Lillesand

Lillesand (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈlɪ̂lːəsɑn] (listen))[3] is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Lillesand. Some of the larger villages in Lillesand municipality include Åkerøyhamn, Brekkestø, Gamle Hellesund, Helldal, Høvåg, Ribe, Skottevik, Trøe, Ulvøysund, and Vesterhus.

This article is about the municipality in Southern Norway. For the town in this municipality, see Lillesand (town).
Lillesand kommune
Municipality
Blindleia in Lillesand
Agder within
Norway
Lillesand within Agder
Coordinates: 58°14′49″N 08°19′01″E
CountryNorway
CountyAgder
DistrictSørlandet
Established1 Jan 1838
Administrative centreLillesand
Government
 • Mayor (2019)Einar Holmer-Hoven (H)
Area
 • Total190.43 km2 (73.53 sq mi)
 • Land180.39 km2 (69.65 sq mi)
 • Water10.04 km2 (3.88 sq mi)  5.3%
Area rank306 in Norway
Population
 (2020)
 • Total11,074
 • Rank102 in Norway
 • Density61.4/km2 (159/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
17%
Demonym(s)Lillesandar
Lillesander[1]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-4215
Official language formBokmål[2]
Websitelillesand.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

The 190-square-kilometre (73 sq mi) municipality is the 306th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lillesand is the 102nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 11,074. The municipality's population density is 61.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (159/sq mi) and its population has increased by 17% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]

General information
Justøy Bridge over Blindleia in Lillesand.
Lillesand Church in the centre of the town

The town of Lillesand was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, the following areas were merged into a new, larger municipality of Lillesand:[6]

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was just Sandr which means "sand beach". The first element lille which means "little" was added after the founding of Kristiansand in 1641 to distinguish it from the greater and more important town nearby.[7]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 September 1987. The arms show three silver anchors on a blue background. The anchor was chosen to symbolize the connection that the municipality has with the sea and there are three of them to symbolize the three smaller municipalities that were merged in 1964 to form the present municipality.[8][9]

See also: Coats of arms of Narvik and Nøtterøy

History

Sanden, which consisted of the small area near the harbor, was the original name for the municipality of Lillesand. Lillesand is built on the ancient estate of Lofthus. Christian Jensen Lofthuus was captured on his Lofthus estate around 1780.

In 1821, when Lillesand became a privileged port, it had a population of only 300 and had nine shipyards. By 1895 the merchant fleet was 95 vessels strong. But the death of the sailing ship caused severe economic difficulties for Lillesand. Sailing ships had been inexpensive and could be built from local timber. Steamers were built of steel, were expensive and required more capital than locals could muster. Shipyards were closed. Many of the residents emigrated from there to the United States. Lillesand remained a fishing village, though even this area suffered when the herring left the coast.

The Saltholmen Lighthouse, located on an island off Lillesand, is a nineteenth century lighthouse with a slate roof and a concrete tower for the light. It operated as a manned lighthouse from 1882 to 1952. Saltholmen (lit. "Salty Islet") is named after the salt extraction industry once there, established by Hans Nielsen Hauge.

The Lillesand-Flaksvandbanen operated between Lillesand and Flaksvann from 1896 to 1953.

The Orzeł, a Polish submarine sank the German troop transport Rio de Janeiro on 8 April 1940 off Lillesand. The Rio de Janeiro was on its way to take part in the initial landings of Operation Weserübung the next day, the invasion of Norway.

Geography

Lillesand is bordered in the north by Birkenes municipality, to the east by Grimstad municipality and to the south by Kristiansand municipality. The lake Østre Grimevann is a large lake in the northern part of the municipality and the river Tovdalselva runs through the municipality, too. The Blindleia is an inland waterway that starts in Gamle Hellesund in Høvåg near Kristiansand in southern Norway, and continues past Lillesand. It is a salt water passage protected from the open sea by the offshore archipelago. The island of Justøy lies just south of the town of Lillesand, along the Blindleia. The Kvåsefjorden lies along the southwestern border of Lillesand municipality.

Navigation through the Blindleia passage requires attention to detail, but is not difficult as there are no tides, and very little current. The minimal tidal change in the skerries is due to its geographical location; the tidal flow that comes in from the Atlantic Ocean splits on the British Isles. One tidal stream goes through the English Channel, while the other goes around the north of the British Isles. The stream of the English Channel reaches the coast of Norway before the wave traveling around the British Islands. These two tidal "waves" are completely out of phase when they meet here, neutralizing the tidal effect.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Lillesand, 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.[10] The municipality falls under the Kristiansand District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Lillesand is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. Currently, the party breakdown is as follows:

