- Mandal
Infobox_Kommune
name = Mandal
county = Vest-Agder
idnumber = 1002
landscape = Sørlandet
capital = Mandal
demonym = Mandalitt
language =Bokmål
munwebpage = www.mandal.kommune.no
governor = Alf Godfred Møll (Frp)
governor_as_of = 2007
arearank = 319
area = 222
arealand = 210
areapercent = 0.07
population_as_of = 2004
populationrank = 72
population = 13,840
populationpercent = 0.30
populationdensity = 66
populationincrease = 8.1
lat_deg = 58 | lat_min = 2 | lat_sec = 45 | lon_deg = 7 | lon_min = 29 | lon_sec = 44
utm_zone = 32V | utm_northing = 6434823 | utm_easting = 0411208 | geo_cat = adm2ndMandal is a town and municipality in the county of
Vest-Agder ,Norway .The town of Mandal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistrikt ). The rural municipalities ofHalse og Harkmark andHolum 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 skerryPysen (south of the town) is the southernmost point of land.General information
Name
The
Old Norse form of the name was "Marnardalr". The first element is thegenitive case of the river name "Mörn" (nowMandalselva ) and the last element is "dalr" which means "valley" or "dale". See also|MarnardalThe 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". See also|RisørCoat-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. [cite web|url=http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/m/mandal.htm|author=Norske Kommunevåpen|date=1990|title=Nye kommunevåbener i Norden|accessdaymonth=27 September|accessyear=2008]Attractions
Mandal is famous for its long-stretching
beach es surrounding the town.Sjøsanden (The Sea Sand) is probably the most famous beach, as it stretches for almost a kilometre just outside the town centre. Mandal is a very popular holiday resort, with its mild and refreshing summer climate.About 10 kilometers southeast of the city, one of the most famous islands in Norway, Skjernøy, welcomes visitors with silent valleys, a rough and rocky coast, quiet settlements and charming people.
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 over the altar.The famous sculptor
Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943) was born in Mandal, and has a road named after him in his home town. Vigeland created Vigeland Sculpture Park (Vigelandsparken ) inOslo .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 withHans Gude .Because of these and other artists coming from Mandal, the town is sometimes called "The Little Town with the Great Artists".
References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
