Evje og Hornnes

The municipality (originally the parish) of Evje is named after an old farm (Norse Efja), since the first church was built there. The name is identical with the word efja f 'eddy'.

The municipality (originally the parish) of Hornnes is named after an old farm (Norse Hornnes), since the first church was built there. The first element is horn n 'horn', the last element is nes n 'headland'. The meaning is 'the headland shaped like a horn'.

[edit] Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1992). It shows two mining wagons. (To represent the mining industry in the municipality.)

[edit] Geography

Evje og Hornnes is bordered in Aust-Agder county on the northeast by the municipalities of Bygland and Froland, in the southeast by Birkenes, and Iveland. To the west in Vest-Agder county it is bounded by Åseral, Audnedal, Marnardal, and Vennesla municipalities.

The Otra river which flows through Evje og Hornnes is the largest river in the Sørlandet district. It flows from the Setesdalsheiene in Bykle municipality in Aust-Agder in the north down to the municipality of Kristiansand in the south.

[edit] Economy

The area is internationally known for its special geology and rare mineral formations.

[edit] History

Flåt mine in Evje og Hornnes municipality was Europe’s largest nickel mine for a period. Flåt mine came into operation in 1844 as a copper mine. From 1872 until 1946 it was mined for nickel. At the point operations were terminated, it was 422 meters deep (reaching below sea level). Over three million tons of ore were removed and refined into 14,500 tons of copper and 20,000 tons of nickel. Local mining technology and mine history can be seen at the museum at Fennefoss.

Evjemoen was a Norwegian military camp in use from 1912 to 2002. The camp lies south of Evje in Evje og Hornnes municipality. From 1953 to 1995 Evjemoen was used as a training area for Infanteriets øvingsavdeling II (IØ2). It was retired in December 2002.

[edit] Recreation

[edit] Fennesfoss museum

The Fennesfoss museum has an extensive collection of local minerals. Marie Curie had several consignments of radioactive minerals sent to her from this region. The museum includes a collection of her laboratory equipment.

[edit] Setesdal Mineralpark

The Setesdal Mineralpark is located at Ausneset, 5 km south of Evje. It lies in a mining district rich in tradition, where copper and nickel ore has been extracted from the mines at Flåt since 1844, and mining of quartz, feldspar and rare minerals has been carried out from the 1880´s up to the present.

[edit] Evje and Hornnes Museum

The Evje and Hornnes Museum is at Fennefoss. It includes a collection of local minerals, Flåt nickel mine exhibits, and local cultural history exhibits including peasant culture. It also exhibits the oldest pharmacy in the Setesdal Valley.

[edit] Evje Mineral Trail

The 2 km long Evje Mineral Trail provides access to five mines.

[edit] Byglandsfjorden

Byglandsfjorden is a large inland lake 40 kilometers in length that provides swimming and fishing opportunities.

[edit] Steamboat Bjoren

The only wood-burning steamboat in the country, "Bjoren" built in 1866 provides tourist trips on Byglandsfjorden.

[edit] Tovdalselva

The Tovdalselva is a 143 kilometers long river. It is the longest river in southern Norway. The river flows from the northeast to the southwest and reaches the sea at the Topdalsfjorden between Hamresanden and Kjevik. Tovdalselva was long considered one of the greatest salmon fishing rivers in the land; acid from the many mine tailings decreased its fish population. The river is still recognized for whitewater rafting and fishing.

[edit] External links

Kultur i Evje og Hornnes på kart map in Norwegian

Municipalities of Aust-Agder
Arendal \| Birkenes \| Bygland \| Bykle \| Evje og Hornnes \| Froland \| Gjerstad \| Grimstad \| Iveland \| Lillesand \| Risør \| Tvedestrand \| Valle \| Vegårshei \| Åmli