Country Norway District Jæren Area rank 180 in Norway Area 618 km² Local time Tuesday 1:05 PM | County Rogaland Administrative centre Ålgård Demonym(s) Gjesdalbu Population 11,600 (2015) Official language form Norwegian Language | |
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Weather 8°C, Wind W at 18 km/h, 80% Humidity Points of interest Kongeparken, Månafossen, Månafossen falls and, Bynuten | ||
Gjesdal is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Jæren. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ålgård. Other villages in Gjesdal include Dirdal, Frafjord, Gilja, Gjesdal, and Oltedal. The 618-square-kilometre (239 sq mi) municipality lies about 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the southwest of the city of Stavanger in southwestern Norway.
Contents
- Map of Gjesdal Norway
- Name
- Coat of arms
- Churches
- History
- Government
- Municipal council
- Geography
- Notable residents
- References
Map of Gjesdal, Norway
The European route E39 highway runs through the western side of the municipality. On the east side of the municipality, the Frafjord Tunnel connects the Frafjord valley with the rest of the municipality.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Gjesdal farm (Old Norse: Gesdalir), since the first Gjesdal Church was built there. The first element is probably an old river name and the last element is the plural form of dalr which means "valley" or "dale".
Before 1889, the name was written Gjæsdal, which is the Danish spelling. During the period from 1889-1917 it was spelled Gjesdal (Norwegian language version). Then starting in 1918, it was spelled Gjestal after the pronunciation of the local dialect (the d in dal is pronounced t because of the voiceless consonant s in front). In 1964, the spelling was changed back to the etymologically correct form of Gjesdal.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 15 March 1985. The arms show a white sheep's head on a blue background. The sheet was chosen as a symbol because sheep breeding and wool manufacturing have both been important throughout the history of Gjesdal. The wool industry was centered in the village of Ålgård where wool, textile, and clothing businesses have thrived.
Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Gjesdal. It is part of the Jæren deanery in the Diocese of Stavanger.
History
The parish of Gjæsdal was established as a municipality in 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). It originally was much smaller than it is today, centered on the Gjesdalen valley in the western part of the present-day municipality. On 1 January 1965, there were many major municipal changes in Norway due to the recommendations of the Schei Committee. On that date several areas were merged together to form a much larger municipality of Gjesdal:
On 1 January 1970, an unpopulated area of Time was transferred to Gjesdal. Then on 1 January 1989, another small, unpopulated area of Time was transferred to Gjesdal.
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Gjesdal, 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.
Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Gjesdal is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to every four years. For 2011–2015, the party breakdown is as follows:
Geography
Gjesdal municipality is located in the southern part of the Jæren district in Rogaland county. To the northwest, Gjesdal borders the municipality of Sandnes, to the north is Forsand municipality, to the east is Sirdal municipality (in Vest-Agder county), to the south is Bjerkreim municipality, and to the west is the municipality of Time.
Gjesdal sits at the head of the Høgsfjorden and along the south and east sides of the Frafjorden. The Månafossen waterfall, the largest waterfall in Rogaland county, is located in the Frafjord valley. There are several large lakes in the municipality such as Edlandsvatnet, Flassavatnet, Limavatnet, and Oltedalsvatnet. The Figgjoelva river has its headwaters in Gjesdal also.