is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. 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 town of

Brumunddal Brumunddal is a town in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality. It is located on the shores of the lake Mjøsa, about north of the town of Hamar. The town is a small, densely ...

. Other settlements in Ringsaker include the town of

Moelv Moelv is a town in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The town is located along the shores of the lake Mjøsa, about south of the town of Lillehammer and about the same distance northwest of the town of Hamar. Moelv is the seco ...

and the villages of Furnes, Kvål,

Kylstad Kylstad or Kylstadfeltet is a village in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located about east of the town of Brumunddal and about north of the village of Nydal. The town has a population (2021) of 400 and a p ...

Mesnali Mesnali is a village in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located about southeast of the town of Lillehammer (town), Lillehammer and about southwest of Sjusjøen. Sjusjøen is an area in Norway that is very famou ...

Nydal Nydal is a village in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the European route E6 highway about northwest of the town of Hamar and about southeast of the town of Brumunddal. The village of Furnes lies ...

Rudshøgda Rudshøgda is a village in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located about from the towns of Moelv (to the northwest) and Brumunddal (to the southeast). The European route E6 highway runs through the village. The ...

, Stavsjø,

Tingnes Tingnes is a village in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located on the southern end of the Nes peninsula, along the shores of the lake Mjøsa. The village lies about southeast of the village of Stavsjø. There ...

, and

Byflaten Byflaten or Veldre is a village in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located about northwest of the town of Brumunddal. Veldre Church is located on the west side of the village. The village has a population (202 ...

. The municipality is the 77th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ringsaker is the 30th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 35,073. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 5.7% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Ringsaker was established on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January ...

law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the municipality of Ringsaker (population: 16,490) was merged with the neighboring municipalities of Furnes (population: 7,288) and Nes (population: 4,184) plus the Hamarsberget and Vikersødegården

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

areas of the municipality of Vang (population: 34) to create the new, larger municipality of Ringsaker. On 1 January 1965, a part of Ringsaker (population: 100) was transferred to the neighboring Hamar Municipality. On 1 January 1967 there was a municipal land swap between Vang and Ringsaker municipalities. The Stav, Valsigsvea, and Arnkvern Nedre areas of Vang (population: 50) was transferred to Ringsaker Municipality and the Stensby and Holmlund areas of Ringsaker (population: 114) was transferred to Vang. On 1 January 1992, the parts of the Stensby, Hanstad, Viker, and Stammerud areas of Ringsaker (population: 224) were transferred to the neighboring Hamar Municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old ''Ringsaker'' farm (), since the first

Ringsaker Church Ringsaker Church ( no, Ringsaker kirke) is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Ringsaker Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the village of Moelv. It is the church for the Ringsaker parish which is part of the Ringsak ...

was built there. The first element is the

genitive case In grammar, the genitive case (abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can al ...

of or , of unknown meaning. One proposal is that or ('Lord of the Ring') may have been an epithet or alias for the Norse god Ullr, based on a ceremony mentioned in the poem '' Atlakviða'' where an oath is sworn by ('the ring of Ullr'). The last element is , meaning 'acre' or any field, generally.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 1 February 1985. The arms show a silver or white moose on a red background. The moose in the arms is taken from pre-historic cave paintings found at the Stein farm in Ringsaker, indicating the early inhabitation of the area. They were designed by Arne Løvstad.

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 six parishes () within the municipality of Ringsaker. The municipality makes up all of the

Ringsaker 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) in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each ...

(

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 ...

) within 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 ...

Geography

Ringsaker is located on the east side of the lake

Mjøsa Mjøsa is Norway's largest lake, as well as one of the deepest lakes in Norway and in Europe. It is the fourth-deepest lake in Norway. It is located in the southern part of Norway, about north of the city of Oslo. Its main tributary is the rive ...

, the largest lake in Norway. It borders the municipality of

Lillehammer Lillehammer () 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 Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...

to the northwest; the municipalities of Øyer, Stor-Elvdal, and Åmot to the north; Hamar Municipality to the east; the municipalities of

Stange is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Stangebye ...

and Østre Toten to the south; and Gjøvik Municipality to the west. Ringsaker is situated in an agricultural and lumbering region. Ringsaker lies in the traditional district of

Hedmarken Hedmarken (, ; known as ''Hedemarken'' until 2003) is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in Innlandet county in Eastern Norway. Hedmarken consists of the municipalities Stange, Hamar, Løten, and Ringsaker. In the past, it also containe ...

which consists largely of rolling agricultural terrain, hilly green mountains, and pine forests. The

Hedmarksvidda Hedmarksvidda ( en, The Hedmark moorland) is a forest and low mountain moorland plateau area in Innlandet county, Norway. The area is generally described as including the areas between the Østerdal valley in the east, the Gudbrandsdal valley in ...

plateau is in the upper parts of the municipality. The rivers

Brumunda Brumunda is a river in Innlandet county, Norway. The long river begins at the lake Brumundsjøen on the border of Ringsaker and Hamar municipalities. The river begins at the lake, just north of Høljemyra and continues in a southerly direction t ...

