Vanse

Vanse
Village
View of the village location within Farsund
Vanse Show map of Vest-Agder Vanse Show map of Norway Location of the village
Coordinates: 58°05′53″N 06°41′30″E / 58.09806°N 6.69167°E / 58.09806; 6.69167Coordinates: 58°05′53″N 06°41′30″E / 58.09806°N 6.69167°E / 58.09806; 6.69167
Country	Norway
Region	Southern Norway
County	Vest-Agder
District	Lister
Municipality	Farsund
Area
• Total	1.83 km2 (0.71 sq mi)
Elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Population (2015)
• Total	2,016
• Density	1,102/km2 (2,850/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+01:00)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+02:00)
Post Code	4557 Vanse

Vanse is a village in Farsund municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. The village is located about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) west of the town of Farsund and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of the village of Vestbygd. The Farsund Airport, Lista is located just west of Vanse. The village was the administrative centre of the old municipality of Lista from 1838 until its dissolution in 1965. The old municipality was known as Vanse from 1838 until 1911.

The 1.83-square-kilometre (450-acre) village has a population (2015) of 2,016 which gives the village a population density of 1,102 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,850/sq mi).

Vanse Church is a medieval stone church, built in 1037 in the village of Vanse. A stone monument stands near the church. it is a memorial of fatalities during the Gunboat War (1807-1814). It is surrounded by authentic small cannons and a circle of stones with chain. A speech is held by this stone each year on Constitution Day, May 17.

The village of Vanse is notable for having several close connections to America due to the high number of inhabitants emigrating to the United States from 1825 to 1975. A lot of them returned to Norway and brought back American music, clothing, housewares, and values.

This connection is celebrated every year with the "American Festival" celebrated the last weekend in June every year. A stage is assembled in the middle of "Brooklyn Square" (named after Brooklyn, New York, where many of the Norwegian immigrants settled) and there is a small funfair set up. The festival starts on a Thursday and ends on Sunday morning, after culminating in a large outdoor street dance to live music.

Brooklyn Square in Vanse is the site of the "8th Avenue Diner", an American themed bar which regularly hosts live concerts, mostly in the country music genre. Kjell Elvis, a local Elvis Presley impersonator has performed at 8th Avenue a number of times. It is also home to "Trunken", a speciality store specializing in imported American goods such as furniture, clothing, candy items, and certain ingredients in American cuisine.