Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') 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 ...

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

, Norway. It is part of the

Romerike Romerike is a traditional district located north-east of Oslo, in what is today south-eastern Norway. It consists of the Viken municipalities Lillestrøm, Lørenskog, Nittedal, Rælingen and Aurskog-Høland in the southern end (Nedre Romerike) ...

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 ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sundet.

General information

Etymology

The first element is the genitive case of the word ''eid'' (

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 ...

: ''eið'') and the last element is ''voll'' (Old Norse: ''vǫllr'') 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 arti ...

" or "

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

". The meaning of the word ''eid'' in this case is "a road passing around a waterfall". People from the districts around the lake ( Mjøsa) who were sailing down the river

Vorma Vorma is a river in Norway that brings water from lake Mjøsa into the Glomma river. The Vorma is long and flows through the town of Eidsvoll. The Vorma flows from Lake Mjøsa at the village of Minnesund to join with the Glomma at Årnes. Vorm ...

, and people from Romerike sailing up the same river, both had to enter this area by passing the Sundfossen

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in severa ...

. Because of this, the site became an important meeting place long before the introduction of

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 ...

. Prior to 1918, the name was spelled "Eidsvold". The town of Eidsvold in

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia and Eidsvold Township, Lyon County, Minnesota, United States still use this old spelling. Eidsvoll(01)

Eidsvoll Church

Eidsvoll Church (''Eidsvoll Kirke'') is a

cruciform Cruciform is a term for physical manifestations resembling a common cross or Christian cross. The label can be extended to architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly describe ...

church from approx 1200. It is part of the Norwegian Church and belongs to Øvre Romerike deanery in the Diocese of Borg. The Romanesque building is in stone. Eidsvoll church is repeatedly burned and rebuilt. The old church records were lost in a fire. The altarpiece in Eidsvoll church is from 1765. It is a wooden structure with three floors, decreasing towards the top, where each floor concludes with gilded pilasters with capitals and rococo decor on each side of a painting. The altarpiece was restored after a fire in 1883, the next restoration occurred in 1915 and a third restoration occurred late 1960s. Access to the church is a well traveled tourist destination is via Rv181 and Fv502 / Rv177. Pilegrimsleden goes through Eidsvoll. Eidsvoll church is one of the more prominent stops along the path, which was officially opened on 16 June 2002.

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 20 November 1987. The arms show a

balance Balance or balancing may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance as in equality or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgaria ...

as a symbol of

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

. In the early

Middle Ages 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 period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

a local

court A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in acco ...

was established in Eidsvoll. Grunnlovsstatue fra 1814 ved Eidsvoll

History

The parish of ''Eidsvold'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The municipality of Feiring was merged with Eidsvoll on 1 January 1964. Eidsvoll is mentioned in Old Norse manuscripts. In the 11th century, it became the site of court and

assembly Assembly may refer to: Organisations and meetings * Deliberative assembly, a gathering of members who use parliamentary procedure for making decisions * General assembly, an official meeting of the members of an organization or of their representa ...

(''ting'') for eastern parts of Norway, replacing Vang, now a part of

Hamar Hamar is a town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the traditional region of Hedmarken. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake ...

Hedmark Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged int ...

. Because of its access to the river

and the lake Mjøsa has long provided a thoroughfare to northern parts of inland Norway. Historically the main industry of Eidsvoll was

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...

, though the soil is rich in clay. Eastern parts of Eidsvoll were for a short time the site of a minor

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

when

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

was found in 1758, and these areas are still known as ''Gullverket''. Eidsvoll Verk was opened to

smelt Smelt may refer to: * Smelting, chemical process * The common name of various fish: ** Smelt (fish), a family of small fish, Osmeridae ** Australian smelt in the family Retropinnidae and species ''Retropinna semoni'' ** Big-scale sand smelt ''Ath ...

iron ore by King

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and Norway and Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years, 330 days is the longest of Danish monarchs and Scandinavian mon ...

in 1624, relying on the excellent water power from the Andelva river. In 1688, it was owned by the director of the

Kongsberg Silver Mines Kongsberg Silver works () was a mining operation at Kongsberg in Viken county in Norway. The town of Kongsberg is the site of the Norwegian Mining Museum (). History Operating from over 80 different sites, Kongsberg silver mines constituted th ...

, ''Schlanbusch'', and remained in his family until 1781.

Carsten Anker Carsten Tank Anker (17 November 1747 – 13 March 1824) was a Norwegian businessman, civil servant, politician and one of the Fathers of the Constitution of Norway. He was the owner of the manor house in Akershus at which the original National A ...

came into possession of works in 1794, at which time it was in decay since many of the surrounding

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s required for charcoal had been depleted. He restored it and set up the production of stoves and similar iron goods. He also took residence in Eidsvoll in 1811, rebuilding the manor house which is now the

Eidsvollsbygningen Eidsvollsbygningen (Literally: ''The Eidsvoll building'') is a historic manor house located at Eidsvoll in Viken county, Norway. The building is where the Constitution of Norway was signed on 17 May 1814. The estate is now owned by The State of ...

