Tvedestrand
Tvedestrand Municipality
Tvedestrand kommune | |
|---|---|
 View of Tvedestrand | |
 Flag | |
 Agder within Norway | |
 Tvedestrand within Agder | |
| Coordinates: 58°37′26″N 08°55′40″E / 58.62389°N 8.92778°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Agder |
| District | Østre Agder |
| Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
| • Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
| Administrative centre | Tvedestrand |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020) | Marianne Landaas (H) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 215.04 km2 (83.03 sq mi) |
| • Land | 203.94 km2 (78.74 sq mi) |
| • Water | 11.10 km2 (4.29 sq mi) 5.2% |
| • Rank | #298 in Norway |
| Population (2023) | |
| • Total | 6,184 |
| • Rank | #154 in Norway |
| • Density | 30.3/km2 (78/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) |  +2% |
| Demonym | Tvedestrand-folk[1] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Bokmål |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-4213[3] |
| Website | Official website |
is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the town of Tvedestrand. There are many villages in the municipality including Dypvåg, Fiane, Gjeving, Gødderstad, Grønland, Kilen, Klåholmen, Krokvåg, Laget, Lyngør, Nesgrenda, Østerå, Sagesund, Sandvika, and Songe.[4]
The town of Tvedestrand has a white-painted town center with irregular streets climbing steep hills around the harbor. The natural environment of the area makes it a tourist destination. The municipality includes numerous islands, which makes it popular in the summer for boaters. The number of people in the municipality practically doubles in the summer, due to vacationers. There are approximately 1,700 summer cottages ("hytter") around the fjord and coastal areas. Tvedestrand has over 2,000 buildings that are more than 100 years old.[5]
The 215-square-kilometre (83 sq mi) municipality is the 298th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Tvedestrand is the 154th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,184. The municipality's population density is 30.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (78/sq mi) and its population has increased by 2% over the previous 10-year period.[6][7]
General information
[edit]
The town of Tvedestrand was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, the rural municipalities of Dypvåg (population: 1,805) and Holt (population: 3,759) were merged with the town of Tvedestrand (population: 868) to form a new municipality named Tvedestrand.[8]
On 1 January 1962, the Strengereid area (population: 375) of Tvedestrand was transferred to neighboring Moland municipality. Then on 1 January 1964, the Holtegården area (population: 5) was transferred from Moland to Tvedestrand. The uninhabited Folevatnet area in Tvedestrand was transferred to the municipality of Risør on 1 January 1984.[8]
Name
[edit]The town and municipality is named after the old Tveite farm (Old Norse: Þveitar) since that is the location of the present town of Tvedestrand. The first element is the farm name which is the genitive case of the word þveit which means "clearing" or "small farm". The last element is strǫnd which means "beach" or "strand". Thus this is the beach of the Tveit farm.[4][9]
Coat of arms
[edit]The coat of arms was granted on 4 April 1986. The official blazon is "Azure, a tern volant argent" (Norwegian: I blått en oppflyvende sølv terne). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a tern, a type of local seabird. The tern has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue color in the field and the tern were chosen to represent the sea since the municipality was historically dependent on it for its economy. The arms were designed by Daniel Rike. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[10][11][12]
Churches
[edit]The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Tvedestrand. It is part of the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dypvåg | Dypvåg Church | Dypvåg | c. 1200 |
| Holt | Holt Church | Fiane | c. 1100 |
| Laget Church | Laget | 1908 | |
| Tvedestrand | Tvedestrand Church | Tvedestrand | 1861 |
History
[edit]Holt Church probably dates from the twelfth century and it has an ancient baptismal font. The interior was decorated by Torsten Hoff.
Around 1600, Tvedestrand was mainly a harbour for the Berge and Tveite farms’ boats, hence the name Tvedestrand (strand means beach or coast in Norwegian).
Lyngør was the site of the Battle of Lyngør between English and Dano-Norwegian forces during the Napoleonic Wars resulting in the sinking of the frigate of the Dano-Norwegian forces, Najaden by the British ship-of-the-line Dictator in 1812.
