CHRONOLOGY OF GANDDAL

GENERAL EARLY HISTORY OF SANDNES AND GANDDAL BOROUGH

VIEW OF OLD TYPICAL BRICKWORKS BUILDING IN SANDNES

ICECAP RETREATS IN SOUTHWESTERN NORWAY 18000 BC

Archeologic studies proves that in the Jæren area southwest in Norway the icecap of the last Ice Age retreated as early as 18-16000 BC.

The first Norwegians probably migrated from the south to north over Doggerland to settle in the Stavanger-Sandnes area.

THE BLUEICE GLACIER-ARM OF HARDANGERJOKULEN GLACIER

FIRST SETTLERS IN SANDNES AREA 7000 BC

First settlements in the hills of Sandnes, in present Ryfylke area.

A millennium later the settlers also lived at Jæren and the lowlands west in Sandnes.

THE VISTEHOLA CAVE WITH TRACES BACK TO 7500 BC, A SKELETON OF A TEENAGER BOY WAS FOUND HERE

BRONZE- AND IRON AGE CHIEFTAIN SETTLEMENT AT GANDDAL

200 AD

One of the largest chieftain farms and settlements was recently excavated at Sørbø-Hove, 800 meters from the train station at Ganddal.

Archaeologists reckon that there was about 20 small living houses and several larger ceremonial and common halls on the area.

A RECONSTRUCTION OF IRON AGE SCENERY AT THE LANDA PARK IN FORSAND, EAST OF STAVANGER-SANDNES.

SETTLEMENT BY THE HØYLAND CHURCH, NORTH OF GANDDAL

1300 AD

At the Høyland church and old village centre - there are signs of an earlier settlement that probably laid ground for the present day place.

Before the church was constructed the area is believed to have a ”hov” situated, a ceremonial grounds for Norse mythology.

The signs that have been found dates to after the Viking Age that in Norway lasted between 800-1200 AD.

The Stave Church that is on the picture could date from around the 1200s AD.

PICTURE OF RØLDAL STAVE CHURCH

SANDNES SERVES AS A PORT OF JÆREN FARMING AREA 1620 AD

As the population clusters grew and communications increased - Sandnes with its fjord harbour developed into a port for farmers that wanted to fish or to sell food and other farm products in the town of Stavanger.

At the 1600s the communication over land was not so well developed - so boats over the fjord was an easier solution when the terrain was not yet adapted with good roads.

SKETCH, COASTAL BUILDINGS

PICTURE OF BUILDINGS FROM 1600s AT ROGNAN, MID-NORWAY

FIRST DENSE SETTLEMENT IN SANDNES 1664 AD

After a couple of decades of trade and population growth, we find the earliest urban traces in Sandnes. The communications and trade profited on the intersection between sea and land.

The people who started living permanently in Sandnes made their living as ferry men across the fjord and sailors up to Stavanger.

NATIONAL TRANSPORT ENACTMENT ESTABLSHED AT 2 FARMS IN SANDNES

1700 AD

Since the last Viking kings in 1200s farmers were obliged to transport the royal court and the king when they came to the area.

In 1663 AD this changed into a paid service, this gave the selected farms some income. This started in Eastern Norway, around Oslo.

Around 1700 AD this was established also on 2 farms in the Sandnes area. This service was normal until the 1920s when the private motorcar took over this market.

SKETCH, SERVICED TRANSPORT IN THE 1700s

1782 ADPOTTERY HANDCRAFT AND MASONRY INDUSTRY IN SANDNES

In 1782 King Christian the 4th allowed the start-up of Sandnes Brickworks.

The background for this was the large clay deposits around the Gands Fjord. This clay was very clean and suitable for large scale production of pottery, bricks and rooftiles.

This was the start of a huge industry for the little town. Soon, houses all over Norway had rooftiles of burnt clay, bricks or pottery from Sandnes.

PHOTO OF POTTERY PRODUCTION IN SANDNES, 1800s

1800s AD

IMAGE, ROAD AND LANDSCAPE AT JÆREN

FIRST PRINCIPAL ROADS LINKING STAVANGER- SANDNES AND SOUTHERN TOWNS

In the early 1800s the first principal and useable roads linked the two towns Stavanger and Sandnes with the other towns and villages at Jæren farmland.

Later the railway came - but this road greatly improved the time and struggle it took to get between the places at Jæren.

The first roads did not have asphalt paving.

ROAD BUILDING

MORE POWER TO LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES 1837 AD

ILLUSTRATION, FIRST PARLIAMENT HALL

At 1837 the Government passed a bill that gave the Norwegian local municipaliti-es much more power. They had to create locally elected boards and it was the first step to move power away from wealthy city landowners.

