, mostly in the form of suburban single-family home
s, but also in the form of some apartment blocks.
There is a shopping mall, Jærhagen, in Kleppe.
Klepp has a sports club with a women's football team that plays in the top league in Norway. Norway's national women's football captain, Ane Stangeland Horpestad
, played for Klepp until her retirement from football at the end of 2008.
) is named after the old Klepp farm (Old Norse
: Kleppr), since the first church was built there. The inscription on the Klepp I Runestone
indicates that the name has been in use since the late 10th or early 11th century. The name is identical with the word kleppr which means "rocky hill". Before 1912, the name was written "Klep".
were granted on 18 February 1972. The arms features a cross, symbolic of the large stone cross which is standing on a grave hill in Krosshaug (from the Old Norse
word haugr meaning mound or barrow) in Klepp. The cross was considered a representative historic symbol for the municipality.
woods. The large stone cross standing on the grave hill Krosshaug dates from around 1000 AD and is possibly the oldest in Norway. It is adjacent to Tinghaug, the site for a local Thing
for many centuries during the Iron Age
. Tinghaug probably acted as a site for the local court and assembly for many centuries.
. Neighbouring municipalities are Hå
to the south, Time
to the south and east, Sola
and Sandnes
to the north. The coastline is agricultural and consists of, from south to north, the areas Orre, Reve
, Bore
and Sele
.
railway runs through Klepp along lake Frøylandsvatnet
. The village of Klepp stasjon
, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of Kleppe, is built around the train station.
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
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...
. The parish of Klep was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
).
Klepp, belonging to the traditional district of Jæren
Jæren
Jæren is a traditional district in the county of Rogaland. The others are Dalane, Ryfylke and Haugalandet.Jæren is the largest flat lowland area in Norway, stretching from the municipality of Randaberg in the north to Hå in the south. The coast is flat compared to the rest of the Norwegian coast,...
, is a flat and open agricultural
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
landscape. The highest point, Tinghaug, is at 102 metres (334.6 ft) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. There are long stretches of sand beaches along the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
coastline in the west.
The administrative centre is called Kleppe
Kleppe
Kleppe is a village in, and the administrative centre of, the municipality of Klepp, in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Kleppe, an abbreviated form of its former name Kleppekrossen, is in the centre of the municipality. The population around Kleppe is growing rapidly, mostly in the form of suburban...
(or Kleppekrossen), and is located in the centre of the municipality. The population around Kleppe is growing rapidly, mostly in the form of suburban single-family home
Single-family home
A single-family detached home, also called a single-detached dwelling or separate house is a free-standing residential building. It is defined in opposition to a multi-family dwelling.- Definitions :...
s, but also in the form of some apartment blocks.
There is a shopping mall, Jærhagen, in Kleppe.
Klepp has a sports club with a women's football team that plays in the top league in Norway. Norway's national women's football captain, Ane Stangeland Horpestad
Ane Stangeland Horpestad
Ane Stangeland Horpestad as Ane Stangeland, is a woman footballer from South-West Norway who has captained the Norwegian national team for three seasons and plays for Klepp in the top Norwegian league, the Toppserien, as a central defender. She is from the seaside village of Orre and lives in the...
, played for Klepp until her retirement from football at the end of 2008.
Name
The municipality (originally the parishParish
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...
) is named after the old Klepp 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....
: Kleppr), since the first church was built there. The inscription on the Klepp I Runestone
Klepp I Runestone
The Klepp I Runestone, listed as N 225 in the Rundata catalog, is one of two runestones from Klepp in Rogaland, Norway. It is among the few Viking Age runestones that was raised as a memorial to a woman.-Description:...
indicates that the name has been in use since the late 10th or early 11th century. The name is identical with the word kleppr which means "rocky hill". Before 1912, the name was written "Klep".
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...
were granted on 18 February 1972. The arms features a cross, symbolic of the large stone cross which is standing on a grave hill in Krosshaug (from the 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....
word haugr meaning mound or barrow) in Klepp. The cross was considered a representative historic symbol for the municipality.
History
The earliest traces of population in the municipality have been dated to around 6000 BC. At that time, the land was covered by large oakOak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
woods. The large stone cross standing on the grave hill Krosshaug dates from around 1000 AD and is possibly the oldest in Norway. It is adjacent to Tinghaug, the site for a local Thing
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
for many centuries during the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
. Tinghaug probably acted as a site for the local court and assembly for many centuries.
Geography
The municipality is located 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) south of StavangerStavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
. Neighbouring municipalities are Hå
Hå
Hå is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Hå is the southernmost municipality in the district Jæren.The parish of Haa was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . It was divided into Nærbø and Varhaug in 1894. The municipality of Hå was created after the merger of Nærbø, Varhaug,...
to the south, Time
Time, Norway
Time is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren. The administrative centre of Time is the town of Bryne.-Name:...
to the south and east, Sola
Sola
Sola is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren. The old municipality of Håland was divided into Sola and Madla in 1930....
and Sandnes
Sandnes
is a city and municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is part of the region of Jæren.-History:Sandnes was separated from Høyland as a municipality of its own in 1860, and gained city status the same year...
to the north. The coastline is agricultural and consists of, from south to north, the areas Orre, Reve
Reve
-People:*Gerard Reve, a Dutch writer*Emery Reves, a Hungarian-born writer, publisher, literary agent and advocate of world federalism*Karel van het Reve, a Dutch writer, translator and literary historian teaching and writing on Russian literature...
, Bore
Bore
Bore may refer to:* Bore , the diameter of a cylinder in a piston engine* Bore , the interior chamber of a wind instrument* Bore , a district of Ethiopia that includes the town of Bore* Boré, Mali...
and Sele
Sele
Sele may refer to:In places:*Sele, Norway, two villages with this name in Øygarden, Norway*Sele, West Sussex, an English hamlet*Sele Priory, a Benedictine monastery in modern day Upper Beeding, West Sussex...
.
Transportation
The JærbanenJærbanen
The Jæren Line long railway line between Stavanger and Egersund, in Jæren, Norway. The line is officially the western-most part of the Sørland Line. Owned by the Norwegian National Rail Administration, the line has double track from Stavanger Station to Sandnes Station, and single track from...
railway runs through Klepp along lake Frøylandsvatnet
Frøylandsvatnet
Frøylandsvatnet is a lake located in the district of Jæren in Norway. It forms part of the division line between the municipalities of Klepp and Time. The origin of the name is from the Norse god Frey...
. The village of Klepp stasjon
Klepp stasjon
Klepp stasjon is a village in the municipality of Klepp, located in the county of Rogaland, Norway. It is located by lake Frøylandsvatnet.When the Jærbanen railway was constructed in 1878, the administrative centre of Klepp was somewhat offset from the convenient path of the railway, so the...
, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) east of Kleppe, is built around the train station.
Economy
Klepp is the second largest agricultural municipality in Rogaland, with a total of around 600 farms. Kverneland Group, located in Øksnevad, is the largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment in the world.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...
- Pictures from Klepp