Meråker 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

Stjørdalen Stjørdalen is a valley and a traditional district in Trøndelag county, Norway. The valley follows the river Stjørdalselva river from the border with Sweden to the west where it empties into the Trondheimsfjorden. The valley traverses the p ...

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 Midtbygda which is about west of

Storlien Storlien is a village and ski resort located in Åre municipality in Jämtland, Sweden, two kilometres from the Swedish-Norwegian border. The primary bases of the settlement are tourism and outdoor life – alpine skiing, snowmobiling, cross- ...

in Sweden and east of the town of Stjørdalshalsen in neighboring Stjørdal municipality. Other villages in Meråker include Gudåa,

Kopperå Kopperå is a village in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village lies about east of the municipal center of Midtbygda and about west of the Swedish border. The Meråker Line railway runs through the village an ...

, and Stordalen. The municipality markets itself as a recreational area. The main areas of employment are in

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

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 ...

. The municipality is noted for its characteristic

dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...

. The municipality is the 80th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Meråker is the 260th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,399. 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 4.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Meråker was established on 1 January 1874 when the old municipality of Øvre Stjørdal was divided into two: Hegra (population: 3,409) in the east and Meråker (population: 1,861) in the west. The municipal borders have not changed since then. 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 ''Meråker'' farm (spelled "Mørakre" around 1430), since the first

Meråker Church Meråker Church ( no, Meråker kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Meråker municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located just northwest of the village of Midtbygda. It is one of the three churches in the Meråker pari ...

was built there. The meaning of the first element is uncertain (maybe ''merr'' which means "

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than fo ...

" or ''mýrr'' which means " bog" or "

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found a ...

") and the last element is ''akr'' which means "

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 ...

" or " acre".

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 28 September 1990. Traditionally,

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic ...

has played a major role in the area and has been of great economic importance for Meråker. Thus a silver mining cart on a red background as a symbol for the municipality was an obvious decision. The cart depicted in the arms, however, is officially described as a cart, not a mining cart.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Meråker. It is part of the

Stjørdal prosti This list of churches in Nidaros is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Nidaros which covers all of Trøndelag county in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each deanery in the diocese. Administrati ...

( 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 ...

History

Meråker Smelter

In 1898, a

carbide In chemistry, a carbide usually describes a compound composed of carbon and a metal. In metallurgy, carbiding or carburizing is the process for producing carbide coatings on a metal piece. Interstitial / Metallic carbides The carbides of th ...

factory was opened at

, later this factor was rebuilt as a

silicon Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic ta ...

smelter. The smelter was in operation until June 2006. Its main product was

microsilica Silica fume, also known as microsilica, (CAS number 69012-64-2, EINECS number 273-761-1) is an amorphous (non-crystalline) polymorph of silicon dioxide, silica. It is an ultrafine powder collected as a by-product of the silicon and ferrosilicon a ...

which is used as an additive to

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mi ...

Geography

Meråker is a landlocked municipality in the central part of

county. To the north is the municipality of

Verdal Verdal is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Verdalsøra. Some villages in the municipality include Forbregd/Lein, Lysthaugen, Stiklest ...

, to the west is Stjørdal, to the south is

Selbu Selbu is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mebonden. Other villages in Selbu include Flora, Fossan, Hyttbakken, Innbygda, Selbustrand, Trøa, Tømra, and Vikvarvet. T ...

and

Tydal Tydal is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ås. Other villages include Østby, Gressli, Aunet, and Stugudalen. There is a school and a kindergarten in Tydal. The inhab ...

, and to the east is Sweden. There are three major lakes in Meråker:

Feren Feren or Færen is a lake in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. A small part in the northwestern corner of the lake extends into the municipalities of Stjørdal, Levanger, and Verdal at the outlet into the river Forra. Th ...

Fjergen Fjergen is a lake in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. The lake has a hydropower dam on the southern end which flows out into the Kåpperåa river which is part of the Stjørdalselva river system. There is about of wat ...

, and

Funnsjøen Funnsjøen is a lake in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. The lake flows into the Funna river, a part of the Stjørdalselva river system. The lake has a hydropower dam at the southern end of the lake. There is about of ...

. The river

Stjørdalselva Stjørdalselva ( en, Stjørdal River) is a long river that reaches from near the Norwegian–Swedish border down the Stjørdalen valley through the municipalities of Meråker and Stjørdal before entering the Trondheimsfjord. The mouth is locate ...

runs through the municipality towards the

Trondheimsfjord The Trondheim Fjord or Trondheimsfjorden (), an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's third-longest fjord at long. It is located in the west-central part of the country in Trøndelag county, and it stretches from the municipality of Ørland i ...

