Every design for Birkeland

Birkeland is where half of Birkenes lives. The administrative centre of Birkenes Municipality in Agder holds half the municipality's people, strung along the eastern shore of the river Tovdalselva, with the village of Flakk on the opposite bank and the lake Flakksvannet just to the west. National Road 41 runs through the middle on its way towards Kristiansand.

Ask anyone who grew up here about summer and Teinefossen comes up quickly: the waterfall on the Tovdalselva is the village's well-known swimming spot, and there are several beaches besides. There is also a public pool at Folkehøgskolen Sørlandet, the Southern Norway Folk High School. Everyday life is close at hand, with two grocery shops, a petrol station and a few places to eat, Birkeland Skole for the youngest pupils and Valstrand Skole for the older ones. Evenings are taken up by Tveitås 4H, the scouts, Birkenes IL and the school band, and the local paper, Birkenesavisa, is published here.

There is a lookout at Galtetjønnåsen, and the Berse naturreservat lies close by. The railway line from Lillesand once ran through the village too, until it closed in 1953. Today the village is held together by the river instead, and by Teinefossen on a warm afternoon, with Lillemoen park close by.