Bygland


Bygland is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Setesdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bygland. Other villages in the municipality include Åraksbø, Austad, Byglandsfjord, Grendi, Langeid, Lauvdal, Litveit, Longerak, Moi, Ose, Sandnes, Skåmedal, and Tveit. The Norwegian National Road 9 runs through the municipality, following the river Otra where most of the population of Bygland lives.
The municipality is the 70th largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Bygland is the 380th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,200. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 5.7% over the last decade.

General information

The parish of Bygland was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. Since that time, the municipal boundaries have not changed.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Bygland farm, since the first Bygland Church was built there. The first element is bygg which means "barley" and the last element is land which means "land" or "farm".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times; they were granted on 15 November 1991. The green arms show a yellow European lynx, which symbolises the wild and rich nature in the rural highlands of the municipality. The green background symbolises the agriculture and forests in the municipality.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes ' within the municipality of Bygland. It is part of the Otredal prosti in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.
Parish 'Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
ByglandAustad ChurchTveit1880
ByglandBygland ChurchBygland1838
ByglandSandnes ChurchÅraksbø1844
ÅrdalÅrdal ChurchGrendi1828

Geography

Bygland lies in the middle of the Setesdal valley which is also a traditional district in Aust-Agder county. The valley includes the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes. The Otra river flows from the glacially scoured Hardangervidda plateau in the north, through the Setesdal valley, and into the sea near the city of Kristiansand. The municipality is bordered on the north by Valle, in the east by Fyresdal and Åmli, in the south by Froland and Evje og Hornnes, and in the west by Åseral, Kvinesdal, and Sirdal.
Bygland is Aust-Agder's second largest municipality in area. The majority of the area of the municipality lies in the Setesdalsheiene mountains, at an elevation of over above sea level. The municipality stretches from the small town Byglandsfjord in the south to the farms at Langeid in the north. Lake Byglandsfjorden is long and lies on the river Otra. Other lakes include the Åraksfjorden, Gyvatn, Hovatn, Kvifjorden, Longerakvatnet, Straumsfjorden, and Topsæ. The rivers Otra and Topdalsfjorden both run through Bygland on their way south. The Reiårsfossen waterfall is one of many waterfalls in the municipality.

History

The Setesdal Line was a narrow gauge steam railway which went between Vennesla and Byglandsfjord in Bygland. It was built in 1896. The Setesdal Line's operation was terminated in 1962 and the track was removed between Byglandsfjord and Beihølen.
Other transport up the Setesdal valley was provided by the steamships and Dølen. First placed in operation in 1866, the is still in operation as a tourist attraction on lake Byglandsfjorden during the summers.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Bygland, are responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Bygland is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:

Attractions