Sigdal is a
municipality|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in
Buskerudis a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.
- Geography :...
county||-|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 431 municipalities...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of
PrestfossPrestfoss is the administrative center of the Sigdal municipality in Buskerud county, Norway.-Background:The population of Pressfoss as of 2005 was 465. Prestfoss is located 1.5 hours northwest of Oslo...
. The municipality of Sigdal was established on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). The area of
KrødsheradKrødsherad is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Noresund. The municipality of Krødsherad was established when it was separated from the municipality of Sigdal on 1 January 1901.-Name:...
was separated from Sigdal on 1 January 1901.
The municipality has common borders with the municipalities of
FlåFlå is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Flå. The municipality of Flå was established when it was separated from the municipality of Nes on 1 January 1905...
, Krødsherad,
ModumModum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 .The area has a long tradition of skiing with several...
,
Øvre EikerØvre Eiker is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hokksund. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into Øvre Eiker and Nedre Eiker on 1 July 1885.-Name:The Old Norse form of...
,
FlesbergFlesberg is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lampeland....
,
RollagRollag is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The municipality of Rollag was established on 1 January 1838 . Nore og Uvdal was separated from Rollag in 1858....
, and
Nore og UvdalNore og Uvdal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rødberg....
.
The
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
form of the name was
Sigmardalr or
Sigmudalr.
Sigdal is a
municipality|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in
Buskerudis a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.
- Geography :...
county||-|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 431 municipalities...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of
PrestfossPrestfoss is the administrative center of the Sigdal municipality in Buskerud county, Norway.-Background:The population of Pressfoss as of 2005 was 465. Prestfoss is located 1.5 hours northwest of Oslo...
. The municipality of Sigdal was established on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). The area of
KrødsheradKrødsherad is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Noresund. The municipality of Krødsherad was established when it was separated from the municipality of Sigdal on 1 January 1901.-Name:...
was separated from Sigdal on 1 January 1901.
The municipality has common borders with the municipalities of
FlåFlå is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Flå. The municipality of Flå was established when it was separated from the municipality of Nes on 1 January 1905...
, Krødsherad,
ModumModum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 .The area has a long tradition of skiing with several...
,
Øvre EikerØvre Eiker is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hokksund. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into Øvre Eiker and Nedre Eiker on 1 July 1885.-Name:The Old Norse form of...
,
FlesbergFlesberg is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lampeland....
,
RollagRollag is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The municipality of Rollag was established on 1 January 1838 . Nore og Uvdal was separated from Rollag in 1858....
, and
Nore og UvdalNore og Uvdal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rødberg....
.
Name
The
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
form of the name was
Sigmardalr or
Sigmudalr. The first element is the
genitive caseIn grammar, the genitive case is the case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of a river name
Sigm(a) (now called the
SimoaSimoa is a river in Buskerud, Norway. The river runs through the municipality of Sigdal, flowing in a south-easterly course until it flows into Drammenselva at Åmot in Modum. The drainage basin of the Simoa covers 889 km2...
) and the last element is
dalr which means "
valleyIn geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
" or "dale". The meaning of the river name is unknown, but is maybe derived from
síga which means to "ooze" or "slide".
Coat-of-arms
The
coat-of-armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
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
AndersnattenAndersnatten is a mountain south in the valley Eggedal, in the municipality Sigdal in Buskerud, Norway.The southeast wall is popular among climbers, both summer and winter. The first route was established in 1942 by Einar Hoff Hansen and Egmont Nørregaard....
. The profile of the mountain is yellow with a blue-colored sky above.
Geography and population
Most of the citizens live in the village of
EggedalEggedal consisting of the northwestern half of Sigdal Kommune.Eggedal is an ecclesiastical division rather than a political division. It consists of the portion of Sigdal Kommune served by the Eggedal Church. The church is located near the center of the parish, at the northwest tip of the valley....
or the administrative centre of Prestfoss. Sigdal is densely populated, dominated by
mountainA mountain is a large landform that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area usually in the form of a peak. A mountain is generally steeper than a hill. The adjective montane is used to describe mountainous areas and things associated with them...
s and valleys.
About 72% of the area is covered with
forestA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on the various criteria. These plant communities presently cover approximately 9.4% of the Earth's surface in many different regions and function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators,...
, 20% is mountain areas, and 4% of the area is cultivated.
AgricultureAgriculture is the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of human civilization, with the husbandry of domesticated animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more densely populated and...
