Kviteseid

Kviteseid is a municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional districts of Vest-Telemark and Upper Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kviteseidbyen. Other villages in Kviteseid include Åsgrend, Brunkeberg, Eidstod, Fjågesund, Kilen, Morgedal, and Vrådal.

This article is about the municipality in Telemark, Norway. For the village within this municipality, see Kviteseidbyen.
Kviteseid kommune
Hviteseid herred (historic)
Municipality
Flag of Kviteseid kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Kviteseid kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Kviteseid kommune
Vestfold og Telemark within
Norway
Kviteseid within Vestfold og Telemark
Kviteseid within Vestfold og Telemark
Coordinates: 59°23′54″N 8°29′42″E
CountryNorway
CountyVestfold og Telemark
DistrictVest-Telemark
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centreKviteseidbyen
Government
 • Mayor (2019)Bjørn Nordskog (Sp)
Area
 • Total708.48 km2 (273.55 sq mi)
 • Land623.06 km2 (240.56 sq mi)
 • Water85.42 km2 (32.98 sq mi)  12.1%
 • Rank#163 in Norway
Population
 (2022)
 • Total2,452
 • Rank#255 in Norway
 • Density3.9/km2 (10/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −1.8%
DemonymKvitseiding[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNynorsk
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3821
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

The 708-square-kilometre (273 sq mi) municipality is the 163rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Kviteseid is the 255th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,452. The municipality's population density is 3.9 inhabitants per square kilometre (10/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1.8% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

Kviteseid Seminar was the first public teacher training school in Norway which started in 1819 and was in operation until 1889. Kviteseid Library (Kviteseid Folkebibliotek) was founded in 1895. The library was first based on a book collection from Kviteseid Seminar. The main industries of the municipality are forestry, agriculture, tourism, and hydroelectric power. The Telemark Canal goes through Kviteseid. There are also several ski resorts in Kviteseid.

The little village of Morgedal is located in northern Kviteseid. It is known as the "Cradle of Modern Skiing" ("Skisportens vugge") and the home of Sondre Norheim. Here, the Olympic Flame was lit for the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, and 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

General information
Painting of Kviteseid by Eckersberg in 1868

The parish of Hvideseid was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The spelling of the name was later changed to Kviteseid. On 11 October 1873, an unpopulated area of Kviteseid was transferred to Seljord Municipality. The boundaries have not changed since that time.[5]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Kviteseid farm (Old Norse: Hvítingseið) since the Old Kviteseid Church was built there. The first element comes from the old name for the lake Kviteseidvatnet. That name is the plural genitive case of the word hvítr which means "white" or "the white one". The last element is eið which means "isthmus" or "path between two lakes". Prior to 1889, the name was spelled "Hviteseid".[6]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 27 November 1987. The official blazon is "Or, a lock plate sable" (Norwegian: På gull grunn eit svart låsskilt). This means the arms have a field (background) 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 charge is a black lock plate. The lock design is based on one from the Tveitloftet medieval storehouse on the local Tveit farm dating back to the year 1350. The design symbolises the long traditions of lock-making and building construction in the area. The arms were designed by Daniel Rike. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[7][8][9][10]

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Kviteseid. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Churches in Kviteseid
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
KviteseidBrunkeberg ChurchBrunkeberg1790
Fjågesund ChurchFjågesund1916
Kilen ChapelKilen1958
Kviteseid ChurchKviteseidbyen1918
Old Kviteseid Churchbetween Kviteseidbyen and Eidstodc. 1260
Vrådal ChurchVrådal1886

Geography

Kviteseid borders the municipalities of Seljord to the northwest; Nome to the east; Drangedal, Nissedal, and Fyresdal to the south; and Tokke to the west. The highest point is Sveinsheia at 1,141 metres (3,743 ft) above sea level. There are several large lakes that are located in or partially in Kviteseid including Kviteseidvatnet, Flåvatn, and Bandak (all three of which are part of the Telemark Canal, plus Nisser and Vråvatn.