, Flakstadelva, and Moelva all flow through the municipality. The principal urban centers in Ringsaker include the towns of

and

Economy

Ringsaker's main industries are agriculture, forestry, and diversified manufacturing. The area of

Sjusjøen Sjusjøen is a cross country skiing destination in the municipality of Ringsaker in Innlandet county, Norway. Situated on the mountain plateau south of Sjusjøen is Hedmarksvidda. The area is located with forest and mountain terrain about above ...

has a relatively large amount of holiday cottages that are especially attractive for outdoor sports including

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 ...

vacations.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Ringsaker, 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 Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

, senior citizen services, unemployment 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, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elects a mayor. The municipality falls under the

Østre Innlandet District Court Østre Innlandet District Court ( no, Østre Innlandet tingrett) is a district court located in Innlandet county, Norway. This court is based at three different courthouses which are located in Elverum, Hamar, and Tynset. The court serves the eas ...

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 municipal council of Ringsaker is made up of 39 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors

The mayors of Ringsaker include (incomplete list): *1932-1941: Karl Østvold ( Ap) *1941-1942: Oskar Kjonerud ( NS) *1942-1945: Anders Rud ( NS) *1945-1964: Karl Østvold ( Ap) *1965-1981: Peder Esbjørnsen ( Ap) *1982-1991: Magne Johansen ( Ap) *1991-2007:

Thor Lillehovde Thor Lillehovde (born 3 April 1948) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Ringsaker as a son of forest labourer Sigmund Lillehovde (1920–1989) and housewife Gerd Elvsveen (1921–). His education ended with vocational ...

( Ap) *2007–present: Anita Ihle Steen ( Ap)

History

Harald Hårfagre in 882

Ringsaker is first mentioned in King Harald Hårfagre's

Saga is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square (video game company), Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, ...

, in the Heimskringla by

Snorri Sturluson Snorri Sturluson ( ; ; 1179 – 22 September 1241) was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was elected twice as lawspeaker of the Icelandic parliament, the Althing. He is commonly thought to have authored or compiled portions of the ...

. The saga reports that Harald Hårfagre (872–930) was but ten years old when he succeeded his father ( Halfdan the Black). After Halfdan the Black's death, many chiefs coveted the dominions he had left. Among these King Gandalf was the first; then

Högne ''For other people named Högne, see Haguna.'' Högne was a king of Östergötland who appears in sources of Norse mythology. ''Heimskringla'' Snorri Sturluson wrote that he was the king of Östergötland and that he had a son named Hildur and ...

and Fróði, sons of King Eystein of Hedemark; and also King Hogne Karuson of Ringerike. Hake, the son of Gandalf, led an expedition of 300 men against Vestfold. King Harald's army, led by Guthorm, met and fought a great battle, and King Harald was victorious, killing king Hake. Then King Harald turned back, but King Gandalf had come to Vestfold so they defeated him also. When the sons of King Eystein in Hedemark heard the news, they proposed to meet at Ringsaker in Hedemark with the remaining kings, Hogne Karuson and Herse Gudbrand. King Harald and Guthorm found out where the Oppland kings were meeting, and coming undetected at night, set fire to the houses in which Hogne Karuson and Herse Gudbrand slept. King Eystein's two sons and their men fought, but both Hogne and Frode died. After the fall of these kings, King Harald had subdued Hedemark, Ringerike, Gudbrandsdal, Hadeland, Thoten, Romerike, and the whole northern part of Vingulmark. In addition, King Gandalf was slain, and King Harald took the whole of his kingdom as far south as the river Raum (

Glomma The Glomma, or Glåma, is Norway's longest and most voluminous river. With a total length of , it has a drainage basin that covers fully 13% of Norway's surface area, all in the southern part of the country. Geography At its fullest length, the ...

Saint Olaf in 1018

Ringsaker is again mentioned in a saga about 1018 when

Olaf Olaf or Olav (, , or British ; Old Norse: ''Áleifr'', ''Ólafr'', ''Óleifr'', ''Anleifr'') is a Scandinavian and German given name. It is presumably of Proto-Norse origin, reconstructed as ''*Anu-laibaz'', from ''anu'' "ancestor, grand-father" a ...

