Vegårshei

Vegårshei is a municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. The parish of Vegaardsheien was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt).

General information

Name

The Old Norse form of the name may have been Vigisheiðr. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the lake Vegår (the Norse form, and the meaning, of the name is uncertain). The last element is heiðr which means "heath (habitat)" or "moor".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 30 April 1987. The arms show a fox as a representative of the local wildlife and also for the fox farming in the village.

Geography

Vegårshei is bordered on the north by Nissedal and Gjerstad, on the east by Risør, on the south by Tvedestrand, and on the west by Åmli.

The largest lake in Vegårshei is Vegår.

Economy

Vegårshei used to be an agricultural and lumbering community.

References