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,
Vang and
Etnedal. Valdres has about 18,000 inhabitants and is known for its excellent trout fishing and the local
dialect. Its main road is
E16 and
Fylkesveg 51.
Valdres is located approximately midway between
Oslo and
Bergen. The valley is protected to the west and north by the
Jotunheimen mountains and the
Valdresflye plateau and to the south by the
Gol mountain ridge (''Golsfjellet''). The main rivers are
Begna and
Etna. Historically, Valdres has had an agricultural economy, but
tourism has grown in prominence in later years.
Beitostølen, a highly developed tourist area for winter tourists and who have hosted
FIS Cross-Country World Cup multiple times is located in Valdres.
Etymology
The name of the district comes from the
Old Norse stem words ''völlr'' (a mountainous
plain) and ''dres'' (a cleaved road to be ridden on by a
horse). Another explanation to the etymology is that Valdres stems from ''"Valdles"'', which is from the stem words ''vald'' (forest) and ''les'' (pasture), i.e. "the valley of pastures in the forest".
Administration
Valdres is located in
Innlandet county. It consists of the municipalities
Nord-Aurdal,
Sør-Aurdal,
Øystre Slidre,
Vestre Slidre,
Vang and
Etnedal. The main town in the region is
Fagernes, where there also is an airport.
European route E16 is the main highway.
Valdresbanen, the railroad connection from
Oslo, was shut down in 1988 and the tracks are now removed.
Valdres March
Valdres March ( no, Valdresmarsjen) is the title of a Norwegian
march composed by
Johannes Hanssen
Johannes Hanssen (2 December 1874 in Ullensaker – 25 November 1967 in Oslo) was a Norwegian bandmaster, composer and teacher. He was bandmaster of the Oslo Military Band from 1926 to 1934 and again from 1945 to 1946. Hanssen received the King's ...
in the years 1901-1904
and published by Boosey & Hawkes. The main theme is based on the signature fanfare for the Valdres Battalion,
which is based on an old cow call.
The following second variation includes a
halling from
Helgelandsmoen
Helgelandsmoen is a village located in Buskerud, Norway.
Helgelandsmoen is situated in Hole on the border between Norderhov in Ringerike. The village had 551 residents as of 1 January 2014, located mainly in the Hole, but extends partially int ...
, a small village in
Hole,
Ringerike.
The melody of the trio section was Hanssen's self composed
Hardanger fiddle "slått", which is a
pentatonic folk tune, above a drone bass line.
When the piece was first performed in 1904, the composer played the
baritone horn
The baritone horn, or sometimes just called baritone, is a low-pitched brass instrument in the saxhorn family.Robert Donington, "The Instruments of Music", (pp. 113ff ''The Family of Bugles'') 2nd ed., Methuen, London, 1962 It is a piston-val ...
part together with the band of the 2nd Regiment of Norway.
See also
*
Hallingmål-Valdris
Hallingmål-Valdris (also known by the individual names ''Halling'', ''Hallingdøl'', or ''Valdresmål'') is a group of Norwegian dialects traditionally spoken in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional districts Hallingdal, Buskerud and ...
References
External links
Valdres Natur og Kulturpark Regional pagesValdres Destinasjon Tourism pages ''The Valdres March Music'' Valdres Pictures (1904)Valdres Radio
Fishing in Valdres
{{Coord, 60, 55, N, 9, 10, E, display=title, region:NO_type:adm2nd_source:dewiki
Districts of Innlandet
Valleys of Innlandet