Froland is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. The municipality has existed since 1850. It is part of the traditional region of Østre Agder. The administrative center is the village of Blakstad, which along with Osedalen form the main population center of the municipality. Other villages in Froland include Bøylefoss, Bøylestad, Froland, Frolands verk, Heldalsmo, Hinnebu, Hynnekleiv, Jomås, Lauvrak, Libru, Løvjomås, Mjåvatn, Mjølhus, Mykland, and Risdal.

The municipality is the 176th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Froland Municipality is the 155th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of . The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 12.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Administrative history The municipality of Froland was established in 1850 when Øyestad Municipality was divided into two: the western district (population: ) became the new Froland Municipality and the eastern district (population: ) continued as a smaller Øyestad Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1967, the following areas were merged to form an enlarged Froland Municipality:

all of Froland Municipality (population: ) all of Mykland Municipality (population: )

On 1 January 1968, the Flateland area of neighboring Åmli Municipality (population: 6) was transferred to Froland Municipality. On 1 January 1970, the two uninhabited areas of Neset and Råbudal were separated from Froland Municipality and transferred to neighboring Birkenes Municipality. Then on 1 January 1979, the uninhabited Landheia area was transferred from Froland Municipality to Birkenes Municipality. On 1 January 1991, the Dalen area in Birkenes Municipality (population: 60) was transferred from Birkenes Municipality to 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 Froland farm () since the first Froland Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of the male name Fróði. The last element is which means "land" or "district".

Coat of arms The coat of arms was granted on 17 January 1986. The official blazon is "Vert, a squirrel sejant erect argent" (). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a squirrel sitting on its haunches with its front paws raised. The squirrel has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field and the squirrel was chosen as a symbol for the forests and wildlife in the municipality. The arms were designed by David Rike. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches The Church of Norway has one parish () within Froland Municipality. It is part of the Arendal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

Churches in Froland MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtFrolandFroland ChurchFroland1718Mykland ChurchMykland1832

History The iron production facility, Frolands verk, was founded in 1763 and continued in production through 1867. After that the facility became a sawmill. Today the main building from 1791 is a historically protected building, and the old stables are used as a cultural center.

Geography The municipality is bordered on the north by Åmli Municipality; on the east by Tvedestrand Municipality; on the south by Arendal Municipality, Grimstad Municipality, and Birkenes Municipality; and on the west by Evje og Hornnes Municipality and Bygland Municipality.

The large rivers Nidelva and Tovdalselva both run through the municipality. There are also many lakes in Froland including Homstølvatn, Nelaug, Nystølfjorden, and Uldalsåna. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Befjell.

Climate

Government Froland 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 Froland Municipality is made up of 19 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 Froland Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

1850–1851: Simon O. Evenstad 1851–1853: Niels N. Træsnes 1853–1857: Lorentz Ditlev Krog 1857–1858: Jørgen O. Berget 1858–1861: Kittel K. Dale 1861–1865: Gjeruld K. Haugaas 1865–1868: Kittel K. Dale 1868–1870: Thor T. Solem 1870–1870: Jørgen O. Berget 1870–1871: Thor T. Solem 1871–1875: Osuld T. Homstøl 1875–1879: Erik G. Espeland 1879–1882: Jacob G. Hurv 1882–1885: Osmund S. Løvrak 1885–1887: Osuld T. Homstøl 1887–1889: Gunder S. Kalhovd 1889–1893: Jens T. Hurv 1893–1897: Gisle N. Espeland 1897–1911: Rasmus O. Sparsaas 1911–1914: Anders Dalen 1914–1920: Anton Hellum 1920–1929: Torjus Homstøl 1929–1932: Eivind Setane 1932–1945: Nils G. Espeland 1945–1945: Kristoffer Møllerløkken 1945–1946: Oskar Moripen 1946–1947: Steffen Ravnåsen 1947–1968: Osulv Kleivane 1968–1975: Lars Mjåvatn (Ap) 1975–1979: Erik Usterud (Sp) 1979–1983: Ståle Haraldstad (Sp) 1983–2003: Aadne K. Mykland (Ap) 2003–2015: Sigmund Pedersen (Sp) 2015–2023: Ove Gundersen (KrF) 2023–present: Inger-Lene Håland (Ap)

Transportation The Arendalsbanen railway which runs from Nelaug to Arendal connects Froland Municipality and Arendal Municipality to the railway system in Norway. Blakstad Station is in the municipal centre of Blakstad, Froland Station is located in the village of Froland, and Bøylestad Station is in the village of Bøylestad.

There are also several highways in the municipality including the Norwegian National Road 41, Norwegian County Road 408, and Norwegian County Road 413.

Media The newspaper Frolendingen is published in Froland.

Notable people Niels Henrik Abel (1802–1829 in Froland), a distinguished mathematician who was buried at Froland cemetery Iver Steen Thomle (1812 in Froland – 1889), a jurist and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway from 1878–86 Gotfred Kvifte (1914 in Froland – 1997), a physicist and academic Marte Olsbu Røiseland (born 1990), a biathlete who was a triple gold medalist at the 2022 Winter Olympics and team silver medalist at the 2018 Winter Olympics who resides in Froland.

References

External links Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway Arendals fossekompani Froland.org Municipal website Froland Curlingklubb