Etnedal 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 the ...

. 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 Sl ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of

Bruflat Bruflat is the administrative centre of Etnedal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the river Etna, about to the northest of the village of Bagn and about to the northwest of the village of Dokka. The vi ...

. The municipality is the 216th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Etnedal is the 314th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,256. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

is and its population has decreased by 10.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Etnedal was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1894 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. On 1 January 1979, there was a border adjustment in an unpopulated area where part of Etnedal was transferred to Nord-Aurdal and another part of Nord-Aurdal that was transferred to Etnedal.

Name

The municipality was named after the local Etna river valley ("Etnadalen") which runs through the area. The

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

form of the valley name was . The first element is the genitive case of the river name Etna () and the last element is ''dalr'' which means "

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or 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 streams ove ...

" or "dale". The meaning of the river name is unknown but it is possibly derived from ''etja'' (meaning "push forward") or ''eta'' (meaning "eat").

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 ...

was granted by royal decree on 14 July 1989. The arms show the old Lunde

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

() in gold on a blue background. It is one of the best preserved stone bridges in the country and it is now a national monument. It is also Northern Europe's largest

dry stone Dry stone, sometimes called drystack or, in Scotland, drystane, is a building method by which structures are constructed from stones without any mortar to bind them together. Dry stone structures are stable because of their construction m ...

-arch bridge. The bridge was built in 1829 on the Old King's Road connecting

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 ...

and

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula o ...

. A portion of the king's road was refurbished and turned into a footpath in 1992 and is now a natural and cultural walking path.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes () within the municipality of Etnedal. 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) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Geography

Etnedal is part of the traditional district of

in central, southern Norway, situated between the

Gudbrandsdal 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 toward ...

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. ...

valleys. Valdres also includes the municipalities Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal,

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 ...

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. ...

, and Vang. Etnedal is bordered to the east by

Nordre Land Municipality 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 ...

, to the south by

Sør-Aurdal Municipality Sør-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 village of Bagn. Other villages in the municipality include Begna, Hedalen, a ...

, and on the west and north 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 ...

. The river Etna flows through the municipality, then into

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 ...

municipality and then down into

Randsfjorden Randsfjorden is Norway's fourth-largest lake with an area of . Its volume is estimated at just over , and its greatest depth is . The lake is located at an elevation of above sea level. It is located in Innlandet and Viken counties in the munic ...

. The mountain Spåtind lies in the northern part of the municipality.

Economy

Occupations in the municipality include animal husbandry and logging, but there is also some

industry Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial sector ...

and

tourism 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 mor ...

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Etnedal, are responsible for primary education (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 during the refere ...

and other social services,

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 ...

, 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 counc ...

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 ...

. 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 Etnedal is made up of 15 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 featur ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors

The list of mayors of Etnedal: *1894–1900: Arild Huitfeldt Siewers *1900–1901: Nils Hagaseth *1901–1904: Erik Thon *1904–1907: Aslak E. Bruflat *1907–1913: Engebret Espelien *1913–1919: Nils Nielsen *1919–1922: Carl Christian Wishman *1922–1925: Ole E. Bruflat ( V) *1925–1928: Martin Lundstein ( V) *1928–1931: Ole E. Bruflat ( V) *1931–1934: Engebret Haug *1934–1937: Ole E. Bruflat ( V) *1937–1940: Torleiv Hodne ( Ap) *1940–1945: (Vacant due to the war) *1946–1959: Iver K. Haug ( V) *1960–1967: Nicolai Hestekind ( H) *1968–1974: Ole Fløgum ( Ap) *1975-1975: Kristian Midthus ( Sp) *1976–1979: Alfred Steinset (

KrF The Christian Democratic Party ( nb, Kristelig Folkeparti, nn, Kristeleg Folkeparti, se, Risttalaš Álbmotbellodat, , KrF) is a Christian-democratic political party in Norway founded in 1933. The party is an observer member of the European Pe ...

) *1980–1983: Knut Engelien ( Sp) *1984–1999: Odd Byfuglien ( Sp) *1999–2014: Jan Arild Berg ( Sp) *2014–2019: Toril Grønbrekk ( Ap) *2019–present: Linda Mæhlum Robøle ( Sp)

Notable people

* Sigurd Lybeck (1895 in Etnedal – 1975), a Norwegian writer, featured ''

Jens von Bustenskjold ''Jens von Bustenskjold'' is the title of a Norwegian comic strip, which appeared in ''Arbeidermagasinet'' (later renamed ''Magasinet For Alle'') from 1934 to 1970. It's a humoristic comic about a nobleman. The series was created by Sigurd Lybeck, ...

'' * Iacob Dybwad Sømme (1898 in Etnedal – 1944), a Norwegian ichthyologist and resistance member * Ingjerd Thon Hagaseth (born 1967), a Norwegian politician, deputy mayor of Etnedal * Ingebjørg Saglien Bråten (born 1999 in Etnedal), a Norwegian ski jumper

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway *
Etnedal Municipality
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Innlandet 1894 establishments in Norway Valdres