Øystre 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

Heggenes Heggenes is the administrative centre of Øystre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located on the east shore of the lake Heggefjorden. The village of Hegge lies about to the northwest, the village of Volbu lies a ...

. Other villages in the municipality include Hegge, Rogne,

Volbu Volbu is a village in Øystre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located on a hillside between the lakes Heggefjorden and Volbufjorden. The village of Heggenes lies about to the north, the village of Moane Moa ...

Moane Moane is a village in Øystre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located on the east side of the river Volbuelve, on a hillside between the lakes Heggefjorden and Volbufjorden. The village of Heggenes lies about to t ...

Skammestein Skammestein is a village in Øystre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located on a hillside overlooking the east shore of the lake Hedalsfjorden. The village of Beitostølen lies about to the northwest and the vill ...

, Beito, and

Beitostølen Beitostølen is a village in Øystre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located at an elevation of about above mean sea level on the southern edge of the Valdresflye mountain plateau. The villages of Skammestein a ...

. The municipality is the 120th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Øystre Slidre is the 221st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,252. 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 increased by 2.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Øystre Slidre was established in 1849 when the old municipality 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 ...

(created in 1838) was divided into ''Øystre Slidre'' (population: 2,406) and ''

Vestre Slidre Vestre 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 Slidre. Other villages in Vestre Slidre include Lomen and Røn. ...

'' (population: 3,130). On 1 January 1882, a small area of

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 ...

(population: 31) was transferred to the neighboring Øystre Slidre Municipality. On 1 January 1899, a small unpopulated area of Øystre Slidre was transferred to Vestre Slidre. On 1 January 2021, the Skjelgrenda area of

was transferred to Øystre Slidre.

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 Slidre Church was built here. The name is probably derived from 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 ''Øystre'' (or historically ''Østre'') was added to the beginning of the name. ''Øystre'' means "eastern", so the meaning of the name ''Øystre Slidre'' is "(the) eastern (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 in 1989. The arms are covered with blue and silver/white

tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or o ...

s made of

slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. It is the finest grained foliated metamorphic rock. ...

. This recognizes that the slate industry was a formerly important industry in the area. Slate roofing was very common in Valdres.

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 four parishes () within the municipality of Gausdal. 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 ...

History

("The boat pass") is a narrow pass along the mountain

Bitihorn Bitihorn (local pronunciation: ) is a mountain on the border of Vang Municipality and Øystre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The tall mountain is located in the Jotunheimen mountains about northwest of the village of Beitost ...

where in medieval times people from Øystre Slidre dragged their boats through, therefore the name. A bit further into the mountain there is a big lake called

Vinstre Vinstre is a lake in Innlandet county, Norway. The lake lies in Øystre Slidre Municipality and the very western tip of the lake crosses over into the neighboring Vang Municipality. The lake sits at an elevation of above sea level. Vinstre wa ...

with a lot of fine

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...

. As a result of a dispute between people from

and people from

Gudbrandsdalen Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending towar ...

, they could not leave their boats behind. Therefore, they had to resort to dragging their boats through Båtskaret. According to local

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...

, the dispute began in medieval times with a young bride being married to an old man and a knight stealing his way over the mountains to rescue her.

Hegge Stave Church Hegge Stave Church ( no, Hegge stavkyrkje) is a 13th-century stave church in Norway. It is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Øystre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county. It is located in the village of Hegge. It is the church for th ...

was originally constructed around the year 1216 in the village of Hegge. It has been extensively rebuilt and is mostly post-

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 ...

. It contains a fine altarpiece (

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

) carved by Eistein Kjørn from

Heidal Heidal or Heidalen is a valley in Sel Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The U-shaped valley follows the river Sjoa which begins in the nearby Jotunheimen mountains eastward until it joins the Gudbrandsdalslågen river in the main va ...

between 1781 and 1782.

Geography

Øystre Slidre shares borders with the municipalities of

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 ...

and

in the south, Vang in the west,

Gausdal Gausdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Segalstad bru. Other villages in Gausdal include Follebu, Forse ...

Sør-Fron Sør-Fron is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hundorp. Other villages in the municipality include Gålå, Ha ...

, and

Nord-Fron Nord-Fron is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vinstra. Other population centers in Nord-Fron include the village ...

to the east, and up to the

Valdresflya Valdresflye, also spelled Valdresflya and Valdresflyi, is a mountain plateau in the easternmost part of the Jotunheimen mountains in Norway. The plateau lies in Innlandet county, mostly in Øystre Slidre Municipality, but a small area extends in ...

plateau at the border of

Vågå Vågå () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo. Other village areas in Vågå include Lalm and Besshei ...

in the north. Øystre Slidre is part of the traditional district of

in central, southern Norway, situated between the valleys of

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 ...

. Øystre Slidre measures about on a north–south axis and on an east–west axis. The highest point is Øystre Rasletind at a height of above sea level. About 73% of the land is over in elevation. More than 10% of the land is over above sea level. Some of the notable mountains in the municipality include Gråhøi, Kalvemellen, Kvernhøi, Rabalsmellen, Raslet, Rundemellen,

Skaget Skaget is a mountain in Øystre Slidre Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The tall mountain is located in the Langsua National Park, about east of the village of Beitostølen. See also *List of mountains of Norway by height There ar ...

, and Skarvemellen. The lowest points lie at above sea level.

Lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

s and

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

s cover of the area. The largest lakes are

, Yddin, Vangsjøen, Javnin, Olevatn,

Nedre Heimdalsvatn Nedre Heimdalsvatn is a lake in Vågå Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the far eastern edge of the Jotunheimen mountain range. The lake sits at an elevation of above sea level, just to the southeast of the mountain H ...

, Øyangen, and Sandvatnet/Kaldfjorden/Øyvatnet.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Øystre 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 Øystre Slidre is made up of 21 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:

Mayor

The mayors of Øystre Slidre (incomplete list): *1945 - 1947: Gullik K. Hovi ( V) *1948 - 1955: Haldor Hegge ( V) *1956 - 1959: Knut Bjørnstad ( Sp) *1960 - 1963: Haldor Hegge ( V) *1964 - 1975: Knut Bjørnstad ( Sp) *1976 - 1979: Nils T. Windingstad ( Sp) *1980 - 1991: Knut Bergo ( V) *1992 – 1997: Terje Stenseng ( Sp) *1997 – 1999: Ola Fjelltun ( Sp) *1999 – 2003: Ove Skaret ( Ap) *2003 - 2011: Gro Lundby ( Ap) *2011 - 2019: Kjell Berge Melbybråten ( Ap) *2019 - present: Odd Erik Holden ( Sp)

Economy

Because of the rugged landscape, farming is only possible on a small scale, but this is still one of the main sources of income. There are only about of agricultural land in the municipality. About 85% of farmers in the municipality use the high mountain pastures in the summer time. The winter sports resort of

, host to World Cup events in

biathlon The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. It is treated as a race, with contestants skiing through a cross-country trail whose distance is divided into shooting rounds. The shooting rounds are not tim ...

and

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

, is located here. It is the biggest

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

area in the municipality, and provides a large fraction of the municipality's income.

Notable residents

* Olav Beito (1901–1989), linguist and academic * Torger Hovi (1905–1980) a politician, deputy mayor of Øystre Slidre 1959–1961 * Torleiv Bolstad (1915–1979) a Norwegian musician and

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 ...

player

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 ...

Official website

Beitostølen Resort
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oystre Slidre Municipalities of Oppland Valdres 1849 establishments in Norway