Sør-Aurdal is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Innlandet Innlandet is a county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (the municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken on the same date). The ...

county,

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 t ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Valdres Valdres () is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between the districts of Gudbrandsdalen and Hallingdal. The region of Valdres consists of the six municipalities of Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality is the village of

Bagn Bagn is the administrative centre of Sør-Aurdal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located in the Begnadalen valley, about to the southeast of the town of Fagernes. The river Begna runs through the village on its way th ...

. Other villages in the municipality include Begna,

Hedalen Hedalen is a valley in Sør-Aurdal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The long valley is a side valley which branches off the main Begnadalen. The river Urula flows through the valley. The central part of the valley is located about to ...

, and

Begnadalen Begnadalen or Begndalen is a valley in Norway. The valley runs through Sør-Aurdal Municipality in Innlandet county and Ringerike Municipality in Viken county. The long valley follows the river Begna from Bagn to the lake Sperillen. The Europ ...

. The municipality is the 101st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sør-Aurdal is the 231st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,889. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

is and its population has decreased by 8.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

of ''Søndre Aurdal'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January ...

law). On 1 January 1894, the new

Etnedal Municipality Etnedal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bruflat. The municipality is the 216th largest by area out of the 356 ...

was established by merging the eastern valley area of ''Nordre Etnedal'' (population: 362) from the neighboring Nordre Aurdal municipality and the ''Søndre Etnedal'' area (population: 1,331) from the neighboring municipality of Søndre Aurdal. Then on 1 January 1984, the unpopulated northern side of the

Makalaus Makalaus or Makalausfjellet is a mountain on the border of Nord-Aurdal Municipality and Sør-Aurdal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The tall mountain lies about southeast of the town of Fagernes. See also *List of mountains of Norwa ...

mountain was transferred from Sør-Aurdal to

Nord-Aurdal Nord-Aurdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town Fagernes. Other urban centres in Nord-Aurdal include the villages of Au ...

Name

The municipality (and parish) was named after the valley in which it is located. The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

form of the valley name was ''Aurardalr''. The first element is the

genitive case In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...

of an old river name ''Aur'' (now called ''Bøaelva'') and the last element is ''dalr'' which means "

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

" or "dale". The old river name is derived from ''aurr'' which means "

gravel Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone. Gravel is classifi ...

". Originally the municipality was named ''Søndre Aurdal''. The name was changed from ''Søndre Aurdal'' to ''Sør-Aurdal'' in the early 20th century. Both ''søndre'' and ''sør-'' mean "south" (more specifically, "søndre" means "southern"), so the name ''Sør-Aurdal'' means "(the) southern (part of) Aurdal". (The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church b ...

parish of Aurdal was divided into two in 1805, just over 30 years before the municipality was established in 1838.)

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was granted by royal decree on 9 February 1990. It is blue with gold silhouette of the gilt-copper

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...

( chasse) that is based on the one found in the

Hedal Stave Church Hedalen Stave Church ( no, Hedalen stavkyrkje) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Sør-Aurdal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The stave church is located in the Hedalen valley. It is the church for the Hedalen parish which i ...

except that this one has five blue arches which are inspired by the arches on a similar medieval chasse from the nearby medieval St. Thomas Church at

Filefjell Filefjell is a mountainous area in Norway. It is located between Lærdal in the Vestland county and Valdres in Innlandet county. It is the historical, as well as modern, main route, linking Western Norway and Eastern Norway. The European route E16 ...

(now in the

Bergen Museum The University Museum of Bergen ( no, Universitetsmuseet i Bergen) is a university museum in Bergen, Norway. The museum features material related to anthropology, archaeology, botany, geology, zoology, art, and cultural history. History The Univ ...

) and representing the five

parishes of the municipality (Bagn, Reinli, Hedalen, Bruflat, and Begnadalen). It also has two dragon heads in the design since Sør-Aurdal is one of only two municipalities in Norway that have two

stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts a ...

es that are still in use. The color blue was chosen to represent the two river systems in the municipality that were historically important for the

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks or skeleton cars. Logging is the beginning of a supply chain ...

industry and

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

s in Sør-Aurdal.

