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Båtsfjord Municipality

Båtsfjord is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Båtsfjord (which is the only settlement remaining in the municipality). Båtsfjord Airport is a new, modern airport, located just outside Båtsfjord village. The Hurtigruten coastal express ferry also has regularly-scheduled stops in Båtsfjord village.

The 1435 km2 municipality is the 63rd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Båtsfjord is the 276th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,113. The municipality's population density is 1.5 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 4.3% over the previous 10-year period.

Historically, there were many other villages in the municipality, but they have been abandoned over the years. Some of these villages include Hamningberg (abandoned in 1964), Makkaur (abandoned in the 1950s), Sandfjord/Ytre Syltefjord (abandoned in 1946), Hamna (abandoned around 1950), and Nordfjord (abandoned in 1989).

General information
Vardø Municipality was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law), encompassing the northeastern part of the Varanger Peninsula. In 1839, to comply with the formannskapsdistrikt law, the rural parts of the municipality, outside of the island/town of Vardø, were separated to form the new municipality of Vardø landdistrikt. Initially, Vardø landdistrikt had a population of 245. The new municipality was too small to be an official self-governing municipality, and it was not until 22 May 1868 when a royal resolution was passed that officially declared it a self-governing municipality. On 1 January 1874, a small part of Vardø landdistrikt (population: 48) was transferred to the town of Vardø. In 1956, the name was changed to Båtsfjord. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the eastern fourth of Båtsfjord (population: 621) was transferred to the neighboring Vardø Municipality.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Name
The name was originally Vardø landdistrikt (and later Vardø herred) which both mean "the rural district of Vardø", since the municipality surrounded the town of Vardø. On 24 August 1956, a royal resolution changed the name of the municipality to Båtsfjord. This new name was chosen because the village of Båtsfjord (Botnsfjǫrðr) was the main population centre of the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of which means "the innermost part of a fjord". The last element is which means "fjord". The village is located at the innermost part of a fjord, so the name has a very straightforward meaning.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 April 1985. The official blazon is "Azure, a fish hook argent" (I blått en hvit fiskekrok). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a Stone Age bone fish hook. The fishing hook has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The blue color in the field and the fish hook was chosen for the great economic importance of fishing and fish processing in the municipality. The shape of the hook was derived from ancient Stone Age hooks found in the municipality. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen after a proposal by Svein Harald Eliassen.

Economy
Fishing permits (for salmon fishing) are sold for use on specific rivers including the Sandfjordelva, Syltefjordelva and Komagelva. A crab processing factory was started in 2015. About 20 to 30 million Norwegian kroner was the cost of investment. It initially employed 28 people.

Government
Båtsfjord Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Båtsfjord is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Båtsfjord:

 * 1869-1869: Hans Juel Borchgrevink
 * 1869–1870: Erik Hansen Bjerke
 * 1871–1873: Oscar Lindboe
 * 1874–1878: Erik Hansen Bjerke
 * 1879–1880: Jakob Hundseth
 * 1881–1882: Martin Hundseth
 * 1883–1886: Hans Christian Enoksen
 * 1887–1896: Radmand Sundfær (H)
 * 1897–1898: Nils Hamborg (V)
 * 1899–1901: Johan Isaksen (H)
 * 1902–1904: Nils Hamborg (V)
 * 1905–1907: Albert Moe
 * 1908–1910: Mathias Fuglevik (V)
 * 1911–1913: Johannes Sundfær
 * 1914–1916: Iver Paulsen (Ap)
 * 1917–1919: Johan A. Abrahamsen
 * 1920–1925: Arne Hansen
 * 1926–1928: Johan A. Abrahamsen
 * 1929–1931: Richard Lind (Ap)
 * 1932–1934: Thorleif Schirmer (Ap)
 * 1935–1945: Alfred Halvari (NKP)
 * 1946–1947: Johan Mikalsen (Ap)
 * 1948–1963: Leif Nervik (Ap)
 * 1964–1975: Ole Martin Nakken (Ap)
 * 1975-1975: Einar Sørnes (Ap)
 * 1976–1983: Arne Gundersen (Ap)
 * 1984–1987: Peder Karlsen (Ap)
 * 1988–1991: Tore Gundersen (Ap)
 * 1991-1991: Aslaug Eriksen (Ap)
 * 1992-1999: Leif Arne Viken (Ap)
 * 1999-2003: Just Hjalmar Johansen (H)
 * 2003-2007: Geir Knutsen (Ap)
 * 2007-2009: Frank Bakke-Jensen (H)
 * 2009-2011: Gunn Marit Nilsen (H)
 * 2011-2019: Geir Knutsen (Ap)
 * 2019–2021: Ronald Wærnes (Sp)
 * 2021-2023: Lone Johnsen (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Øyvind Hauken (LL)

Geography
The municipality covers an area of 1433 km2 including Finnmark's highest mountain pass over Ordofjell at 400 m above sea level. It is situated on the northeastern coast of the Varanger Peninsula, on the rocky coastline of the Barents Sea. There are no native trees due to the climate. The Varangerhalvøya National Park lies in the southern part of the municipality. Makkaur Lighthouse lies along the shoreline, near the mouth of the Båtsfjorden, northeast of the village of Båtsfjord. The highest point in the municipality is the 633.85 m tall mountain Skipskjølen, located on the border with Vadsø Municipality.

Previously, there were several villages along this barren coast, but today everyone lives in the village of Båtsfjord, with a sheltered harbor at the end of the Båtsfjorden inlet. Among the now-abandoned fishing villages is Hamningberg on the outer coast, which has many well-preserved 19th century wooden houses. Now, it is only used for summer vacation stays. The world's northernmost gannet colony to be found on the stack at Syltefjordstauran, along the Syltefjorden, north of the now-abandoned village of Nordfjord. Two pairs were discovered in 1961, but the colony has now grown to well over 300 pairs.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Båtsfjord. It is part of the Varanger prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland. The main church is Båtsfjord Church. There are two other small chapels, but they are only used for special occasions since they are located in uninhabited areas that are only used for summer cottages.

Mast for broadcasting

 * 241 m high guyed mast for FM-/TV-broadcasting. See List of tallest structures in Norway.

Notable people

 * Geir Knutsen (born 1959), a politician
 * Frank Bakke-Jensen (born 1965), a politician who was Mayor of Båtsfjord from 2007 and Minister of Defence since 2017
 * Gjert Ingebrigtsen (born 1966), a sports coach
 * Jan Thore Grefstad, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1978), a rock singer and songwriter

title: Båtsfjord Municipality


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Sør-Varanger Municipality

Sør-Varanger (also:, , ,  (Russian transliteration) ) is a municipality in Finnmark county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kirkenes. Other settlements in the municipality include the villages of Bjørnevatn, Bugøynes, Elvenes, Grense Jakobselv, Hesseng, Jakobsnes, Neiden, and Sandnes. Located west of the Norway–Russia border, Sør-Varanger is the only Norwegian municipality that shares a land border with Russia, with the only legal border crossing at Storskog.

The 3971 km2 municipality is the 6th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Sør-Varanger is the 112th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 10,063. The municipality's population density is 2.5 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 0.3% over the previous 10-year period.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the large Varangerfjorden (Verangr or Verjanger), located along the northern shore of the municipality (a neighboring municipality on the north side of the same fjord was Nord-Varanger). The first element is which is the plural genitive case of the word which means "fishing village". The last element is which means "bay" or "small fjord". It was first probably used for the narrow fjord on the inside of Angsnes which now is called "Meskfjorden" and leads into Varangerbotn. Historically, the name of the municiaplity was spelled Sørvaranger or Sydvaranger. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sør-Varanger.

History
Prehistoric labyrinth constructions at Holmengrå, were possibly used for religious purposes.

The original inhabitants of the area are the Skolt Sami. This Sami group migrated between coast and inland in present Norwegian, Finnish, and Russian territory long before any borders existed. In the 16th century, they were converted to the Russian Orthodox faith, and still today the chapel of Saint George at Neiden, dating from 1565, is a reminder of eastern influence.

Sør-Varanger became Norwegian in 1826, after having been [part of] a Russian-Norwegian fellesdistrikt - a district shared between two countries - that had a small Eastern Sami population group that was under Russian jurisdiction. In 1826, the previously disputed areas were divided between Norway and Russia, causing great difficulties for the Sami. The Norwegian state also invited Norwegian settlers to come to the area, building Lutheran churches to counterbalance the Orthodox heritage, notably the King Oscar II Chapel, located immediately west of the Russian border. The historic border crossing station was at Skafferhullet (which was replaced with the present day station at Storskog).

The King Oscar II Chapel in Grense Jakobselv on the Russian border was built in 1869 to mark the border.

During the 19th century, Finnish settlers (Kven) arrived to the valleys, and since 1906, Norwegians came in large numbers because of the iron mining starting up near Kirkenes. After the Treaty of Tartu the area of Petsamo was ceded to Finland, and Sør-Varanger (and Norway) no longer bordered Russia, until Finland had to cede it back to the Soviet Union in 1944.

In 1906, the Sydvaranger company opened the Bjørnevatn Mine at Bjørnevatn and four years later the mine was connected to the port in Kirkenes by Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line, the world's most northern railway. The mine was closed in 1996, but re-opened in 2009.

In October 1944, Soviet forces chased Nazi-Germany's forces out of the municipality; some inhabitants were living in tunnels (outside Kirkenes) used for the mining industry, when the Soviet forces arrived; at the time Kirkenes was under intense bombing from aircraft.

In a 1944 report to Norway's prime minister in exile, a Norwegian government official (embedsmann ) in Finnmark—Thore Boye—said that Norwegian soldiers had [crop-] cut (snauklippet) "25 young girls—some of them married" who had been pointed out by local men, as having had relations with German soldiers".

