Gjesdal Municipality Gjesdal kommune | |
|---|---|
| Gjestal herred (historic name) Gjæsdal herred (historic name) | |
.jpg) View of the Gjesdal landscape | |
 Flag | |
 Rogaland within Norway | |
 Gjesdal within Rogaland | |
| Coordinates:58°46′55″N06°00′31″E / 58.78194°N 6.00861°E /58.78194; 6.00861 | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Rogaland |
| District | Jæren |
| Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
| • Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
| Administrative centre | Ålgård |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2013) | Frode Fjeldsbø (Ap) |
| Area | |
• Total | 617.99 km2 (238.61 sq mi) |
| • Land | 558.25 km2 (215.54 sq mi) |
| • Water | 59.73 km2 (23.06 sq mi) 9.7% |
| • Rank | #187 in Norway |
| Population (2023) | |
• Total | 12,302 |
| • Rank | #95 in Norway |
| • Density | 22/km2 (57/sq mi) |
| • Change(10 years) |  +11.4% |
| Demonym | Gjesdalbu[1] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Neutral |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-1122[3] |
| Website | Official website |
Gjesdal is amunicipality inRogaland county,Norway. It is located in thetraditional district ofJæren. Theadministrative centre of the municipality is the village ofÅlgård. Other villages in Gjesdal includeDirdal,Frafjord,Gilja,Gjesdal, andOltedal. The municipality lies about 25 kilometres (16 mi) to the southwest of the city ofStavanger in southwestern Norway.[4]
TheEuropean route E39 highway runs through the western side of the municipality. On the east side of the municipality, theFrafjord Tunnel connects theFrafjord valley with the rest of the municipality.
The 618-square-kilometre (239 sq mi) municipality is the 187th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Gjesdal is the 95th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 12,302. The municipality'spopulation density is 22 inhabitants per square kilometre (57/sq mi) and its population has increased by 11.4% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
The municipality (originally theparish) is named after the oldGjesdal farm (Old Norse:Gesdalir) since the firstGjesdal Church was built there. The first element is probably the old name of the local river, but the meaning is uncertain. The last element is the plural form ofdalr which means "valley" or "dale".[7]
Before 1889, the name was spelledGjæsdal, which is theDanish spelling. During the period from 1889 to 1917 it was spelledGjesdal (Norwegian language version). On 3 November 1917, aroyal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality toGjestal.[8] This was changed to mimic the pronunciation of the localdialect (thed indal is pronouncedt because of the voiceless consonants in front). On 26 June 1964, aroyal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality back toGjesdal as part of a border adjustment that was to take effect on 1 January 1965.[9] This change in spelling was made to bring the name back to theetymologically correct form ofGjesdal.[10]
Thecoat of arms was granted on 15 March 1985. The officialblazon is"Azure, a ram's headcaboshedargent" (Norwegian:I blått et sølv værhode sett forfra). This means the arms have a bluefield (background) and thecharge is the head of aram. The ram head has atincture ofargent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The ram was chosen as a symbol becausesheep breeding and wool manufacturing have both been important throughout the history of Gjesdal. The wool industry was centered in the village ofÅlgård where wool, textile, and clothing businesses have thrived. It is also an old heraldic charge, that may be found in a number of 14th century Norwegian seals. It depicts almost identical arms in a seal from 1400 of one Aslak Tordsson. The arms were designed by Kai Wood Moe after a preliminary draft by Jørgen Otteren. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[11][12][13]
TheChurch of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Gjesdal. It is part of theJæren prosti (deanery) in theDiocese of Stavanger.