Churches

The

has five parishes () within the municipality of Sør-Aurdal. It is part of the

Valdres prosti The list of churches in Hamar is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Hamar which includes all of Innlandet county (plus two municipalities in Viken (county), Viken county) in Norway. The list is divided into several sections ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residenc ...

) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Geography

Sør-Aurdal municipality is bordered on the north by the municipalities of

and

Etnedal Etnedal is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Brufla ...

, on the northeast by

Nordre Land Nordre Land is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Land. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dokka. Other villages in the municipality include Vest-Torpa, Nord-T ...

, on the east by

Søndre Land Søndre Land is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Land. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hov. Other villages in the municipality include Fluberg and Odnes. Th ...

(all of which are in

county). It is also bordered on the south by Ringerike and

Flå Flå is a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Flå. The municipality of Flå was established when it was separated from the municipality of Nes on 1 January 1905. The municipal ...

municipalities, and on the west by

Nesbyen Nesbyen is a town and the administrative center in Nesbyen municipality in the county of Viken, Norway. Nesbyen is located in the traditional district of Hallingdal. Summary Nesbyen has a population of about 3,500 inhabitants. It is located ...

and Gol municipalities (all of which are in

Viken Viken may refer to: *Viken, Scandinavia, a historical region *Viken (county), a Norwegian county established in 2020 *Viken, Sweden, a bimunicipal locality in Skåne County, Sweden *Viken (lake), a lake in Sweden, part of the part of the Göta cana ...

). Sør-Aurdal is part of the traditional district of

in central, southern Norway, situated between the

Gudbrandsdal Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and Districts of Norway, traditional district in the Norway, Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer (town), Lille ...

and

Hallingdal Hallingdal ( en, Halling Valley) is a valley as well as a traditional district located in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county in Norway. It consists of six municipalities: Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol. Hal ...

valleys. Sør-Aurdal includes parts of several smaller valleys including

Vassfaret Vassfaret is a forested mountain valley in southern Norway. The valley is located on the border of the municipalities of Flå, Nesbyen, and Ringerike in Viken county and Sør-Aurdal Municipality in Innlandet county. The valley lies between the ...

, and

Vidalen Vidalen is a small forested valley in Norway that runs along the border between Sør-Aurdal Municipality in Innlandet county and Ringerike Municipality (and a small part of Flå Municipality) in Viken county. The river Vidøla is a small river ...

. The river Begna is the main river flowing through the municipality.

History

Reinli Stave Church Reinli Stave Church ( no, Reinli stavkyrkje) is a preserved parish church of the Church of Norway in Sør-Aurdal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Reinli. It is the former church for the Reinli parish whic ...

(built 1190-1250) is the third church on the same location in Reinli. A new tower was added in 1685 and the building was reconditioned by the Society for Preservation of Ancient Buildings in 1885. Olaf Haraldsson traveled through Valdres in 1023, and also visited Reinli. It is assumed, then, that there was a

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

temple at the same location before the first church, some time before the year 1000.

was built after 1160 and in 1699 it was rebuilt and changed. An old legend says the valley was abandoned during the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

and the church later discovered by a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

hunter. A hide is hanging in the church, although now there is only a small part left as visitors have cut away pieces over the years.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Sør-Aurdal, are responsible for

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for Work (human activity), w ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or administe ...

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counci ...

elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...

representatives, which in turn elects a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. The municipality falls under the Vestre Innlandet District Court and the

Eidsivating Court of Appeal The Eidsivating Court of Appeal ( no, Eidsivating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Hamar. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Innlandet and eastern Viken. These ...

Municipal council

The

of Sør-Aurdal is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature f ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors

The mayors of Sør-Aurdal (incomplete list): *1945: Arne H. Grøv ( V) *1946-1963: Harald Bakken ( Ap) *1964-1981: Hallgrim Tronrud ( Ap) *1982-1991: Kristoffer Storruste ( Ap) *1992-1999: Svein Thorsrud ( Sp) *1999-2007: Knut Torgersen ( Ap) *2007–2019: Kåre Helland ( Sp) *2019–present: Marit Hougsrud ( Sp)

