Sigdal is a municipality in Buskerud County, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestfoss.[4]

Sigdal Municipality
Sigdal kommune
Buskerud within Norway
Buskerud within Norway
Sigdal within Buskerud
Sigdal within Buskerud
Coordinates: 60°3′9″N 9°36′4″E / 60.05250°N 9.60111°E / 60.05250; 9.60111
CountryNorway
CountyBuskerud
DistrictRingerike
Administrative centrePrestfoss
Government
 • Mayor (2015)Anne Kristine (Tine) Norman (Sp)
Area
 • Total
842 km2 (325 sq mi)
 • Land811 km2 (313 sq mi)
 • Rank#130 in Norway
Population
 (2004)
 • Total
3,530
 • Rank#244 in Norway
 • Density4/km2 (10/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −3.9%
DemonymSigdøl or Sigdøling[1]
Official language
 • Norwegian formBokmål
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3332[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

The municipality of Sigdal was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area of Krødsherad was separated from Sigdal on 1 January 1901. The municipality has common borders with the municipalities of Flå, Krødsherad, Modum, Øvre Eiker, Flesberg, Rollag, and Nore og Uvdal.

Name

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The Old Norse form of the name was Sigmardalr or Sigmudalr. The first element is the genitive case of a river name Sigm(a) (now called the Simoa) and the last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". The Simoa river runs through Sigdal, flowing in a south-easterly course until it flows into Drammenselva at Åmot in Modum. The meaning of the river name is unknown, but is maybe derived from síga which means to "ooze" or "slide".

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Sigdal by country of origin in 2017[5]
Ancestry Number
  Poland 83
  Syria 50
  Lithuania 47
  Germany 22
  Latvia 17

Coat-of-arms

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The coat-of-arms 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 Andersnatten. The profile of the mountain is yellow with a blue-colored sky above.[6]

Geography and population

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Most of the citizens live in the village of Eggedal or the administrative centre of Prestfoss. Sigdal is densely populated, dominated by mountains and valleys.

About 72% of the area is covered with forest, 20% is mountain areas, and 4% of the area is cultivated. Agriculture, forestry, and the kitchen-producing enterprise of Sigdal Kjøkken are still important industries.

Climate

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Sigdal has a humid continental (Dfb), near subarctic climate (Dfc), Dsb, and Dsc (the dry-summer versions, respectively) at once. The average summer high is 69 F, and the average winter low is 20 F. Snowfall in winter is fairly reliable, at 68 days per year on average, and rainfall peaks in summer and early fall. The highest and lowest temperatures ever recorded in Sigdal are 93 F (34 C) in July and-11 F (-24 C) in February, respectively.[7]

 
Vatnås Church

Local Attractions

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  • Folk Music Center (Folkemusikksenteret) is a cultural heritage museum offering a good image of the building style and traditions of the district. The Folk Music Center is principally responsible for collecting, storing and promoting local folk music and dance.
  • Sigdal-Eggedal Museum is a regional museum for Krødsherad, Modum and Sigdal. This museum dedicated to the region's culture and history is arranged particularly authentically.
  • Vatnås Church (Vatnås kirke) is a historic church dating from 1660.[8]
  • Lauvlia is the former home of Theodor Kittelsen, one of the most popular artists in Norway, who settled near Prestfoss during 1899. Today Lauvlia is a private museum featuring an exhibition of Kittelsen’s original work
  • Andersnatten is a well-known mountain and landmark. The mountain has inspired painters visiting or living in Sigdal, notably Theodor Kittelsen and Christian Skredsvig. It is recognized by mountain climbers as a tough challenge.
 
Trillemarka nature reserve

Protected areas in Sigdal Municipality

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  • Heimseteråsen nature reserve, established on 13 December 2002, 2,515 acres
  • Solevatn nature reserve, established 20 June 1986, 538 acres
  • Trillemarka nature reserve, established on 13 December 2002, 43,285 acres

Notable residents

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Christian Skredsvig

Sister cities

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The following cities are twinned with Sigdal:

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (2023-01-26). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ Sigdal (Store norske leksikon)
  5. ^ "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population". ssb.no. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  6. ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  7. ^ "MSN". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  8. ^ Sigrid Marie Christie, Håkon Christie. "Vatnås kirke". Norges Kirker. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  9. ^ IMDb Database retrieved 25 November 2020
  10. ^ IMDb Database retrieved 25 November 2020
  11. ^ "Norrænt samstarf" (in Icelandic). Hveragerði. Archived from the original on 2009-02-12. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  12. ^ "Vänorter" (in Swedish). Örnsköldsvik kommun. Archived from the original on 2012-02-19. Retrieved 2009-01-10.

Other sources

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  • Mørch, Andreas & Thormod Skatvedt Sigdal og Eggedal (Sigdal og Eggedal, 1914)
  • Mørch, Andreas Frå gamle dagar. Folkeminne frå Sigdal og Eggedal (Norsk Folkeminnelag: 1932)
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