Åseral
Encyclopedia
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 formannskapsdistrikt
s on 1 January 1838. This is because the main part of Bjelland belonged to the county of Vest-Agder, while the annex Aaseral belonged to the county of Aust-Agder
. Åseral was transferred from the county of Aust-Agder to the county of Vest-Agder on 1 September 1880.
It is an inland municipality, bordering on the county
of Aust-Agder in the east and north. In the south, it borders on the municipality of Audnedal
, in the south-east on Hægebostad
, and in the west on Kvinesdal
.
form of the name was Ásaráll. The first part of the word is probably the genitive case
of áss (m
.), meaning "mountain ridge". The last part, áll (m.) means "long strip", probably referring to the long and narrow lake Øre
.
(to represent agriculture
, forestry
, and good luck).
s: Bortelid, Ljosland, and Eikerapen. Eikerapen is also the site of the annual Eikerapen Roots Festival
, an international music festival attracting thousands of people from all over Europe
.
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
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
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 administrative center is the village of Kyrkjebygda
Kyrkjebygda
Kyrkjebygda is the administrative centre of Åseral municipality, Norway....
.
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 Bjelland
Bjelland
Bjelland is a village and a former municipality in Vest-Agder county in Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Marnardal.-History:...
had to be divided into two 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...
s on 1 January 1838. This is because the main part of Bjelland belonged to the county of Vest-Agder, while the annex Aaseral belonged to the county of 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....
. Åseral was transferred from the county of Aust-Agder to the county of Vest-Agder on 1 September 1880.
It is an inland municipality, bordering on the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Aust-Agder in the east and north. In the south, it borders on the municipality of 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....
, in the south-east on Hægebostad
Hægebostad
Hægebostad is a municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. Hægebostad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
, and in the west on Kvinesdal
Kvinesdal
Kvinesdal is a municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway.Kvinesdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Feda was separated from Kvinesdal on 1 January 1900 but again merged with Kvinesdal on 1 January 1963. Fjotland was also merged with Kvinesdal on that date...
.
Name
The Old NorseOld 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....
form of the name was Ásaráll. The first part of the word is probably the genitive case
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of áss (m
Grammatical gender
Grammatical gender is defined linguistically as a system of classes of nouns which trigger specific types of inflections in associated words, such as adjectives, verbs and others. For a system of noun classes to be a gender system, every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be...
.), meaning "mountain ridge". The last part, áll (m.) means "long strip", probably referring to the long and narrow lake Øre
Øre (lake)
Øre is a lake in the municipality of Åseral in Vest-Agder county, Norway....
.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1989). It shows a horseshoeHorseshoe
A horseshoe, is a fabricated product, normally made of metal, although sometimes made partially or wholly of modern synthetic materials, designed to protect a horse's hoof from wear and tear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall...
(to represent agriculture
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...
, forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
, and good luck).
Attractions
Åseral is a popular tourist destination with three ski resortSki resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
s: Bortelid, Ljosland, and Eikerapen. Eikerapen is also the site of the annual Eikerapen Roots Festival
Eikerapen Roots Festival
Eikerapen Roots Festival is an annual international roots music festival held in Åseral, Norway, 70 km north of Kristiansand. The first festival was arranged in August 2004, attracting 3700 visitors....
, an international music festival attracting thousands of people from all over 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...
.
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...