Vinje 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 ...

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

in the

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Vestfold og Telemark Vestfold og Telemark (; ) is a county under disestablishment in Norway. The county is the southernmost one of Eastern Norway and consists of two distinct and separate traditional regions: the former counties of Telemark and (most of) Vestfold. T ...

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 part of the

traditional region Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic, linguistic or political basis, regardless of latterday borders. They are used as delimitations for studying and analysing social ...

s of

Upper Telemark Upper Telemark ( no, Øvre Telemark) is a Norwegian region comprising the inland of the traditional district Telemark in Vestfold og Telemark county. More than two thirds of the total area of Telemark, or above 10,000 square kilometres, belong to ...

and

Vest-Telemark The Vest-Telemark traditional district of Norway comprises the upper and western areas of the larger region of Upper Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark. The region consists of six municipalities: Fyresdal, Tokke, Vinje, Nissedal ...

. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of

Åmot Åmot is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rena. Other villages in the municipality include Åsta, Osneset, an ...

General information

Name

The municipality of Vinje (originally a

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 ...

) is named after the old ''Vinje'' farm (

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 ...

: ''Vinjar''), since the first church was built there. The name is the

plural The plural (sometimes abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the default quantity represented by that noun. This de ...

form of ''vin'' which means "

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat, or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as these areas maintain an open character. Meadows may be naturally occurring or artifi ...

" or "

pasture Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine ...

". See also

Vinje, Sør-Trøndelag Vinje is a former municipality in the old Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1924 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality encompassed the areas around the inner Vinjefjorden and the Søo river valley in wha ...

Coat-of-arms

The

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

is from modern times. They were granted on 16 November 1990. The arms show a silver

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

on a blue background. It is symbolic of the goat and

sheep farming Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepskin an ...

in the municipality. (See also the coat-of-arms for

Aurland Aurland () is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located on the south side of the Sognefjorden in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Aurlandsvangen. Other villages include Bakka, ...

History

Vinje 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 ...

). The area of

Rauland Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known ...

was separated from Vinje in 1860 to become a municipality of its own. On 1 January 1964 Rauland was merged back into the municipality of Vinje. Rauland has since been part of the larger Vinje municipality. The local traditions of arts and crafts have been well maintained, and Rauland hosts a national academy for arts, crafts and traditional music. Vinje became a site of heavy battles during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, at the

Battle of Vinjesvingen The Battle of Vinjesvingen was a battle of the Norwegian campaign and took place in May 1940 in the Telemark county, Norway. It became one of the two last strongholds of Norwegian resistance in southern Norway during World War II, the other be ...

when Norwegian forces held out for over a month against superior German forces.

Geography

Vinje is situated on both the

Hardangervidda Hardangervidda ( en, Hardanger Plateau) is a mountain plateau (Norwegian: ''vidde'') in central southern Norway, covering parts of Vestland, Vestfold og Telemark, and Viken counties. It is the largest plateau of its kind in Europe, with a cold ye ...

plateau and parts of the

Setesdalsheiene Setesdalsheiene () is the collective term for the mountains to the west and east of the Setesdalen valley in Agder county in Southern Norway. The river Otra flows through the valley between the mountains. This area is primarily located in the mu ...

mountain plateaus.

European route E134 European highway E 134 ( no, Europavei 134) is a European highway that crosses Norway starting at Haugesund Airport, Karmøy near the city of Haugesund on the west coast, heading over Haukeli, passing the city of Drammen, and ending in Vas ...

passes through Vinje, which is located halfway between

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 of ...

and

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...

on Norway's west coast. Starting at

Haukeli Haukeli (or historically ''Haukeligrend'') is a village in Vinje Municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The village is located up in the Haukelifjell mountains, just south of the Hardangervidda National Park and immediately west of ...

Norwegian National Road 9 Norwegian National Road 9 ( no, Riksvei 9, ) is often called the ''Setesdal Road'' ( no, Setesdalsveien) and it is the main thoroughfare through the Setesdalen valley. It runs from the city of Kristiansand in the southern coast of Norway, throu ...

leads up the steep slopes to Hovden and further south down the

Setesdal Setesdal (; older name: Sætersdal) is a valley and a traditional district in Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes. The Otra river flows through the valley of ...

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporation ...

