Songdalen is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1964 until its dissolution in 2020. The area is now part of Kristiansand Municipality in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Nodeland. Other villages in the municipality included Brennåsen, Finsland, Kilen, Nodelandsheia, and Volleberg. The Sørlandsbanen railway line ran through the municipality, stopping at Nodeland Station. The European route E39 highway also ran through the southern part of the municipality.
Prior to its dissolution in 2020, the municipality was the 323rd largest by area out of the 422 municipalities in Norway. Songdalen Municipality was the 158th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of about . The municipality's population density was and its population had increased by 15.5% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
Administrative history During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Songdalen Municipality was established when the following areas were merged:
all of Greipstad Municipality (population: ) the Eikeland area of Øvrebø Municipality (population: ) most of Finsland Municipality (population: ), except for the Kleveland bru area which became part of Marnardal Municipality
On 1 January 1978, a small area of Vennesla Municipality (population: 10) was transferred to Songdalen Municipality. Then on 1 January 1984, an unpopulated area along the lake Hauglandsvatnet was transferred from Vennesla Municipality to Songdalen Municipality. On 15 May 2019, the Åsan farm (population: 4) was transferred from Marnardal Municipality to Songdalen Municipality.
In 2020, there were many municipal and county mergers across Norway due to the work of the Solberg cabinet. On 1 January 2020, Søgne Municipality was dissolved and the following areas were merged to form an enlarged Kristiansand Municipality:
all of Songdalen Municipality (population: ) all of Kristiansand Municipality (population: ) all of Søgne Municipality (population: )
Name The municipal name is relatively new, having been created in 1964. The name comes from the local river Songdalselva (). The lower part of this river is also known as the Søgneelva. The first element of the name comes from the Old Norse name for the river. The river name is derived from the verb which means "to suck". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale".
Coat of arms The coat of arms was granted on 20 December 1985 and they were in use until the municipality was dissolved on 1 January 2020. The official blazon is "Vert, three oak leaves in pall and three acorns in pall inverted stems conjoined Or" (). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is three conjoined oak leaves with three acorns. The charge 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 green color in the field and the oak leaf and acorn design symbolize the importance of the abundant oak forests in the municipality. There are three leaves/acorns to represent each of the three former municipalities of Greipstad, Finsland, and Øvrebø which were merged to form Songdalen Municipality in 1964. The arms were designed by Nils Th. Finstad.
Churches The Church of Norway has two parishes () within Songdalen Municipality. It is part of the Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.
Churches in Songdalen MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtFinslandFinsland ChurchFinsland1803GreipstadGreipstad ChurchNodeland1829
Geography Songdalen was an inland municipality near the southern tip of Norway. Kristiansand Municipality and Vennesla Municipality were located to the east, Marnardal Municipality was located to the west, and Søgne Municipality was located to the south. Songdalen's administrative centre, Nodeland, is a short 10-minute drive from the center of the city of Kristiansand.
The landscape of the municipality was heavily shaped by the last ice age. The river Songdalselva flows through the valley that made up the southern part of the municipality. The river passed through a long, deep scenic narrow gorge called (Juve) at Underåsen. It is recognized for fishing, canoeing, and other recreational opportunities.
Southern Songdalen's elevation was close to sea level, but it increased in the northern part of the municipality. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Rinnan. The climate changes correspondingly, from a coastal climate in the south to a more inland type climate in the north.
The forests are mixed deciduous and evergreen (heavily forested with oak and pine), with the ratio of pine woods increasing towards the north of the municipality. Moose and beaver are common in the area.
Climate
Government While it existed, Songdalen Municipality was 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 was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Kristiansand District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Songdalen Municipality was made up of 25 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
Mayors The mayor () of Songdalen Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1964–1971: Thøger Øvland (V) 1971–1975: Jon Johnsen (Sp) 1975–1979: Svein Harald Follerås (Sp) 1979–1987: Bergtor Dybesland (Sp) 1987–1995: John Sverre Hjemlestad (H) 1995–1999: Jan Kåre Haugland (KrF) 1999–2003: Øystein Olsen (Ap) 2003–2019: Johnny Greibesland (Sp)
History
In 1964, Finsland Municipality and Greipstad Municipality, along with the Eikeland area of neighboring Øvrebø Municipality, were merged to form Songdalen municipality.
Greipstad is mentioned in written sources as early as 1344. Through the Middle Ages records indicate that Greipstad, a small farm community with 34 farms, was continuously inhabited. Greipstad became an independent municipality in 1913; split off from Søgne Municipality.
Finsland, which lies further from the coast, has few preserved written records, but records have indications of farms there in the year 1000.
An long section of the old Vestlandske Hovedvei (Westland Highway) passes through the municipality from Farvannet to Kvislevann. The highway was built in the 1790s and the section exists today in much the same way as it did for ordinary traffic in 1881.
The fortifications at Rossevann were built in 1916-1917 for the Stavanger Battalion. The municipality also has visible evidence of World War II fortifications.
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References
External links 1970 census and map of the municipality (pg 29)