Media gallery

Reinli Stavkyrkje, Sør-Aurdal.JPG, Reinli Stavkyrkje Hedalen Stavkyrkje, Sør-Aurdal.jpg, Hedal Stavkyrkje Begnadalen - panoramio.jpg, Begnadalen Svartsetera, Bagn Bygdesamling.JPG, Svartsetera, Bagn Bygdesamling

Attractions

Bagn Bygdesamling Bagn Bydesamling is a small museum located in the hamlet of Dolven, south of Bagn at Sør-Aurdal in Innlandet county Norway. The museum is situated in the traditional district of Valdres and is run as a subsidiary of Valdres Folkemuseum. History ...

is a museum that is associated with

Valdres Folkemuseum The Valdres Folkemuseum is a folk museum located at Storøya outside Fagernes in Nord-Aurdal in Innlandet county, Norway. Overview Valdres Folk Museum was founded in 1901. It is located in the traditional rural district of Valdres. The museum ...

. It is located south of

. It consists of twelve log houses and a building for permanent displays. A part of the museum is at Sandviken and the farm is Bagnsbergatn. *

Bautahaugen Samlinger Bautahaugen Samlinger (Bautahaugen collections) is a small museum in Hedalen, Sør-Aurdal municipality, Norway. The museum is a subsidiary of Valdres Folkemuseum. History Bautahaugen was founded in 1902, by local trader Erik J. Bergsrud (1848–1 ...

is another museum that is also associated with Valdres Folkemuseum. It is located in the middle of

. It consists of a collection of houses and items from Hedalen. The

is located just nearby.

Notable residents

* Ola Hermundsen Berge (1768 in Sør-Aurdal - 1825), a Norwegian folk artist and rose painter *

Hans Jacob Stabel Hans Jacob Stabel (27 August 1769 – 7 January 1836) was a Norwegian priest and elected official. Hans Stabel was born at the parsonage where his father was parish pastor in Onsøy at Fredrikstad in Østfold. In 1792, he took a job as pers ...

(1769–1836), a priest in Sør-Aurdal from 1806; member of the

constitutional assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet. General information E ...

in 1814 *

Haldor Boen Haldor Erickson Boen (January 1, 1851 – July 20, 1912) was an American congressman from Minnesota. Biography Boen was born in Sør-Aurdal, Valdres, a traditional district in Oppland county, Norway. He immigrated to the United States i ...

(1851 in Sør-Aurdal – 1912), an American congressman from

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Mikkjel Fønhus Mikkjel Fønhus (14 March 1894 – 28 October 1973) was a Norwegian journalist, novelist and short story writer. Fønhus' stories are often set in the wilderness, featuring animals and animal behaviour. Personal life Mikkel Arnesen Fønhus was bo ...

(1874 in Sør-Aurdal - 1973), a journalist, novelist and short story writer about animals in the wilderness *

Sigurd Islandsmoen Sigurd Islandsmoen (August 27, 1881 – July 1, 1964) was a Norwegian composer. Sigurd Islandsmoen made significant contributions to the music of the Church of Norway. In all he wrote some 70 opus, among these five feature-length works for ...

(1881 in Bagn – 1964), a composer of music for the

* Rolf Andvord (1890 in Sør-Aurdal – 1976), a Norwegian jurist and diplomat *

Per Juvkam Per Juvkam (1907–2003) was a Norwegian Lutheran Bishop. He was born in 1907 in Sør-Aurdal in Oppland county, Norway. He served as Bishop of the Diocese of Bjørgvin from 1961 to 1977. Juvkam began his career as a priest in Vestre Toten ...

(1907 in Sør-Aurdal – 2003), a Lutheran Bishop of Bjørgvin 1961-1977 * Ruth Lagesen (1914 in Bagn – 2005), a Norwegian pianist and conductor * Morten Bakke (born 1968 in Hedalen), a retired football goalkeeper with over 300 club caps

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876. Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every yea ...

*
Map of Sør-Aurdal municipality
in Kulturnett.no
Mikkjel Fønhus biography
from

Dagbladet ''Dagbladet'' (lit.: ''The Daily Magazine'') is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally ''Dagbladet'' is considered the main liberal newsp ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sor-Aurdal Municipalities of Innlandet 1838 establishments in Norway