Some of the best agricultural land in Vestfold County is found in Brunlanes, and farming is the main industry with considerable vegetable- and grain cultivation. Brunlanes is particularly known for its strawberry cultivation. Brunlanes is also known for forestry and wood processing industry. A large moraine runs into the ocean in the far southwestern part of Brunlanes.
History
Map of Brunlanes in 1905
The parish of Brunlagnæs (later spelled Brunlanes) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1875, a small area of Brunlanes (population: 4) was transferred to the town of Larvik. On 23 June 1883, an area of Brunlanes (population: 22) became part of Fredriksvern municipality after a border adjustment. In 1938, another area of Brunlanes (population: 28) became part of Fredriksvern municipality. In 1949, another area of Brunlanes (population: 13) became part of Stavern municipality.[5]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the Enigheten, Høyberg, and Skavåsen farms (population: 12) was transferred from Brunlanes to the newly enlarged neighboring municipality of Porsgrunn (this also caused them to switch from Vestfold to Telemark county). On 1 January 1969, an area of Brunlanes (population: 4) became part of Stavern municipality.[5]
On 1 January 1988, the municipality was dissolved as part of a major municipality merger which consolidated the municipalities of Brunlanes (population: 8,138), Hedrum (population: 10,449), and Tjølling (population: 7,878) with the towns of Larvik (population: 8,045) and Stavern (population: 2,538) to create a new, much larger Larvik Municipality with a population of 37,048 people.[5]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is a composition of the old Brunla farm and an old name for the area Nesjar. Prior to 1879, the name was written "Brunlagnæs" (with variations in the spelling). From 1879 to 1888 it was spelled "Brunlanæs". In 1889, the spelling was updated to "Brunlanes". The meaning of the first element is uncertain. It may come from brunnr which means "well" or "spring" or the name could come from the word brún which means "sharp edge" or "rim". The second element comes from the word lá which means "the line of the shoal water along the shore". The last element is nes which means "headland" (since the area lies between the Langesundsfjorden, the sea, and the lake Farris).[6]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was approved on 29 August 1985. The official blazon was "Azure, twelve plates 3-4-5" (Norwegian: I blått tol sølv mynter). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a set of twelve plates (circles) that are lined up in three rows (3 circles in the top row, f circles in the next row, and 5 circles in the bottom row). The circles have a tincture of argent which means they are commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue color in the field symbolized the importance of the sea and the small circles symbolised the typical round stones (made by glaciers), which can be found in huge quantities in the municipality. The arms were designed by Kjell Ronald Hansen. The municipal flag had the same design as the coat of arms.[7][8]
The Old Berg Church was built of stone in ca. 1100. The old medieval church was partially demolished in 1882, after the "new" Berg Church had been built on the site in 1878. The remains of the walls were preserved and from 1965 to 1970, the church was restored partly with the original stone. The church has conservation status protected.[9]
There are many historical relics in Brunlanes, including many burial mounds from the Iron Age and Bronze Age. The Old Berg Church at Berg, which was erected in the 1100s, is located in Brunlanes. The church fell into ruin by the 1960s, but it has been rebuilt and features a clear-cut architecture with a red tilestone roof.[10]
The municipal council(Kommunestyre) of Brunlanes was made up of representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.
The Brunlanes area has Vestfold’s longest coastal hiking trails. The main trail begins at the bay Ødegårdsbukta in the west and goes through Helgeroa on its way to Mølen Geopark. Along the trail are various beaches, campsites, and unique coastal landscapes. The trail from Mølen to Nevlunghavn is 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) and passes by Nevlungstranda Nature Preserve. The trail continues from Nevlunghavn to Løvallodden and later Guslandsmarka. The last section of the trail leads from Gusland to the beach Nalumstranda in the innermost parts of the Naverfjorden. The trailhead is located at Hummerbakken Nature Preserve by the Hummerbakkfjord. The 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Nalumstranda to Stavern leads through beaches, coastal landscapes, forests, and slopes of naked rocks on its way to Røvika. It also leads by the home of the artist Odd Nerdrum. There are panoramic views at Rakke of nearby areas such as Røvika in the west and Skagerak in the south. There are also remains of World War II fortifications here such as concrete gun pits. The trail ends at Fredriksvern Verft in Stavern, a former naval base with buildings dated to the 17th century.[25]
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