Vestre Slidre 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

Slidre Slidre is the administrative centre of Vestre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the Slidrefjorden in the Valdres district. The village is located along the European route E16 highway, about northwest ...

. Other villages in Vestre Slidre include Lomen and

Røn Røn is a village in Vestre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located where the Slidrefjorden and the Strondafjorden meet, about south of the village of Slidre. The European route E16 highway runs through the villag ...

. The municipality is the 219th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vestre Slidre is the 275th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,111. 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 5.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Vestre Slidre was established in 1849 when the old municipality of

was divided into two municipalities: Vestre Slidre (population: 3,130) and

Øystre Slidre Øystre Slidre 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 Heggenes. Other villages in the municipality include Hegge, Ro ...

(population: 2,406). On 1 January 1899, a small unpopulated part of Øystre Slidre was transferred to Vestre Slidre. On 1 January 2021, the Skjelgrenda area of Vestre Slidre was transferred to

Name

The municipality (originally 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 ...

) is named after the old ''Slidre'' farm ( non, Slíðrar), since the first church (

Slidredomen Vestre Slidre Church ( no, Vestre Slidre kirke or ) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Vestre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located on a hill in the village of Slidre at the northern end of Slidrefjord. It is t ...

) was built here. The name is probably derived from ''slíðr'' which means " sheath" (which is probably referring to a long depression near the church). In 1849, the municipality and parish was divided into two and the word ''Vestre'' was added to the beginning of the name. ''Vestre'' means "western", so the meaning of the name ''Vestre Slidre'' is "(the) western (part of) Slidre".

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 on 20 November 1987. The blue and white/silver arms are based on a heraldic decoration found in the local

church that dates back to the year 1170. The design was originally part of a seal that belonged to a

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 ...

nobleman from the area. The meaning of the design is unknown.

Churches

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 ...

has three parishes () within the municipality of Vestre Slidre. 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 The Diocese of Hamar ( no, Hamar Bispedømme) is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner in Viken county. Administratively, the diocese is divided ...

. * The ruins of Mo church (''Mo kirkeruin'') are located on the west side of the

Slidrefjorden Slidrefjord or Slidrefjorden ( en, Slidre Fjord) is a lake that lies in Vestre Slidre Municipality (and the far northwestern end of the lake lies in Vang Municipality) in Innlandet county, Norway. The lake is not an actual fjord, just a lake tha ...

. The medieval church of stone was built ca. 1215 and was probably out of use after the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. The ruins were excavated and restored from 1972–1977. *

, a medieval stone-built church, was once the main church for Valdres. The church is built around 1170. The church is entirely made of stone. Its treasures formerly included a chalice presented by Bishop Salomon of Oslo (1322–1352), the only Bishop in Norway to survive 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 ...

. Slidredomen is also known to have had a local bishop. * Lomen Stave Church is located in the small village of Lomen. It was built circa 1170. The exterior of the present Lomen church is post-

, and only the wall and roof timbers remain from the original building.

History

High above the village of

, there is an ancient burial ground called the

Gardberg site Gardberg Site (''Gardbergfeltet'') is an archaeological site located east of the Einang Sound in the municipality of Vestre Slidre, Oppland County, Norway. Gardberg consists of several burial cairns and clearance cairns as well as areas of ea ...

. At this site, there is a

runestone A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition began in the 4th century and lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones da ...

which reads ''I Godguest wrote the runes''. This stone is known as the

Einang stone The Einang stone (''Einangsteinen'') is a runestone located east of the Einang Sound near Fagernes, in Oppland, Norway, notable for the age of its runic inscription. The Einang runestone is located within the extensive Gardberg site. It is p ...

. Vestre Sildre figures prominently in the Norse

Saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square (video game company), Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, ...

s: *According to the Sagas,

Harald Fairhair Harald Fairhair no, Harald hårfagre Modern Icelandic: ( – ) was a Norwegian king. According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, he reigned from 872 to 930 and was the first King of Nor ...

was the first

Norwegian king The Norwegian monarch is the head of state of Norway, which is a constitutional and hereditary monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Norwegian monarchy can trace its line back to the reign of Harald Fairhair and the previous petty kingdom ...