(later Saint Olaf) sent people to advise the Opplands that he was coming, as it was custom for the king to live as guest there every third year. In the autumn, he left Sarpsborg and went first to Vingulmark. He inquired about their Christianity, teaching some and punishing others. He went through that district, and on to Romerike. Christianity was weaker there and he punished all who had not obeyed his word. The king of Romerike proceeded to Ringsaker, to consult King Hrorek of Hedemark. They sent messages to King Gudrod of Gudbrandsdal, and to the King of Hadaland, inviting them to meet at Hedemark. The kings agreed to resist Olaf. They summoned the leaders from their kingdoms, and when they had assembled, the kings directed them to gather warriors. Most approved of the measure, but the kings were betrayed to Olav by Ketil Kavl of Ringanes (the southernmost district in Hedemark,

), who proceeded rapidly down lake

to Eid, where Olaf was then located. King Olaf, accompanied by 400 men, arrived at Ringsaker before the next day dawned. Ketil knew where the kings slept, and Olaf had all these houses surrounded. The kings were taken prisoners. King Hrorek's eyes were put out. King Gudrod's tongue was cut out. King Ring and two others were banished from Norway. King Olaf took possession of the land these kings had possessed, and after this Olaf alone bore the title of king in Norway.

Sigurd of Røyr in 1163

Sigurd of Røyr, who was

Haakon II Haakon Sigurdsson (1147 – 7 July 1162), also known as Haakon Herdebrei, was King of Norway (being Haakon II) from 1157 until 1162 during the Civil war era in Norway. Biography His nickname, ''Herdebrei'', means broad-shouldered. An illegitimate ...

's champion, lived at Røyr (Rør) in Ringsaker. He died at Re in 1163.

Institutions

SOS Children's Village SOS Children's Villages is an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit international development organization headquartered in Innsbruck, Austria. The organization provides humanitarian and developmental assistance to children in need and protec ...

has been planned for Ringsaker—Norway's second.

Notable residents

Public service

Eilert Waldemar Preben Ramm Eilert Waldemar Preben Ramm (4 May 1769 – 15 March 1837) was a Norwegian military officer and representative at the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly in 1814. Background Eilert Ramm was born at the village of Furnes at Ringsaker in Hedma ...

(1769 in Furnes – 1837): Norwegian military officer and representative at the

Norwegian Constitutional Assembly The Norwegian Constituent Assembly (in Norwegian ''Grunnlovsforsamlingen'', also known as ''Riksforsamlingen'') is the name given to the 1814 constitutional assembly at Eidsvoll in Norway, that adopted the Norwegian Constitution and formalised th ...

in 1814 * Jens Rynning (1778–1857): priest and public education advocate, worked in Ringsaker *

Hovel Helseth Hovel Helseth (27 August 1779 – 8 November 1865) was a Norwegian industrial entrepreneur and politician. He was a pioneer in the Norwegian textile industry in the first half of the 1800s. Background Helseth was born at Nes (now Ringsaker) in Hed ...

(1779 in Nes – 1865): industrial pioneer in the Norwegian textile industry * Gustav Heiberg (1856 in Nes – 1935): barrister and politician, mayor of Hamar pre-WWI *

Adolph M. Christianson Adolph M. Christianson (August 11, 1877 – February 11, 1954) was an attorney and a justice of the North Dakota Supreme Court. Background Adolph Marcus Christianson was born at Brumunddal in Ringsaker, Hedmark County, Norway. He came to the Uni ...

(1877 in Brumunddal – 1954): justice of the

North Dakota Supreme Court The North Dakota Supreme Court is the highest court of law in the state of North Dakota. The Court rules on questions of law in appeals from the state's district courts. Each of the five justices are elected on a no-party ballot for ten year te ...

* Johannes Bøe (1891 in Ringsaker – 1971): archaeologist *

Sven Sømme Sven Sømme (19 November 1904 – 2 December 1961) was a Norwegian zoologist and ichthyologist. He was born in Ringsaker to physician Jacob Dybwad Sømme and Helene Sofie Sørensen. He was a brother of zoologist Iacob Dybwad Sømme, and his ...

(1904 in Ringsaker – 1961): zoologist and ichthyologist and WWII XU activist *

Helge Skappel Helge Sommerfelt Skappel (5 September 1907 – 17 October 2001) was a Norwegian aviator, photographer and cartographer. He was among the early aviation company owners in Norway, and later became known as a photographer in Widerøe from 1934 to 1 ...