. The mountain ski resort

fjell is also found nearby. The isolated and sparsely populated area is known for its rugged, mountainous terrain that supports a wide variety of outdoor activities, amongst them hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, skiing, fishing, and canoeing. Arabygdi lies on Lake

Totak Totak is a lake in the municipality of Vinje in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The lake is part of the Skien river watershed ( Skiensvassdraget), discharging via the river Tokke to lake Bandak. At 306 m Totak is the 10th deepest l ...

in the western part of Rauland. Its famous attraction is the "Urdbøuri", the largest stone

scree Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of a cliff or other steep rocky mass that has accumulated through periodic rockfall. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. Talus deposits typically ha ...

Northern Europe The northern region of Europe has several definitions. A restrictive definition may describe Northern Europe as being roughly north of the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, which is about 54th parallel north, 54°N, or may be based on other g ...

, with huge boulders scattered on the floor of the valley.

Notable people from Vinje

The Arts

Sveinung Svalastoga Sveinung Bjørnson Svalastoga (1772–1809) was a Norwegian rose painter, poet and woodcarver. Biography Sveinung Bjørnson Svalastoga was born in the community of Vinje in Rauland, Telemark County. He was the son of Bjørn Bjørnson Gardsjord (17 ...

(1772 in Rauland – 1809) a Norwegian rose painter, poet and woodcarver *

Myllarguten Targjei Augundsson (1801 – 21 November 1872), better known as Myllarguten (meaning ''the Millerboy''), is arguably the most acknowledged Norwegian folk musician to this day, and by far the most legendary. Childhood Targjei was born in Sauher ...

(''Torgeir Agundson Øygarden'') (1801–1872) folk musician and master

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

r *

Aasmund Olavsson Vinje Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (6 April 1818 – 30 July 1870) was a Norwegian poet and journalist who is remembered for poetry, travel writing, and his pioneering use of Landsmål (now known as Nynorsk). Background Vinje was born into a poor but ...

(1818–1870) a poet and journalist, used

Nynorsk Nynorsk () () is one of the two written standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. From 12 May 1885, it became the state-sanctioned version of Ivar Aasen's standard Norwegian language ( no, Landsmål) parallel to the Dano-Nor ...

Rikard Berge Rikard Berge (7 November 1881 – 26 September 1969) was a Norwegian folklorist, museologist biographer and magazine editor. Biography Rikard Gjermundsen Berge was born in Rauland in Vinje, Telemark, Norway. He was the son of Geirmund ...

(1881 in Rauland – 1969) a folklorist,

museologist Museology or museum studies is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including Curator, curating, Conservation-restoration of cultural heritage, preservation, ...

, biographer and editor *

Tarjei Vesaas Tarjei Vesaas (20 August 1897 – 15 March 1970) was a Norwegian poet and novelist. Vesaas is widely considered to be one of Norway's greatest writers of the twentieth century and perhaps its most important since World War II. Biography Vesaas ...

(1897–1970) a Norwegian poet and novelist *

Aslaug Vaa Aslaug Vaa (25 August 1889 – 28 November 1965) was a Norwegian poet and playwright. Her works contain elements from local tradition and landscape mixed with international influence. Personal life Aslaug Vaa was born on Nystog in Rauland, ...

(1889 in Rauland – 1965) a Norwegian poet and playwright * Aslak Brekke (1901–1978) a vocalist using

stev Stev is a form of Norwegian folk song consisting of four line lyric stanzas. The English version of the word is stave, meaning the stressed syllable in a metric verse. Various types There are various types of ''stev'': ''Gamlestev'' * gamlestev ...

and a folk singer *

Dyre Vaa Dyre Vaa (19 January 1903 – 11 May 1980) was a Norwegian sculptor and painter. Background He was born in Kviteseid, Telemark, and later lived and worked in Rauland. He was the son of Tor Aanundsson Vaa (1864–1928) and Anne Marie Roholt ...

(1903–1980) a sculptor and painter, his works are found in Oslo and Vinje *

Anne Lofthus Anne Lofthus Valla (29 February 1932 – 6 October 2003) was a Norwegian ceramic artist and art teacher. Her artistic style was influenced by the folk-culture of rural Norway, in particular the cultural traditions from Telemark, where she was b ...

(1932–2003) a Norwegian ceramic artist and art teacher * Guri Vesaas (born 1939) a Norwegian writer and translator of children's books *

Stein Versto Stein Versto (born 30 December 1957) is a Norwegian poet, novelist, translator and folk musician. He was born in Vinje, and was a brother of newspaper editor Olav Versto. He made his literary debut in 1990 with the short story collection ''Ho bl ...

