Åseral

Municipality in Agder, Norway

Municipality in Agder, Norway

Åseral kommune

Aaseral (historic)

Municipality

Flag

Coat of arms

Agder within
Norway

Åseral within Agder

Coordinates: 58°42′07″N 07°23′37″E﻿ / ﻿58.70194°N 7.39361°E﻿ / 58.70194; 7.39361
Country| Norway
County| Agder
District| Sørlandet
Established| 1 Jan 1838
• Created as| Formannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centre| Kyrkjebygda
Government

• Mayor (2020)| Inger Lise Lund Stulien (Ap)
Area

• Total| 887.50 km2 (342.67 sq mi)
• Land| 796.96 km2 (307.71 sq mi)
• Water| 90.54 km2 (34.96 sq mi)  10.2%
• Rank| #131 in Norway
Population

(2022)

• Total| 912
• Rank| #338 in Norway
• Density| 1.1/km2 (3/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)

|  no change%
Demonym| Åsdøl[1]
Official language

[2]

• Norwegian form| Nynorsk
Time zone| UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)| UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code| NO-4224
Website| Official website

Data from Statistics Norway

Åseral is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kyrkjebygda. Other villages in Åseral include Eikerapen, Kylland, Ljosland, and Åknes.

Åseral is an inland municipality, bordering Bygland municipality to the north and east, Evje og Hornnes to the east, Lyngdal to the south, Hægebostad to the southwest, and Kvinesdal in the west. Åseral is the headwaters of the river Mandalselva and the Mandalen valley.

The 888-square-kilometre (343 sq mi) municipality is the 131st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Åseral is the 338th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 912. The municipality's population density is 1.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (2.8/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

## General information[edit]

The local folk museum in Åseral has preserved many historic farm buildings

Åseral Church is the main church for the municipality.

For centuries, the large parish of Bjelland encompassed the northern half of the Mandalen valley. The northern annex of the parish was Aaserald which was in the neighboring county of Nedenes while the main part of the parish was in Lister og Mandal county. When the formannskapsdistrikt law went into effect on 1 January 1838, each parish was created as a municipality, however, since Bjelland covered areas in two counties, it had to be split into two municipalities. The northern annex became the municipality of Aaserald (later spelled Åseral) in Nedenes county and the rest became the municipality of Bjelland og Grindum in Lister og Mandal county. On 1 September 1880, the municipality of Åseral was transferred from Nedenes county to Lister og Mandal county. Its municipal boundaries have never changed.[5]

### Name[edit]

The Old Norse form of the name was Old Norse: Ásaráll. The first part of the word is probably the genitive case of áss (m.), meaning "mountain ridge". The last part, áll (m.) means "long strip", probably referring to the long and narrow lake Øre. Historically, the name was spelled Aaserald or Aaseral. Since the early 20th century it has been spelled Åseral.[6]

### Coat of arms[edit]

The coat of arms was granted on 20 January 1989. The official blazon is "Vert a horseshoe argent" (Norwegian: På grøn grunn ein sølv hestesko). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a horseshoe. The horseshoe has a tincture of argent which means it is colored white most of the time, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field symbolizes the importance of forestry and the horseshoe was chosen to represent the historical importance of horses in the farming culture of Åseral as well as the symbol of good luck.[7][8][9][10]

### Churches[edit]

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Åseral. It is part of the Otredal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark. Until 2019, it was part of the old Mandal prosti.