Establishment of municipality
The municipality of Sør-Varanger was established on 1 July 1858 when the large Vadsø Municipality (population: 1,171) was divided and the part located south of the Varangerfjorden became the new Sør-Varanger municipality. The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time.

On 1 January 2020, the municipality became part of the newly formed Troms og Finnmark county. Previously, it had been part of the old Finnmark county. On 1 January 2024, the Troms og Finnmark county was divided and the municipality once again became part of Finnmark county.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 16 April 1982. The official blazon is "Per bend rayonny Or and gules" (Skrådelt av gult og rødt ved tretunget flammesnitt). This means the arms have a field (background) with a diagonal line in the shape of flames. Above the line, the field has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. Below the line, the field has a tincture of gules (red). The arms show three flames along the division of the field. The division of the shield symbolizes the importance of the number three: The three main sources of income are agriculture, mining, and fishing; the municipality also has three main rivers (Neiden, Pasvikelva, and Jakobselva) that form the borders of Norway, Russia, and Finland; and there are three cultures in the municipality: Norwegians, Finns, and Sami. The arms were designed by Sissel Sildnes.

Geography

Sør-Varanger is a vast area of about 3700 km2, situated between Finland and Russia. Most of the area is low-lying forest of pine and birch, with barren sections facing the Barents Sea. The highest point in the municipality is the 497.1 m tall mountain Báhttervárri.

The Varangerfjorden runs along the northern part of the municipality and the Bøkfjorden runs north–south cutting into the municipality and flowing into the Varangerfjorden. The large island of Skogerøya lies on the west side of the Bøkfjorden. Skogerøytoppen is the tallest mountain on Skogerøya. The Bøkfjord Lighthouse lies along the mouth of the Bøkfjorden.

The municipal centre of Sør-Varanger is the town of Kirkenes, located on a peninsula in the Bøkfjorden. Other settlements include Bugøynes, Neiden, and little hamlets along the river of Pasvikelva. The local airport is called Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen which is also a military camp. The Garrison of Sør-Varanger (GSV) is based at Høybuktmoen. The flora of the area is a part of the Russian and Siberian taiga, including a few hundred spruce trees of the Russian variety. Bears also inhabit the upper valley, notably in the Øvre Pasvik National Park, Øvre Pasvik Landscape Protection Area, and Pasvik Nature Reserve.

Lakes include Ellenvatnet, Gardsjøen, Garsjøen, Klistervatnet, and Ødevatnet. The fjords include Korsfjorden.

Climate
Sør-Varanger has a boreal climate (subarctic) with long, cold winters. Summers are short, but can sometimes see warm temperatures.

Economy
The service sector is one of the two most important industries related to the city of Kirkenes. Kimek, a company for repair of boats and ships, had around 80 employees until job losses of 30 (in Q2 2023);   the company is one of the largest employers in the municipality - alongside the municipality itself.

As of 2013, 2.8% of the work force in Sør-Varanger are employed in the primary sector.

Cruise ships have in 2022, stopped using the port at Kirkenes; ship owners consider the port to be too close to the [Russian border or] Russia; in 2022 the war between Russia and Ukraine escalated.

The mining company Sydvaranger went bankrupt in 2015 and its mining operations in the municipality does not have a timeframe for a restart (as of 2022), however there are 30 employees preparing for a possible restart; the company was acquired by Tacora Resources Inc (an American corporation) in 2021. In Q2 2024, Grangex completed the purchase of Sydvaranger Mining; case work by the authorities shows planning for 400-500 employees split between the mining complex at Bjørnevatn and the complex in Kirkenes (for processing and moving products onto freighting ships).

A research station at Svanvik (which is part of Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi), has employees of the national government.

Government
All municipalities in Norway are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Indre og Østre Finnmark District Court and the Hålogaland Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sør-Varanger is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Sør-Varanger:

 * 1858-1860: Hans Kirkgaard
 * 1861-1864: Christian Taftezon
 * 1865-1868: Hans Figenschau
 * 1869-1872: Johannes Belsheim
 * 1873-1886: Anders Tokle
 * 1887-1890: Edvard Bakken
 * 1891-1894: Anders Tokle (V)
 * 1895-1900: Emil Stang Lund (H)
 * 1900-1904: Johannes Haaheim (V)
 * 1905-1910: Andreas Bredal Wessel (Ap)
 * 1911-1916: Mads Le Maire (LL)
 * 1917-1919: Andreas Bergerud (LL)
 * 1920-1922: Johan Hølvold (Ap)
 * 1923-1925: Bjarne Sårheim (V)
 * 1926-1928: Johan Hølvold (Ap)
 * 1929-1931: Axel Borgen (V)
 * 1923-1937: Sigurd Dørum (V)
 * 1938-1940: Sverre Dølvik (Ap)
 * 1944-1945: Sverre Dølvik (Ap)
 * 1946-1947: Gotfred Johan Hølvold (NKP)
 * 1948-1955: Harry Klippenvåg (Ap)
 * 1950-1955: Hilmar Isaksen (Ap)
 * 1956-1962: William Mikkelsen (Ap)
 * 1962-1980: Arnt Isaksen (Ap)
 * 1980-1982: Alfon Jerijärvi (Ap)
 * 1982-1989: Nils-Edvard Olsen (Ap)
 * 1990-1991: Halvard Kvamsdal (Ap)
 * 1991-2003: Alfon Jerijärvi (Ap)
 * 2003-2007: Tone Hatle (H)
 * 2007-2011: Linda Beate Randal (Ap)
 * 2011-2015: Cecilie Hansen (Sp)
 * 2015-2021: Rune Rafaelsen (Ap)
 * 2021-2023: Lena Norum Bergeng (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Magnus Mæland (H)

Transportation
Kirkenes Airport, Høybuktmoen is operated by the state-owned Avinor and serves as the main primary airport for eastern Finnmark county. Located 10 km west of Kirkenes, at Høybuktmoen, the airport has a 2115 m long runway which allows Scandinavian Airlines and Norwegian Air Shuttle to operate direct flights to Oslo. In addition Widerøe uses the airport as a hub to regional airports throughout Finnmark.

The Kirkenes–Bjørnevatn Line is a 8.5 km railway, until 2010 the world's northernmost, which runs between Kirkenes and Bjørnevatn;

The European route E6 highway has its northern endpoint in the town of Kirkenes. This highway heads west and then south to the rest of Norway. The European route E105 highway has its northern endpoint in the village of Hesseng, just south of Kirkenes. That highway heads south into Russia through the Storskog border crossing, the only legal public crossing on the Norway-Russia border.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Sør-Varanger. It is part of the Varanger prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nord-Hålogaland.

Archaeology
In 2015 rock carvings, estimatedly dated to 4200–5200 B.C. were found at Tømmerneset on Gamneset, several kilometers outside Kirkenes. The carvings were discovered along an old path used by reindeers—between two crags—by an archaeologist traveling between existing excavation sites at Gamneset. (A planned oil terminal will expectedly shut out the general public, from the site of the carvings. )

Leisure
Popular leisure activities include salmon fishing in one of the numerous rivers, hunting for moose and grouse, and snowmobile driving. Many inhabitants also own and frequently use a cabin located in more remote parts of the municipality.

Notable people

 * Kathrine Bugge (1877–1951), an educator, cultural worker, and politician who was brought up in Jarfjord
 * John Savio (1902 in Bugøyfjord - 1938), an artist of Sami and Kven descent who made woodcuts
 * Osvald Harjo (1910–1993), a resistance member in WWII and a prisoner in Soviet Gulag camps for over a decade
 * Alfred Henningsen (1918 in Sør-Varanger – 2012), a military officer, spy, and politician
 * Gudmund Grytøyr (born 1920 in Sør-Varanger - 2001), a sailor, laborer in industry and forestry, a farmer, and politician
 * Annemarie Lorentzen (1921 in Sør-Varanger – 2008), a politician and Norwegian ambassador to Iceland from 1978 to 1985
 * Aino Hivand (born 1947 in Bugøyfjord), a Norwegian-Sami visual artist and children's book writer
 * Helga Pedersen (born 1973 in Sør-Varanger), a politician, former Minister, and member of the Storting who was brought up in Vestertana
 * Pavel Zakharov (born 2001 in Sør-Varanger), a Russian college basketball player

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Sør-Varanger Municipality


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Ringsaker

is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Brumunddal. Other settlements in Ringsaker include the town of Moelv and the villages of Furnes, Kvål, Kylstad, Mesnali, Nydal, Rudshøgda, Stavsjø, Tingnes, and Byflaten.

The 1280 km2 municipality is the 77th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ringsaker is the 30th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 35,475. The municipality's population density is 31.6 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 6.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality of Ringsaker was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law).

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Ringsaker (population: 16,490) was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Furnes (population: 7,288) and Nes (population: 4,184) plus the Hamarsberget and Vikersødegården exclave areas of the municipality of Vang (population: 34) to create the new, larger municipality of Ringsaker. On 1 January 1965, a part of Ringsaker (population: 100) was transferred to the neighboring Hamar Municipality. On 1 January 1967 there was a municipal land swap between Vang and Ringsaker municipalities. The 500 daa Stav, Valsigsvea, and Arnkvern Nedre areas of Vang (population: 50) was transferred to Ringsaker Municipality and the 450 daa Stensby and Holmlund areas of Ringsaker (population: 114) was transferred to Vang.

On 1 January 1992, the parts of the Stensby, Hanstad, Viker, and Stammerud areas of Ringsaker (population: 224) were transferred to the neighboring Hamar Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Ringsaker farm (Ringisakr or Hringisakr) since the first Ringsaker Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of ringir or ringi which has an unknown meaning. One possibility is that Ringir or Hringir ('Lord of the Ring') may have been an epithet or alias for the Norse god Ullr, based on a ceremony mentioned in the poem Atlakviða where an oath is sworn by hringi Ullar ('the ring of Ullr'). The last element is which means "acre" or "field".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 1 February 1985. The official blazon is "Gules, an moose statant argent" (I rødt en stående sølv elg). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a moose. The moose has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The moose design is inspired by the pre-historic cave paintings found at the Stein farm in Ringsaker, indicating the early inhabitation of the area. The arms were designed by Arne Løvstad. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Ringsaker. The municipality makes up all of the Ringsaker prosti (deanery) within the Diocese of Hamar.

