Sør-Odal 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 Odalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of

Skarnes Skarnes is the administrative centre of Sør-Odal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village lies along the river Glomma, about half-way between the villages of Disenå and Sander. The new Sør-Odal municipal hall is located in the ...

. Other villages in Sør-Odal include

Disenå Disenå is a village in Sør-Odal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The main part of the village is located south of the river Glomma, about southwest of the village of Skarnes. The Kongsvingerbanen railway line passes through the villa ...

and

Sander A sander is a power tool used to smooth surfaces by abrasion with sandpaper. Sanders have a means to attach the sandpaper and a mechanism to move it rapidly contained within a housing with means to hand-hold it or fix it to a workbench. Woodw ...

. The municipality is the 207th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sør-Odal is the 131st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,978. 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 increased by 1.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

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 ...

of ''Søndre Odalen'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time.

Name

The municipality is named after the valley in which it is located. The first element in the name is which means "south". The last element is the old district name Odalen ( non, Ódalr). The first part of this is which is a sideform of the word which means "

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of w ...

" (here it's referring to the

Glåma 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 ...

river). The last part of this is 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 prefix "Sør-" was added when the old Odalen parish was divided in 1819 into Nordre Odalen in the north and Søndre Odalen in the south. Later, spelling reforms changed the names to Nord-Odal and Sør-Odal.

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 10 January 1992. The arms show three gold keys on a red background. They represent the three parishes of Oppstad, Strøm, and

Ullern Ullern is a borough of the city of Oslo, Norway. History The borough has its name from an old farm, Norse ''Ullarin''. The first element is the genitive case of the name of the Norse god Ullr. The last element is ''vin'', meaning pasture or mea ...

and the three local bodies of water:

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 ...

, Oppstadåa, and Storsjøen. The keys symbolize justice, knowledge, and positive ideals. The arms were designed by Harald Hallstensen.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes () within the municipality of Sør-Odal. It is part of the

Solør, Vinger og Odal 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 d ...

( deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Geography

The municipality is a rural area in the Odalen valley that is located along the river

and around the southern side of the lake Storsjøen. It is bordered by the municipalities of

Eidskog Eidskog is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vinger. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skotterud. Other villages in the municipality include Magnor, Matrand, ...

in the south, by

Kongsvinger Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Aus ...

in the east, and 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 ...

and Grue in the north. The terrain is dominated by rolling hills,

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

s, and

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. The World Flora Online created by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and Missouri Botanical Garden accepts ...

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' ...

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Sør-Odal, 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

Romerike og Glåmdal District Court Romerike og Glåmdal District Court ( no, Romerike og Glåmdal tingrett) is a district court located in Innlandet and Viken counties in Norway. This court is based at three different courthouses which are located in Eidsvoll, Kongsvinger, and Lil ...

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 Sør-Odal is made up of 27 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:

Economy

The economy is based on a mix of

manufacturing Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to ...

farming 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 peopl ...

, and services. Skarnes has a train connection to

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 ...

via the

Kongsvingerbanen The Kongsvinger Line ( no, Kongsvingerbanen) is a railway line between the towns of Lillestrøm and Kongsvinger in Norway and onwards to Charlottenberg in Sweden. The railway was opened on 3 October 1862 and is Norway's second standard gauge ...

railway line.

Notable residents

* Hans Glad Bloch (1791 in Sør-Odal – 1865) a Norwegian military officer and government official * Peder Sather (1810 in Odal – 1886) American banker and philanthropist, eponym of the Sather Tower &

Sather Gate Sather Gate is a prominent landmark separating Sproul Plaza from the bridge over Strawberry Creek, leading to the center of the University of California, Berkeley campus. The gate was donated by Jane K. Sather, a benefactor of the university, i ...

UC Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...

Magnhild Haalke Magnhild Haalke (12 August 1885 – 18 October 1984) was a Norwegian novelist.Erik Bjerck Hagen"Magnhild Haalke" Store norske leksikon /ref> Biography Magnhild Camilla Kvaale was born on Vikna, an island off the Namdalen coast in Nord-Trøndel ...

(1885–1984) a Norwegian novelist and teacher for 30 years in Sør-Odal * Kåre Tveter (1922 in Sør-Odal – 2012) a Norwegian painter and illustrator * Ole A. Stang Jr. (1923 in Sør-Odal – 1998) businessman, owned and ran

Maarud Maarud AS is a Norwegian manufacturer of snack foods. Structure Their most well known product are various potato chips, branded as "Maarud Potetgull" (lit. 'potato gold'), but the company also produces other foods such as tortilla chips, peanut ...

AS *

Øystein Sunde Øystein Olaf Sunde (born 24 January 1947) is a Norwegian folk singer and guitarist. He is known for his high-speed guitar and banjo style and his satirical lyrics. Although often regarded as a comedian, Sunde is a versatile guitarist who has p ...

(born 1947) folk singer, guitarist and songwriter; brought up in Skarnes *

Martin Linnes Martin Linnes (born 20 September 1991) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Norwegian club Molde. A versatile player, he also played as a left-back, central midfielder, right midfielder and right winger. Club ca ...

(born 1991 in Sander) a footballer with over 240 club caps and 27 for

Kent Håvard Eriksen Kent Håvard Eriksen (born 29 May 1991) is a forer Norwegian footballer who plays as a striker. Club career Eriksen was born in Skarnes. He made his debut for Elverum in the 0–0 draw against Nybergsund on 14 April 2012. He scored his first ...

(born 1991 in Skarnes) a footballer with over 250 club caps

Sister cities

Sør-Odal has

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

agreements with the following places: *

Viitasaari Viitasaari is a town and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Central Finland region. The town has a population of () and covers an area of of which is water. There are all together 230 lakes in Viitasaari. Biggest lakes are Lake Keit ...

, 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 ...

Media gallery

Ulleren kirke.jpg, Ulleren kirke Oppstadåa I.JPG, Oppstadåa i Sør-Odal Sør-Odal, Norway - panoramio (1).jpg, Sør-Odal Maarud Airport.jpg, Maarud Airport

References

External links

*
Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway {{DEFAULTSORT:Sor-Odal Municipalities of Innlandet 1838 establishments in Norway