(1907 in Ringsaker – 2001): aviator, photographer and cartographer *

Peter A. Munch Peter Andreas Munch (December 19, 1908 – January 10, 1984) was a Norwegian-born sociologist, educator, and writer. In 1948, he immigrated to the United States as a post-doctoral research fellow studying Norwegian-American rural sociology in th ...

(1908 in Nes – 1984): sociologist, academic and author; US emigrant, twice worked on Tristan da Cunha *

Imre Hercz Imre Hercz (10 March 1929 – 24 July 2011) was a Jews, Jewish Hungarian Jews, Hungarian-Norwegian Jews, Norwegian physician and public debater. Hercz was born in Transylvania and had his childhood years in Nagyvárad, in the Nagyvárad#History, ...

(1929–2011): Jewish Hungarian-Norwegian physician and public debater, worked in Brumunddal *

(born 1948 in Ringsaker): politician, mayor of Ringsaker 1991 to 2007

The arts

Lars Pinnerud Lars Pinnerud (18 August 1700 – 1762) was a Norwegian farmer and woodcarver. He was the most prominent woodcarver in Hedmark in the early 18th century. His works influenced later artists in Hedmark and Oppland, in particular in the Gudbrand ...

(1700 in Furnes – 1762): farmer and woodcarver *

Peder Balke Peder Balke (November 4, 1804 – February 5, 1887) was a Norwegian painter. He is known for portraying the landscape of Norway in a romantic and dramatic manner. Biography Peder Andersen was born on the island of Helgøya, in Hedmark county, N ...

(1804–1887): painter of romantic and dramatic landscapes, brought up in Ringsaker * Ole Rynning (1809 in Ringsaker – 1838): emigrant pioneer and author * Gudmund Stenersen (1863 in Ringsaker – 1934): painter, illustrator and dentist * Tryggve Andersen (1866 in Ringsaker – 1920): novelist, poet and storywriter * Sigrid Undset (1882–1949): author, awarded the 1928 Nobel Prize for Literature, buried at

* Nils Johan Rud (1908 in Ringsaker – 1993): novelist, writer of short stories and magazine editor * Alf Prøysen (1914 in Ringsaker – 1970): author, poet, playwright, songwriter and musician * Jon Balke (born 1955 in Furnes): jazz pianist, leads the

Magnetic North Orchestra Magnetic North Orchestra established in Oslo, Norway (1992–2005) was a Norwegian jazz orchestra, created and led by Jon Balke. MNO was originally a jazz ensemble inspired by Oslo 13, put together with strings and percussion. As Olympic musica ...

* Helge Lien (born 1975 in Moelv): jazz pianist, composer, band leader and photographer *

Julia Schacht Julia Elise Schacht (born 13 July 1982) is a Norwegian actress, born on the island of Helgøya in the lake Mjøsa. Biography Schacht was educated at Oslo National Academy of the Arts and Nordic Institute of Stage and Studio. She had her début ...

(born 1982 on Helgøya): actress IMDb Database
retrieved 04 October 2020 *

Gaute Ormåsen Gaute Ormåsen (born 20 April 1983 in Brumunddal, Hedmark) is a Norwegian singer and was the Idol runner-up to Kurt Nilsen in 2003. He represented Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022 along with Ben Adams as a part of pop band Subwoolfer. ...

(born 1983 in Brumunddal): singer

Sport

Olivius Skymoen The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were o ...

(1857 in Grefsheim – 1909): sports shooter, competed at the

1908 Summer Olympics The 1908 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the IV Olympiad and also known as London 1908) were an international multi-sport event held in London, England, United Kingdom, from 27 April to 31 October 1908. The 1908 Games were ori ...

* Kolbjørn Kvam (1865 in Nes – 1933): sports shooter, competed at the

* Ansten Samuelstuen (1929 in Brøttum – 2012): Norwegian-American ski jumper, competed in 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 * Ja ...

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 ...

* Ole Ellefsæter (born 1939 in Furnes): retired cross-country skier, won two gold medals at the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

Mia Svele Mia Svele (born 16 April 2001) is a Norwegian handball player for Storhamar HE. She is a daughter of former handballer and handball commentator Bent Svele. She also participated at the 2018 Women's Youth World Handball Championship, placing 11 ...

(born 2001 in Ringsaker): handball player

Gallery

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 ...

Municipal website
{{use dmy dates, date=March 2022 Municipalities of Innlandet 1838 establishments in Norway