Geography
Ringsaker is located on the east side of the lake Mjøsa, the largest lake in Norway. It borders the municipality of Lillehammer to the northwest; the municipalities of Øyer, Stor-Elvdal, and Åmot to the north; Hamar Municipality to the east; the municipalities of Stange and Østre Toten to the south; and Gjøvik Municipality to the west.

Ringsaker is situated in an agricultural and lumbering region. Ringsaker lies in the traditional district of Hedmarken which consists largely of rolling agricultural terrain, hilly green mountains, and pine forests. The Hedmarksvidda plateau is in the upper parts of the municipality. The rivers Brumunda, Flakstadelva, and Moelva all flow through the municipality.

The principal urban centers in Ringsaker include the towns of Brumunddal and Moelv.

Climate
Ringsaker has a humid continental climate (Dfb by the Köppen-Geiger system), with fairly dry and cold winters and pleasant summers. The driest month is February, and the wettest is August. In February 1996, a low of -31.4 °C) was recorded. The all-time high is 33.5 °C) from July 2014. The Kise weather station has been recording since April 1951.

Economy
Ringsaker's main industries are agriculture, forestry, and diversified manufacturing. The area of Sjusjøen has a relatively large amount of holiday cottages that are especially attractive for outdoor sports including cross-country skiing vacations.

Government
Ringsaker Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Østre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Ringsaker is made up of 39 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Ringsaker (incomplete list):

 * 1861-1867: August Konow
 * 1877-1883: Even Larsen Glestad (V)
 * 1901-1901: Thore Røhr
 * 1914-1919: Axel Krogvig
 * 1928-1928: Karl Røhrsveen (Bp)
 * 1929-1931: Karsten Fonstad (Ap)
 * 1932-1941: Karl Østvold (Ap)
 * 1941-1942: Oskar Kjonerud (NS)
 * 1942-1945: Anders Rud (NS)
 * 1945-1964: Karl Østvold (Ap)
 * 1965-1981: Peder Esbjørnsen (Ap)
 * 1982-1991: Magne Johansen (Ap)
 * 1991-2007: Thor Lillehovde (Ap)
 * 2007–2023: Anita Ihle Steen (Ap)
 * 2023-present: Odd Amund Lundberg (Sp)

Harald Hårfagre in 882
Ringsaker is first mentioned in King Harald Hårfagre's Saga, in the Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson. The saga reports that Harald Hårfagre (872–930) was but ten years old when he succeeded his father (Halfdan the Black). After Halfdan the Black's death, many chiefs coveted the dominions he had left. Among these King Gandalf was the first; then Högne and Fróði, sons of King Eystein of Hedemark; and also King Hogne Karuson of Ringerike.

Hake, the son of Gandalf, led an expedition of 300 men against Vestfold. King Harald's army, led by Guthorm, met and fought a great battle, and King Harald was victorious, killing king Hake. Then King Harald turned back, but King Gandalf had come to Vestfold so they defeated him also. When the sons of King Eystein in Hedemark heard the news, they proposed to meet at Ringsaker in Hedemark with the remaining kings, Hogne Karuson and Herse Gudbrand. King Harald and Guthorm found out where the Oppland kings were meeting, and coming undetected at night, set fire to the houses in which Hogne Karuson and Herse Gudbrand slept. King Eystein's two sons and their men fought, but both Hogne and Frode died.

After the fall of these kings, King Harald had subdued Hedemark, Ringerike, Gudbrandsdal, Hadeland, Thoten, Romerike, and the whole northern part of Vingulmark. In addition, King Gandalf was slain, and King Harald took the whole of his kingdom as far south as the river Raum (Glomma).

Saint Olaf in 1018
Ringsaker is again mentioned in a saga about 1018 when Olaf (later Saint Olaf) sent people to advise the Opplands that he was coming, as it was custom for the king to live as guest there every third year. In the autumn, he left Sarpsborg and went first to Vingulmark. He inquired about their Christianity, teaching some and punishing others. He went through that district, and on to Romerike. Christianity was weaker there and he punished all who had not obeyed his word. The king of Romerike proceeded to Ringsaker, to consult King Hrorek of Hedemark. They sent messages to King Gudrod of Gudbrandsdal, and to the King of Hadaland, inviting them to meet at Hedemark. The kings agreed to resist Olaf. They summoned the leaders from their kingdoms, and when they had assembled, the kings directed them to gather warriors. Most approved of the measure, but the kings were betrayed to Olav by Ketil Kavl of Ringanes (the southernmost district in Hedemark, Stange), who proceeded rapidly down lake Mjøsa to Eid, where Olaf was then located.

King Olaf, accompanied by 400 men, arrived at Ringsaker before the next day dawned. Ketil knew where the kings slept, and Olaf had all these houses surrounded. The kings were taken prisoners. King Hrorek's eyes were put out. King Gudrod's tongue was cut out. King Ring and two others were banished from Norway. King Olaf took possession of the land these kings had possessed, and after this Olaf alone bore the title of king in Norway.

Sigurd of Røyr in 1163
Sigurd of Røyr, who was Haakon II's champion, lived at Røyr (Rør) in Ringsaker. He died at Re in 1163.

Institutions
A SOS Children's Village has been planned for Ringsaker—Norway's second.

Public service

 * Eilert Waldemar Preben Ramm (1769 in Furnes – 1837), a Norwegian military officer and representative at the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly in 1814
 * Jens Rynning (1778–1857), a priest and public education advocate, worked in Ringsaker
 * Hovel Helseth (1779 in Nes – 1865), an industrial pioneer in the Norwegian textile industry
 * Gustav Heiberg (1856 in Nes – 1935), a barrister, politician, and pre-WWI mayor of Hamar
 * Adolph M. Christianson (1877 in Brumunddal – 1954), a justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court
 * Johannes Bøe (1891 in Ringsaker – 1971), an archaeologist
 * Sven Sømme (1904 in Ringsaker – 1961), a zoologist and ichthyologist and WWII XU activist
 * Helge Skappel (1907 in Ringsaker – 2001), an aviator, photographer, and cartographer
 * Peter A. Munch (1908 in Nes – 1984), a sociologist, academic, author, and US emigrant who twice worked on Tristan da Cunha
 * Imre Hercz (1929–2011), a Jewish Hungarian-Norwegian physician and public debater who worked in Brumunddal
 * Thor Lillehovde (born 1948 in Ringsaker), a politician and mayor of Ringsaker from 1991 to 2007

The arts

 * Lars Pinnerud (1700 in Furnes – 1762), a farmer and woodcarver
 * Peder Balke (1804–1887), a painter of romantic and dramatic landscapes who was brought up in Ringsaker
 * Ole Rynning (1809 in Ringsaker – 1838), an emigrant pioneer and author
 * Gudmund Stenersen (1863 in Ringsaker – 1934), a painter, illustrator, and dentist
 * Tryggve Andersen (1866 in Ringsaker – 1920), a novelist, poet, and storywriter
 * Sigrid Undset (1882–1949), an author who was awarded the 1928 Nobel Prize for Literature and was buried at Mesnali
 * Nils Johan Rud (1908 in Ringsaker – 1993), a novelist, writer of short stories, and magazine editor
 * Alf Prøysen (1914 in Ringsaker – 1970), an author, poet, playwright, songwriter, and musician
 * Jon Balke (born 1955 in Furnes), a jazz pianist who leads the Magnetic North Orchestra
 * Helge Lien (born 1975 in Moelv), a jazz pianist, composer, band leader, and photographer
 * Julia Schacht (born 1982 on Helgøya), an actress
 * Gaute Ormåsen (born 1983 in Brumunddal), a singer

Sport

 * Olivius Skymoen (1857 in Grefsheim – 1909), a sports shooter who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics
 * Kolbjørn Kvam (1865 in Nes – 1933), a sports shooter who competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics
 * Ansten Samuelstuen (1929 in Brøttum – 2012), a Norwegian-American ski jumper who competed in the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics
 * Ole Ellefsæter (born 1939 in Furnes), a retired cross-country skier who won two gold medals at the 1968 Winter Olympics
 * Mia Svele (born 2001 in Ringsaker), a handball player

title: Ringsaker


text:
Løten

Løten is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Løten. Other villages in the municipality include Ådalsbruk, Heimdal, and Brenneriroa.

The 369 km2 municipality is the 246th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Løten is the 133rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,836. The municipality's population density is 21.6 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 4.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Løiten was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The name was later changed to Løten. The boundaries of the municipality have never changed.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Løten farm (Lautvin). The actual farm is probably the one which is now called Prestgarden (meaning "the vicarage"), where the first Løten Church was built. The first element is which means "hollow depression". (There is a long depression between the Prestgarden and the old church.) The last element is which means "meadow" or "pasture". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Leuten or Leuthen. In 1838 the spelling was changed to Løiten. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Løten.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 7 September 1984. The official blazon is "Gules, a drinking horn Or" (I rødt et gull drikkehorn). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a drinking horn from the Middle Ages. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. It represents the historical importance of growing wheat and also the products of the modern Løiten Brænderi (Løten distillery), which was established in 1855. The arms were designed by Harald Trætteberg. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Løten. It is part of the Hamar domprosti (arch-deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

History
There has been traffic from east to west through Løten, throughout all recorded periods of history and archeological evidence supports earlier trade along this route. The old village center was formed around the Løten Church, which was built during the 13th century.

