( sma, Kråangke) 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 ...

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denma ...

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 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 part of the

Namdalen Namdalen ( sma, Nååmesjevuemie) is a traditional district in the central part of Norway, consisting of the municipalities Namsos, Grong, Overhalla, Røyrvik, Nærøysund, Høylandet, Flatanger, Lierne, Leka, and Namsskogan, all in Tr ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of

Medjå Medjå or Grong is a village which serves as the administrative center of the municipality of Grong in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located along the river Namsen, at the confluence with the river Sanddøla. The Nordland Line runs along the ...

(sometimes called ''Grong'' also). Other villages in the municipality include Bergsmoen, Formofoss, Gartland, and

Harran Harran (), historically known as Carrhae ( el, Kάρραι, Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border cr ...

. The municipality is the 96th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Grong is the 263rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,287. 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 5.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Grong was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1901, the northwestern district of Grong (population: 1,046) was separated to form the new municipality of Høylandet. On 1 January 1923, the large municipality of Grong was divided into four smaller municipalities: Grong (population: 1,272) in the southwest,

(population: 630) in the centre,

Røyrvik Røyrvik ( sma, Raarvihke, sv, Röyrvik) is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Røyrvik. The area has always had a strong Sami influen ...

(population: 392) in the northeast, and

Namsskogan Namsskogan is a municipality in Trøndelag, Norway. Namsskogan is located in the upper part of the long Namdalen valley region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Namsskogan. Other villages in the municipality inclu ...

(population: 469) in the northwest. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Municip ...

. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of

(population: 1,085) and Grong (population: 1,962) were merged (back together) to form a new municipality called Grong. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new

county.

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 o ...

) is named after the old ''Grong'' farm (), since the first Grong Church was built there. The first element is ''grǫn'' which means " spruce" and the last element 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 the suffix ''-ungr''.

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 on 6 February 1987. The arms show three green

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

s on a silver/gray background. The green triangles represent spruce trees ''(gran)'', making them

canting arms Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. French heralds used the term (), as they would sound out the name of the armiger. Many armorial all ...

since the name is supposedly derived from ''Granungar'' which means spruce. The number three symbolizes the three main villages in the municipality:

, Bergsmoen, and

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes () within the municipality of Grong. It is part of the Namdal prosti ( deanery) in the

Diocese of Nidaros Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Trøndelag county in Central Norway and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. Since 10 September 2017, the Bishop of Nidaros is Herbor ...

Geography

SJ_Norge_Di_4_with_daytime_train_472_crossing_the_Namsen_north_of_Grong

Grong is located along the river

Namsen or is one of the longest rivers in Trøndelag county, in the central part of Norway. The long river flows through the municipalities of Røyrvik, Namsskogan, Grong, Overhalla, and Namsos before emptying into the Namsenfjorden. The river is ...

in the

valley. Two major tributaries of the Namsen flow through Grong too: the river Sanddøla and the river Neselva. The Bangsjøene lakes lie at the extreme southern border with

Snåsa Snåsa (; sma, Snåase) is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherred region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Snåsa. Other villages include Agle and Jørstad. Snåsa is one of th ...

and

Overhalla Overhalla is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ranemsletta (also called ''Overhalla''). Other villages include Melen, Skage, Skogmo, ...

. The

Blåfjella–Skjækerfjella National Park Blåfjella–Skjækerfjella National Park ( no, Blåfjella-Skjækerfjella nasjonalpark, sma, Låarte-Skæhkere vaarjelimmiedajve) lies in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is the third largest national park on the Norwegian mainland and one of the la ...

covers a small part of the southeastern part of Grong.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Grong, 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 ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect 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

Trøndelag District Court Trøndelag District Court ( no, Trøndelag tingrett) is a district court located in Trøndelag county, Norway. This court is based at four different courthouses which are located in Brekstad, Namsos, Steinkjer, and Trondheim. The court serves the ...

and the

Frostating Court of Appeal The Frostating Court of Appeal ( no, Frostating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Trondheim. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. ...

Municipal council

The

() of Grong 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 featur ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Grong (incomplete list): *2019–present: Borgny Grande ( Sp) *2011-2019: Skjalg Åkerøy ( Ap) *2003-2011: Erik Seem (Sp) *1999-2003: Helge Formo (Ap)

Transportation

The European route E6 highway follows the river

across the municipality, as does the

Nordland Line The Nordland Line ( no, Nordlandsbanen, ) is a railway line between Trondheim and Bodø, Norway. It is the longest in Norway and lacks electrification. The route runs through the counties of Trøndelag (formerly Sør-Trøndelag and Nord-Trøndel ...

. The two main stations on the Nordland Line are Grong Station in

and

Harran Station Harran Station ( no, Harran stasjon) is a railway station located in the village of Harran in the municipality of Grong in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located on the Nordlandsbanen The Nordland Line ( no, Nordlandsbanen, ) is a railway ...

. The old

Namsos Line The Namsos Line ( no, Namsosbanen) is a railway line between the village of Medjå and the town of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. The line branches off from the Nordland Line at Grong Station and runs through the municipalities of Grong ...

railway used to run from Grong to

Namsos ( sma, Nåavmesjenjaelmie) is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Namsos. Some of the villages in the municipality include Bangsund, Kl ...

, but that is now closed.

Notable people

* Bjarne Fiskum (born 1939 in Harran) a Norwegian violinist, conductor and composer * Maja Dunfjeld (born 1947) a South Sami researcher and

duodji {{Peacock, date=May 2022 Duodji is a traditional Sami handicraft, dating back to a time when the Sami were far more isolated from the outside world than they are today. Duodji tools, clothing and accessories are intended to primarily be functiona ...

craftswoman, lives in Harran * Ellinor Jåma (born 1979) a Norwegian Sami politician * Line Viken (born 1981) & Stian Saugestad (born 1992) Norwegian alpine skiers representing the sports club Grong IL

Media gallery

Gløshaug kirke.jpg, The old Gløshaug church in Gartland Fylkesvei 74, Nord-Trøndelag.jpg, County road from Grong to Sweden Grong stasjonsbygning.jpg, Train station in Grong Foss i Grong.jpg, Foss i Grong

References

External links

*
Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway {{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Trøndelag 1838 establishments in Norway