| Eigersund | |
| Former Name: | Egersund herred |
| Idnumber: | 1101 |
| County: | Rogaland |
| District: | Dalane |
| Capital: | Egersund |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1838 |
| Preceded: | none |
| Demonym: | Eigersunder |
| Language: | Bokmål |
| Flag: | Flag of Eigersund.svg |
| Coatofarms: | Eigersund komm.svg |
| Webpage: | www.eigersund.kommune.no |
| Mayor: | Anja Hovland |
| Mayor Party: | H |
| Mayor As Of: | 2023 |
| Area Rank: | 228 |
| Area Total Km2: | 432.49 |
| Area Land Km2: | 387.45 |
| Area Water Km2: | 45.04 |
| Area Water Percent: | 10.4 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Rank: | 80 |
| Population Total: | 15011 |
| Population Density Km2: | 38.7 |
| Population Increase: | 2.6 |
| Coordinates: | 58.4783°N 6.0631°W |
| Utm Zone: | 32V |
| Utm Northing: | 6485730 |
| Utm Easting: | 0328767 |
| Geo Cat: | adm2nd |
Eigersund is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. It is in the traditional district of Dalane. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Egersund. The town was known for its pottery factory (closed in 1979) and it is among Norway's biggest fishing ports. The villages of Helleland, Hellvik, and Hestnes are also in Eigersund.
The island of Eigerøya lies just off shore from Egersund. The island has several well-known businesses and attractions including the Eigerøy war memorial from World War II.
The 432km2 municipality is the 228th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Eigersund is the 80th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 15,011. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 2.6% over the previous 10-year period.[1] [2]
The rural parish surrounding the town of Egersund was established as the municipality of Egersund landdisstrikt (Egersund rural district) on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1839, the northwestern district of Augne (population: 825) was separated to form its own municipality. On 12 December 1868, a small area of Eigersund municipality (population: 41) was transferred to neighboring Sokndal. In 1947, an area of Eigersund immediately surrounding the town of Egersund (population: 515) was transferred to the town of Egersund and another area in Sokndal (population: 7) was transferred to Eigersund.[3]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers in Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the town of Egersund (population: 3,787) was merged with the surrounding municipalities of Eigersund (population: 4,664), Helleland (population: 851), and the Gyadalen and Grøsfjel areas of Heskestad (population: 114). The new municipality was also called Eigersund. On 1 January 1967, the Tjørn farm (population: 10) was transferred from Eigersund to Sokndal.
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Eigersundet strait (non|Eikundarsund). The first element is the genitive case of the name of the island of Eikund (now Eigerøya). The name of the island comes from the word which means "oak" followed by the suffix Norse, Old: -und which means "plentiful of" (i.e. "the island covered with oak trees"). The last element is which means "strait" or "sound".[4]
The coat of arms was granted on 20 October 1972. The official blazon is "Vert, an oak leaf Or" (no|På grønn bunn et opprett gull eikeblad). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is an oak leaf. The oak leaf has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms are canting arms since the name is derived from Eikundarsund and the eik part means "oak". Oaks are also very common in the municipality. The arms were designed by Hallvard Trætteberg. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[6] [7] [8]
The Church of Norway has three parishes (Norwegian: sokn) within the municipality of Eigersund. It is part of the Dalane prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Stavanger.
| Egersund | Egersund Church | Egersund | 1607 | |
| Bakkebø Church | Egersund | 1960 | ||
| Eigerøy | Eigerøy Church | Eigerøya | 1998 | |
| Helleland | Helleland Church | Helleland | 1832 |
The place is mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's writings. Later, Christian IV set up a battery there.
Eigersund Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[9] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Sør-Rogaland District Court and the Gulating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council (Norwegian: Kommunestyre) of Eigersund is made up of 31 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayors (no|ordfører) of Eigersund:[10] [11]
Eigersund extends from the North Sea coast to the border of Agder county. It borders the municipalities of Hå and Bjerkreim to the north and Sokndal to the south. The municipality is centered on the town of Egersund, and includes the island of Eigerøya. The landscape includes many rivers and lakes, as well as woods and several barren rocky and heather-clad moors. The lakes Grøsfjellvatnet, Eiavatnet, Nodlandsvatnet, and Teksevatnet lie in the municipality.
Eigerøya is an island off the coast of Egersund. The island is connected to the mainland over Eigerøy bridge, which was completed in 1951. The island's coastline is characterized by a number of small bays, as well as Lundarviga. Eigerøya is divided almost in two of the large bay of Lundarviga. The island is surrounded by a number of small islets. Eigerøy Lighthouse and Vibberodden Lighthouse are both located along the shores of Eigerøya.
European route E39 runs through the municipality, passing the village of Helleland. The Sørlandet Line runs through the municipality, stopping at Egersund Station and Hellvik Station.
. Norske gaardnavne: Stavanger amt . 1915 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 10 . Kristiania, Norge . 78 . no . Oluf Rygh.