When King Christian IV of Denmark prohibited the importation of German beer in the early 17th Century, distillation began in Norway. In 1624, distilled alcohol was prohibited at weddings, and by 1638 King Christian forbade the clergy the right to distill in their own homes. The corn-growing districts of Løten, Vang (the former municipality in Hedmark), and Romedal all became famous for their distilleries. "Gamle Løiten" from Løiten Brænderi, which was established in 1855, was a highly prized "akvavit" produced in Løten.

When the railway was opened in 1862, Løten Station became the new centre of trade and management. The area around the new station grew up as the present village of Løten.

Government
Løten Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Østre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Løten is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Løten:

 * 1838-1839: Axel Quinsgård
 * 1840-1840: T.A. Gjestvang
 * 1841-1844: Ole Rasmussen Grøholt
 * 1847-1848: Johan Fredrik Wilhelm Larsen
 * 1849-1856: Ole Rasmussen Grøholt
 * 1857-1864: Hedvard Norderhaug
 * 1865-1866: Per Sigstad
 * 1867-1868: Jens Grøholt
 * 1873-1874: Thore Sigstad, Jr.
 * 1875-1875: Jens Grøholt
 * 1881-1882: Håkon Qvæken
 * 1883-1884: Mathias Rustad
 * 1885-1886: Thv. Gjestvang
 * 1887-1890: Mathias Rustad
 * 1891-1891: Thv. Gjestvang
 * 1892-1894: Johan D. Karterud
 * 1895-1898: Ole Imset
 * 1899-1901: Karl Wefring
 * 1902-1907: Gudbrand Søberg
 * 1908-1910: Edvard Holth
 * 1911-1913: Johan Kleppen
 * 1914-1916: J. Englaugsmoen
 * 1917-1919: N. Thorshaug
 * 1920-1925: M.A. Nordli
 * 1926-1928: Kristen O. Ommang
 * 1929-1931: M.A. Nordli
 * 1932-1940: Oscar Wilhelm Nilssen
 * 1941-1945: Einar Myki
 * 1945-1955: Oscar W. Nilssen
 * 1956-1959: M.A. Nordli
 * 1960-1967: Ole L. Skaugerud
 * 1968-1979: Leif Hjelsengsveen
 * 1980-1997: Even Østlund (Ap)
 * 1997-1999: Bente Elin Lilleøkseth (Ap)
 * 1999-2007: Martin Skramstad (Sp)
 * 2007-2019: Bente Elin Lilleøkseth (Ap)
 * 2019–present: Marte Larsen Tønseth (Sp)

Geography
Løten lies in the eastern part of the traditional district of Hedmarken. It is surrounded by Hamar Municipality to the west-northwest, Stange municipality to the west-southwest, and Elverum municipality to the east. Small portions of the municipality border on Åmot in the far north and Våler in the south. The Hedmarksvidda moorland lies in the north.

Løten lies along the "border" between the agricultural wheat fields of the lower part of Eastern Norway (the areas around and south of lake Mjøsa), and the taiga (boreal coniferous forests) that stretch from eastern Norway all the way to Siberia. This border area between the cultivated farm land and the wilderness was written about by the poet Rolf Jacobsen, from Hamar, in his classic poem Tanker ved Ånestadkrysset (Thoughts at the Ånestad crossroad).

Notable people

 * Kristoffer Nilsen Svartbækken Grindalen (1804–1876), the last person in Norway to be sentenced to death for murder (he committed murder in Løten and was executed there)
 * Edvard Munch (1863 in Ådalsbruk – 1944), a Norwegian painter of The Scream
 * Helmer Hermansen (1871 in Løten – 1958), a rifle shooter and team silver medallist at the 1900 Summer Olympics
 * Marius Røhne (1883 in Løten – 1966), a Norwegian landscape architect
 * Hallvard Trætteberg (1898 in Løten – 1987), a leading Norwegian heraldic artist
 * Emil Løvlien (1899 in Løten - 1973), a Norwegian politician and leader of the Communist Party of Norway (1946-1965)
 * Einar Johannessen (1926–2016), a Norwegian radio and TV personality who lived in Løten
 * Magne Dæhli (born 1987 in Løten), a Norwegian orienteer, ski-orienteer, and cross-country skier
 * Monika Kørra (born 1989 in Løten), a Norwegian author and former track and field athlete

title: Løten


text:
Stange

is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Stangebyen. Other villages include Bekkelaget, Espa, Bottenfjellet, Ilseng, Ottestad, Sandvika, Sinnerud, Starhellinga, Tangen, and Romedal.

The 724 km2 municipality is the 157th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Stange is the 59th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 21,356. The municipality's population density is 33.3 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 10% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Stange was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of Romedal (population: 6,441) and Stange (population: 9,734) were merged to form a new, larger municipality of Stange with a population of 16,175 residents. On 13 July 1956, a small part of the municipality of Vang (population: 24) was transferred to Stange municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Stange farm (Stangir) since the first Stange Church was built there. The name is the plural form of which means "bar", "pole", or "rod". (The farm is lying on a long hill, and this is probably the background for the name.)

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 20 June 1986. The official blazon is "Vert, a plough argent" (I grønt en sølv ard). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a medieval plough called an ard. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design symbolizes this historic importance of agriculture in the area; originally the growing of grains and then later growing potatoes. The arms were designed by Arne Løvstad. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has five parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Stange. It is part of the Hamar domprosti (arch-deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Media
The newspaper Stangeavisa has been published in Stange since 2004.

History
Archeological finds indicate agricultural settlements in the area well before the Viking Age. Since the shortest route from the south to Hamar went through the area, there have also been trade and hospitality there since time immemorial. Stange has its own historical association that publishes articles, short research topics, as well as authoritative works on the area's history.

Stange Church is located in Stangebyen. The church is mentioned in 1225 in Håkon Håkonsen's saga and the current church building was constructed around the year 1250.

The Atlungstad Distillery was established in Stange in 1855.

Geography
The municipality is situated on the east side of the lake Mjøsa. It borders the municipalities of Hamar on the north; Løten, Våler, and Åsnes to the east; Nord-Odal to the south; and Eidsvoll to the west.

The municipality can be roughly divided into two areas: the northern area, with rich and fertile agricultural land; and a southern area with craggy, forested area (the Stange Commons). As a result, the northern section is dominated by large, prosperous farms; the southern part by small, marginal farms. The rivers Lageråa and Svartelva both run through the municipality.

Government
Stange Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Østre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Stange is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Stange:

 * 1838–1840: Michel Andersen Saxlund
 * 1841–1842: Even Christensen Ringnes
 * 1843–1846: Ole Erichsen Frostad
 * 1847–1848: Martinus Hansen Lalum
 * 1849–1850: Severin Michelsen Saxlund
 * 1851–1854: Martinus Hansen Lalum
 * 1855–1856: Ole Nilsen
 * 1857–1859: Iver Jonsen Grimerud
 * 1859–1866: Severin Michelsen Saxlund
 * 1867–1870: Mons Olsen Hosmestad
 * 1871–1874: Anders Christophersen Musli
 * 1875–1882: Ludvig Anton Øwre
 * 1883-1884: Ole Nilsen Ringens
 * 1885-1888: Jakob Christophersen Gaustad
 * 1888-1888: Lars Christiansen Schjerden
 * 1889-1892: Jakob Christophersen Gaustad
 * 1893–1898: Carl Wedel-Jarlsberg
 * 1899-1901: Ole Nilsen Ringens
 * 1902-1904: O. Rostad
 * 1905-1907: Frantz Blehr
 * 1908–1916: Hans Helmersen Sørholte
 * 1917-1917: M. Hestnes
 * 1918–1919: Albert Sørlie
 * 1920–1922: Ebbe Carsten Morten Astrup
 * 1923-1926: Martin Hestnæs (Ap)
 * 1926–1941: Kristian Fjeld (Ap)
 * 1941-1942: Ottar Opsand (NS)
 * 1943-1945: E. Wollebæk (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Kristian Fjeld (Ap)
 * 1946–1951: Christian Stensbak (Ap)
 * 1952–1976: Arnljot Johnstad (Ap)
 * 1977–1983: Jens K. Nybruket (Ap)
 * 1984–2007: Jan Tyriberget (Ap)
 * 2007–2022: Nils A. Røhne (Ap)
 * 2022–present: Bjarne H. Christiansen (Ap)

Twin towns – sister cities
Stange has sister city agreements with the following places:
 * 🇸🇪 Botkyrka, Sweden
 * Brøndby, Denmark

Notable people

 * Bolette Gjør (1835–1909), a Norwegian writer and inner missionary who was brought up in Romedal
 * Otto Blehr (1847 in Stange – 1927), an attorney and Prime Minister of Norway from 1902 to 1903
 * Holm Hansen Munthe (1848 in Stange – 1898), a Norwegian architect of the Dragon Style
 * Kristoffer Olsen Oustad (1857 in Romedal – 1943), a Norwegian-American engineer who built bridges
 * Hulda Garborg (1862 at Såstad farm – 1934), a novelist, playwright, poet, folk dancer, and theatre instructor who kindled interest in the bunad tradition
 * Eiliv Austlid (1899–1940), a farmer and army officer who lived at Såstad Søndre farm from 1924
 * Ingrid Semmingsen (1910–1995), the first female professor of history in Norway who grew up in Stange
 * Odvar Nordli (1927 in Tangen – 2018), a politician and Prime Minister of Norway from 1976 to 1981
 * Nils A. Røhne (born 1949 in Stange), a Norwegian politician and Mayor of Stange from 2007
 * Linda Bakke (born 1973), a Norwegian artist who lives in Stange
 * Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (born 1978), a leader of the Centre Party who grew up in Romedal
 * Bård Lahn (born 1983 in Stange), a Norwegian environmentalist with Natur og Ungdom

Sport

 * Trygve Brudevold (born 1920 in Stange – 2021), a bobsledder who competed at the 1956 Winter Olympics
 * Ole Holm (1870 in Stange – 1956), a rifle shooter and team silver medallist in the 1906 Summer Olympics
 * Eskil Rønningsbakken (born 1979 in Vallset), an entertainer who does dangerous balancing acts and tightrope walking

title: Stange


text:
Nord-Odal

Nord-Odal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Odalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sand. Other villages in the municipality include Knapper and Mo.