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gjesdal | Dirdal Church | Dirdal | 1903 |
| Gjesdal Church | Gjesdal | 1848 | |
| Oltedal Church | Oltedal | 2002 | |
| Ålgård | Ålgård Church | Ålgård | 2015 |
| Old Ålgård Church | Ålgård | 1917 |
Theparish ofGjæsdal was established as a municipality in 1838 (seeformannskapsdistrikt law). It originally was much smaller than it is today, centered on the Gjesdalen valley in the western part of the present-day municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of theSchei Committee. On 1 January 1965 several areas were merged to form a much larger municipality of Gjesdal:[14]
On 1 January 1970, an unpopulated area ofTime Municipality was transferred to Gjesdal. Then on 1 January 1989, another small, unpopulated area of Time was transferred to Gjesdal.[14]
Gjesdal Municipality is responsible forprimary education (through 10th grade), outpatienthealth services,senior citizen services,welfare and othersocial services,zoning,economic development, and municipalroads and utilities. The municipality is governed by amunicipal council ofdirectly elected representatives. Themayor isindirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[15] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of theSør-Rogaland District Court and theGulating Court of Appeal.
Themunicipal council (Kommunestyre) of Gjesdal is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by politicalparty.
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 4 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 6 | |
| Industry and Business Party(Industri‑ og Næringspartiet) | 2 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 4 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 27 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 4 | |
| Green Party(Miljøpartiet De Grønne) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 3 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 4 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 4 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 27 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 4 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 4 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 6 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Total number of members: | 27 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 5 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 6 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 7 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 2 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 27 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 6 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 3 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 6 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 6 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 3 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 6 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 4 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 5 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 6 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 2 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 4 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 6 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 4 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 5 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
| Socialist Left Party(Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 3 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 4 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 5 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Progress Party(Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 6 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 5 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 4 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 7 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 6 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 4 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 1 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 4 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 6 | |
| Centre Party(Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
| Joint list of theLiberal Party(Venstre) and New People's Party(Nye Folkepartiet) | 2 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Conservative Party(Høyre) | 1 | |
| Christian Democratic Party(Kristelig Folkeparti) | 5 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 4 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 8 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 | |
| Liberal Party(Venstre) | 4 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 13 | |
| Total number of members: | 25 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 7 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 17 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 10 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Party name(in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Party(Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 | |
| Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties(Borgerlige Felleslister) | 4 | |
| Local List(s)(Lokale lister) | 7 | |
| Total number of members: | 16 | |
| Note: Due to theGerman occupation of Norway duringWorld War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945. | ||
Themayors (Norwegian:ordfører) of Gjesdal:[35]
Gjesdal municipality is located in the southern part of theJæren district in Rogaland county. To the north and northwest, Gjesdal borders the municipality ofSandnes, to the east isSirdal municipality (inAgder county), to the south isBjerkreim municipality, and to the west is the municipality ofTime.
Gjesdal sits at the head of theHøgsfjorden and along the south and east sides of theFrafjorden. TheMånafossen waterfall, the largestwaterfall in Rogaland county, is located in theFrafjord valley. There are several large lakes in the municipality such asEdlandsvatnet,Flassavatnet,Limavatnet, andOltedalsvatnet. TheFiggjoelva river has its headwaters in Gjesdal also.
| Climate data for Gjesdal | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −0.1 (31.8) | −0.2 (31.6) | 1.9 (35.4) | 4.8 (40.6) | 9.1 (48.4) | 12.1 (53.8) | 13.4 (56.1) | 13.6 (56.5) | 11.1 (52.0) | 8.1 (46.6) | 3.8 (38.8) | 1.4 (34.5) | 6.6 (43.9) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 126 (5.0) | 90 (3.5) | 103 (4.1) | 65 (2.6) | 78 (3.1) | 85 (3.3) | 108 (4.3) | 140 (5.5) | 185 (7.3) | 195 (7.7) | 185 (7.3) | 155 (6.1) | 1,515 (59.6) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1 mm) | 15.5 | 12 | 14 | 11.2 | 12.5 | 12.2 | 13.1 | 15.3 | 18.1 | 18.5 | 19.1 | 17.7 | 179.2 |
| Source: Norwegian Meteorological Institute[36] | |||||||||||||
Media related toGjesdal at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition ofGjesdal at Wiktionary
Rogaland travel guide from Wikivoyage
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