Drangedal
Drangedal is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestestranda. Other villages in Drangedal include Bø i Tørdal, Bostrak, Gautefall, Henseid, and Neslandsvatn.
Drangedal Municipality
Drangedal kommune | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
View of Prestestranda | |
|
Flag | |
Telemark within Norway | |
Drangedal within Telemark | |
| Coordinates: 59°7′24″N 8°58′55″E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Telemark |
| District | Grenland |
| Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
| • Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
| Administrative centre | Prestestranda |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2023) | Stina Sætre ((Sp)) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,062.77 km2 (410.34 sq mi) |
| • Land | 995.28 km2 (384.28 sq mi) |
| • Water | 67.49 km2 (26.06 sq mi) 6.4% |
| • Rank | #106 in Norway |
| Population (2023) | |
| • Total | 4,091 |
| • Rank | #200 in Norway |
| • Density | 4.1/km2 (11/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) | −1.2% |
| Demonym | Drangedøl |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Neutral |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-4016 |
| Website | Official website |
The 1,063-square-kilometre (410 sq mi) municipality is the 106th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Drangedal is the 200th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,091. The municipality's population density is 4.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (11/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1.2% over the previous 10-year period.
The administrative centre, Prestestranda, is situated by Lake Toke. The municipal government is located there along with primary and secondary schools, shopping facilities, and a bank. Drangedal railway station is also located in Prestestranda and is served by the Oslo to Kristiansand Sørlandsbannen railway line. It was formerly connected to the Kragerø railway line, but that was closed in 1989.
The district of Tørdal encompassed the northwestern part of the municipality. Alpine and cross-country skiing is possible in Tørdal. Telemark's largest ski resort is located in Gautefall. The newspaper Drangedalsposten is published in Drangedal.