The 508 km2 municipality is the 209th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Nord-Odal is the 182nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,010. The municipality's population density is 10.5 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 3.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Nordre Odalen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality was originally named Nordre Odalen (later Nord-Odal), after the valley in which it is located. The first element in the name is the word or, both of which mean "northern". The last element of the name is the old district name Odalen (Ódalr). The first part of this is which is an alternate form of the word  which means "river" or "creek" (here it's referring to the Glåma river). The last part of this is which means "valley" or "dale". The prefix "Nordre" was added when the old Odalen parish was divided in 1819 into Søndre Odalen in the south and Nordre Odalen in the north. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Nord-Odal, using an alternate word for "north" and removing the definite form ending -en.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 10 January 1992. The official blazon is "Or, two wood grapples sable in pale" (I gull to svarte tømmersakser, 1-1). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The charge is two grapple tools lined up vertically. This design was chosen to represent the historic traditions of forestry and logging in the municipality. This kind of grapple was invented by a local boy named Nell Gravlie (1897-1980) when he was only 12 years old, the design was copyrighted in 1928. The arms were designed by Einar Skjervold. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Nord-Odal. It is part of the Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Government
Nord-Odal Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Romerike og Glåmdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Nord-Odal:

 * 1895–1901: Monthei Eriksen Haug (V)
 * 1922-1925: M. Midtsund
 * 1925-1941: Andreas Sjøli (Ap)
 * 1939-1941: Hans Carlsen (Ap)
 * 1945-1945: Ole Bjørnstad (Ap)
 * 1945-1946: Hans Carlsen (Ap)
 * 1946-1956: H. Gulbrandsen (Ap)
 * 1956-1959: Tormod Ruud (Ap)
 * 1960-1971: Johan Østli (Ap)
 * 1972-1977: Einar Olav Skogholt (Ap)
 * 1978-1979: Ronald Andersen (Ap)
 * 1980-1987: Thorleiv Kårstad (Ap)
 * 1987-1989: Egil Mangnes (Ap)
 * 1990-2003: Egil Ringerike (Ap)
 * 2003-2011: Asgeir Østli (Ap)
 * 2011-2021: Lise Selnes (Ap)
 * 2021-2023: Ragnhild H. Moen (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Odd Kjetil Østvand-Sløtte (Ap)

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Nord-Odal is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Geography
Nord-Odal is situated in the Odalen valley around the northern edge of the lake Storsjøen and around the lake Råsen. The municipality is bordered to the north by the municipality of Stange, to the east by the municipalities of Åsnes and Grue, to the south by the municipalities of Sør-Odal and Nes, and to the west by the municipality of Eidsvoll.

Notable people

 * Honoratus Halling (1819 in Odalen – 1886), a priest, magazine editor and non-fiction writer
 * Jon Hol (1851 at Ekornhol – 1941), a Norwegian engineer and political activist
 * Harald Stormoen (1872 in Nord-Odal – 1937), a Norwegian actor
 * Andreas Hofgaard Winsnes (1889 in Nord-Odal – 1972), a literary historian and educator
 * Sigurd Hoel (1890 in Nord-Odal – 1960), a Norwegian author and publishing consultant
 * Marit Nybakk (born 1947 in Nord-Odal), a Norwegian politician of the Third Way
 * Einar Olav Skogholt (born 1947 in Nord-Odal), a politician and Mayor of Nord-Odal in the 1970s
 * Lasse Sætre (born 1974 in Sand), a former speed skater, bronze medallist at the 2002 Winter Olympics
 * Jan Werner Danielsen (1976 in Nord-Odal – 2006), a Norwegian pop singer
 * Lise Selnes (born 1976), the mayor in Nord-Odal 2011–2021, and member of the Storting.

title: Nord-Odal


text:
Sør-Odal

Sør-Odal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Odalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skarnes. Other villages in Sør-Odal include Disenå and Sander.

The 517 km2 municipality is the 207th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sør-Odal is the 132nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 8,069. The municipality's population density is 16.8 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 3.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Søndre Odalen was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality was originally named Søndre Odalen (later Sør-Odal), after the valley in which it is located. The first element in the name is the word or, both of which mean "southern". The last element of the name is the old district name Odalen (Ódalr). The first part of this is which is an alternate form of the word  which means "river" or "creek" (here it's referring to the Glåma river). The last part of this is which means "valley" or "dale". The prefix "Søndre" was added when the old Odalen parish was divided in 1819 into Nordre Odalen in the north and Søndre Odalen in the south. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Sør-Odal, using an alternate word for "south" and removing the definite form ending -en.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 10 January 1992. The official blazon is "Gules, three keys Or in pall" (I rødt tre gull nøkler stilt i trepass). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three keys aligned in pall. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The keys symbolize justice, knowledge, and positive ideals. The design was chosen to represent the three parishes of Oppstad, Strøm, and Ullern and the three local bodies of water: Glomma, Oppstadåa, and Storsjøen. The arms were designed by Harald Hallstensen, a graphical designer. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Sør-Odal. It is part of the Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Geography
The municipality is a rural area in the Odalen valley that is located along the river Glåma and around the southern side of the lake Storsjøen. It is bordered by the municipalities of Eidskog in the south, by Kongsvinger in the east, and by Nord-Odal and Grue in the north. The terrain is dominated by rolling hills, lakes, and pine forests.

Government
Sør-Odal Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Romerike og Glåmdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sør-Odal is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Sør-Odal (incomplete list):

 * 1958-1975: Arne Broen
 * 1975-2007: Henning Myrvang (Ap)
 * 2007-2011: Knut Hvithammer (Ap)
 * 2011-2015: Anne-Mette Øvrum (H)
 * 2015-present: Knut Hvithammer (Ap)

Economy
The economy is based on a mix of manufacturing, farming, and services. Skarnes has a train connection to Oslo via the Kongsvingerbanen railway line.

Notable people

 * Hans Glad Bloch (1791 in Sør-Odal – 1865), a Norwegian military officer and government official
 * Peder Sather (1810 in Odal – 1886), an American banker and philanthropist; eponym of the Sather Tower & Sather Gate at UC Berkeley
 * Magnhild Haalke (1885–1984), a Norwegian novelist and teacher for 30 years in Sør-Odal
 * Kåre Tveter (1922 in Sør-Odal – 2012), a Norwegian painter and illustrator
 * Ole A. Stang Jr. (1923 in Sør-Odal – 1998), a businessman who owned and ran Maarud AS
 * Øystein Sunde (born 1947), a folk singer, guitarist, and songwriter who was brought up in Skarnes
 * Martin Linnes (born 1991 in Sander), a footballer with over 240 club caps and 27 for Norway
 * Kent Håvard Eriksen (born 1991 in Skarnes), a footballer with over 250 club caps
 * Magnus Gullerud (born 1991 in Skarnes), a handball player for Kolstad Håndball and the Norwegian national team.

Sister cities
Sør-Odal has sister city agreements with the following places:
 * 🇫🇮 Viitasaari, Länsi-Suomi, Finland

title: Sør-Odal


text:
Eidskog

Eidskog is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vinger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skotterud. Other villages in the municipality include Magnor, Matrand, and Åbogen.

The 640 km2 municipality is the 181st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Eidskog is the 155th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,032. The municipality's population density is 10 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 4.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The municipality was established on 1 January 1864 when the old Vinger Municipality was divided in two: Vinger (population: 6,226) in the north and Eidskog (population: 6,920) in the south. On 1 January 1986, the northern part of the Åbogen area (population: 14) was transferred from Kongsvinger Municipality to Eidskog Municipality.

Name
The municipality is named Eidskog (Eiðaskógr) since it was an old name for the area. The first element is the plural genitive case of which means "isthmus" or in this situation, a "path between two lakes". The first element is which means "woods" or "forest". Thus the name means "the woods with the many eiðs". (In historical times, people traveled in small boats on the lakes and the rivers, but they had to drag the boats over the eids.) Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Eidskogen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Eidskog, removing the definite form ending -en.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 12 September 1986. The official blazon is "Argent, a grouse sable regardant crested gules" (I sølv en svart orrhane med hodet vendt bakover). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a black grouse with a red comb. The design was chosen since this type of bird is a common inhabitant of the many forests in the municipality. Forestry is also one of the main sources of income in the area. The arms were designed by Stein Davidsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Eidskog. It is part of the Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Geography
The municipality is located in the southeastern part of Innlandet county. It is bordered to the north by the municipality of Kongsvinger (in Innlandet) and in the west by Aurskog-Høland, Nes (both in Akershus and Sør-Odal (in Innlandet). Eidskog also borders Sweden, both to the east and south.

The lakes Digeren, Mangen, and Skjervangen are all located in Eidskog.

History
The name Eidskog is ancient and was used for the southern part of Vinger, the region between today's Kongsvinger in Norway and Arvika in Sweden. The Vinger Royal Road (Eskoleia) historically traveled through Eidskog (and continues today as the Norwegian National Road 2). It was one of the most important traffic arteries between Norway and Sweden. The name Eidskog was already in use during the saga period and became, after the canonization of Saint Olaf and important pilgrim's route from Europe to Nidaros Cathedral. During the 12th century, the Eidskog Church was built. It was a stave church built in Midtskog (which means middle of the woods). The present Eidskog Church is built on the same site (now called Matrand) and this building was constructed in 1665.

The way through Eidskog was also militarily important and many times through history has been the point of Swedish strikes into Hedmark. To defend against these assaults, a number of fortifications were built in the vicinity, including ones at Magnor and Matrand, but the chief fortification was Kongsvinger Fortress (to the north).

