Drangedal

4123 ( March 31, 2013 )

Drangedal (from Old Norse " drangr " pointed summit) is a sparsely populated municipality in the south of the Norwegian county of Telemark. The wooded area with large wildlife population is divided historically in the northwest, belonging to the medieval Telemark Tordal (35%) and belonging to Grenland Drangedal. More dispersed settlements in the municipality are Henseid, Kjosen and Kroken. Neighboring municipalities are, clockwise from North to West, Kviteseid, Nome, skiing, Bamble, Kragerø, Gjerstad and Nissedal.

The center of Drangedal on the northwest shore of the upper Toke is officially called " Prestestranda " (such as " beach of the parish " ), but is usually called " Stranna " of the population. Here are local government, church, primary school (elementary and middle school ) and health center. Secondary schools are located in Bø, Skien, Porsgrunn and Kragerø. Central Hospital in Skien, Telemark STHF is an hour's drive away.

1927 reached the " Südlandbahn " Drangedal. The Torp Airport is 90 minutes away by car. Ferries to Denmark there Langesund (45 minutes drive) and Larvik (75 minutes by car).

Economically important are numerous small forest enterprises, often as a sideline. The largest employer is the community itself Another major employer was for some time the plastic factory Norsk Wavin A / S - Drangedal in Prestestranda, who retired in 2002 from the region and their jobs there degraded. A transport company is currently the largest private operation. Most other workers commute to nearby cities or in the country's capital.

The ski area " Gautefall " in the western part of the municipality is mainly used by the local population. Foreign winter sports tourists come primarily from Denmark and northern Germany. In the summer it is possible to biathlon on four miles of paved Sommerskiloipe, one of the most modern of its kind in Scandinavia. International physically active Drangedaler can be found in the areas of cross-country skiing, biathlon and the shooting sports. Four active clubs maintain their own trails. Other recreational activities include soccer, hiking, biking, fishing and hunting. Hunted is mainly elk ( over 700 annual kills in the years 2001 and 2002, the trend is decreasing ), deer and other deer, including game birds ( pheasant, grouse, capercaillie ). The predator hunting includes lynx, wolf and bear, with only lynx are located in the region. Wolf and bear are grazing animals.