Lillesand Kommunestyre 2020–2023 [11]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)6
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)2
 Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne)1
 Conservative Party (Høyre)8
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)2
 Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet)2
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)2
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)2
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
Total number of members:27
Lillesand Kommunestyre 2016–2019 [12]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)6
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)2
 Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne)1
 Conservative Party (Høyre)10
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)2
 Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet)2
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)1
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)1
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
Total number of members:27
Lillesand Kommunestyre 2012–2015 [13]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)5
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)2
 Conservative Party (Høyre)13
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)2
 Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet)1
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)1
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)1
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
Total number of members:27
Lillesand Kommunestyre 2008–2011 [12]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)4
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)4
 Conservative Party (Høyre)13
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)3
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)1
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)2
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 2004–2007 [12]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)5
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)4
 Conservative Party (Høyre)7
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)4
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)2
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)5
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 2000–2003 [12]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)6
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)2
 Conservative Party (Høyre)8
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)5
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)1
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)4
 Liberal Party (Venstre)3
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 1996–1999 [14]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)6
 Conservative Party (Høyre)9
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)3
 Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet)3
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)2
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)3
 Liberal Party (Venstre)3
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 1992–1995 [15]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)5
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)2
 Conservative Party (Høyre)8
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)3
 Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet)2
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)2
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)4
 Liberal Party (Venstre)3
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 1988–1991 [16]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)7
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)3
 Conservative Party (Høyre)9
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)4
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)1
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)2
 Liberal Party (Venstre)3
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 1984–1987 [17]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)7
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)3
 Conservative Party (Høyre)10
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)4
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)1
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)2
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 1980–1983 [18]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)6
 Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)1
 Conservative Party (Høyre)12
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)5
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)2
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)1
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 1976–1979 [19]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)6
 Conservative Party (Høyre)10
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)6
 New People's Party (Nye Folkepartiet)1
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)3
 Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)1
 Liberal Party (Venstre)2
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 1972–1975 [20]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)8
 Conservative Party (Høyre)8
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)4
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)4
 Liberal Party (Venstre)5
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 1968–1971 [21]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)8
 Conservative Party (Høyre)8
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)4
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)3
 Liberal Party (Venstre)6
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Kommunestyre 1964–1967 [22]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)8
 Conservative Party (Høyre)8
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)3
 Centre Party (Senterpartiet)2
 Liberal Party (Venstre)8
Total number of members:29
Lillesand Bystyre 1960–1963 [23]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)3
 Conservative Party (Høyre)8
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)4
 Liberal Party (Venstre)6
Total number of members:21
Lillesand Bystyre 1956–1959 [24]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)3
 Conservative Party (Høyre)8
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)4
 Liberal Party (Venstre)6
Total number of members:21
Lillesand Bystyre 1952–1955 [25]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)3
 Conservative Party (Høyre)7
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)3
 Liberal Party (Venstre)7
Total number of members:20
Lillesand Bystyre 1948–1951 [26]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)3
 Conservative Party (Høyre)5
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)5
 Liberal Party (Venstre)7
Total number of members:20
Lillesand Bystyre 1945–1947 [27]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)2
 Conservative Party (Høyre)5
 Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)5
 Liberal Party (Venstre)8
Total number of members:20
Lillesand Bystyre 1938–1941* [28]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)1
 Conservative Party (Høyre)7
 Liberal Party (Venstre)12
Total number of members:20
Lillesand Bystyre 1935–1937 [29]  
Party Name (in Norwegian)Number of
representatives
 Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)1
 Conservative Party (Høyre)7
 Liberal Party (Venstre)12
Total number of members:20

Attractions
Øvre gate with white wooden houses in the town center of Lillesand

The Norwegian National Park Skjærgårdsparken lies between Risør and Lillesand. Skjærgårdsparken, "the Park of Archipelago" is a paradise of islands, skerries, and rocks. Blindleia is a 12 kilometers Inland waterway between Lillesand and Ulvøysund with much small boat traffic in the summertime. The village of Brekkestø is tourist area on the island of Justøya.

Lillesand Town- and Maritime Museum is a local, culture historic museum, located in the centre of the town. The museum is also called Carl Knudsen-gården.

The Norwegian author Jostein Gaarder refers to this town in several of his books, for example in Sophie's World, where The Solitaire Mystery refers to Lillesand.

Churches

Lillesand Church is a wooden church which was built in 1887–1889 in Gothic Revival/Swiss style. The architect was Henrik Thrap-Meyer who also designed the pulpit, altarpiece and baptismal font. The altarpiece was done by Abraham Tønnessen. Lillesand Church is perched high above the city on a hill at Kirkeheia.[30] [31]

In the current Lillesand municipality are also the medieval stone churches Vestre Moland Church and Høvåg Church, both of which are listed cultural heritage sites.

International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway

Twin towns — Sister cities

Lillesand has sister city agreements with the following places:[32]

Notable residents
Knut Hamsun, 1939
Jorunn Lossius, 2018
Lillesand's Waterfront

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Berulfsen, Bjarne (1969). Norsk Uttaleordbok (in Norwegian). Oslo: H. Aschehoug & Co (W Nygaard). p. 199.
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå.
  7. Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (31 October 2017). "Lillesand". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  8. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  9. "Om Lillesand" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 4 October 2008.
  10. Hansen, Tore, ed. (12 May 2016). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  11. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Agder". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  12. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  13. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Aust-Agder". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  14. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  15. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  16. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  19. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  20. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  21. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  22. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  23. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  24. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  25. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1934" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1935. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  30. "Lillesand kirke". Den Norske Kirke. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  31. "Henrik Thrap-Meyer". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  32. "Vennskapskommuner" (in Norwegian). Lillesand kommune. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
  33. IMDb Database retrieved 01 January 2021

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