The last Swedish attack through Eidskog was in 1814 when Major General Carl Pontus Gahn on July 31 crossed the border and marched against Kongsvinger. His forces were stopped at Lier outside Kongsvinger on 2 August 1814 by troops led by Lieutenant Colonel Andreas Samuel Krebs (1769-1818) and retreated to Eidskog. On 4 August 1814, Krebs followed after to drive Swedish troops off Norwegian territory. The two forces met in the Battle of Matrand which was the bloodiest battle of the war and ended with a Norwegian victory.

Later in 1814, Norway was joined in union with Sweden and the confrontations at the Eidskog border ended.

The Soot Canal, constructed in 1849, has Norway's oldest sluice gates. It was the work of Engebret Soot (1786–1859). It was built to allow timber to be transported (floated) to the Halden sawmills. The canal was 1.5 km long and had 16 locks which extended from Lake Skjervangen at 185 m above sea level up to Lake Mortsjølungen at 201 m above sea level.

The route through Eidskog became an important connection between the two countries; this was strengthened with the opening of the Grenseban railway in 1862, which connected Christiania to Stockholm.

Government
Eidskog Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Romerike og Glåmdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Eidskog is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Eidskog:

 * 1864-1872: Henry T. Fearnley
 * 1872-1879: Haagen Pedersen Malmer
 * 1879-1895: Meldal Johnsen
 * 1895-1897: O. Løken
 * 1897-1905: Hans Taugbøl
 * 1905-1907: O. Løken
 * 1908-1913: Otto Pramm
 * 1913-1915: Ole Syversen Fagernæs (V)
 * 1915-1915: M. T. Huse
 * 1915-1916: Olof Nilsson
 * 1917-1919: Otto Pramm
 * 1920-1922: H. A. Rambøl
 * 1923-1928: Thorvald Taugbøl
 * 1929-1934: Kaspar Billerud
 * 1935-1945: Selmer Alm (Ap)
 * 1945-1947: Hallgrim Sørli (Ap)
 * 1948-1963: Sigurd Skjørberg
 * 1964-1981: Ivar Delviken
 * 1982-1983: Kaare Fjeld
 * 1984-1999: Kåre Delviken
 * 1999-2005: Ivar Skulstad (Ap)
 * 2005-2007: Greta Storm Ofteland (Ap)
 * 2007-2015: Knut Gustav Woie (Sp)
 * 2015–present: Kamilla Thue (Ap)

Attractions

 * Soot Canal - the first lock constructed in Norway, used for log floating
 * Grenselosmuseet - museum on the route for escape to Sweden during the World War II
 * Oppistun Børli - poet Hans Børli's home
 * Morokulien - memorial to the long lasting peace with Sweden
 * Rønning Treski - last wood ski producer in Norway

Notable people

 * Erik Werenskiold (1855 in Eidskog – 1938), a Norwegian painter and illustrator
 * Konrad Hirsch (1900 in Eidskog – 1924), a Swedish footballer who played in 1924 Summer Olympics
 * Julla Sæthern (1901 in Eidskog – 1981), a Norwegian barrister, feminist, and politician
 * Hans Børli (1918 at Eidskog – 1989), a Norwegian poet, writer, and lumberjack
 * Torgrim Sollid (born 1942 in Eidskog), a composer and folk and jazz musician
 * Ivar Skulstad (born 1953), a politician and Mayor of Eidskog 1999 to 2005
 * Kristin Solli Schøien (born 1954), an author and composer who lives in Eidskog
 * Max Ivan Lindkjølen (born 1956), a chef and entrepreneur
 * Remi Eriksen (born 1967), the Group President and CEO of DNV GL (a classification society)
 * Wilhelm Brenna (born 1979), a retired Norwegian ski jumper and junior world champion
 * Andreas Ulvo (born 1983), a jazz pianist, organist, keyboardist, and composer

title: Eidskog


text:
Åsnes

Åsnes is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Solør. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Flisa, which is also the largest village in the municipality with around 1,700 people. Other villages in the municipality include Gjesåsen, Hof, and Kjellmyra.

The 1041 km2 municipality is the 108th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Åsnes is the 138th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,267. The municipality's population density is 7.2 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 4.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
When municipal government was established in Norway on 1 January 1838, the Åsnes area was part of Hof Municipality. In 1849, Hof municipality was divided into two: Hof (population: 2,913) and Åsnes og Våler (population: 7,087). A short time later, in 1854, the municipality of Åsnes og Våler was divided into the two current municipalities of Våler (population: 3,410) and Åsnes (population: 3,677).

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1963, Hof Municipality (population: 3,222) was merged into Åsnes Municipality (population: 6,750). On 1 January 1969, the Rotberget farm area (population: 23) in the Finnskogen part of the municipality was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Grue. In the 2010s, there had been talk of further municipal mergers but the neighboring municipalities of Grue and Våler both rejected merging with Åsnes.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Åsnes farm (Ásnes) since the first Åsnes Church was built there. The first element is which means "mountain ridge". The last element is which means "headland". The headland that it is referring to is made by the river Glomma near the Åsnes farm which is located beneath a hill. On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Aasnes with the digraph "Aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Åsnes, using the letter Å instead.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 9 December 2001. The official blazon is "Or, three pike hooks sable in bend sinister points in base dexter" (I gult tre skrått nedvoksende svarte fløterhaker). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The charge is three hooks for log driving that are pointing downwards diagonally. This was chosen to represent the importance of logging and forestry to the municipality throughout history. There are three poles to symbolize the three important rivers of the municipality: Glomma, Flisa, and Kynna. The arms were designed by Arvid Steen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Åsnes. It is part of the Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Geography
The municipality is located in the southern part of Innlandet county in the traditional region of Solør. Åsnes is bordered to the north by the municipality of Våler, to the south by Grue, to the west by Nord-Odal and Stange, and to the east it borders Torsby Municipality in Värmland County, Sweden.

Finnskogen or the forest of the Finns is a belt about 32 km wide which runs continuously northwards along the border between Norway and Sweden through six Norwegian municipalities, including Åsnes.

Åsnes has several lakes and rivers throughout the forested municipality which sits in the southern Glåmdal valley. It includes the lakes Gjesåssjøen, Hukusjøen, and Vermunden. The rivers Flisa, Rotna, and Glomma all flow through the municipality.

Government
Åsnes Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Østre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Åsnes is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Åsnes (incomplete list):

 * 1910-1914: August Embretsen (Ap)
 * 1925-1928: Arne Adolf Løfsgaard (Bp)
 * 1941-1945: Gudbjørn Fleischer (NS)
 * 1945-1963: Jon Gudbjørn Dybendal (Ap)
 * 1980-1981: Johan Dybendal
 * 1982-1983: Torbjørn Konttorp
 * 1984-1992: Hans-Didrik Bakke (Ap)
 * 1992-1999: Knut Rustad (Sp)
 * 1999-2003: Hans-Didrik Bakke (Ap)
 * 2003-2007: Frank Willy Bjørneseth (Ap)
 * 2007-2011: Lars Petter Heggelund (V)
 * 2011-2019: Ørjan Bue (Sp)
 * 2019–2023: Kari Heggelund (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Per Roar Bredvold (FrP)

Notable people

 * Hans Jacob Grøgaard (1764 in Åsnes – 1836), a parish priest, writer, and representative at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly
 * Johannes Bergh (1837 in Åsnes – 1906), a barrister and the Attorney General of Norway from 1893-1904
 * Jacob Sparre Schneider (1853 in Åsnes – 1918), a Norwegian zoologist and entomologist
 * Adolf Gundersen (1865 in Åsnes – 1938), an American physician who founded Gundersen Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin
 * Per Aasness (1875 at Flaen – 1959), a military officer, politician, and Mayor of Asnes from 1919-1922
 * Ole Bjerke (1881 in Åsnes – 1959), a sport shooter who competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics
 * Arne Løfsgaard (1887 at Løfsgaard – 1974), a farmer, politician, and Mayor of Åsnes from 1925-1928
 * Birger Lie (1891 in Åsnes – 1970), a sport shooter who competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics
 * Jon Gudbjørn Dybendal (1904 in Åsnes – 1985), a politician and Mayor of Åsnes from 1945-1963
 * Rolf Jacobsen (1907–1994), an author and modernist writer who twice lived in Åsnes
 * Kai Grjotheim (1919 in Åsnes – 2003), a chemist and academic who solved problems within thermodynamics of salt smelters
 * Gunnar Gundersen (born 1956 in Åsnes), a politician who also competed in the swimming at the 1976 Summer Olympics
 * Tom Stræte Lagergren (born 1991 in Åsnes), a DJ and record producer who goes by the stage name Matoma
 * Emilie Enger Mehl (born 1993 in Lørenskog), a politician for the Centre Party who served as minister of justice since 2021 and Member of parliament since 2017.

Sister cities
Åsnes has sister city agreements with the following places:

 * Ballerup, Region Hovedstaden, Denmark
 * 🇸🇪 Fagersta, Västmanland County, Sweden
 * 🇫🇮 Jämsä, Länsi-Suomi, Finland
 * 🇸🇰 Myjava, Trenčín Region, Slovakia
 * 🇮🇹 Vasanello, Viterbo, Italy

title: Åsnes


text:
Våler

Vaaler or Våler or Valer may refer to:

Places

 * Våler, Innlandet, a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway
 * Våler (village), village and administrative center of Våler municipality
 * Åsnes og Våler, a former municipality in Hedmark county (1849-1854)
 * Våler, Østfold, a municipality in Østfold county, Norway
 * Vålerbanen, a motor racing circuit in Braskereidfoss, Norway

Given name

 * Valer Austin, permaculturalist involved with desert greening
 * Valer Donea, pen name used by Profira Sadoveanu (1906–2003)
 * Valer Dorneanu (born 1944), Romanian politician
 * Valer Săsărman (1969–2021), Romanian professional footballer
 * Valer Toma (born 1957), Romanian rower

Surname

 * Johan Vaaler (1866-1910), Norwegian inventor

title: Våler


text:
Våler, Innlandet

Våler is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Solør. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Våler. Other villages in Våler include Braskereidfoss, Gravberget, and Risberget.

