Seljord

Seljord Municipality
Seljord kommune
Sillejord herred  (historic name)
Silgjord herred  (historic name)
View of the local Seljord Church
View of the local Seljord Church
Telemark within Norway
Telemark within Norway
Seljord within Telemark
Seljord within Telemark
Coordinates: 59°30′48″N 8°38′56″E / 59.51333°N 8.64889°E / 59.51333; 8.64889
CountryNorway
CountyTelemark
DistrictVest-Telemark
Established1 Jan 1838
 • Created asFormannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centreSeljord
Government
 • Mayor (2023)Solveig Sundbø Abrahamsen (H)
Area
 • Total715.09 km2 (276.10 sq mi)
 • Land669.28 km2 (258.41 sq mi)
 • Water45.81 km2 (17.69 sq mi)  6.4%
 • Rank#161 in Norway
Population
 (2023)
 • Total2,939
 • Rank#229 in Norway
 • Density4.4/km2 (11/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −0.2%
DemonymSeljording[1]
Official language
 • Norwegian formNynorsk
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-4022[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

Seljord is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional districts of Upper Telemark and Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Seljord. Other villages in the municipality include Flatdal and Åmotsdal.

The 715-square-kilometre (276 sq mi) municipality is the 161st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Seljord is the 229th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,939. The municipality's population density is 4.4 inhabitants per square kilometre (11/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 0.2% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]

Seljord is famous for its sea serpent, Selma, who allegedly lives in Lake Seljord (Seljordsvatnet).

The yearly Dyrsku'n market, held since 1866, attracts 60,000 to 80,000 visitors each year. The large fair started as a show of farm animals. More recently, it also includes a huge market with vendors selling a variety of goods including base layer clothing, Bergans outdoors equipment, crafts, and food. Amusement rides are also featured.

Seljord folk high school is located in Seljord. The school offers a variety of courses including outdoor adventure, theater, music, and art.

  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).