Vestre Moland


Vestre Moland is a former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Møglestu where the Vestre Moland Church is located. The municipality existed from 1838 until 1962 when it was merged into the municipality of Lillesand. Today, the area of Vestre Moland covers the northern part of the present-day municipality of Lillesand.
Vestre Moland included the island of Justøy and the area surrounding the ladested of Lillesand. The lake Østre Grimevann is in the northern part of Vestre Moland and the Blindleia inland waterway is located along the coast of Vestre Moland.

Name

The name comes from Old Norse word Móðguland which is derived from the river name Móðga, which can be linked with the Old Norse word móðigr which means "brave". Vestre means "western".

History

The municipality of Vestre Moland was established on 1 January 1838. In 1865, the municipality was divided into the two separate municipalities of Vestre Moland in the north and Høvåg in the south. On 1 January 1962, Vestre Moland was merged with the municipality of Høvåg, the ladested of Lillesand, and the Gitmark farm area in the municipality of Eide to form a new, enlarged Lillesand municipality.