The
municipality of
Hierdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistrikt). In 1860, the Gransherad area of eastern Hjartdal (population: 1,310) was separated to become part of the new
Gransherad Municipality. Also in 1860, the
administrative centre of the municipality was moved from
Hjartdalsbygda to
Sauland. On 23 January 1905, a small, unpopulated area of Hjartdal was transferred to the neighboring
Seljord Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the
parish) is named after the valley name, Hjartdalen () since the first
Hjartdal Church was built there. The first element is the old name for the local river
Hjartdøla. The old river name is likely derived from the word which means "
red deer". The last element is which means "
valley" or "dale". Prior to the 20th century, the name was often spelled
Hierdal, a
corruption of the original name. In the 20th century, the spelling was standardized to
Hjartdal, bringing back more of the original spelling.
Coat of arms The
coat of arms was granted on 17 February 1989. The official
blazon is
"Vert, a deer at bay argent" (). This means the arms have a green
field (background) and the
charge is a
red deer (
Cervus elaphus) standing
at bay. The deer has a
tincture of
argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. They are
canting arms because the name of the municipality is derived from the word for deer, a common animal in the rural municipality. The color green was chosen to represent the forests in the area. The arms were designed by Svein G. Carlsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.
Churches The
Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Hjartdal. It is part of the
Øvre Telemark prosti (
deanery) in the
Diocese of Agder og Telemark. ==History==