- Mandal, Norway
-
Mandal kommune — Municipality — 
Coat of arms
Vest-Agder within
NorwayMandal within Vest-Agder
Coordinates: 58°2′45″N 7°29′44″E / 58.04583°N 7.49556°ECoordinates: 58°2′45″N 7°29′44″E / 58.04583°N 7.49556°E Country Norway County Vest-Agder District Sørlandet Administrative centre Mandal Government - Mayor (2007) Alf Godfred Møll (Frp) Area - Total 222 km2 (85.7 sq mi) - Land 210 km2 (81.1 sq mi) Area rank 319 in Norway Population (2011) - Total 15,061 - Rank 72 in Norway - Density 66/km2 (170.9/sq mi) - Change (10 years) 8.1 % Demonym Mandalitt[1] Time zone CET (UTC+1) - Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2) ISO 3166 code NO-1002 Official language form Bokmål Website mandal.kommune.no Data from Statistics Norway 
Mandal (help·info) is a town and municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Mandal.The town of Mandal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipalities of Halse og Harkmark and Holum were merged with Mandal on 1 January 1964.
Mandal borders Lindesnes to the west and northwest, Marnardal to the north, Søgne to the east. It is the southernmost town of Norway and the skerry Pysen (south of the town) is the southernmost point of land.
Besides Mandal proper, Mandal municipality includes the villages (delområde) of Bykjernen, Skjebstad, Sånum-Lundevik, Skogsfjord-Hesland, Holum, Harkmark, Skinsnes-Ime, Tregde-Skjernøy.
Contents
General information
Name
The Old Norse form of the name was Marnardalr. The first element is the genitive case of the river name Mörn (now Mandalselva) and the last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".
See also: MarnardalThe old name of the town (before 1653) was Vesterrisør ("western Risør"). The name was originally referring to the island Risøya outside the town, and the first element was added in the 16th century to distinguish it from the town of Østerrisør.
See also: RisørCoat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 2 July 1921. The arms show three salmon, symbolizing the importance of salmon fishing on the Mandalselva. Mandal is the southernmost municipality with a large salmon population. Salmon fishing also played a major role in the development of the village.[2]
(See also coat-of-arms for Grane, Kvalsund and Nordreisa.)
Attractions
Part of Mandal town centerMandal is a very popular holiday resort, with its mild and refreshing summer climate. It is famous for its long-stretching beaches surrounding the town. Sjøsanden (The Sea Sand) is the most famous beach, as it stretches for almost a kilometre just outside the town centre. It is frequently ranked as one of Norway's most popular beaches.
The city center is known for its charming concentration of old, white wooden houses and the Mandal river running through it. Another attraction is the city's church: Mandal kirke. It is the largest wooden church in Norway, with 1,800 seats and a pulpit on the wall behind the altar.
The sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869–1943) was born in Mandal, and has a museum dedicated to him here. Vigeland's main achievement is the Vigeland Sculpture Park (Vigelandsparken) in Oslo.
The painter Adolph Tidemand (1814–1876) was also born in Mandal. His most famous painting is the national romantic image of a traditional wedding on the Hardanger fjord, which he made together with Hans Gude.
Because of these and other artists, like Amaldus Nielsen and Olaf Isaachsen, the town is sometimes called "The Little Town with the Great Artists".
Hogganvik, in the Sånum-Lundevik area of Mandal, is the site of discovery of the Hogganvik runestone in 2009.[3]
References
- ^ "Personnemningar til stadnamn i Noreg" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. http://www.sprakrad.no/nb-no/Sprakhjelp/Rettskrivning_Ordboeker/Innbyggjarnamn/.
- ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/m/mandal.htm. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
- ^ Fant runestein i hagen, Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, 29 September 2009; Kan ha funnet til nå ukjent runestein Verdens Gang, 28 September 2009.
External links
Media related to Mandal at Wikimedia Commons
The Wiktionary definition of Mandal- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
- Vest-Agder travel guide from Wikitravel
- Mandal travel guide from Wikitravel
- Photograph of Hogganvik runestone with colored runes
- Some Photographs of Mandal in August 1986, including the Lodsen Restaurant
Municipalities of Vest-Agder Åseral · Audnedal · Farsund · Flekkefjord · Hægebostad · Kristiansand · Kvinesdal · Lindesnes · Lyngdal · Mandal · Marnardal · Sirdal · Søgne · Songdalen · Vennesla
Categories:- Municipalities of Vest-Agder
- Port cities and towns in Norway
- Port cities and towns of the North Sea
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
