Munkedal Municipality

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This page deals with both Munkedal Municipality and the urban area (tätort) Munkedal

**Munkedal Municipality (*Kommun*)**
Munkedal in north-west V.G. County Map outlining municipalities of Sweden	Coat of arms
	Municipal facts
	Seat	Munkedal
	{{{locationReadable}}}
	County	Västra Götaland County
	Province	Bohuslän and Dalsland
	Area Rank	638 km² 151st of 290
	Population Rank (2005)	10,318 x of 290
	Density	16/km²

Munkedal municipality is a Swedish Municipality in Västra Götaland County, in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the town Munkedal (pop. 3,700). It borders to the municipalities of: Dals-Ed in the north, and then clock wise Färgelanda, Uddevalla , Lysekil, Sotenäs and Tanum.

[edit] Geography

Munkdal is located 110 km north of Gothenburg. The geography is a varied terrain, covered with part forests, part mountains, part plains and part lakes and streams.

[edit] History

This area in western Sweden, by the Norwegian border, has been inhabited perhaps longer than any other in Sweden. Distinctives for Munkedal are some tools that have been dated to 8,000 BC, found around 1900 at a farm named Herregårda. There is also a petroglyph area called Lökeberg på Tungenäset, dated to the Nordic Bronze Age.

In the medieval age, a monastery of Dragsmark was located within the current municipal borders. It subsequently led to the name Munkedal, and the names chosen for the municipality when it was established in 1974 with the reform. The coat of arms also portrait a medieval scroll and writing pen, characteristics for monks.

[edit] Subdivisions

Munkedal has 8 parishes, the sub divisioning used by the Church of Sweden. Their inhabitants 1 January 2005 and changes since 1 January 2004 are:

Foss 5020 -52
Svarteborg 2683 +12
Krokstad 1043 +-0
Håby 468 +12
Hede 495 +10
Bärfendal 248 +8
Valbo Ryr 262 -9
Sanne 186 -10

Source [1]

[edit] Towns

There are five towns; inhabitants (1963) was:

Munkedal, 4,090
Hällevadsholm, 780
Dingle, 910
Hedekas, 370

Inhabitants 2005:

Munkedal 3,838
Dingle 889
Hällevadsholm 723
Hedekas 358
Torreby 256

Source [2]

[edit] Notability

The Munkedal Railroad, a narrow gauge museum railroad, inaugurated in 1896. A railroad museum is also situated by it.

The area, troubled by battles between Norwegian and Swedish armies, has several defence structures that can be visited. In addition, there are many old churches from the medieval age of interest.