Sigdal

Sigdal is a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestfoss.[3]

Sigdal kommune
Municipality
Coat of arms
Viken within
Norway
Sigdal within Viken
Coordinates: 60°3′9″N 9°36′4″E
CountryNorway
CountyViken
DistrictRingerike
Administrative centrePrestfoss
Government
 • Mayor (2015)Anne Kristine (Tine) Norman (Sp)
Area
 • Total842 km2 (325 sq mi)
 • Land811 km2 (313 sq mi)
Area rank130 in Norway
Population
 (2004)
 • Total3,530
 • Rank244 in Norway
 • Density4/km2 (10/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
-3.9%
Demonym(s)Sigdøl or Sigdøling[1]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3045
Official language formBokmål[2]
Websitewww.sigdal.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

The municipality of Sigdal was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area of Krødsherad was separated from Sigdal on 1 January 1901. The municipality has common borders with the municipalities of Flå, Krødsherad, Modum, Øvre Eiker, Flesberg, Rollag, and Nore og Uvdal.

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Sigmardalr or Sigmudalr. The first element is the genitive case of a river name Sigm(a) (now called the Simoa) and the last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". The Simoa river runs through Sigdal, flowing in a south-easterly course until it flows into Drammenselva at Åmot in Modum. The meaning of the river name is unknown, but is maybe derived from síga which means to "ooze" or "slide".

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Sigdal by country of origin in 2017[4]
Ancestry Number
 Poland83
 Syria50
 Lithuania47
 Germany22
 Latvia17

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 18 November 1983. The arms show a heraldic image of the mountain that dominates the view around the village, the Andersnatten. The profile of the mountain is yellow with a blue-colored sky above.[5]

Geography and population

Most of the citizens live in the village of Eggedal or the administrative centre of Prestfoss. Sigdal is densely populated, dominated by mountains and valleys.

About 72% of the area is covered with forest, 20% is mountain areas, and 4% of the area is cultivated. Agriculture, forestry, and the kitchen-producing enterprise of Sigdal Kjøkken are still important industries.

Vatnås Church

Local Attractions
  • Folk Music Center (Folkemusikksenteret) is a cultural heritage museum offering a good image of the building style and traditions of the district. The Folk Music Center is principally responsible for collecting, storing and promoting local folk music and dance.
  • Sigdal-Eggedal Museum is a regional museum for Krødsherad, Modum and Sigdal. This museum dedicated to the region's culture and history is arranged particularly authentically.
  • Vatnås Church (Vatnås kirke) is a historic church dating from 1660.[6]
  • Lauvlia is the former home of Theodor Kittelsen, one of the most popular artists in Norway, who settled near Prestfoss during 1899. Today Lauvlia is a private museum featuring an exhibition of Kittelsen’s original work
  • Andersnatten is a well-known mountain and landmark. The mountain has inspired painters visiting or living in Sigdal, notably Theodor Kittelsen and Christian Skredsvig. It is recognized by mountain climbers as a tough challenge.
Trillemarka nature reserve

Protected areas in Sigdal Municipality
  • Heimseteråsen nature reserve, established on 13 December 2002, 2,515 acres
  • Solevatn nature reserve, established 20 June 1986, 538 acres
  • Trillemarka nature reserve, established on 13 December 2002, 43,285 acres

Notable residents

Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Sigdal:

  • Haglebunatten
  • Holmen Church
  • Stabbur in Sigdal
  • Solumsmoen Chapel
  • Haglebuvatna

See also

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Sigdal (Store norske leksikon)
  4. "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population". ssb.no. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  5. Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  6. Sigrid Marie Christie, Håkon Christie. "Vatnås kirke". Norges Kirker. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  7. "Norrænt samstarf" (in Icelandic). Hveragerði. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  8. "Vänorter" (in Swedish). Örnsköldsvik kommun. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2009-01-10.

Other sources
  • Mørch, Andreas & Thormod Skatvedt Sigdal og Eggedal (Sigdal og Eggedal, 1914)
  • Mørch, Andreas Frå gamle dagar. Folkeminne frå Sigdal og Eggedal (Norsk Folkeminnelag: 1932)
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