, the site where the

constitutional assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

met to draft and sign the Constitution of Norway on 17 May 1814. Eidsvollsbygningen is today a famous museum. In 1854, Eidsvoll became the end point for the first railroad line in Norway from

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 ...

. This became the transit point for travel with the steamship

Skibladner PS ''Skibladner'' is the only paddle steamer operating in Norway, it sails on lake Mjøsa. ''Skibladner'' is a sidewheel design, and her maiden voyage was on 2 August 1856, making her the world's oldest paddle steamer still in timetabled servic ...

, Gjøvik, and Lillehammer on the lake Mjøsa. In addition to the historic Eidsvoll Church, Eidsvoll is the site of the Langset Church (''Langset kirke'') which dates to 1859 and the Feiring Church (''Feiring Kirke'') which dates to 1875.

Eidsvoll gallery

File:1301. Eidsvold. Hotellet og Dampskibsbryggen (8386295516).jpg, Steamer

, Dampskibsbryggen and Eidsvold Hotel File:Eidsvollsbygninen.jpg,

at Eidsvoll Verk, site of the

File:Eidsvoll(08Altertavle).JPG, Eidsvoll Church altar File:Langset kirke -4.JPG, Langset Church File:Winter in Norway2.jpg, Winter at Bøn in Eidsvoll

Geography

Eidsvoll municipality is bordered on the north by

Østre Toten Østre Toten is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lena. Other villages in the municipality include Kapp, Kolbu, Krab ...

(in Oppland county on the west side of Mjøsa) and by Stange (on the east side of the lake) and to the east by

Nord-Odal Nord-Odal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Odalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sand. Other villages in the municipality include Knapper and Mo. The ...

(both in Hedmark county). In the county of Akershus to the southeast lies

Nes The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

, to the south lies

Ullensaker Ullensaker is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Jessheim. It has a population of 40,459 inhabitants. Norway's largest ...

, and to the west lies

Nannestad Nannestad is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Teigebyen. History Nannestad was established as a municipality o ...

and

Hurdal Hurdal is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus in Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Romerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is t ...

. In addition to being a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many ...

for

, it also has agriculture and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

industries. The main population and commercial centres are Sundet and Råholt.

Notable residents

Henrik Wergeland Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland (17 June 1808 – 12 July 1845) was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the develop ...

(1808–1845) poet, writer and playwright; brought up in Eidsvoll; son of Professor Nicolai Wergeland (1780–1848) *

Alf Collett Alf Collett (8 August 1844 – 12 June 1919) was a Norwegian writer and historian.genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

and historian * Hans Langseth (1846–1927) Norwegian-American world record holder for the longest beard *

Cecilie Thoresen Krog Ida Cecilie Thoresen Krog (née Thoresen; 7 March 1858 – 13 November 1911) was a Norwegian women's rights pioneer and Liberal Party politician, and the first female university student in Norway. She became famous when she was allowed to submit t ...

(1858–1911) feminist pioneer, first female university student in Norway *

Fredrikke Waaler Fredrikke Amalie Holtemann Rynning Waaler (7 May 1865 – 2 February 1952) was a Norwegian composer, violinist, and proponent for women's rights. Waaler was born in Eidsvoll to Paul Emil Rynning and Anne Margrethe Holtermann. She married physicia ...

(1865-1952) composer, violinist and proponent for women's rights * Maja Flagstad (1871–1958) a pianist, choral conductor and

répétiteur A (from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. A feminine form, , also appears but is comparatively rare. Opera In opera, a is the perso ...

F. Melius Christiansen Fredrik Melius Christiansen (April 1, 1871 – June 1, 1955) was a Norway, Norwegian-born violinist and choral conductor in the Lutheran choral tradition. Early life Fredrik Melius Christiansen, the son of a Norwegian factory worker, was born in ...

(1871–1955) Lutheran choral conductor in

Marinette, Wisconsin Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the south bank of the Menominee River, at its mouth at Green Bay, part of Lake Michigan; to the north is Stephenson Island, part of th ...

* Arne Ekeland (1908–1994), artist, lived and worked in Bøn his entire life * Ola Skjåk Bræk (1912–1999),

minister of industry The industry minister is a cabinet position in a government. The title may refer to the head of the governmental department that specializes in industry. This position may also be responsible for trade and employment, areas that fall under the mi ...

, born and raised in Eidsvoll * Per Gjestvang (1915-2002) a veterinarian, resistance member, military officer and politician * Dagmar Lahlum (1923–1999), resistance worker in

WWII 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 ...

