Tvedestrand is a town and municipality in Agder. The municipality is located between Arendal in the south and Risør in the north. The municipality also borders Froland, Åmli and Vegårshei. The municipality got its current boundaries in 1960, by merging the former Dypvåg and Holt municipalities, and the charging station Tvedestrand. Tvedestrand is often referred to as Sørlandet's smile hole.
The name Tvedestrand
The charging station Tvedestrand is
located on land that belonged to the farms Berge, Gliddi and
Myklebostad, but it is the farm Tveite that has given the place its
name. The name simply means the beach of the farm Tveite.
Nature and geography
This part of Agder belongs to the Bamble
field in the Svekonorvegian bedrock shield, and consists of two main
geological formations of Proterozoic rocks formed during the Gothic
and later Svekonorvegian mountain range ancestors, with a strong
metamorphosis under the latter. A substrate of 1,600 - 1,450 million
years old slate, quartzite, marble and amphibolite with some
hornblende gneiss, and on top of this acidic surface structures of
both granite and granodiorite (respectively 1,250 - 1,000 million
years old, and in places 1,550 - 1,480 million years old). The
youngest Sveconorvegian formations are witnessed by larger
formations of granite. There are also some cases of gabbro and
diorite, less often eclogite. The Caledonian mountain range fold did
not reach down here. The faults go in a southwest-northeast
direction.
The municipality is located around the lower part
of the Vegårsvassdraget (Storelva) and Oksefjorden, and further
includes the coast and the islands east of the fjord. The terrain in
the area is small and hilly with forested hills. The municipality's
highest point is Ansmyrheia, 243 meters above sea level. The bedrock
consists predominantly of bedrock and belongs to the Bamble field.
Settlement
The population in the municipality decreased until
1970, but has shown an increase since then. The town and
administration center Tvedestrand has 2,582 inhabitants as of 1
January 2020, and is located in the heart of the Oksefjord, in a
narrow cauldron. From the quays, two streets lead up to the business
district with the idyllic Tjenna. The settlement is spread inland,
with many densely populated areas along the coast: Sagesund, Dypvåg,
Gjeving on the mainland and Lyngør, Sandøy and Borøya. Several
islands still have permanent settlement. The entire municipality has
around 6,000 inhabitants.
Business
Tvedestrand became a
loading site in 1836 and was a shipping site for Næs Ironworks. The
pulp mills at Fostvedt, Gjeving and Songe have played a significant
role for Tvedestrand. There were large exports across the harbor,
which has a 200-meter public quay. The engineering industry
dominates, but there are otherwise many small companies in a large
number of industries. Tvedestrand has some of Agder's best
agricultural and horticultural settlements, with large livestock,
berry and fruit growing.
Tvedestrand is one of the most
sought after tourist districts in Sørlandet with a magnificent
archipelago, several guest houses and many cabins. In the city we
also find Norway's second, but largest book city; The book town by
the Skagerrak.
History and culture
The municipal coat of
arms, which was approved in 1986, shows a flying tern in silver
against a blue background. This should symbolize coastal and bird
life. The local newspaper Tvedestrandsposten was founded by Arne
Garborg in 1872. The local radio for Tvedestrand is Radio P5. In
Tvedestrand is also Strykejernet, which is considered Norway's
narrowest house. This house also has entrance from the street level
on both the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor.
Large parts of
Tvedestrand center are covered by the NB! Register, the National
Heritage Board's list of urban environments in Norway that have a
national cultural-historical conservation interest.