Hovden, Agder

Village in Southern Norway, Norway

Hovden Hovden i Setesdal
Village
View of the village in winter
59°33′37″N 7°21′24″E / 59.5603°N 07.3567°E / 59.5603; 07.3567
Country	Norway
Region	Southern Norway
County	Agder
District	Setesdal
Municipality	Bykle
Area ^[1]
• Total	0.57 km² (0.22 sq mi)
Elevation ^[2]	800 m (2,600 ft)
Population (2019)^[1]
• Total	413
• Density	726/km² (1,880/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code	4755 Hovden i Setesdal

Hovden is a village in the municipality of Bykle in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the northern part of Setesdalen valley, on the Norwegian National Road 9 and the river Otra, on the eastern shore of the lake Hartevatnet. The village sits about 25 kilometres (16 mi) north of the village of Bykle and about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of the village of Breive. The 0.57-square-kilometre (140-acre) village has a population (2019) of 413 and a population density of 726 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,880/sq mi).^[1] Fjellgardane Church is located in Hovden.

Tourism

The Hovden area is a major winter tourism area since it is located in the Setesdalsheiene mountains and near many lakes such as Skyvatn, Holmavatnet, and Vatndalsvatnet.^[3]

Hovden has many leisure activities in the wintertime, especially skiing and ice fishing. There is a major downhill ski resort in Hovden as well as a water park and spa. In the summertime, tourists come to go hiking and fishing in the lakes. The Ørnefjell Golf Course in Hovden is a 9-hole golf course. The area has Scandinavia's southernmost occurrence of wild reindeer. In the autumn, Hovden is known for its abundance of bilberries, lingonberries, and cloudberries.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 2019). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
^ "Hovden, Bykle (Aust-Agder)". yr.no. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
^ Store norske leksikon. "Hovden – tettsted og vintersportssted i Bykle kommune" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2010-05-17.