Åmli is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The main population centre and administrative center is the village of Åmli which lies along the river Nidelva. Other villages in the municipality include Askland, Dølemo, Eppeland, Flaten, Hillestad, Homdrom, Lauveik, Nelaug, Øvre Ramse, Skjeggedal, Tveit, Vehus, and Ytre Ramse.
The municipality is the 98th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Åmli Municipality is the 295th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of . The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 2.3% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
Administrative history The parish of Omlid (later spelled "Aamli" or "Åmli") was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1876, Omlid Municipality was divided as follows: the southern district (population: ) became the new Mykland Municipality and the northern district (population: ) continued as a smaller Omlid Municipality.
On 1 January 1908, Aamli Municipality was divided into three municipalities as follows:
the northern district surrounding the Gjøv river valley (population: ) became the new Gjevedal Municipality the western district surrounding the Tovdalselva river valley (population: ) became the new Lille Topdal Municipality the eastern district (population: ) continued as a much smaller Aamli Municipality
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1960, Åmli Municipality (population: ) and Gjøvdal Municipality (population: ) were merged to form an enlarged Åmli Municipality.
On 1 January 1962, the Espestølsgrenda area (pop: 7) was transferred from Åmli Municipality (and Aust-Agder county) to the neighboring Nissedal Municipality (in Telemark county). On 1 January 1965, several uninhabited areas (the Espestøl, Reinefoss, and Espestølstykket farms) were also transferred Åmli Municipality (and Aust-Agder county) to the neighboring Nissedal Municipality (in Telemark county).
On 1 January 1967, Åmli Municipality (population: ) and Tovdal Municipality (population: ) were merged to form an enlarged Åmli Municipality. On 1 January 1968, the Flateland farm (population: 6) was transferred from Åmli Municipality to the neighboring Froland Municipality.
In 2020, there were many municipal and county mergers across Norway due to the work of the Solberg cabinet. Historically, this municipality was part of the old Aust-Agder county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Agder county (after Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder counties were merged).
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Åmli farm () since the first Åmli Church was built there. The first element is which means "elm tree" or "elm wood". The last element is which means "slope" or "hillside". Historically, the name was historically spelled Omlid before being changed to Aamli.
On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Aamli with the digraph "Aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Åmli, using the letter Å instead.
Coat of arms The coat of arms was granted on 23 October 1987. The official blazon is "Azure, a beaver rampant regardant argent" (). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a beaver. The beaver has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white or gray, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The beaver was chosen because the Åmli area was one of the few remaining beaver habitats in Europe. By the late 19th century, only about 100 beavers were left in Europe, mostly in the Åmli area. They were protected and after World War I, the beavers from this area have been used to help re-populate other areas in Europe where the beaver had gone extinct in the wild. The arms were designed by Odd Einar Ufsvatn who won a competition for designing the arms. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.
Churches The Church of Norway has two parishes () within Åmli Municipality. It is part of the Aust-Nedenes prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.
Churches in Åmli MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtGjøvdalGjøvdal ChurchAskland1803ÅmliTovdal ChurchHillestad1820Åmli ChurchÅmli1909
Geography
Åmli Municipality is located in northern Agder county. It is bordered on the north by Fyresdal Municipality and Nissedal Municipality (in Telemark county), on the east by Vegårshei Municipality, on the south by Froland Municipality, and on the west by Bygland Municipality.
The most densely populated area is around the municipal center of Åmli, which lies on the banks of the river Nidelva. The village has about 682 residents (in 2017). Side valleys which join the main valley include Gjøvdal and Tovdal. The rivers Nidelva and Tovdalselva flow through the valleys.
In the southern part of the municipality the Sørlandsbanen railway line passes through the area, stopping at the Nelaug Station. The largest villages in Åmli include Dølemo, Nelaug, Hillestad, and Askland. The rest of the population is scattered among the valleys.