Churches in Åseral Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built

|
|
|

Åseral | Åseral Church | Kyrkjebygda | 1822
Ljosland Chapel | Ljosland | 1959
Åknes Chapel | Åknes | 1873

## Government[edit]

Skjerka power station, a source of power in Åseral

Ljosland fjellstove hotel in Åseral is part of the local tourism industry

All municipalities in Norway, including Åseral, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor.[11] The municipality falls under the Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

### Municipal council[edit]

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Åseral is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:

Åseral kommunestyre 2020-2023 [12] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 6
| Conservative Party (Høgre)| 3
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 3
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 5
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 2016-2019 [13] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Conservative Party (Høgre)| 4
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 4
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 6
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 2012-2015 [14] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 4
| Conservative Party (Høgre)| 2
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 8
| Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste)| 3
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 2008-2011 [13] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Conservative Party (Høgre)| 2
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 4
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 4
| Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste)| 4
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 2004-2007 [13] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 4
| Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 4
| Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste)| 6
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 2000-2003 [13] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 2
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 4
| Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre) and the Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 3
| Cross-party local list (Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste)| 8
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 1996-1999 [15] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 2
| Conservative Party (Høgre)| 1
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 3
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 2
| Åseral local list (Åseral bygdeliste)| 9
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 1992-1995 [16] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 4
| Conservative Party (Høgre)| 2
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 3
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 6
| Åseral local list (Åseral bygdeliste)| 2
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 1988-1991 [17] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Conservative Party (Høgre)| 3
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 3
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 5
| Non-party local list (Upolitisk Bygdeliste)| 3
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 1984-1987 [18] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Conservative Party (Høgre)| 3
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 4
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 7
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 1980-1983 [19] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Conservative Party (Høgre)| 3
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 4
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 7
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 1976-1979 [20] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 2
| Conservative Party (Høgre)| 2
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 3
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 10
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 1972-1975 [21] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 2
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 5
| Liberal Party (Venstre)| 3
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister)| 4
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 1968-1971 [22] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 3
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 5
| Liberal Party (Venstre)| 3
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister)| 3
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral kommunestyre 1964-1967 [23] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 2
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 6
| Liberal Party (Venstre)| 4
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral heradsstyre 1960-1963 [24] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 3
| Centre Party (Senterpartiet)| 7
| Liberal Party (Venstre)| 4
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral heradsstyre 1956-1959 [25] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 3
| Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet)| 7
| Liberal Party (Venstre)| 4
Total number of members:| 17
Åseral heradsstyre 1952-1955 [26] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 2
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 3
| Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet)| 6
| Liberal Party (Venstre)| 4
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister)| 1
Total number of members:| 16
Åseral heradsstyre 1948-1951 [27] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 2
| Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti)| 3
| Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet)| 5
| Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister)| 5
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister)| 1
Total number of members:| 16
Åseral heradsstyre 1945-1947 [28] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 3
| Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet)| 6
| Local List(s) (Lokale lister)| 7
Total number of members:| 16
Åseral heradsstyre 1938-1941* [29] Party Name (in Nynorsk) | Number of
representatives

|

| Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet)| 1
| Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet)| 10
| Liberal Party (Venstre)| 5
Total number of members:| 16
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

## Geography[edit]

Åseral is in the central, inland part of Southern Norway. It is in the Setesdalsheiene mountains and adjacent to the Setesdal valley to the northeast. Åseral has many lakes, some of which are dammed for purposes of hydroelectric power. Some of the lakes include Nåvatnet, Juvatn, Øre and Gyvatn. The river Mandalselva and the Mandalen valley both begin in Åseral.

### Climate[edit]

Climate data for Åseral 1991-2020 (268 m)

Month  | Jan  | Feb  | Mar  | Apr  | May  | Jun  | Jul  | Aug  | Sep  | Oct  | Nov  | Dec  | Year
Daily mean °C (°F)  | −1.4
(29.5)  | −1.9
(28.6)  | 0.4
(32.7)  | 4.6
(40.3)  | 9.5
(49.1)  | 13.1
(55.6)  | 15.4
(59.7)  | 14
(57)  | 10.7
(51.3)  | 5.9
(42.6)  | 2.1
(35.8)  | −1.1
(30.0)  | 5.9
(42.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)  | 215
(8.5)  | 140
(5.5)  | 121
(4.8)  | 86
(3.4)  | 100
(3.9)  | 99
(3.9)  | 115
(4.5)  | 154
(6.1)  | 172
(6.8)  | 215
(8.5)  | 222
(8.7)  | 213
(8.4)  | 1,852
(73)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 15.7  | 10.7  | 12.6  | 9.4  | 11.4  | 10.6  | 11.0  | 12.4  | 14.2  | 15.7  | 16.4  | 15.2  | 155.3
Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[30]

## Attractions[edit]

Åseral is a popular winter tourist destination with three ski resorts in the villages of Bortelid, Ljosland, and Eikerapen. Eikerapen is also the site of the annual Eikerapen Roots Festival, an international music festival attracting thousands of people from all over Europe.

