Gjesdal municipality is rich in natural resources – water, sheep, and eel have shaped the municipality and its town, Ålgård. The name Ålgård comes from the eel traps (ål = eel, gård = farm or yard) that were built here to guide the eels into eel cages.
The hydropower from the waterfall in Ålgård, along with the sheep in the mountains, led Ole Nielsen to establish first a spinning mill and later a weaving mill in Ålgård. The town quickly grew around the industry, which became an adventure that lasted nearly 100 years.
The hydropower in Oltedal was also harnessed. Oltedal Power Station was built there by the municipality of Stavanger, and on December 10, 1909, electricity was supplied to Stavanger for the first time – powered by Oltedal.
There was once sprat fishing in the municipality, and the row of boathouses in Frafjord, which housed a sprat processing facility, still stands today.
Today, Gjesdal is known for its travel destinations, such as Byrkjedalstunet, Kongeparken amusement park, Norwegian Outlet, Månafossen waterfall, and the Gloppedalsura scree, as well as its outdoor recreation opportunities and textile history. The municipality is also part of Suleskarvegen, which might just be the most beautiful road between east and west?
In the center of Ålgård, there are two public art decoration projects: “Teppe” (“Carpet”) in the town square was created by the artist duo Løvås and Wagle (who, among other things, also decorated the Oslo Opera House). The artists have “woven” textile patterns from the local weaving mill into the square, using brick.
The former weaving mill itself has also been decorated by artist Torunn Skjelland, who painted large portraits of two women who worked there. The artwork also includes textile patterns and old photographs that have been painted onto surfaces along the river path and the pedestrian bridge “Liv Godin Bridge.” The bridge itself is built from colored concrete – the color is meant to match the soil in Congo, where Liv Godin worked as a missionary and helped build several bridges and roads.