The Åmli hills are wooded and typically range from above sea level. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Trongedalsnuten which lies between the Tovdal and Gjøvdal valleys. Several lakes are located in Åmli including Måvatn, Nasvatn, and Nelaug.
There are several protected areas, for instance, the Årdalen nature reserve, bordering on the Rukkevatn nature reserve, and the Furubuhei marsh reserve, provide approximately of nature reserves.
Climate Situated inland in Agder county, Nelaug has a humid continental climate or temperate oceanic climate, depending on winter threshold used ( or . The all-time high is set 10 August 1975, a month with 8 days above . The warmest month on record is July 2018 with mean . The all-time low is recorded 10 February 1966.
Government Åmli 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. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Agder District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council () of Åmli Municipality 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.
Mayors The mayor () of Åmli Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1838–1838: Terje Gunstensen Gjeveland 1839–1853: Iver Anton Rummelhoff 1854–1855: Eivind Salvesen Mjaaland 1856–1857: Petter Øi 1858–1859: Ole Knutsen Tvedt 1860–1861: Ommund Syvertsen Mykland 1862–1863: Even P. Askeland 1864–1866: Ommund Syvertsen Mykland 1867–1868: Nære O. Ramse 1869–1871: Ole Knutsen Tvedt 1872–1877: Peder Samuel Beylegaard 1878–1879: Gunstein P. Tviland 1880–1881: Ommund Omland 1882–1890: Engvald Hansen 1891–1892: Ommund Omland 1893–1894: Kjetil Øi 1895–1897: Ommund Omland 1898–1901: Elling Øi 1902–1910: Aslak Kateraas (V) 1911–1919: Elling Øi 1920–1925: Aslak Kateraas (V) 1926–1928: Peder Jensen 1929–1934: Jørgen Tønnesen 1935–1940: Olav Nylund 1941–1941: Jørgen Tønnesen (NS) 1942–1945: Tallak Dale (NS) 1945–1947: Gunnar Bakken 1947–1964: Jens Seljås 1965–1971: Gjeruld Homdal 1971–1971: Gunnar Skogby 1972–1975: John S. Eppeland 1975–1979: Karl Johan Tveiten (KrF) 1979–1983: Gunnar Halvorsen (Ap) 1983–1991: Sverre Johan Kløvfjell (Ap) 1991–1995: Tellef Harstveit (Ap) 1995–1999: Sverre Johan Kløvfjell (Ap) 1999–2003: Tellef Harstveit (Ap) 2003–2011: Tellef Olstad (Sp) 2011–2019: Reidar Saga (Ap) 2019–2023: Bjørn Gunnar Baas (Sp) 2023–present: Hans Fredrik Tangen (Ap)
Economy Lumber production in Åmli provides for about 12% of the old Aust-Agder county's total timber production making it the third most import source of timber in Aust-Adger (after Froland and Birkenes). Agriculture, including sheep husbandry, provides a minor contribution to the economy.
Electrical power is generated by a hydroelectric plant at Flatefoss, which regulates the level of the lake, Nelaug.
The newspaper Åmliavisa has been published in Åmli since 2008.
Transportation The main road through Åmli is the north–south Norwegian National Road 41. Other roads include Norwegian County Road 412, Norwegian County Road 413, and Norwegian County Road 415. There are also two railway lines running through southern Åmli: the main Sørlandsbanen railway line which stops at Nelaug Station and the branch line Arendalsbanen which terminates at Nelaug Station, but also stops at Flaten Station.
Notable people Engvald Bakkan (1897 in Åmli – 1982), a pharmacist, novelist, and children's writer Olav Kjetilson Nylund (1903 in Åmli – 1957), a politician who was Mayor of Åmli from 1934-1940 Gunnar Halvorsen (1945–2006), a politician who was Mayor of Åmli from 1979–1983 Jonas Alaska (born 1988), a musician
References
External links Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway Culture in Åmli on the map 1960 census and map of the municipality (page 4) 1970 census and map of the municipality (page 29)