Undal is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1845. The area is now divided between Lindesnes Municipality and Lyngdal Municipality in the traditional district of Lister in Agder county. The administrative centre was the village of Vigeland.
General information The parish of Undal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). This municipality was short-lived and only existed for seven years. In 1845 it was split into two new municipalities: the rural northern district (population: 802) became the new Nordre Undal Municipality and the southern district (population: 3,893) became the new Søndre Undal Municipality.
Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Audnedalen valley (), but over time the name was shorted due to a corruption of the language. The first element is the genitive case of the river name (now Audna). The river name is derived from the word which means "destruction" or "wasteland" (because of the flooding that often happens along the river). The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". The municipality was dissolved in 1848, but the name lived on. In the early 20th century, the name Undal was Norwegianized to Audnedal, bringing back its more original spelling, and in 1964, a new Audnedal Municipality was re-created in this area.
Churches The Church of Norway had one parish () within Undal Municipality. At the time of the municipal dissolution, it was part of the Undal prestegjeld and the Mandal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder.
Churches in Undal MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtUndalValle ChurchVigeland1793Konsmo ChurchKonsmo1802Spangereid ChurchHøllenVigmostad ChurchVigmostad1859
Geography The municipality encompassed most of the Audnedalen valley which follows the river Audna southwards to the sea. The highest point in the municipality was the tall mountain Feiåsbergan, on the border with Hægebostad Municipality. Bjelland og Grindum Municipality was located to the north, Øyslebø og Laudal Municipality was located to the east, Holum Municipality was located to the east-southeast, Halse og Harkmark Municipality was located to the southeast, the North Sea was located to the south, Lyngdal Municipality was located to the west, and Hægebostad Municipality was located to the northwest.
Government While it existed, Undal Municipality was governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor was indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality was under the jurisdiction of the Lyngdal District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Mayors The mayor () of Undal Municipality was the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position: 1838–1841: Rev. P.B. Lassen 1841–1844: Bertel Person Roland
See also List of former municipalities of Norway
References