Figgjo is a district in Sandnes in Rogaland. Figgjo has grown in
the south together with the place Ålgård in Gjesdal municipality,
and together they form the settlement Ålgård / Figgjo. Figgjo is
best known for the porcelain manufacturer Figgjo AS. The village is
located approx. 10 km south of the city center along the E39. In the
center of Figgjo are the Joker and Figgjo Autoservice.
The
name
Locally, the name is pronounced fiɟɟʝ´o and previously also
fiɟɟʝ´å. Figgjo is the name of a farm on Figved in Sandnes which is
named after the river Figgjo. The origin is Old Norse Figg which may
be related to fat and fit (meadow by water). In the older national
language, the name was usually written Figgen, but when the
porcelain factory started, it was not allowed to call itself Figgen
faience as a factory in Oslo had the same name. To avoid
misunderstandings, the factory then took the name Figgjo faience.
Fishing
Figgjo is also known for its good salmon river, and
many have caught a lot of fish here, you do not need a fishing
license or agreements to fish in the Figgjo River from Figgjo and
south.
The river is protected in accordance with Conservation
Plan I for watercourses
Famous people from Figgjo
Kasper
Idland - Participated in the heavy water operation in Rjukan.
Torkel Ravndal - Muscle man and entertainer.
Bjarne Berntsen -
Head coach for Viking FK.
Birkir Bjarnason - Icelander who came
to Figgjo as a child, and today plays football in Aston Villa FC.
Crown Princess Mette-Marit (née Tjessem Høiby) hails from the farm
Tjesseim on the mother's side, which is located in the Figgjo
district.
History
Historically, Figgjo is divided into two
places, Håland and Figved. Figgjo has largely grown up around the
clothing factory DFU and Figgjo AS. DFU attracted workers who
settled on Figgjo, but the factory has now been closed down. Figgjo
was also a station on the Ålgård line, this lives on as a culture
and museum station. The Ålgård line has not been closed, it is
ordinary train operation that has been canceled indefinitely. Figgjo
district committee made an attempt to be allowed to demolish part of
the Ålgård line, this was stopped by the railway authority that owns
the track. Sandnes municipality at the culture agency sponsored for
several years the operation of the veteran train to Figgjo, most
recently in 1999 with over a thousand passengers on a Sunday. The
municipality also applied for opportunities to build a bridge over
Åslandsveien. The municipality has also set up new traffic signs,
built new level crossings and set up guide fences and gates to take
care of.