Gjøvdal


Gjøvdal is a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1908 until its dissolution in 1960. It covered the Gjøv river valley and the surrounding moors. It is currently part of the municipality of Åmli in the Sørlandet region. The administrative centre was the village of Askland where Gjøvdal Church is located.

History

The parish of Gjøvdal was part of the municipality of Åmli since 1 January 1838. On 1 January 1908, the municipality of Åmli was split into three separate municipalities: Gjevedal, Lille Topdal, and Åmli. In 1911, the name Gjevedal was changed to "Gjøvdal".
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, the municipality of Gjøvdal was reunited with Åmli to form a new,

Name

The municipality is named after the Gjevedal valley. The first element is the name of the river Gjøv which flows through the valley. Gef means "to give ". The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".