(born 1957) a Norwegian poet, novelist, translator and folk musician * Aasmund Nordstoga (born 1964) a Norwegian musician, singer, composer and TV presenter *

Sven Erik Kristiansen Sven Erik Kristiansen (born 4 February 1969) is a Norwegian musician, best known as the former vocalist in the black metal band Mayhem under the stage name Maniac. With Mayhem Kristiansen joined Mayhem in 1986 after the departure of the ban ...

(born 1969) a musician, former vocalist in the

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

band Mayhem *

Arve Moen Bergset Arve Moen Bergset (born 13 March 1972) is a Norwegian traditional folk singer, hardanger fiddler, and classical violinist. He is known both for his solo works as well as for his works with Bukkene Bruse. Life and career He was born in Sandn ...

(born 1972) a traditional folk singer,

hardanger fiddle A Hardanger fiddle ( no, hardingfele) is a traditional stringed instrument considered to be the national instrument of Norway. In modern designs, this type of fiddle is very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings (rather than ...

r and classical violinist *

Odd Nordstoga Odd Nordstoga (born 10 December 1972) is a folk singer, musician, actor and editor from Vinje in Telemark, Norway. In 2004, he went from relative obscurity to becoming the country's biggest selling recording artist, with the phenomenal success o ...

(born 1972) a folk singer, musician, actor and editor IMDb Database
retrieved 24 August 2020 *

Ingebjørg Bratland Ingebjørg Harman Bratland (born 8 May 1990 in Edland, Vinje, Telemark) is a Norwegian folk singer, kveder and artist. In 2008–2009, she attended Foss Upper Secondary School in Oslo. Early life Bratland began singing as a kveder when she w ...

(born 1990) a Norwegian folk singer, kveder and artist

Public Service

Paul Peterson Paus Sir Paul Peterson Paus (1625 in Vinje – 1682 in Hjartdal), also rendered as Povel Pedersson Paus, was a Norwegian cleric and a signatory of the 1661 Sovereignty Act, the new constitution of Denmark-Norway, as one of the 87 representatives of the ...

(1625-1682) a Norwegian cleric, political activist and poet *

Olav Aslakson Versto Olav Aslakson Versto (22 June 1892 – 13 June 1977) was a Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party, Labour Party. He was born in Rauland. He was elected to the Stortinget, Norwegian Parliament from Telemark in 1928, and was re-el ...

(1892 in Rauland – 1977) politician * Einar Skinnarland (1918–2002) a

Norwegian resistance The Norwegian resistance (Norwegian: ''Motstandsbevegelsen'') to the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began after Operation Weserübung in 1940 and ended in 1945. It took several forms: *Asserting the legitimacy of the exiled government, ...

fighter during WWII and dam builder * Aslak Versto (1924-1992) politician * Olav Vesaas (born 1935) a Norwegian journalist, biographer and publisher *

Olav Versto Olav Versto (31 July 1950 – 7 July 2011) was a Norwegian journalist and editor, primarily known for his work for the newspaper ''Verdens Gang''. Education and career Versto received a cand.mag. degree from the University of Oslo in 1976. He star ...

(1950–2011) a Norwegian journalist and editor * Astrid Versto (born 1953) a Norwegian journalist and diplomat

Sport

* Olav Jenssen (born 1962) a discus thrower, competed in the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Knut Tore Apeland Knut Tore Apeland (born 11 December 1968 in Vinje) is a former Norwegian Nordic combined skier who competed during the 1990s, winning at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships, and the Winter Olympics The Winter Olympic Games (french: li ...

(born 1968) a former Nordic combined skier, twice team silver medallist at the

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

1994 Winter Olympics The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 17. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 17. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Lillehammer '94, was an international winter multi-sport event held fro ...

Terje Håkonsen Terje Håkonsen (born 11 October 1974 in Vinje, Norway) is a Norwegian professional snowboarder. He is considered one of the most influential snowboarders in the history of the sport. In the book ''The way of the snowboarder'', Rob Reed wrote that ...

(born 1974)

snowboarder Snowboarding is a recreational and competitive activity that involves descending a snow-covered surface while standing on a snowboard that is almost always attached to a rider's feet. It features in the Winter Olympic Games and Winter Paralympi ...

Attractions

*The home of

is now a small museum. (The cotters place Kosi in Arabygdi.) *The monument of Myllarguten, the 19th century musician, who played for kings and who inspired

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

. It is located on the roadside vis-a-vis Kosi.

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 ...

* {{Authority control Municipalities of Vestfold og Telemark