Government

All municipalities in Norway are 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.[11] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Kviteseid is made up of representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Kviteseid kommunestyre 2020–2023 [12]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 6
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
Total number of members:17
Kviteseid kommunestyre 2016–2019 [13][14]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 9
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet Dei Grøne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:21
Kviteseid kommunestyre 2012–2015 [15]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:21
Kviteseid kommunestyre 2008–2011 [14]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 6
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:21
Kviteseid kommunestyre 2004–2007 [14]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:21
Kviteseid kommunestyre 2000–2003 [14][16]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 10
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid kommunestyre 1996–1999 [17]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 7
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 12
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid kommunestyre 1992–1995 [18]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 9
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid kommunestyre 1988–1991 [19]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 12
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid kommunestyre 1984–1987 [20]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 12
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 4
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid kommunestyre 1980–1983 [21]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 11
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 4
  Joint list of the Centre Party (Senterpartiet) and the Liberal Party (Venstre) 6
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid kommunestyre 1976–1979 [22]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 11
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høgre), Centre Party (Senterpartiet), and Liberal Party (Venstre) 8
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid kommunestyre 1972–1975 [23]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 14
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 4
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid kommunestyre 1968–1971 [24]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 14
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid kommunestyre 1964–1967 [25]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 14
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid heradsstyre 1960–1963 [26]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 14
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid heradsstyre 1956–1959 [27]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 13
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 12
Total number of members:25
Kviteseid heradsstyre 1952–1955 [28]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 13
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 11
Total number of members:24
Kviteseid heradsstyre 1948–1951 [29]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 13
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 6
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 5
Total number of members:24
Kviteseid heradsstyre 1945–1947 [30]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 12
  Communist Party (Kommunistiske Parti) 2
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) 2
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 8
Total number of members:24
Kviteseid heradsstyre 1938–1941* [31]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 13
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 9
  Local List(s) (Lokale lister) 2
Total number of members:24
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945.

Mayors

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Kviteseid:[32]

  • 1838-1841: Ole Blom
  • 1842-1843: Ole Bjørnsen Haukom
  • 1844-1861: Tormod Knudsen Borgejorde
  • 1862-1879: Knut Taraldsen
  • 1880-1883: Bjørn Brekke
  • 1884-1890: Knut Taraldsen
  • 1890-1900: Ludvig Kristoffersen
  • 1901-1913: Sigurd Torleivson Kolltveit (V)
  • 1914-1919: Halvor Straand
  • 1920-1922: Sigurd Kolltveit
  • 1923-1924: Knut Skarprud
  • 1925-1928: Halvor Straand
  • 1929-1932: Olaf Hegland (V)
  • 1932-1933: Torleiv Kolltveit
  • 1934-1941: Sigurd Rinden (Ap)
  • 1941-1945: Håkon Eikland (NS)
  • 1945-1946: Sigurd Rinden (Ap)
  • 1946-1947: Knut Nørstrud (Ap)
  • 1948-1951: Trygve Bergland
  • 1952-1967: Svein Landsverk (Ap)
  • 1968-1970: Sigurd Rinden (Ap)
  • 1970-1975: Øystein Strondi (Ap)
  • 1976-1979: Arne Bjørnson (Sp)
  • 1980-1983: Nils Sandvik (Sp)
  • 1984-1991: Johannes Skarprud (Ap)
  • 1992-1998: Inge Fjalestad (Sp)
  • 1998-1999: Anne Lise Råmunddal (Sp)
  • 1999-2003: Karin Maria Larsen (Ap)
  • 2003-2015: Torstein Tveito (Sp)
  • 2015-2019: Tarjei Gjelstad (Ap)
  • 2019-present: Bjørn Nordskog (Sp)

Notable people
Olav Bjaaland, 1910

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  6. Rygh, Oluf (1914). Norske gaardnavne: Bratsbergs amt (in Norwegian) (7 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 348-349.
  7. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  8. "Kviteseid, Telemark (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  9. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 27 November 1987. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  10. "Kviteseid kommune, våpen". Digitalarkivet (in Norwegian). Arkivverket. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  11. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  12. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Vestfold og Telemark". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  13. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2015 - Telemark". Valg Direktoratet.
  14. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  15. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Telemark". Valg Direktoratet.
  16. "Kommunestyrevalget 1999" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 2000. ISBN 8253748531. ISSN 0332-8023.
  17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. ISBN 8253743351. ISSN 0332-8023.
  18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. ISBN 8253737939. ISSN 0332-8023.
  19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. ISBN 8253726325. ISSN 0332-8023.
  20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. ISBN 8253720378. ISSN 0332-8023.
  21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. ISBN 8253710836. ISSN 0332-8023.
  22. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. ISBN 8253705646.
  23. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. ISBN 8253701144.
  24. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967.
  25. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964.
  26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960.
  27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo, Norge: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957.
  28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952.
  29. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948.
  30. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947.
  31. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938.
  32. "Ordførere i Kviteseid kommune". LokalHistorieWiki.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 13 August 2023.
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