(872–930) of Norway. In 866, he made the first of a series of conquests over a number of

petty kingdom A petty kingdom is a monarchy, kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the Heptarchy#List of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, numerou ...

s. One of the encounters leading to the overall conquest was with Skallagrim Kveldulvssøn in Vestre Slidre. In 872, after winning the

Battle of Hafrsfjord The Battle of Hafrsfjord ( no, Slaget i Hafrsfjord) was a great naval battle fought in Hafrsfjord sometime between 872 and 900 that resulted in the unification of Norway, later known as the Kingdom of Norway. After the battle, the victorious Vikin ...

near

Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...

, he found himself king of the whole country. * In the

Heimskringla ''Heimskringla'' () is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorre Sturlason (1178/79–1241) 1230. The name ''Heimskringla'' was first used in the 17th century, derived ...

attributed to

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...

, it is recorded that in 1023

King Olav Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Nor ...

came unannounced from

Sogn Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway ''(Vestlandet)''. It is located in the county of Vestland, surrounding the Sognefjord, the largest/longest fjord in Norway. The district of Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestra ...

as part of his campaign to Christianize Norway. At Slidre, he caught the peasants unaware and secured all their boats. As a condition for having their boats restored, they accepted

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Vestre Slidre, 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 Vestre Slidre is made up of 17 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 Vestre Slidre (incomplete list): *1945-1947: Endre Fyrstro ( V) *1948-1951: Ola J. Dahle ( Sp) *1952-1955: Erik Steine Riste ( Sp) *1956-1963: Erik Kirkeeng ( V) *1964-1967: Erik Steine Riste ( Sp) *1968-1979: Ola Ødegård ( Sp) *1980–1999: Sverre Vik ( Sp) *1999-2011: Eivind Brenna ( BL) *2011-2015: Lars Kvissel ( Sp) *2015–2019: Eivind Brenna ( V) *2019–present: Haldor Ødegård ( Sp)

Geography

Vestre Slidre is bordered to the northwest by

Vang Municipality Vang 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 Vang i Valdres. Other villages in Vang include Hænsgardane, Nystuen, Ø ...

, to the northeast by Øystre Slidre Municipality, to the east by

Nord-Aurdal Municipality 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 Aurd ...

, and to the southwest by Hemsedal Municipality (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 ...

county). Vestre Slidre is part of the

region in south-central Norway. It is situated between

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 ...

. The municipality is located along the river Begna and its surrounding valley. There are several lakes in the municipalities including

Helin Helin is a lake which lies in Vang Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The southeastern shore of the lake forms the municipal border with neighboring Vestre Slidre Vestre Slidre is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is locat ...

, Øyangen,

, and

Strondafjorden Strondafjorden () is a lake which lies in the municipalities of Nord-Aurdal and Vestre Slidre in Innlandet county, Norway. The lake is part of the Begna watershed. The lake sits at an elevation of above sea level and it has a circumference of ...

Notable residents

Ole Brandt Ole Brandt (4 January 1818 – 4 August 1880) was a Norwegian farmer and politician. He graduated from Asker Seminary in 1837. He moved to his native Vestre Slidre in 1839 and settled at the farm Løken. He served as mayor from 1849 to 1855 and fr ...

(1818–1880), a Norwegian farmer and Mayor of Vestre Slidre 1850s and 1860s. * Ragnhild Kåta (1873–1947), the first deafblind Norwegian to receive proper schooling * Ola Bøe (1910–1986), a Norwegian

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 * Knut Hauge (1911–1999), an

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

of novels, children's books, and plays

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 ...

{{use dmy dates, date=September 2022 Valdres Municipalities of Innlandet 1849 establishments in Norway