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 ...

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). ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, 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 ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Hadeland Hadeland () is a traditional district in the southeastern part of Norway. It is centered on the southern part of the large lake Randsfjorden in Innlandet and Viken counties. The district consists of the municipalities Gran in Innlandet county ...

. 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 village of Jaren. Other villages in Gran include Bjoneroa,

Brandbu Brandbu is a village in Gran Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located in Hadeland, along the eastern shore of the large lake Randsfjorden, about to the northwest of the capital city of Oslo. Brandbu and its neighbori ...

, Egge,

Gran Gran may refer to: People * Grandmother, affectionately known as "gran" *Gran (name) Places * Gran, the historical German name for Esztergom, a city and the primatial metropolitan see of Hungary * Gran, Norway, a municipality in Innlandet cou ...

, and Ringstad. The municipality is the 148th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Gran is the 88th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 13,633. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

is and its population has increased by 1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Dynna stone left side, Hadeland Folkemuseum, 2008-06-01

The

prestegjeld A ''prestegjeld'' was a geographic and administrative area within 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 ...

of Gran was established as a municipality 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 Janu ...

law). On 1 January 1874, an unpopulated area of Gran Municipality was transferred to the neighboring Jevnaker Municipality. On 1 January 1897, the municipality was divided into two. The northern part of the municipality (population: 4,719) became the new municipality of

and the southern part of the municipality (population: 3,897) remained as Gran municipality. 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 Munici ...

. On 1 January 1962, the Furulund area of Gran on the west side of the lake Randsfjorden (population: 180) was transferred to the neighboring Jevnaker Municipality. Also on that date, the remaining part of Gran (population: 5,249) was merged with Brandbu Municipality (population: 6,477) to form a new, larger Gran Municipality. On 1 January 1964, the part of Gran located at the south end of the lake

Einavatnet Einavatnet is a lake which lies in Vestre Toten Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The lake lies at an elevation of above sea level. The lake lies in the southern portion of the municipality, about south of the municipal centre, Raufos ...

(population: 12) was transferred to the neighboring

Vestre Toten Municipality Vestre 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 Raufoss. Other villages in the municipality include Bøverbru, Eina, ...

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 or ...

) is named after the old ''Gran'' farm ( non, Grǫn) since the first church was built there. The name is identical with the word which means "

spruce A spruce is a tree of the genus ''Picea'' (), a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal (taiga) regions of the Earth. ''Picea'' is the sole genus in the subfam ...

tree".

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 11 December 1987. The official

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct the appropriate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The ...

is "In

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). In engraving, it is sometimes depict ...

, two points ending in a

cross bottony A number of cross symbol A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Lati ...

in Or" ( no, I rødt to gull spisser som ender i kløverbladkors). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is two triangles stretching upwards with a

bottony A number of cross symbols were developed for the purpose of the emerging system of heraldry, which appeared in Western Europe in about 1200. This tradition is partly in the use of the Christian cross an emblem from the 11th century, and increasi ...

cross on the tip of each triangle. The triangles and crosses have a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

of Or which means they are colored yellow most of the time, but if they are made out of metal, then gold is used. The triangles and crosses were meant to represent the spires of the medieval Sister Churches which are located in the municipality. The arms were designed by Kari Ruud Flem from Jevnaker.

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 ...

has four parishes () within the municipality of Gran. It is part of the

Hadeland og Land 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), Viken county) in Norway. The list is divided into several sections ...

(

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 reside ...

) in 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 divid ...

History

Granavollen is the site of the Sister Churches ( no, Søsterkirkene). These two stone churches are from the

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 ...

and were constructed side by side. The smaller and older is the ''Mariakirke'', a single

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

church built in the Romanesque style, built sometime before 1150. The neighbouring ''Nikolaikirke'' is a three-aisled

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its nam ...

, probably inspired by the construction of the ''St. Halvardskirke'' in

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 of ...

. It was built sometime between 1150 and 1200. According to local

folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, rangin ...

, the churches were built by two sisters. These two detested each other so much they could not share the same church. A more likely explanation however, is that the ''Mariakirke'' was built for the local congregation, while the ''Nikolaikirke'' was the main church for Hadeland parish. The Granavollen stone is located behind the ''Nikolaikirken''. The Old Tingelstad Church (''Tingelstad St.Petri Kirke'') is another medieval stone church. It is a Romanesque stone church, dated to the 12th century and dedicated to St.Peter. This church has survived even though it has not been in regular use for some 140 years. This is also the location of Hadeland Folkemuseum with a collection of buildings from the area, farm implements, a grave mound from the

Viking Era The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the ...

, and a replica of the 11th century Dynna Runestone (''Dynnasteinen''). It also holds an archive of photographs and documents.