The 705 km2 municipality is the 164th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Våler is the 213th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,625. The municipality's population density is 5.3 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 5.3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The area of Våler was originally part of the municipality of Hof that was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). This new municipality was made up of three areas: Hof, Aasnes, and Våler. In 1849, the municipality of Hof was divided in two: Hof (population: 2,913) and Åsnes og Våler (population: 7,087). In 1854, the relatively new municipality of Åsnes og Våler was divided into Åsnes (population: 3,677) and Våler (population: 3,410). This division happened after a hard struggle, mainly led by Christian Halvorsen Svenkerud, a local member of parliament.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Våler farm (Válir) since the first Våler Church was built there. The first element is the plural form of váll which means "clearing in the woods".

On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Vaaler with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Våler, using the letter å instead.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 7 August 1987. The official blazon is "Gules, a downwards pointing winged arrow Or" (I rødt en nedvendt vinget gull pil). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a downwards pointing winged arrow. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The design was chosen to symbolize the legend that in the year 1022, King Olaf II of Norway (Saint Olaf) decided to solve a local disagreement on where a church should be built. He did so by shooting an arrow from his bow, commanding that the church be built wherever the arrow hit the ground. A winged arrow is also a frequent medieval heraldic motif. This design also has a V-shape which alludes to the initial V for Våler. The arms were designed by John Arne Moseng. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Våler. It is part of the Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

The first Våler Church was known as the Mariakirken. Legend says the church was established by Saint Olaf. The church was rebuilt several times. By 1686, the stave church that was standing at that time was in poor condition so it was renovated and restored. In 1804, the people of Våler asked the King permission to build a new church. It was permitted by the King, and so the construction of a new church started the same year. The church tower is dated 1805, and the dedication of the new church was 26 June 1806. The old stave church was then torn down. Today, there is a monument where the old church stood. On 29 May 2009 the Våler Church was destroyed by an arson attack, which is suspected to be an act of satanist. It was rebuilt in 2015.

Geography
The municipality is bordered in the north by the municipality of Elverum, in the east by the municipality of Trysil and the neighboring country of Sweden, in the south by the municipality of Åsnes, and in the west by the municipality of Stange.

The municipality lies in the north end of the traditional district of Solør, and it is often referred to as Våler in Solør. Solør is the geographical area that lies between the towns of Elverum and Kongsvinger. The eastern part of Solør (in the area bordering Sweden) is known as Finnskogen (the forest of the "Finns").

Agriculture and forestry are the main industries in Våler. With near 90% of the total area covered with forest, Våler is among the larger forested municipalities in Norway. Most of the agricultural areas are found near the river Glomma. The Solør Line runs through the municipality on the east bank of the river. The river Flisa also runs through the municipality.

Government
Våler Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Østre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Våler is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors of Våler (incomplete list):

 * 1854–1857: Christian Halvorsen Svenkerud
 * 1861–1873: Christian Halvorsen Svenkerud
 * 1913–1918: Halvdan Aarsrud (Ap)
 * 2003–2015: Kjell Konterud (Ap)
 * 2015-2019: Lise Berger Svenkerud (H)
 * 2019–2023: Ola Cato Lie (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Harry Vinje (H)

Stone age
It is not known for certain when the first humans arrived in Våler, but it is thought to be at the end of the neolithic era (4000–1800 BC). Tools made of flint have been found that are dated to about 2000 BC. Flint is not natural to the area, indicating it came along trade routes from the south.

The first humans in the deep forests of Våler lived mainly by hunting and fishing. Even though the people around the nearby lake Mjøsa already kept livestock and grew crops, some time passed before the people in Våler settled as farmers.

Pre-Christian times
From about 1000 BC there are findings that indicate settlements in Våler. In the Viking Age, from about 700–1000 AD, Våler became more than just a few settled farms. At one stage in history, Solør was a powerful petty kingdom.

The name Våler comes from the Old Norse word vål, which means “trunks, or stumps (roots) from burnt trees in a clearing.” Names which are variations of vål are common in Norway as the first stage of clearing woodland for cultivation was to burn the trees and undergrowth.

The conversion of Hedemark to Christianity is mentioned in the book Heimskringla (The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway) by Snorri Sturluson. According to legend, King Olaf II of Norway (Saint Olaf) went to Våler to convert the heathens to Christianity in 1022 AD. At first there was some resistance, but resistance proved to be futile. The farmers were quickly convinced to convert to Christianity, as in many other areas of Norway. The king decided that they had to build a church, but the locals couldn't agree where to place it. So the king settled the matter in a simple and efficient way. He took his bow, and shot an arrow up in the air and declared that wherever the arrow landed, the church was to be built. The arrow landed in a vål at the banks of the river Glomma. This incident gave name to both the place and the church. (Although later the church was called Mariakirken, which translates to Church of Mary). Våler Municipality's coat of arms illustrates Saint Olaf's arrow.

Medieval period
During the Middle Ages, Våler was just an outpost far from the main travel route. Those few who went through, were either wanderers or pilgrims heading for Saint Olaf's tomb in Nidaros (later Trondheim). One pilgrim's route for Swedish pilgrims lay through Eidskog, Solør, and Elverum; Adam of Bremen mentions this route as early as 1070. Along this route, the pilgrims often stopped at the spring at Våler, where legend had it that Saint Olaf had watered his horse; the water was supposed to possess wonderful curative properties.

The Black Death spread through Norway between 1348 and 1350. We do not know how hard Våler was affected by the plague, but a legend tells that only one boy and one girl survived.

By the 17th century, there was quite a lot of livestock in Våler. As the technology improved, the forestry became more and more important in the forests along the many rivers and lakes in the area.

Finnish immigration
An important part of Våler's and Solør's history, is the immigration and settlement of people from Finland. From the late 16th century they were encouraged by Swedish king Gustav Vasa to settle in the unpopulated areas of Värmland and Solør, along the border between Norway and Sweden. At that time the forests far from the settled areas of the two countries were of little value, and therefore immigrants could settle in large numbers without coming into conflict with the locals. The Finnish immigration was a result of hunger and turbulent times in Finland. King Gustav Vasa welcomed the immigrants, because he wanted to increase the taxable income from the scarcely populated areas of western Sweden.

The Finns brought with them their unique culture and their way of life. Amongst other things, they imported the agricultural technique, common in Finland and Eastern Sweden, known as svedjebruk or slash-burn agriculture. This involved setting fire to the forest and growing crops on the fertile ash-covered soil. The clearing was initially planted to rye, and then in the second and third year with turnips or cabbages. It then might be grazed for several years before being allowed to return to woodland. In this manner, they periodically moved around and burned down new areas and left their former areas to regrow with forest.

The Finnish language, still has an influence in the area. Many place names and words and expressions in the local dialects derive from the Finnish. The area itself is called Finnskogen, which translates as "The Finnish forest".

Notable people

 * Bernt Lund (1812 in Våler, Hedmark – 1885), a Norwegian landscape artist, author, and military officer
 * Hermann Hansen Aarsrud (1837 in Våler, Hedmark – 1927), a farmer, politician, and Mayor of Våler from 1879 to 1904
 * Halvdan Aarsrud (1878 in Våler, Hedmark – 1925), a bailiff, politician, and Mayor of Våler during WWI
 * Jo Inge Bjørnebye (1946 in Våler, Hedmark – 2013), a Norwegian ski jumper who competed at the 1968 Winter Olympics
 * Finn Halvorsen (born 1947 in Våler, Hedmark), a Norwegian former ski jumper who competed at the 1976 Winter Olympics
 * Aage Rundberget (born 1947 in Våler, Hedmark), a Norwegian judge and civil servant

title: Våler, Innlandet


text:
Elverum

[ˈɛlvərɵm] is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Elverum. Other settlements in the municipality include Heradsbygd, Sørskogbygda, and Neverlia. Elverum lies at an important crossroads, with the town of Hamar to the west, the town of Kongsvinger to the south, and village of Innbygda and the Swedish border to the northeast. It is bordered on the north by Åmot municipality, in the northeast by Trysil municipality, in the southeast by Våler municipality, and in the west by Løten municipality.

The 1229 km2 municipality is the 87th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Elverum is the 57th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 21,568. The municipality's population density is 17.8 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Elverum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The borders have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Elverum farm (Alfarheimr) since the first Elverum Church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of which means "river" (referring to the Glomma river). The last element is which means "home" or "farm".

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 9 December 1988. The official blazon is "Gules, an owl displayed Or" (I rødt ei gull ugle med utslåtte vinger). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is an owl. The owl has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. This design is a symbol for wisdom and teaching, since Elverum has a number of schools in it. Most owls are forest birds, and the owl can also represent wild animals and birds, and thus symbolize the forest and wilderness areas in and around Elverum. Finally, the owl has lifted wings and claws out which symbolize a determined defense and the fighting spirit of Norwegians. In 1940, when Norway was under attack from the German forces, the government fled to Elverum where King Haakon VII received the power from the Storting to govern the country in exile without the Parliament during the war (Elverum Authorization). The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches
The Church of Norway has five parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Elverum. It is part of the Sør-Østerdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Geography
Sagtjernet is a lake in the northern parts of Elverum where lots of residents visit in the summer. It is a lake formed by the last ice age. Rokosjøen is another lake in the municipality. The rivers Julussa, Glomma, and Flisa flow through the municipality.

