Eigersund is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is in the traditional district of Dalane. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Egersund. The town was known for its pottery factory (closed in 1979) and it is among Norway's biggest fishing ports. The villages of Helleland, Hellvik, and Hestnes are also in Eigersund.
The island of Eigerøya lies just off shore from Egersund. The island has several well-known businesses and attractions including the Eigerøy war memorial from World War II.
The 432.51-square-kilometre (166.99 sq mi) municipality is the 227th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Eigersund Municipality is the 80th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 15,546. The municipality's population density is 35.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (93/sq mi) and its population has increased by 4% over the previous 10-year period.
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General information
The rural parish surrounding the town of Egersund was established as the municipality of Egersund landdisstrikt (lit. 'Egersund rural district', later called Eigersund Municipality) on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1839, the northwestern district (population: 825) was separated to form the new Ogne Municipality.
On 12 December 1868, a small area of Eigersund Municipality (population: 41) was transferred to neighboring Sokndal Municipality. In 1947, an area of Eigersund Municipality immediately surrounding the town of Egersund (population: 515) was transferred into the town of Egersund and another area in Sokndal Municipality (population: 7) was transferred to Eigersund Municipality.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers in Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the following areas were merged to form a much larger Eigersund Municipality:
On 1 January 1967, the Tjørn farm (population: 10) was transferred from Eigersund Municipality to Sokndal Municipality.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Eigersundet strait (Old Norse: Eikundarsund). The first element is the genitive case of the name of the island of Eikund (now Eigerøya). The name of the island comes from the word eik which means "oak" followed by the suffix -und which means "plentiful of" (i.e. "the island covered with oak trees"). The last element is sund which means "strait" or "sound".
"Egersund" vs. "Eigersund"
Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Egersund. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Eigersund. The town of Egersund within the municipality, however, did not change and it kept the old spelling. The form of the name spelled without the diphthong [ei] (Egersund) is the Danish language form of the name and at that time the municipal name was changed to use the Norwegian language form. The town kept the old spelling for historic purposes.
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 20 October 1972. The official blazon is "Vert, an oak leaf Or" (Norwegian: På grønn bunn et opprett gull eikeblad). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is an oak leaf. The oak leaf has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms are canting arms since the name is derived from Eikundarsund and the eik part means "oak". Oaks are also very common in the municipality. The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.
Churches
The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within Eigersund Municipality. It is part of the Dalane prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.
History
The place that became the town of Egersund is mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's writings. Later, Christian IV set up a battery there.
Government
Eigersund Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Eigersund Municipality is made up of 31 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Mayors
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Eigersund Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
Geography
Eigersund Municipality extends from the North Sea coast in the west to the border with Sirdal Municipality in Agder county in the east. It borders Hå Municipality and Bjerkreim Municipality to the north and Sokndal Municipality to the south. The municipality is centered on the town of Egersund, and includes the island of Eigerøya. The landscape includes many rivers and lakes, as well as woods and several barren rocky and heather-clad moors. The lakes Grøsfjellvatnet, Eiavatnet, Nodlandsvatnet, and Teksevatnet lie in the municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the 903.93-metre (2,965.6 ft) tall mountain Store Skykula, located on the border with Bjerkreim Municipality.
Eigerøya
Eigerøya is an island off the coast of Egersund. The island is connected to the mainland over Eigerøy bridge, which was completed in 1951. The island's coastline is characterized by a number of small bays, as well as Lundarviga. Eigerøya is divided almost in two of the large bay of Lundarviga. The island is surrounded by a number of small islets. Eigerøy Lighthouse and Vibberodden Lighthouse are both located along the shores of Eigerøya.
Transportation
European route E39 runs through the municipality, passing the village of Helleland. The Sørlandet Line runs through the municipality, stopping at Egersund Station and Hellvik Station.
Notable people
Michael Birkeland (1830 in Eigersund – 1896), a historian, civil servant, and politician
Peter C. Assersen (1839 in Egersund – 1906), a civil engineer and Rear Admiral in US Navy
Bernt B. Lomeland (1836 in Helleland – 1900), a school teacher and lay minister
Elisabeth Fedde (1850–1921), a Lutheran Deaconess who lived in Egersund from 1895
Anna Bugge (1862 in Egersund – 1928), a Norwegian & Swedish feminist, lawyer, diplomat, and politician
Jacob Thorkelson (1876 in Egersund – 1945), a US Congressman from Montana
Jack Nielsen (1896 in Egersund – 1981), a Norwegian tennis player and six-time national champion
Paulus Svendsen (1904 in Egersund – 1989), a literary historian, wrote biographies of Western philosophers
Thorbjørn Feyling (1907 in Egersund – 1985), a ceramist with Stavangerflint AS
Johnny Stenberg (born 1925 in Eigersund - 1990), a politician who was mayor of Meråker from 1966 to 1973
John Olav Larssen (1927 in Hellvik – 2009), an evangelical preacher and missionary
Gunnar Kvassheim (born 1953 in Eigersund), a journalist and Norwegian politician
Bengt Sæternes (born 1975 in Egersund), a former footballer with 478 club caps and 7 for Norway