. The river Rotla begins in the southern part of Meråker. The mountain

Fongen or is a mountain in Trøndelag county, Norway. The mountain sits along the border of the municipalities of Selbu, Tydal, and Meråker. The summit is located inside the Skarvan and Roltdalen National Park. The nearest villages are Mebonden in ...

sits on the southern border with

and

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Meråker, 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 Meråker 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 featur ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Meråker (incomplete list): *2019–present: Kjersti Kjenes ( LL) *2015-2019: Kari Anita Furunes ( Sp) *1995-2015: Bård Langsåvold ( Ap) *1973-1995: Svein Brækken (Ap)

Transportation

The

European route E14 European route E14 is a part of the International E-road network. It begins in Trondheim, Norway, and ends in Sundsvall, Sweden. The road is long. The road follows the route Trondheim - Storlien – Östersund – Sundsvall. Just east of Tron ...

highway runs east to west through the municipality connecting to

Trondheim Airport, Værnes Trondheim Airport ( no, Trondheim lufthavn; ) is an international airport serving Trondheim, a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is located in Værnes, a village in the municipality of Stjørdal in Trøndelag ...

about to the west. The

Meråker Line The Meråker Line ( no, Meråkerbanen) is a railway line which runs through the district and valley of Stjørdalen in Trøndelag county, Norway. The line branches off from the Nordland Line at Hell Station and runs eastwards to the Norway–Swe ...

railway follows the E14 through the municipality also, with stops at

Kopperå Station Kopperå Station ( no, Kopperå stasjon) is a railway station on the Meråker Line in the village of Kopperå in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station was opened on 1 April 1899 as Kopperaasen. It was renamed Kopp ...

Meråker Station Meråker Station ( no, Meråker stasjon) is a railway station on the Meråker Line in the village of Midtbygda in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station was opened on 17 October 1881 as Meraker, and received the c ...

, and Gudå Station.

Media

The newspaper '' Meråkerposten'' has been published in Meråker since 1982.

Notable residents

* Anton Johnson Fridrichsen (1888 in Meråker – 1953) a Swedish theologian *

Helge Ingstad Helge Marcus Ingstad (30 December 1899 – 29 March 2001) was a Norwegian explorer. In 1960, after mapping some Norse settlements, Ingstad and his wife archaeologist Anne Stine Ingstad found remnants of a Viking settlement in L'Anse aux Meadow ...

(1899 in Meråker - 2001)

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 ...

, explorer and

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

* Arne Braa Saatvedt (1922 in Meråker – 1945) a Norwegian police official and member of the

Nasjonal Samling Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norwegian far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling and a group of supporters such ...

, executed in 1945 * Bård Langsåvold (born 1952) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Meråker 1995-2015 * Dag Lyseid (1954–2012) a footballer and politician, deputy Mayor of Meråker 1999-2008 * Vebjørn Selbekk (born 1969) a newspaper editor and author, brought up in Meråker

Sport

Magnar Lundemo Magnar Lundemo (4 March 1938 in Meråker – 7 January 1987 in Meråker) was a Norwegian cross-country skier and track and field athlete. As a skier he participated in two Olympic Games and placed fourth at the 1962 World Championships. In t ...

(1938 in Meråker - 1987) a cross country skier and track and field athlete, competed 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 ...

and

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebr ...

Frode Estil Frode Estil (born 31 May 1972 in Lierne, Nord-Trøndelag) is a retired Norwegian cross-country skier. He lives in Meråker with his wife Grete whom he married in the summer of 2001. They have two sons, Bernhard, born in August 2002, and Konrad ...

(born 1972) a retired cross country skier, lives in Meråker * Kine Beate Bjørnås (born 1980) a retired cross country skier * Simen Raaen Sandmæl (born 1990 in Meråker) a Norwegian footballer with over 130 club caps

Gallery

File:Meråker, Norway - panoramio.jpg, Meråker, Norway File:Meråker smelteverk Kopperå 01.jpg, Meråker smelteverk Kopperå File:Juni 2011 041.jpg, Elven Kopperåa i Kopperå, Meråker File:Grønbergdammen 01.jpg, Grønbergdammen in Meråker

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meraaker Municipalities of Trøndelag 1874 establishments in Norway