The town, as it now exists, was built in the 19th century as a harbour for Norway's longest existing iron works, Næs jernverk. Lying in the parish of Holt, Næs jernverk has one of the largest and most significant of the surviving mansions in Sørlandet, built by Ulrich Schnell. Schnell bought up various iron works in the neighborhood and set up several sawmills in the district. He obtained a special license to export timber directly from Tvedestrand, establishing the basis for an international harbor.[13]
Government
[edit]Tvedestrand Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[14] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
[edit]The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Tvedestrand is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
| Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party (Høyre) | 7 | |
| Industry and Business Party (Industri‑ og Næringspartiet) | 2 | |
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 23 | |
Mayors
[edit]The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Tvedestrand:
- 1838-1840: Christian Holm
- 1841-1842: Mads H. Smith
- 1843-1846: Christian Holm
- 1847-1848: Mads H. Smith
- 1849-1849: Even Jørgensen
- 1850-1851: Henrik Schäffer
- 1852-1852: Even Jørgensen
- 1853-1853: Mads H. Smith
- 1854-1856: Johannes Holm
- 1857-1864: S. Lund
- 1865-1882: Fritz Smith
- 1882-1885: A.M. Arntsen
- 1886-1894: Ole Reiersen Lilleholt (V)
- 1894-1895: Severin Jorkjend
- 1896-1896: Andreas Biering Olsen
- 1897-1897: Godtfred Milberg
- 1898-1898: Andreas Biering Olsen
- 1899-1900: Lars Grundesen
- 1901-1904: Th. Hegland
- 1905-1906: Godtfred Milberg
- 1906-1909: Peder Christoffersen
- 1909-1910: Sv. Svensen
- 1910-1910: A.H. Grundesen
- 1911-1917: Jakob Ørbæk
- 1918-1919: A.H. Lindland
- 1920-1923: Johan W. Wroldsen
- 1924-1925: Kristen Bråten
- 1926-1930: Andreas Bjelland
- 1931-1931: Johan W. Wroldsen
- 1932-1934: Andorf Bjørnlund
- 1935-1940: Arnfinn Eskild
- 1945-1945: Halvor Slotta
- 1946-1946: Oluf Olsen
- 1947-1947: Birger Jorkjend
- 1948-1949: Egil Eide
- 1950-1954: Arnold Jorkjend
- 1955-1955: Egil Rosland
- 1956-1957: Olaf R. Walle
- 1958-1959: Egil Rosland
- 1960–1967: Albert Albretsen (V)
- 1968–1971: Jens Marcussen (H)
- 1972–1973: Albert Albretsen (V)
- 1974–1979: Erich Mørch (H)
- 1980–1983: Per B. Marcussen (H)
- 1984–1987: Karl Løhaugen (KrF)
- 1988–1991: Per Tveite (Sp)
- 1992–1995: May Britt Lunde (Ap)
- 1995–2003: Torleif Haugland (KrF)
- 2003-2019: Jan Dukene (LL)
- 2019-present: Marianne Landaas (H)
Geography
[edit]Tvedestrand municipality lies between the towns of Arendal to the southwest and Risør to the northeast. The municipality also borders the municipalities of Arendal, Risør, Froland, Åmli, and Vegårshei.
Tvedestrand belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet in the Østre Agder area of Agder county. The town itself lies at the end of a picturesque fjord, Tvedestrandfjorden, which is the name for the inner part of the Oksefjorden (originally Ufsefjorden, meaning the fjord with steep, rocky sides). The municipality also encompasses the islands Borøy, Sandøy, and Askerøya as well as the unique village of Lyngør which lies on several small islands. Lyngør was acclaimed "Europe's best preserved village" by Europa Nostra in 1991. Lyngør Lighthouse is located by the village. Tvedestrand municipality includes 162 islands, with a collected coastline of 214 kilometres (133 mi).
The river Storelva, one of the Southern Coast's best salmon and sea trout rivers, flows past the Næs jernverk and ultimately out into the Sandnesfjorden.
Climate
[edit]Tvedestrand has a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb, marine west coast), with autumn as the wettest season and spring as the driest. The weather station in Lyngør, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) from the town of Tvedestrand, has been recording since 1920. The all-time high at Lyngør lighthouse is 29.8 °C (85.6 °F) from 12. August 1975.
