| Official Name: | Mandal |
| Other Name: | Vester-Risør (historic) |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | Agder#Norway |
| Pushpin Label Position: | top |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location of the village |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Norway |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Southern Norway |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Agder |
| Subdivision Type4: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name4: | Lindesnes |
| Timezone1: | CET |
| Utc Offset1: | +01:00 |
| Timezone1 Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset1 Dst: | +02:00 |
| Established Title: | Established as |
| Established Date: | |
| Established Title1: | Ladested |
| Established Date1: | 1632 |
| Established Title2: | Kjøpstad |
| Established Date2: | 1921 |
| Area Total Km2: | 6.63 |
| Population As Of: | 2019 |
| Population Total: | 11053 |
| Population Density Km2: | 1667 |
| Postal Code Type: | Post Code |
| Postal Code: | 4501 Mandal |
| Elevation M: | 1 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Coordinates: | 58.0267°N 7.4533°W |
| Population Demonym: | Mandalitt |
Mandal is a town in Lindesnes municipality in Agder county, Norway. Mandal is the fourth largest town in Agder as well as the administrative centre of Lindesnes municipality. It is located at the mouth of the river Mandalselva at the southern end of the Mandalen valley. The 6.63km2 town has a population (2019) of 11,053 and a population density of .[2] In Norway, Mandal is considered a Norwegian: by which can be translated as either a "town" or "city" in English.
The town lies along the European route E39 highway, about southwest of the town of Kristiansand and about southeast of the town of Flekkefjord. Mandal has a few suburban villages lying just outside its borders such as Ime immediately to the east and Sånum to the southwest. The village of Krossen lies about to the north, along the Mandalselva river.
The area in which today's town of Mandal is located was not developed during the Middle Ages. During the 1300s, a trading post called Vester-Risør grew up along the Skogsfjorden, just west of the present-day town. The town began when King Eric of Pomerania gave the town the right to trade salmon. By the 1500s, Vesterrisør was a bustling port and trading centre, making it one of the oldest in Agder. In 1632, the trading post was given ladested rights, which included special trading privileges.[3] During the mid-1600s, the name of the town was changed to Mandal. Salmon fishing and the timber industry pushed the town's growth even more during the 1700s. In 1779, the town's ladested status was formalized in the law. Mandal Church was completed in 1821 after the old church burned down in the town's fire of 1810.
On 1 January 1838, the small ladested was granted self-governing rights under the new formannskapsdistrikt law. In 1921, Mandal was designated as a kjøpstad, giving it full town status under the law. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the town of Mandal (population: 5,446) was merged with the neighboring municipality of Halse og Harkmark (population: 3,676) and most of the municipality of Holum (population: 1,127) to form a new, larger municipality of Mandal. Today, the town is also a tourist destination, especially due to its Sjøsanden beach.[4]
The town is named after the valley (and river) in which it is located: Mandalen. The name Mandal which comes from the Old Norse name Norse, Old: Marnardalr. The first element is the genitive case of the river name Norse, Old: Mǫrn (now Mandalselva) and the last element is Norse, Old: dalr which means "valley" or "dale".[5]
Prior to 1653, the town was named Vesterrisør (meaning "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 (meaning "eastern Risør"), which is now simply called Risør.
In 1838, the formannskapsdistrikt law granted towns municipal self-government. During this time, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[6]
The mayors (no|ordfører) of Mandal:[7]
The municipal council Norwegian: (Bystyre) of Mandal was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.