Gjerstad

Gjerstad is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Agder, in the southeastern part of the county, along the border with Telemark county.

General information

The parish of Gjerstad was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The borders have not changed since.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Gjerstad farm (Old Norse: Geirreksstaðir), since the first church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the male name Geirrekr (Debatable! There is no known example of Geirr - Geirrek as a first name from the periode when the farm supposedly got its name. A more likely explanation of Gjerstad is from Geirr - spear. There are over 25 Gjerstad-farms i Norway.) and the last element is staðir which means "homestead" or "farm".^[2]

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 18 April 1986. The arms show three knives as a symbol for the smithies and knife makers in the municipality. Knife making has long been a local tradition for which the village is well-known.^[3]

History

Gjerstad was, until about 1650, named Vissedal, from vidr-ser-dalr: wood-sea-dale, a very proper description of the area. Gjerstad has been inhabited from the Stone Age and Viking Age through modern times. Agriculture has long been important, and until only decades ago the more marginal outfields in Upper Gjerstad were still utilized. Forestry also provided an important historic economic contribution, and logs were driven on rivers and streams in the municipality. To aid log transport by floating, numerous dams were constructed. Eikeland Ironworks were a significant contribution to the economy as well.

Geography

Gjerstad municipality has numerous glacially formed features, including a U-shaped valley, tarns and lakes. It is bordered in the north by Nissedal, Telemark and Drangedal, Telemark; in the east by Kragerø, Telemark; in the south by Risør, Aust-Agder; and in the southwest by Vegårshei, Aust-Agder.

Attractions

The remains of Eikeland Ironworks can still be seen in the upper valley. Gjerstad was famous for its beautiful handmade knives and the coat-of-arms recognizes this heritage.
Holmen Gaard (Norwegian: Holmen Gård) in upper Gjerstad is a Norwegian national center for handicraft and the place has been regarded the St. Olaf's Rose, which is a hallmark for Norwegian Heritage and which points out especially distinguished places. The place also offers accommodation, cuisine, exhibitions, hiking trails, and memorials after the Norwegian mathematician Niels Henrik Abel.

Horga is a pagan place of sacrifice which was destroyed by Olav Trygvason, which lies 300 metres (980 ft) from Holmen Gård.

Notable residents

Niels Henrik Abel (1802–1829), Norwegian mathematician, was the son of Søren Georg Abel. His grandfather, Hans Mathias Abel, served as minister to Gjerstad municipality from 1785 to 1804. His father became minister in Gjerstad in 1804, so Abel spent his boyhood in the rectory at Gjerstad. Abel spent his last months at the nearby Froland Verk.

References

↑ "Personnemningar til stadnamn i Noreg" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
↑ Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nedenes amt (in Norwegian) (8 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 11.
↑ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2008-10-03.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gjerstad.

Look up Gjerstad in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
Aust-Agder travel guide from Wikivoyage
Gjerstad.org (Norwegian)
Culture in Gjerstad on the map (Norwegian)

Municipalities of Aust-Agder

Åmli Arendal Birkenes Bygland Bykle Evje og Hornnes Froland Gjerstad Grimstad Iveland Lillesand Risør Tvedestrand Valle Vegårshei