Mandal, Norway

Mandal is a town and municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. It is the second largest city by population in Vest-Agder after Kristiansand and the fourth largest city in Sørlandet or Agder. Mandalselva is a salmon river that flows through the town and has its river mouth outside town. Mandal has many small, white-painted wooden houses, which is typical of towns at the South Coast of Norway (Sørlandet). The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Mandal.

The town of Mandal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipalities of Halse og Harkmark and Holum were merged with Mandal on 1 January 1964.

Mandal borders Lindesnes to the west and northwest, Marnardal to the north, Søgne to the east. It is the southernmost town of Norway and the skerry Pysen (south of the town) is the southernmost point of land.

Besides Mandal proper, Mandal municipality includes the villages (delområde) of Bykjernen, Skjebstad, Sånum-Lundevik, Skogsfjord-Hesland, Holum, Harkmark, Skinsnes-Ime, Tregde-Skjernøy.

General information

Name

Part of Mandal town center

The Old Norse form of the presant name Mandal was Marnardalr. The first element is the genitive case of the river name Mǫrn (now Mandalselva) and the last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".

The old name of the town (before 1653) was Vesterrisør ("western Risør"). The name was originally referring to the island Risøya outside the town, and the first element was added in the 16th century to distinguish it from the town of Østerrisør.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 2 July 1921. The arms show three salmon, symbolizing the importance of salmon fishing on the Mandalselva. Mandal is the southernmost municipality with a large salmon population. Salmon fishing also played a major role in the development of the village.^[2]

(See also coat-of-arms for Grane, Kvalsund and Nordreisa.)

Attractions

Marina in Mandal

Buen

Mandal is a very popular holiday resort, with its mild and refreshing summer climate. It is famous for its long-stretching beaches surrounding the town. Sjøsanden (The Sea Sand) is the most famous beach, as it stretches for almost a kilometre just outside the town centre. It is frequently ranked as one of Norway's most popular beaches.

The city center is known for its charming concentration of old, white wooden houses and the Mandal river running through it. Another attraction is the city's church: Mandal kirke. It is the largest wooden church in Norway, with 1,800 seats and a pulpit on the wall behind the altar.

The library, art gallery, cinema, concert hall and theater is located in the new culture house Buen.^[3]

The sculptor Gustav Vigeland (1869–1943) was born in Mandal, and has a museum dedicated to him here. Vigeland's main achievement is the Vigeland Sculpture Park (Vigelandsparken) in Oslo.

The painter Adolph Tidemand (1814–1876) was also born in Mandal. His most famous painting is the national romantic image of a traditional wedding on the Hardanger fjord, which he made together with Hans Gude.

Because of these and other artists, like Amaldus Nielsen and Olaf Isaachsen, the town is sometimes called "The Little Town with the Great Artists".

Hogganvik, in the Sånum-Lundevik area of Mandal, is the site of discovery of the Hogganvik runestone in 2009.^[4]

Business and Transport

Umoe Mandal is the municipality's new cornerstone, with the production of mostly military vessels, like these Skjold class patrol boats.

Mandal is famous for its shipbuilding and engineering industries. There was much trade in sailing ships, where the natural harbor of Kleven at Gismerøya was used. Large yard providing ships and marine equipment in Norway and abroad are Westermoen Hydrofoil and Båtservice yard at Skogfjorden, the later Umoe Mandal.

Moreover, the textile industry has been substantial, with several manufacturing companies that had at most 2-300 employees.

Mandal is also famous for its annual Shellfish festival (Skalldyrfestivalen) the second weekend of August when many people gather in downtown to eat Norwegian seafood.^[5]

E39 (formerly a part of E18) to Kristiansand and Stavanger is the main road through Mandal. There are connecting flights and ferries to the continent from Kristiansand.

Twin towns – Sister cities

Mandal is twinned with:

Oskarshamn, Sweden^[6]

References

↑ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
↑ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 27 September 2008.
↑ Buen, official homepage (Norwegian)
↑ Fant runestein i hagen, Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, 29 September 2009; Kan ha funnet til nå ukjent runestein Verdens Gang, 28 September 2009.
↑ The Shellfish festival, Mandal www.visitnorway.com
↑ Lindquist, Ted. "Internationella frågor och vänorter". Oskarshamn Municipality (in Swedish). Retrieved 2013-07-25.

http://nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/sorlandet/1.7795446

External links

Media related to Mandal at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of Mandal at Wiktionary
Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
Vest-Agder travel guide from Wikivoyage
Mandal travel guide from Wikivoyage
Photograph of Hogganvik runestone with colored runes
Some Photographs of Mandal in August 1986, including the Lodsen Restaurant

Municipalities of Vest-Agder

Åseral Audnedal Farsund Flekkefjord Hægebostad Kristiansand Kvinesdal Lindesnes Lyngdal Mandal Marnardal Sirdal Søgne Songdalen Vennesla

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