These ”Formannskapslovene” was a democratic and local development after the Norwegian Constitution of 1814.

Researchers have later claimed that this was very radical in a European setting - and the local power gave a great boost to many small communities and towns.

LAW OF BUILDING CODES IN THE CITIES, BRICK BUILDINGS DEMANDED

The laws on mandatory brick building in the capital city of Christiania (Oslo) was in 1845 expanded to all towns and cities in Norway. This new law gave building codes to all town buildings. This also led to the early urban planning.

The local municipalities had experienced that the more expensive brick buildings gave room for early expansion of the city. Because of easier building codes outside of the town limits - wooden buildings were erected and the town spread out with roads and pastures in between.

1845 AD

PHOTO, BRICK WALL

NATIONWIDE CHANGES IN FARM AND PROPERTY ORGANIZATION

After the new laws of 1857 (”Jordskifteloven”) the organic and self-grown pattern of farm properties was restructured nationwide. This special property structure through inheritance and dowry (marriage payment) had origins in times after the Black Death pandemic plague in 1349. The farms had lots of small buildings that clustered together.

This led to less family-organized farm collectives and a shift towards the more productive farms with more hired manpower.

More goods was produced, rise in commerce and higher demands for transport between the houses and between the towns was a clear result.

1857 AD

PHOTO, HAVRATUNET CLUSTERED SETTLEMENT IN ODDA, WESTERN NOR-WAY - PHOTO BY MATILDE SKAR

RAILWAYS OPENED BETWEEN STAVANGER, SANDNES AND THE EASTERN NORWAY

Between 1874 and 1878 the railroad between Southern and Eastern Norway and Stavanger-Sandnes was constructed. This led to greater communication across the country but also regional connection to a greater degree.

For both downtown Sandnes and Ganddal, the railway separated the city and created a wall between the industrial lots or farmland pastures and the rest of the urban surroundings.

The elevated railway had only few bridges - so the east-west connections across the country was good, but not so good inside the city.

1878 AD

PHOTO OF FLEKKEFJORD TOWN STATION, NARROW-TRACKED RAILWAY

PHOTO OF FARMLAND PASTURES AND HOUSES AT GANDDAL

GANDDAL DEVELOPS INTO A CENTRE AND SETTLEMENT GROWS

Ganddal got a train station with the opening of the railway in 1878. Together with the start-up of Aase Mill and Woodworks a local adventure in trade, industry and free-thinking started.

Population at Ganddal grew quickly and the woodworking and furniture industry grew even quicker.

Since the start of Ganddal Technical Factory in 1876, 19 woodworking and furniture businesses lead Rogaland province and Ganddal to the 3rd biggest furniture production and woodworking service area in Norway. This was peculiar - because there was not a lot of forest around, it was planted connected to the planting schools and wind protection for farm houses.

Together with the industrial growth and more people at Ganddal - the ”Haugianer Free Religious Movement” also set root at Ganddal with several Houses of Worship.

1866 -1876 AD

MODERN ROAD FRAMEWORK IN SANDNES CONNECTED

In 1895 the streets and major roads in Sandnes was connected and the urban planning and urban growth got clear benefits from this.

Some streets was paved, but most streets and roads was comprised of mud on top of stone construction.

Hence they had to be repaired in the coastal climate pretty often.

1895 AD

PHOTO OF CENTRAL SANDNES STREET

START OF THE SANDNES BICYCLE INDUSTRY

Not only a lot of pottery, brickworks and woodn products come from Sandnes. Another great industrial adventure from Sandnes is the bike production.

A 12 year old boy came with the motto ”the best bike” (Den Beste Sykkel) and the production reached most Norwegians. After first importing German Hengstberg bikes the local man Jonas Øglænd started a bike factory in downtown Sandnes in 1906.

In the late 1960s it was decided that a new factory building needed to be built. In 1972 a large bike factory opened at Ganddal. The production of bikes stopped at Sandnes in late 1990s but the marketing and direction of the company still happens in Sandnes.

1896 AD

PHOTO AND SKETCH OF BIKE INDUSTRY IN SANDNES.

FIRST 2 AUTOMOBILE CARS IN SANDNES

In 1907 the 2 first cars came to use and not at least park in Sandnes. After 1907 the numbers of cars and parking places in Sandnes have developed epidemically - like most Western cities and towns.

The first cars was connected to delivery of bikes produced at the DBS bike factory downtown Sandnes.

1907 AD

PHOTO, CAR FROM 1907

THE GANDDAL PHONE COMPANY STARTED

As a sign of importance - and need, Ganddal got its own phone company in 1914. The first official phone calls in Norway happened in 1876.

The private telephone companies started popping up in the 1880s after getting license from the municipalities.

TELEPHONE FROM 1914

1914 AD