Economy

In 2002, the economy of the municipality was in free income per inhabitant, and the net debt per inhabitant was (also municipal economy, not private). Health care spending represents about one-third of the total municipal budget, which is 7.5% higher than the average for Norway. The

Norwegian National Road 4 Norwegian National Road 4 ( no, Riksvei 4, ) is a national road in Norway which is the main route north from the capital city of Oslo to the junction with the European route E6 highway at the village of Biri in Gjøvik Municipality. The road ...

runs through the most populated parts of Gran, bringing lots of transportation traffic.

Geography

Gran is part of the

region. It is bordered to the north by the municipalities of

Søndre Land Søndre Land is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Land. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hov. Other villages in the municipality include Fluberg and Odnes. T ...

and Vestre Toten (in

county), to the east by Hurdal and Nannestad, to the south by Lunner and Jevnaker, and to the west by Ringerike. There are several lakes in Gran including Øyangen, Randsfjorden, and Vestre Bjonevatnet.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Gran, 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 ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

, senior citizen 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 refe ...

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 adminis ...

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 o ...

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 ...

Municipal council

The

of Gran 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 featu ...

breakdown of the municipal council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Gran (incomplete list): *1837-1839: Carl Jacob Bergh *1856-1861: Amund Larsen Gulden *1864-1867: Amund Larsen Gulden *1945-1946: Olaf Prestsæter ( Bp) *1946-1948: Paul A. Grini ( Bp) *1948-1951: Axel Moger ( Ap) *1952-1954: Lars Skovly ( Ap) *1955-1956: Axel Bråten ( Ap) *1956-1959: Torgrim Dynna ( Bp) *1960-1961: Kristian Torgalsen ( Ap) *1962-1965: Jens Røisli ( Ap) *1966-1970: Alf Skovly ( Ap) *1970-1979: Gunnar Sagbakken ( Ap) *1980-1995: Lars Arne Høydal ( Ap) *1996–2005:

Rigmor Aasrud Rigmor Aasrud (born 26 June 1960) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. She served in the position of deputy representative to the Norwegian Parliament from Oppland during the terms 1993–1997, 1997–2001 and 2001–2005. When the se ...

( Ap) *2005-2007: Roald Braathen ( Ap) *2007-2011: Inger Staxrud ( LL) *2011-2015: Knut Magnar Lehre ( Ap) *2015–2019: Willy Westhagen ( LL) *2019–present: Randi Eek Thorsen ( Ap)

Sister cities

Gran 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:: * - Favrskov, Region Midtjylland,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

* -

Kungsbacka Kungsbacka () (old da, Kongsbakke) is a locality and the seat of Kungsbacka Municipality in Halland County, Sweden, with 19,057 inhabitants in 2010. It is one of the most affluent parts of Sweden, in part due to its simultaneous proximity to th ...

, Halland County,

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

* - Lugazi, Kampala District,

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The ...

* - Mukono,

Mukono District Mukono is one of the districts in the Central Region of Uganda. The town of Mukono is home to the district's main commercial center and district headquarters. Location Mukono District is bordered by Kayunga District to the north, Jinja Dist ...

* - Pärnu,

Pärnu County Pärnu County ( et, Pärnu maakond or ''Pärnumaa''; german: Kreis Pernau) is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is situated in the south-western part of the country, on the coast of Gulf of Riga, and borders Lääne and Rapla counties to the nor ...

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, an ...

* - Saarijärvi, 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 Bot ...

Notable people

* Cally Monrad (1879 in Gran – 1950) a Norwegian singer, actress and poet IMDb Database
retrieved 25 December 2020 *

Hans Stenseth Hans Stenseth (30 December 1896 – 18 May 1994) was a Norwegian flautist, known as one of the leading in flautists in Norway in his time. He toured extensively and played with the country's leading ensembles. Biography Stenseth was born in Gr ...

(1896 in Gran – 1994) a leading Norwegian flautist * Kristian Horn (1903 in Brandbu – 1981) a Norwegian botanist, academic and humanist * Kirsten Langbo (1909 in Gran – 1996) a children's writer, singer-songwriter and entertainer * Ulla-Mari Brantenberg (born 1947) a Norwegian glass artist, lives in Brandbu * Espen Reinertsen (born 1979 in Gran) a saxophonist, flutist, composer and music producer

Sport

* Sverre Fredheim (1907 in Gan – 1981) an American Olympic skier * Torstein Seiersten (born 1931 in Brandbu) a retired speed skater, competed at the

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Pete Fleming, are kille ...

1960 Winter Olympics The 1960 Winter Olympics (officially the VIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Squaw Valley 1960) were a winter multi-sport event held from February 18 to 28, 1960, at the Squaw Valley Resort (now known as Palisades Tahoe) in Squaw Vall ...

* Trond-Arne Bredesen (born 1967 in Gran) a Nordic combined skier, competed at the

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, Mohkínsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts� ...

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 ye ...

*
Official website of Gran

Hadeland Folkemuseum

Raukr Viking Centre
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Hadeland Municipalities of Innlandet 1838 establishments in Norway