Gjerstad (village)

Gjerstad is the administrative centre of Gjerstad municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The village is located at the northern end of the lake Gjerstadvatnet at the northern end of the Norwegian County Road 418. The Sørlandsbanen railway line passes through the village and it stops at the Gjerstad Station. The 0.34-square-kilometre (84-acre) village has a population (2017) of 289 which gives the village a population density of 850 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,200/sq mi).[1] Gjerstad Church is located in the village along with a school and several stores.[3]

Gjerstad
Village
View of the village from the lake Gjerstadvatnet
Gjerstad
Location of the village
Gjerstad
Gjerstad (Norway)
Coordinates: 58.8809°N 09.0175°E / 58.8809; 09.0175
CountryNorway
RegionSouthern Norway
CountyAust-Agder
DistrictØstre Agder
MunicipalityGjerstad
Area
 • Total0.34 km2 (0.13 sq mi)
Elevation83 m (272 ft)
Population
 (2017)[1]
 • Total289
 • Density850/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code
4980 Gjerstad

Name

The village is named after the old Gjerstad farm (Old Norse: Geirreksstaðir), since the Gjerstad Church was built there. One explanation of the name says that the first element is the genitive case of the male name Geirrekr and the last element is staðir which means "homestead" or "farm".[4][5] Another possibly explanation of the first part of the name says that it comes from the word geirr which means "spear". Historically, the name has been spelled Gerikstadum (c. 1400), Gierestat (c. 1567), Gierrestad, and Gjerrestad.

References
  1. Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 2017). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
  2. "Gjerstad (Aust-Agder)". yr.no. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
  3. Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (2015-07-19). "Gjerstad – tettsted i Gjerstad kommune". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2017-12-28.
  4. Rygh, Oluf (1905). Norske gaardnavne: Nedenes amt (in Norwegian) (8 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 11.
  5. Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (2017-11-02). "Gjerstad". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 2017-12-28.


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