Maridalen is a valley situated just north of

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

, just above the suburb of

Kjelsås Kjelsås, sometimes called Kjelsaas, is one of the northern neighbourhoods of Oslo situated in Nordre Aker, the northern borough of Oslo, Norway. History Together with Grefsen, Kjelsås was part of the borough ''Grefsen-Kjelsås'' until Ja ...

. Considering that Maridalen is within the Oslo city limits, Maridalen has a very low

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

. The valley consists of forests, lakes and agricultural land. Most of the valley is made up of the lake

Maridalsvannet Maridalsvannet ( en, Lake Maridal) is a lake in Maridalen, Oslo, Norway. It is the largest lake in the municipality of Oslo, and serves as the main drinking water supply for the city. The lake drains via the river Akerselva to the Oslofjord ...

, which serves as the primary source of drinking water for 90% of Oslo's population. The only hydroelectric powerplant within the City of Oslo,

Hammeren Hydroelectric Power Station Hammeren Hydroelectric Power Station ( no, Hammeren kraftstasjon) is a hydroelectric power station located in Oslo, Norway. It is the only power station in Oslo, and among the oldest power stations still running in Norway. It has a total installed ...

is located at Brekke in Maridalen. The valley is a popular recreational area with many hiking trails and cycling tracks for summer usage, and groomed cross-country trails in winter. Both the lake and valley are protected. Maridalen Church and the church

ruin Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

s of the ancient St. Margaret's Church are located north of Maridalsvannet. A bus route runs along Maridalen, starting at Nydalen Subway Station.Time table
(Local bus, Maridalen)

Ruter Ruter AS is the public transport authority for Oslo and Akershus counties in Norway. Formally a limited company – 60% of its shares are owned by the Oslo county municipality and 40% by that of Akershus – it is responsible for the administra ...

Railway

The Gjøvik Railway Line passes through Maridalen. Originally, the trains stopped at three stations in the area. Movatn Station (created in 1900) is an unmanned station at Movatn. The Snippen stop (opened in 1934) was an unmanned train stop with the address Greveveien. Sandermosen Station is a previously operated stop between

Kjelsås Station Kjelsås, sometimes called Kjelsaas, is one of the northern neighbourhoods of Oslo situated in Nordre Aker, the northern borough of Oslo, Norway. History Together with Grefsen, Kjelsås was part of the borough ''Grefsen-Kjelsås'' until Ja ...

and Snippen train stop. It was opened in 1909, but closed in 2006.

The name

The Norse form of the name was ''Margrétardalr''. The first element is the genitive of ''Margrét'', the last element is ''dalr'' m 'dale, valley'. The old church (now in

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

) just north of the lake was dedicated to Margaret the Virgin. The valley's name cannot be older than the Christianisation of Norway (around 1000 AD), and it probably replaced an older name that has since been forgotten. This is one of the few examples in Norway where an old name of a large valley has been replaced.

References

Valleys of Oslo {{Oslo-geo-stub