| Vegårshei | |
| Former Name: | Vegaardsheien herred |
| Idnumber: | 4212 |
| County: | Agder |
| District: | Sørlandet |
| Capital: | Myra |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1838 |
| Preceded: | none |
| Demonym: | Vegårsheiing |
| Language: | Neutral |
| Coatofarms: | Vegårshei komm.svg |
| Webpage: | www.vegarshei.kommune.no |
| Mayor: | Kjetil Torp |
| Mayor Party: | KrF |
| Mayor As Of: | 2019 |
| Area Rank: | 249 |
| Area Total Km2: | 355.67 |
| Area Land Km2: | 321.76 |
| Area Water Km2: | 33.89 |
| Area Water Percent: | 9.5 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Rank: | 272 |
| Population Total: | 2143 |
| Population Density Km2: | 6.7 |
| Population Increase: | 7.9 |
| Coordinates: | 58.7756°N 8.8322°W |
| Utm Zone: | 32V |
| Utm Northing: | 6515099 |
| Utm Easting: | 0490311 |
| Geo Cat: | adm2nd |
Vegårshei is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the village of Myra. Other villages in Vegårshei include Mo and Ubergsmoen.[1]
The 356km2 municipality is the 249th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vegårshei is the 272nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,143. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 7.9% over the previous 10-year period.[2] [3]
The parish of Vegaardsheien was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time.[4]
The population was at its largest in 1930, population 2161.[5]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old name for the area (Norse, Old: Vigisheiðr) since the first Vegårshei Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the lake Vegår. The meaning of the lake name is uncertain. One theory is that it comes from the word which means "pagan sanctuary". Another theory is that it comes from the verb which means "to consecrate" or "to dedicate". The last element is which means "heath" or "moor". Historically, the name was spelled as Wegaardsheien or Vegaardsheien, and sometimes it was abbreviated as simply Heien.[6] On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Vegaarshei.[7] On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Vegaarshei with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Vegårshei, using the letter å instead.[8] [9]
The coat of arms was granted on 30 April 1987. The official blazon is "Gules, a fox sejant argent" (Norwegian: I rødt en sittende sølv rev). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a fox. The fox has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The fox was chosen as a representative of the local wildlife and also for the fox farming in the municipality. The arms were designed by Daniel Rike. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[10] [11] [12]
The Church of Norway has one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within the municipality of Vegårshei. It is part of the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.
| Vegårshei | Vegårshei Church | Myra | 1808 |
Vegårshei is bordered on the north by the municipalities of Nissedal (in Telemark county) and Gjerstad, on the east by Risør, on the south by Tvedestrand, and on the west by Åmli. The lake Vegår dominates the northern part of the hilly and forested municipality.
Vegårshei Municipality is 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[13] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
The municipal council (Norwegian: Kommunestyre) of Vegårshei is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Vegårshei (incomplete list):
As of 2019, public administration and the service sector, are most important in regard to employment; the retail industry and entities that have hotel services and those that serve food and beverages, constitute 11% of employment; agriculture and forestry accounts for 9% of employment; manufacturing accounts for 7% of employment—21% including those employed in construction and those employed in the energy sector and [water supply]vannforsyning/ [garbage collection or] renovasjon. Of the inhabitants that are employed, 55% have employment outside the municipal borders.
It is well-suited for hunting and fishing for residents and tourists alike.
The Sørlandsbanen railway line runs through the municipality, stopping at Vegårshei Station, just north of the village of Myra. There are several Norwegian county roads that cross the municipality, connecting it to its neighbors. Some of the roads include Norwegian County Road 414, Norwegian County Road 415, Norwegian County Road 416, and Norwegian County Road 417.
. Norske gaardnavne: Nedenes amt . 1905 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 8 . Kristiania, Norge . 1 . no . Oluf Rygh.