| Climate data for Lyngør lighthouse 1991-2020 (4 m) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 3 (37) |
3 (37) |
5 (41) |
10 (50) |
14 (57) |
18 (64) |
20 (68) |
19 (66) |
16 (61) |
12 (54) |
7 (45) |
4 (39) |
11 (52) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 1.2 (34.2) |
0.7 (33.3) |
2.6 (36.7) |
6.1 (43.0) |
10.8 (51.4) |
14.7 (58.5) |
17 (63) |
16.8 (62.2) |
13.5 (56.3) |
8.9 (48.0) |
5.1 (41.2) |
2.1 (35.8) |
8.3 (47.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 0 (32) |
−1 (30) |
1 (34) |
4 (39) |
8 (46) |
12 (54) |
15 (59) |
14 (57) |
11 (52) |
7 (45) |
4 (39) |
1 (34) |
6 (43) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 85.7 (3.37) |
61.2 (2.41) |
58.5 (2.30) |
51.7 (2.04) |
66.9 (2.63) |
66.9 (2.63) |
80.5 (3.17) |
108.3 (4.26) |
102.4 (4.03) |
130.3 (5.13) |
114.2 (4.50) |
90.7 (3.57) |
1,017.3 (40.04) |
| Source 1: Norwegian Meteorological Institute/yr.no[35] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Weatheronline[36] | |||||||||||||
Geology
[edit]A number of rare minerals are found in Tvedestrand:
- Sunstone, a rare feldspar exhibiting in certain directions a brilliant spangled appearance, which has led to its use as a gemstone.
- A rare yttrium phosphate mineral Xenotime.
- Thulite (also called rosaline), an opaque, massive pink variety of the mineral zoisite.
Attractions
[edit]
- The 18th century Næs jernverk are 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the town center.
- Tvedestrand is recognized as a book town, a small village with a large number of second-hand or antiquarian book shops.
- Interesting Places in Tvedestrand municipality:
Notable people
[edit]
- Peder Johnsen (1783 in Tvedestrand – 1836), a sailor who was a representative at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly
- Knud Knudsen (1812 in Tvedestrand – 1895), an educator, author, linguist, and philologist
- Elise Wærenskjold (1815 in Dypvåg – 1895), a Norwegian-American writer, temperance leader, and early pioneer in Texas
- Erik Eriksen (1820 in Lyngør - 1888), a polar captain
- Arne Garborg (1851–1924), an author who founded and edited the Tvedestrandsposten newspaper (still published in 2019)
- Jens Holmboe (1880 in Tvedestrand – 1943), a botanist, professor, and author
- Theo Findahl (1891 in Tvedestrand – 1976), a teacher, journalist, and foreign correspondent
- Alfred Engelsen (1893 – 1966 in Tvedestrand), a gymnast and diver who was team gold medallist at the 1912 Summer Olympics
- Kristian Vilhelm Koren Schjelderup Jr. (1894 in Dypvåg – 1980), a Norwegian Lutheran theologian, author, and bishop of the Diocese of Hamar 1947 to 1964
- Harald K. Schjelderup (1895 in Dypvåg – 1974), a physicist, philosopher, and psychologist; Norway's first professor of psychology
- Rolv Werner Erichsen (1899 in Holt – 1988), a newspaper editor
- Trond Bergh (born 1946 in Tvedestrand), a economic historian, writer, and academic
- Ketil Bjørnstad (born 1952), a pianist, composer, and author who lived in Tvedestrand in the 1970s and 1980s (his psychological thriller Twilight is based there)
- Gina Lund (born 1962), a civil servant and politician who was brought up in Tvedestrand
- Jenny Hval (born 1980), a singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and novelist[37]
International relations
[edit]Twin towns — Sister cities
[edit]The following cities are twinned with Tvedestrand:[38]
References
[edit]- ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
- ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
- ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (28 September 2017). "Tvedestrand". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ Stagg, Frank Noel (1958). South Norway. George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.
- ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
- ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
- ^ Jump up to: a b Jukvam, Dag (1999). Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
- ^ Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nedenes amt (in Norwegian) (8 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 48.
- ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Tvedestrand, Aust-Agder (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 4 April 1986. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
- ^ Welle-Strand, Erling (1996). Adventure Roads in Norway. Nortrabooks. ISBN 82-90103-71-9.
- ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
- ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Agder". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Agder". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
- ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Aust-Agder". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1934" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1935. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
- ^ "yr.no". Norwegian Meteorological Institute.
- ^ "Weatheronline Lyngør (avg high/low)".
- ^ Jenny Hval at IMDb. Retrieved 01 January 2021.
- ^ "Vennskapskommuner" (in Norwegian). Tvedestrand kommune. Archived from the original on 24 July 2007. Retrieved 4 March 2009.
External links
[edit]
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)
- Tvedestrand municipality site (in Norwegian)
- A UK site on Tvedestrand municipality
- Information on minerals in Tvedestrand
- A map of Tvedestrand municipality Archived 17 January 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- The museum at Næs Jernverks
- Map of Aust-Agder including Tvedestrand municipality Archived 6 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine (in German)
- The island of Borøya (in Norwegian)
- Culture (in Norwegian)
- The newspaper Garborg founded (in Norwegian)
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