Government
Elverum Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Østre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Elverum is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Elverum:

 * 1838–1841: Hans Øvergaard
 * 1841–1845: Svend Stenersen
 * 1845–1847: Gulbrand Øvergaard
 * 1847–1851: John Koppang
 * 1851–1855: Peter Mathias Bugge
 * 1855–1857: Adolph Grüner Næser
 * 1857–1859: Andreas Grøtting
 * 1859–1861: Otto Gudmundsen Søberg
 * 1861–1863: Adolph Grüner Næser
 * 1863–1867: Andreas Grøtting
 * 1867–1869: John Aakrann
 * 1869–1871: Andreas Grøtting
 * 1871–1873: John Aakrann
 * 1873–1875: Nils Schøyen
 * 1875–1879: Andreas Grøtting
 * 1879–1881: Gunder Sætersmoen (H)
 * 1881–1883: Henrik Opsahl (V)
 * 1884–1890: Eivind Torp (V)
 * 1890–1893: Anton Matheus Andreassen (V)
 * 1893–1893: Helge Væringsaasen (V)
 * 1893–1895: Gunnar Skirbekk (V / ArbDem)
 * 1895–1897: Peder Christensen Løken (H)
 * 1897–1901: Peder Østmoe (V)
 * 1902–1907: Olav Andreas Eftestøl (ArbDem)
 * 1908–1916: Johan Peter Røkke (ArbDem)
 * 1917–1919: Oluf Hansen Haugen (Ap)
 * 1920–1922: Elias Johannesen Augestad (Ap)
 * 1923–1931: Martinius Røkeberg (Ap)
 * 1932–1940: Olav Jørgen Sæter (Ap)
 * 1940–1945: Simon Grindalen (NS)
 * 1945–1945: Olav Jørgen Sæter (Ap)
 * 1945–1945: Enok Sletengen (Ap)
 * 1946–1947: Martin Trovåg (NKP)
 * 1948–1951: Otto Ødegaard (Ap)
 * 1952–1962: Enok Sletengen (Ap)
 * 1962–1979: Markvard Bækken (Ap)
 * 1980–1983: Kjersti Borgen (Sp)
 * 1984–1994: Olav Sæter (Ap)
 * 1994–2003: Per-Gunnar Sveen (Ap)
 * 2003–2011: Terje Røe (Ap)
 * 2011–2019: Erik Hanstad (H)
 * 2019–present: Lillian Skjærvik (Ap)

Military ties
During the Nordic Seven Years' War (1563–1570), Swedish troops invaded Norway in a number of locations, including a number of incursions into Østerdalen. In 1563, Norwegian troops stopped the Swedish advance at Elverum, which provided a strategic point since it lay on both north–south and east–west trade and travel routes.

The parishes of Idre and Särna originally belonged to the prestegjeld of Elverum, but they were occupied by Swedish troops in 1644, and since then they were lost to Sweden.

Construction of fortifications in Elverum started in 1673 during the Gyldenløve War as Hammersberg Skanse. It was renamed Christiansfjeld Fortress in 1685 by King Christian V of Denmark during his visit to Hammersberg Skanse on June 14. Although the fortress was manned through the Great Northern War, the village was spared major battles. In 1742, Christiansfjeld Fortress was closed.

A Norwegian infantry regiment, the Oppland Regiment, was formed in 1657 and Elverum became a garrison. The area of population east of the river called Leiret (literally the camp) adjacent to Christiansfjeld Fortress was built up by soldiers as well as the merchants and craftsmen who settled nearby. The central areas of the town of Elverum on the east side of the river is referred to as Leiret.

In 1878, Terningmoen at Elverum became the home base for the Oppland Regiment and an infantry school was founded here in 1896. The Oppland Regiment had a history which included courageous involvement in combat from the Swedish wars of the 17th century through the German invasion of Norway in 1940. As part of the general restructuring, the unit was disbanded in 2002.

Today, Terningmoen hosts several sub units within the Norwegian army and the Home guard.

Regional town
In the Danish-Norwegian period, Elverum was the location for a bailiff (fogd), a judge (sorenskriver), a church provost (prost), and numerous military officers.

It became important as a market town as well. In 1570 Hamar Cathedral in Hamar was burned and Hamarhus castle was destroyed by the Swedish armies during the Seven Years' War with Sweden. Hamar lost its city status, leaving no kjøpstad, or official market city, between Christiania and Trondheim. Eastern Norway needed an organized market for trading goods. The Grundset market (Grundsetmart'n) in Elverum municipality grew to meet the need. It is recorded as existing in the 17th century, and in 1765 the owner of Gaarder obtained special market privileges from the king, to take place six miles north of the population center of Elverum on his estate. By 1767, it was described as Norway's largest and most famous market. In the first week of March, for almost 300 years, the folks of the district met to trade and to celebrate. People from Gudbrandsdal, Oslo, Trøndelag, and Sweden also regularly came to Grundsetmart'n. The Grundset market was finally abandoned in 1901, when pressures of the railroad and other markets made it superfluous.

The railway connecting Oslo and Trondheim passed through Elverum in 1877.

World War II
Elverum municipality served as a temporary capital of Norway during the World War II German invasion. On 9 April 1940 Norwegian troops prevented German parachute troops from capturing Norway's King Haakon, Crown Prince, and Parliament while the Parliament was meeting to issue the Elverum Authorization, authorizing the exiled government until the Parliament could again convene. On April 11, shortly after the government's refusal to submit to German terms, the central part of the town of Elverum was reduced to ashes.

Norwegian Forest Museum
The Norwegian Forest Museum is a national museum recognizing the importance of forestry, hunting, and fishing to the Norwegian history and economy.

Glomdal Museum
From the eastern side of the Glomma river (the Museum of Norwegian Forestry – Skogmuseet), a pedestrian bridge across the Klokkerfoss waterfall to Prestøya, and then a bridge across the Prestfossen falls leads to the Glomdal Museum, one of the largest Norwegian outdoor museums, with numerous houses from the mountain parishes of Østerdalen and the lowland districts of Solør on the Glomma river valley. The exhibition includes a library with numerous books, including handwritten medieval manuscripts.

Public service & public thinking

 * Kristoffer Nilsen Svartbækken Grindalen (1804 in Elverum – 1876), a criminal, killer, and thief
 * Stener Johannes Stenersen (1835 in Elverum – 1904), a veterinarian and author of first monograph on the Fjord horse
 * Hartvig Andreas Munthe (1845 in Elverum – 1905), a military officer, engineer, and genealogist
 * Carl Oscar Munthe (1861 in Elverum – 1952), a Norwegian military officer and historian
 * Olaf Rogstad (1877 in Elverum - 1969), former director-general of the Norwegian Water Resources and Electricity Agency
 * Olav Jørgen Sæter (1884 in Elverum – 1951), a schoolteacher, newspaper editor, politician, and Mayor of Elverum from 1931 to 1940
 * Kristian Løken (1884 in Elverum – 1961), a highly decorated Norwegian military officer
 * Knut Storberget (born 1964 in Elverum), a lawyer, politician, and county governor of Innlandet from 2019
 * Bjørn Jarle Rødberg Larsen (born 1973), a Norwegian internet entrepreneur and politician

The arts

 * Gerhard Munthe (1849 in Elverum – 1929), a Norwegian painter and illustrator
 * Margrethe Munthe (1860 in Elverum – 1931), a children's writer, songwriter, and playwright
 * Marie Hamsun (1881 in Elverum – 1969), an actress, writer, and wife of Knut Hamsun
 * Åsmund Sveen (1910 in Elverum – 1963), a poet, novelist, and literary critic who was purged after WWII
 * Gunnar Sønstevold (1912 in Elverum – 1991), a Norwegian composer of orchestral works; vocal music; chamber music; and music to a number of plays, ballets, and films
 * Dagfinn Grønoset (1920–2008), a journalist and writer who lived in Elverum
 * Bjørn Ole Rasch (born 1959 in Elverum), a keyboard player, composer, and producer
 * Baard Slagsvold (born 1963 in Elverum), a Norwegian pop and jazz musician
 * Brita Cappelen Møystad (born 1966 in Elverum), a film reviewer and journalist
 * Tord Øverland Knudsen, a bass player in The Wombats (an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2003)
 * Rawdna Carita Eira (born 1970 in Elverum), a Norwegian and Sámi playwright and author
 * Roy Khan (born 1970 in Elverum), a Norwegian singer-songwriter who was the former lead singer of Kamelot
 * Camilla Granlien (born 1974 in Elverum), a Norwegian folk singer, stev performer, and educator
 * Sigurd Hole (born 1981 in Elverum), a Norwegian jazz musician who plays upright bass
 * Marcus & Martinus (born 2002 in Elverum), a Norwegian pop-duo made up of twins brothers Marcus and Martinus Gunnarsen

Sport

 * Ole Østmo (1866 in Elverum – 1923), a sharpshooting champion who won four medals at the 1900 Summer Olympics
 * Hans Anton Aalien (born 1958 in Elverum), a blind gold medalist in disabled skiing at the 1988 Winter Olympics
 * Bjørn Dæhlie(born 1967 in Elverum), a retired Norwegian cross-country skier with eight gold and four silver Winter Olympic medals
 * Anita Moen (born 1967), a Norwegian former cross-country skier, won three silver and two bronze medals at the Winter Olympics
 * Stig Inge Bjørnebye (born 1969 in Elverum), a former footballer with 317 club caps and 76 for Norway
 * Rune Djurhuus (born 1970 in Elverum), a chess player and Norwegian International Grandmaster
 * Gyda Ellefsplass Olssen (born 1978 in Elverum), a sport shooter who competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics
 * Håvard Storbæk (born 1986 in Elverum), a former footballer with over 320 club caps
 * Vegar Eggen Hedenstad (born 1991 in Elverum), a footballer with over 250 club caps

Twin towns – sister cities
Elverum has sister city agreements with the following places:
 * Haslev, Denmark
 * 🇫🇮 Siilinjärvi, Finland
 * 🇸🇪 Sunne, Sweden
 * 🇳🇦 Tsumeb, Namibia

title: Elverum