Sirdal

Sirdal is a municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway. It is the northernmost valley in Vest-Agder. At the north end of its long narrow lake, Siredalsvatn, lies the administrative center in the village of Tonstad. Bjørnestad is another village lying in Sirdal.

It was formed by the 1964 merger of Øvre Sirdal and Tonstad municipalities, as well as Haugomgrenda.

1 The name
2 Coat-of-arms
3 Geography
4 Economy
5 History
6 Famous residents
7 References
8 External links

[edit] The name

The Norse form of the name was Sírudalr. The first element is the genitive case of the rivername Síra, the last element is dalr m 'valley, dale'. The meaning of the rivername is unknown (maybe 'strong stream').

(See also Utsira.)

[edit] Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1986). It shows three birds of grouse (Lagopus lagopus) - which is plentiful in the municipality.

(See also the coat-of-arms of Lierne and Holtålen.)

[edit] Geography

Lying inland, Sirdal borders on Aust-Agder county to the north east and Rogaland to the west. To the south it borders on the municipality of Flekkefjord, and to the east on Kvinesdal. Sirdal is the largest area municipality in Vest-Agder.

In 1990, the mountain road opened between Sirdal, via the Suleskard mountain pass and eastwards over to neighboring Brokke in Setesdal. It shortens the distance from Oslo to Stavanger by 110 km in the summer, and passes through barren, glacier scoured highland and by Rosskreppfjord as it ascends to over 1000 meters above sea level.

[edit] Economy

Tourism is a mainstay for the Sirdal economy, taking advantage of the extensive mountains, mountainous plateaus, lakes and the great views. There are multiple alpine resorts and hotels in the valley, as well as cottages and camp spots. Winter activities include 6 ski resorts for winter enjoyment. Downhill ski areas include Bjørnestad Ski Centre, Ålsheia Ski Centre, Sirdal Alpine Centre, Fidjeland Ski Centre, and Ådneram Ski lift. Cross-country skiers can enjoy dozens of trails over spectacular terrain. Summer activities include hiking, horseback riding and river rafting.

[edit] History

From the oldest times the district was divided by the river Sira between the counties Rogaland and Vest-Agder. (Even though is was established as one parish in Christian times.)

In 1837 it was decided that every parish should be a municipality - but that any municipality should belong to just one county. Sirdal was therefore first divided in two municipalities. But this was a bad decision, because they had very few inhabitants separatly. A new solution was found in 1839: The to municipalities was joined together, and the county border was altered in the favour of Vest-Agder.

Tonstad church was built in 1852.

At Kvæven, in northern Sirdalen one finds the Sirdal Mountain Museum. This museum has a collection of old Sirdal buildings. Former lifestyles are visible in the farmhouse, a schoolhouse, stable, blacksmith's shop, barn and mountain farm cottage as well as original equipment.

The waterfalls in the Sira river is utilized in 4 power stations owned by Sira-Kvina power company. The company also ownes 3 power stations in the Kvina river system, hence the companys name. Total annual production is 6000 GWh, total installation is 1760 MW. The largest power station, Tonstad, was inarguated in 1968, with 2 units each 160 MW.

[edit] Famous residents

Among notable persons from Sirdal is World Cup woman biathlete Linda Grubben.

[edit] References

South Norway by Frank Noel Stagg, George Allen & Unwin, Ltd., 1958.
Adventure Roads in Norway by Erling Welle-Strand; Nortrabooks, 1996. ISBN 82-90103-71-9

[edit] External links

Municipalities of Vest-Agder
Audnedal \| Farsund \| Flekkefjord \| Hægebostad \| Kristiansand \| Kvinesdal \| Lindesnes \| Lyngdal \| Mandal \| Marnardal \| Sirdal \| Songdalen \| Søgne \| Vennesla \| Åseral