## Notable people[edit]

* Lars Knutson Liestøl (1839–1912) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Bygland in Aust-Agder for 12 years
* Knut Liestøl (1881 in Åseral – 1952) a Norwegian folklorist, Nynorsk proponent and politician

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
3. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
4. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
5. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
6. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1912). Norske gaardnavne: Lister og Mandals amt (in Norwegian) (9 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 134.
7. ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
8. ^ "Aseral, Vest-Agder (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
9. ^ "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 17 March 1989. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
10. ^ "Kommunevåpen". Åseral kommune. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
11. ^ Hansen, Tore, ed. (12 May 2016). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
12. ^ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Agder". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
13. ^ a b c d "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
14. ^ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Vest-Agder". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
15. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
16. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
17. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
18. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
19. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
20. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
21. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
22. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
23. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
24. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
25. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
26. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
27. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
28. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
29. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
30. ^ "eKlima Web Portal". Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Archived from the original on 14 June 2004.

## External links[edit]

* Media related to Åseral at Wikimedia Commons
* The dictionary definition of Åseral at Wiktionary
* Vest-Agder travel guide from Wikivoyage
* Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)

* v
* t
* e

Agder county, Norway

* Main article: Agder
* Capitals: Kristiansand; Arendal
* County government: Agder County Municipality
* County lists:
* County Governors
* Villages
* Churches

| Towns and cities|

* Arendal (1610)
* Grimstad (1622)
* Risør (1630)
* Kristiansand (1641)
* Flekkefjord (1660)
* Mandal (1779)
* Farsund (1795)
* Lillesand (1996)
* Tvedestrand (1997)
* Lyngdal (2001)
* Lillesand (former; 1830-1961)

Municipalities|

| Current|

* Arendal
* Birkenes
* Bygland
* Bykle
* Evje og Hornnes
* Farsund
* Flekkefjord
* Froland
* Gjerstad
* Grimstad
* Hægebostad
* Iveland
* Kristiansand
* Kvinesdal
* Lillesand
* Lindesnes
* Lyngdal
* Risør
* Sirdal
* Tvedestrand
* Valle
* Vegårshei
* Vennesla
* Åmli
* Åseral

|

Former|

| Aust-Agder |

* Austre Moland
* Barbu
* Dypvåg
* Eide
* Evje
* Evje og Vegusdal
* Fjære
* Flosta
* Gjøvdal
* Herefoss
* Hisøy
* Holt
* Hornnes
* Hornnes og Iveland
* Hylestad
* Høvåg
* Landvik
* Moland
* Mykland
* Stokken
* Søndeled
* Tovdal
* Tromøy
* Vegusdal
* Vestre Moland
* Øyestad

|

Vest-Agder |

* Audnedal
* Austad
* Bakke
* Bjelland
* Bjelland og Grindum
* Eiken
* Feda
* Finsland
* Fjotland
* Greipstad
* Grindheim
* Gyland
* Halse og Harkmark
* Herad
* Hidra
* Holum
* Hægeland
* Konsmo
* Kvås
* Laudal
* Lista
* Mandal
* Marnardal
* Nes
* Nes og Hidra
* Nord-Audnedal
* Oddernes
* Randesund
* Songdalen
* Spangereid
* Spind
* Søgne
* Sør-Audnedal
* Tonstad
* Tveit
* Undal
* Vigmostad
* Øvre Sirdal
* Øvrebø
* Øvrebø og Hægeland
* Øyslebø
* Øyslebø og Laudal

Authority control

International|

* ISNI

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

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