, fiancée of

Eddie Chapman Edward Arnold Chapman (16 November 1914 – 11 December 1997) was an English criminal and wartime spy. During the Second World War he offered his services to Nazi Germany as a spy and subsequently became a British double agent. His British Se ...

* Åsmund Lønning Strømnes (1927–2009), professor of education; lived in Eidsvoll *

Leif Johansen Leif Johansen (11 May 1930 – 29 December 1982) was a Norwegian economist who made a substantial contribution to economic science. He was born in Eidsvoll. Throughout his academic career Johansen was employed at the University of Oslo. He was a m ...

(1930-1982) an economist and professor * Sivert Donali (1931–2010) a Norwegian sculptor, lived in Feiring from 1973 * Drude Berntsen (born 1939) a computer scientist, director of

Norwegian Computing Center Norwegian Computing Center (NR, in Norwegian: ''Norsk Regnesentral'') is a private, independent, non-profit research foundation founded in 1952. NR carries out contract research and development in the areas of computing and quantitative methods fo ...

Kari Hag Kari Jorun Blakkisrud Hag (born April 4, 1941) is a Norwegian mathematician known for her research in complex analysis on quasicircles and quasiconformal mappings, and for her efforts for gender equality in mathematics. She is a professor emerita ...

(born 1941) mathematician, researched complex analysis on

quasicircle In mathematics, a quasicircle is a Jordan curve in the complex plane that is the image of a circle under a quasiconformal mapping of the plane onto itself. Originally introduced independently by and , in the older literature (in German) they were ...

s * Siv Stubsveen (born 1968) a Norwegian model, saleswoman and media personality * Stian Carstensen (born 1971) a multi-instrument jazz musician, member of Farmers market *

Jan Gunnar Røise Jan Gunnar Røise (born 24 September 1975) is a Norwegian actor. He was born in Eidsvoll, and took his education at the Norwegian National Academy of Theatre. He made his stage debut in 2000 at the National Theatre, and has been employed there ...

(born 1975) a Norwegian theatre and film actor *

Stella Mwangi Stella Nyambura Mwangi (born 1 September 1986) is a Kenyan-Norwegian singer, rapper and songwriter. Much of her music concerns the situation in her home country Kenya, and discrimination her family had to endure after moving to Norway in 1991. ...

(born 1986) a Kenyan-Norwegian singer, musician, songwriter and rapper. *

Alexandra Rotan Alexandra Rotan (born 29 June 1996) is a Norwegian singer. Rotan began her career as a child singer, becoming a superfinalist in Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2010 with the song "Det vi vil". She later joined the group Keiino in 2018, and represent ...

(born 1996) a singer for Norway in the

Eurovision Song Contest 2019 The Eurovision Song Contest 2019 was the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Tel Aviv, Israel, following the country's victory at the 2018 contest with the song " Toy" by Netta. Organised by the European Broad ...

Sport

Tormod Knutsen Tormod Kåre Knutsen (7 January 1932 – 23 February 2021) was a Norwegian Nordic combined skier, who won the Nordic combined event at the 1964 Winter Olympics, and came second at the 1960 Winter Olympics. He won four national championships, a ...

(born 1932) a retired Nordic combined skier, silver and gold medallist at the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

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* Ole Einar Martinsen (born 1967) a retired footballer with 300 club caps and two with

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 ...

Henning Berg Henning Stille Berg (; born 1 September 1969) is a Norwegian football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Cypriot First Division club Pafos FC. His career lasted from 1988 to 2004, most notably in the Premier League where h ...

(born 1969) a football manager and former player with 422 club caps and 100 with

* Espen Aarnes Hvammen (born 1988) a Norwegian champion speed skater * Henrik Furuseth (born 1996) a Norwegian racing driver

Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Eidsvoll: * -

Egilsstaðir Egilsstaðir () is a town in east Iceland on the banks of the Lagarfljót river. It is part of the municipality of Múlaþing and the largest settlement of the Eastern Region with, as of 2020, a population of 2,522 inhabitants. Formerly Egilss ...

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

* -

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Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County ( sv, Västra Götalands län) is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1 ...

, Sweden * -

Sorø Sorø () is a town in Sorø municipality in Region Sjælland on the island of Zealand (''Sjælland'') in east Denmark. The population is 7,999 (2022).

Region Sjælland Region Zealand ( da, Region Sjælland) is the southernmost administrative region of Denmark, established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish Municipal Reform, which abolished the traditional counties ("amter") and set up five larger regi ...

, Denmark * -

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, Länsi-Suomi,

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway *
Eidsvollbygningen museum
{{Authority control Municipalities of Akershus Municipalities of Viken (county) Constitution of Norway