,
forestryForestry is the art and science of managing forests, tree plantations, and related natural resources. The main goal of forestry is to create and implement systems that allow forests to continue a sustainable continuation of environmental supplies and services...
, and the kitchen-producing enterprise of
Sigdal Kjøkken are still important industries.
Andersnatten
AndersnattenAndersnatten is a mountain south in the valley Eggedal, in the municipality Sigdal in Buskerud, Norway.The southeast wall is popular among climbers, both summer and winter. The first route was established in 1942 by Einar Hoff Hansen and Egmont Nørregaard....
is a well-known mountain and landmark. The mountain has inspired painters visiting or living in Sigdal, notably
Theodor KittelsenTheodor Severin Kittelsen was a Norwegian artist. He is one of the most popular artists in Norway. Kittelsen became famous for his nature paintings, as well as for his illustrations of fairy tales and legends, especially of trolls.-Biography:Kittelsen was born in the coastal town of Kragerø in...
, and is recognized by
mountain climbersMountaineering is the sport, hobby or profession of walking, hiking, backpacking and climbing mountains. In Europe it is also referred to as alpinism, while in the Americas the term refers to a particular style of mountain climbing, that involves a mixture of ice climbing, rock climbing, mixed...
as a tough challenge.
Notable residents
- Dag Aabye (born 1941) "Father of Freeride Skiing"
- Gulbrand Hagen
Gulbrand Torsteinson Hagen was an American newspaper editor and writer in Minnesota and North Dakota at the end of 19th Century and beginning of the 20th.-Biography:Hagen was born in Sigdal, Buskerud, Norway...
(1864 - 1919) Norwegian-American newspaper editor and writer
- Theodor Kittelsen
Theodor Severin Kittelsen was a Norwegian artist. He is one of the most popular artists in Norway. Kittelsen became famous for his nature paintings, as well as for his illustrations of fairy tales and legends, especially of trolls.-Biography:Kittelsen was born in the coastal town of Kragerø in...
(1857 - 1914) Norwegian artist and painter
- Erik Ramstad
Erik Ramstad was one of the founders of Minot, North Dakota.-Biography:Erik Ramstad and his brother Peter were natives of Sigdal, Buskerud County, Norway. They were early settlers in the Souris River Valley of North Dakota arriving in May 1883. They staked a claim to property on both the north and...
(1860 - 1951) Norwegian-American founder of Minot, North DakotaMinot is a city located in north central North Dakota in the United States. With a population of 36,567 at the 2000 census, Minot is the fourth largest city in the state. The city is the county seat of Ward County and is a trading center for a large portion of northern North Dakota, southwestern...
- Christian Skredsvig
Christian Skredsvig was a Norwegian painter and writer.Christian Skredsvig was born in Modum, Buskerud in 1854. When he was 15 years old he became a pupil at the Eckersberg drawing and paint school in Christiania . He later studied in Copenhagen, Munich and Paris...
(1854 - 1924) Norwegian artist and painter
- Olaf Solumsmoen
Olaf Solumsmoen was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Labour Party.He was born in Sigdal, and decided to be a stenographer. He was hired in the Labour Party newspaper Fremtiden in Drammen, where he also was involved in local politics. He eventually left stenography to become a...
(1896 - 1972) Newspaper editor and politician for the Norwegian Labour PartyThe Norwegian Labour Party is a social democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway.The Labour Party is officially a social democratic party committed to social...
.
Sister cities
The following cities are
twinnedSister cities, also known as town twinning, is an agreement between towns, cities and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties...
with Sigdal:
ÄänekoskiÄänekoski is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Central Finland region. The town has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
,
Western FinlandThe Province of Western Finland is a province of Finland. It borders the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also borders the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland.- Former provinces :...
,
FinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland
, is a Nordic country and democracy situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland...
HveragerðiHveragerði is a small town in the south of Iceland located 45 km to the east of Reykjavík on Iceland's main ringroad, Route 1. The river Varmá runs through the town. The population was 2281 on 1 April, 2008....
,
IcelandThe Republic of Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km². Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to approximately two thirds of the national population...
ÖrnsköldsvikÖrnsköldsvik is a locality and the seat of Örnsköldsvik Municipality in Västernorrland County, Sweden with 28,617 inhabitants in 2005.Its natural harbour and archipelago is in the Gulf of Bothnia and the northern boundaries of the High Coast area of outstanding natural beauty. It is well known as...
,
Västernorrland CountyVästernorrland County is a county or län in the north of Sweden. It is bordered by the counties of Gävleborg, Jämtland, Västerbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia.- Province :...
,
SwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe...
External links