Fyresdal, Telemark, Norway
Fyresdal is a municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moland. The municipality of Moland was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). In 1879, the name was changed to Fyresdal.
The Old Norse form of the name was Fyrisdalr. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the lake Fyrir (now called Fyresvatn). The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". |
Fyresvatn (Lake Fyresdal), Telemark, Norway
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The name of the lake is derived from the word fura which means "pine tree". Prior to 1879, the municipality was called Moland.
Fyresdal is known for its many findings from the Viking Age, its mighty Viking graves, heaps of slag, and the former pilgrim church that once stood proudly north of the village centre. People travelled to this church from all over Norway and even from Europe. It was said that the stream running behind the church had healing powers.
Fyresdal is known for its many findings from the Viking Age, its mighty Viking graves, heaps of slag, and the former pilgrim church that once stood proudly north of the village centre. People travelled to this church from all over Norway and even from Europe. It was said that the stream running behind the church had healing powers.