Søndre Land 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 t ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

. 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

Hov A high-occupancy vehicle lane (also known as an HOV lane, carpool lane, diamond lane, 2+ lane, and transit lane or T2 or T3 lanes) is a restricted traffic lane reserved for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers, i ...

. Other villages in the municipality include

Fluberg Fluberg is a village in Søndre Land Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located near the north end of the Randsfjorden, about north of the village of Hov and about to the southeast of the village of Dokka. The village wa ...

and

Odnes Odnes is a village in Søndre Land Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located on the north side of the Randsfjorden along County Road 33 and it is named after the nearby Odnes farm. The village lies about to the southeast ...

. The municipality is the 156th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Søndre Land is the 171st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,535. 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 RosenberPopul ...

is and its population has decreased by 3.9% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The old Land Municipality was established on 1 January 1838 after the

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 went into effect. This municipality was quite large and in less than a decade, the municipality was divided. In 1847, the old Land Municipality was divided into

Nordre Land Nordre 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 Dokka. Other villages in the municipality include Vest-Torpa, Nord-T ...

(population: 4,595) in the north and Søndre Land (population: 4,604) in the south. On 1 January 1868, a part of Søndre Land (population: 340) was transferred to

. On 1 January 1900, an unpopulated area of Søndre Land was transferred to the neighboring municipality of

Vardal Vardal is a former municipality in the old Oppland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now divided between Gjøvik Municipality and Vestre Toten Municipality in the traditional district ...

. On 1 January 1914, Søndre Land municipality was divided into two municipalities:

(population: 2,027) in the north and Søndre Land (population: 3,374) in the south. 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 1962, the municipality of Søndre Land (population: 4,339) was merged with most of the neighboring municipality of

(population: 2,110).

Name

The municipality was named after the historical district of

which was once a petty kingdom of its own. The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

form of the name was ''Land'' which means "

land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

". In 1847, when the old Land Municipality was divided, the municipality was named ''Søndre Land'', using the old name plus the word ''Søndre'' which means "southern", therefore the name means "(the) southern (part of) Land".

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was granted on 21 June 1985. 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 vis ...

is "In Azure, three branched tree trunks in bend Or" ( no, I blått tre skråstilte kvistede gull trestammer). This means the arms have a blue

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 ...

(background) and the

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * '' Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * ''Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is branched

tree trunks In botany, the trunk (or bole) is the stem and main wooden axis of a tree, which is an important feature in tree identification, and which often differs markedly from the bottom of the trunk to the top, depending on the species. The trunk is the ...

. The tree trunks 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 it is colored yellow most of the time, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The blue color in the field symbolizes the water of the

Randsfjorden Randsfjorden is Norway's fourth-largest lake with an area of . Its volume is estimated at just over , and its greatest depth is . The lake is located at an elevation of above sea level. It is located in Innlandet and Viken counties in the munic ...

which dominates the central part of the municipality. The tree trunks were chosen to symbolise the importance of

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

and the

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

s in the municipality.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes () within the municipality of Søndre Land. 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) 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 ...

) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Geography

Søndre Land is bordered on the north by

Nordre Land Municipality Nordre 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 Dokka. Other villages in the municipality include Vest-Torpa, Nord-T ...

, on the east by

Gjøvik Municipality is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Bybrua, and Hunndalen. The ...

and

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, Ei ...

, on the west by

Sør-Aurdal Municipality Sør-Aurdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bagn. Other villages in the municipality include Begna, Hedalen, a ...

, and on the south by

Gran Municipality is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hadeland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Jaren. Other villages in Gran include Bjoneroa, Brandbu, Egge, Gran, and ...

in Innlandet county. It is also bordered to the west by

Ringerike Municipality Ringerike is a municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hønefoss. The municipality ...

Buskerud Buskerud () is a former county and a current electoral district in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark and Vestfold. The region extends from the Oslofjord and Drammensfjorden in the southeast to Ha ...

county. Søndre Land is on a north–south axis and east-west. It lies in the south of Innlandet and on the northern end of the 4th largest lake in Norway,

. The highest elevation in the municipality is Skjellinghovde with a height of . The lake Vestre Bjonevatnet lies in the southwestern corner of the municipality.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Søndre Land, 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,

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 (human activity), w ...

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 o ...

, 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 counci ...

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 a ...

. The municipality falls under the Vestre Innlandet District Court 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 Søndre Land 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 feature f ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors

The mayors of Søndre Land (incomplete list): *1946–1975: Bernt Skjølaas ( Ap) *1976–1982: Kåre Inngjerdingen ( Ap) *1982–1994: Bjørn Hansen ( Ap) *1994–1999: Ellen H. Magnussen ( Ap) *1999–2011: Reidar Eriksen ( LL) *2011–2019: Terje Odden ( Ap) *2019–present: Anne Hagenborg ( Ap)

Media gallery

Hov Kirke Church (1781), Søndre Land Municipality, Oppland County, Norway. Springtime, cemetery, graveyard, Randsfjorden lake, etc. 2017-03-27 IMG 2085.jpg, Hov Kirke Church (1781), Søndre Land Municipality FV139 Fluberg bru I.jpg, Fluberg bru Landåsbygda og Landåsvannet en høstdag 29-09-19.jpg, Landåsbygda og Landåsvannet en høstdag

Notable residents

Ellen Andrea Wang Oslo Jazzfestival 2017 (190130)

* Christian Ancher (1711-1765) a Norwegian merchant, timber trader and ship owner * Peder Aadnes (1739–1792) a Norwegian rural painter *

Jørgen Meinich Jørgen Henrik Meinich (24 March 1820 – 8 September 1911) was a Norwegian jurist and industrialist. He was born in Søndre Land as a son of stipendiary magistrate Jens Christian Meinich (1787–1855) and Lisa Berg (1795–1824). He was a broth ...

(1820-1911) a Norwegian jurist and wood processor * Martin Smeby (1891-1975), politician, Mayor of Søndre Land in 1930's *

Ola Viker Ola Viker (1897–1972) was a Norwegian novelist and lawyer. Viker was born in Fluberg, Oppland. He made his literary debut in 1951 with the novel ''Gullskoen''. He was awarded the Gyldendal's Endowment Gyldendal's Endowment was a literature prize ...

(1897-1942) a Norwegian novelist and lawyer *

Håvard Narum Håvard Narum (born 23 June 1944) is a Norwegian journalist and author. Biography Born in Hov, Norway, Narum has degrees in political science, history and English from the University of Oslo. He started his career in journalism at ''Oppland Arbe ...

(born 1944) a Norwegian journalist and author. *

Ola Skjølaas Ola Skjølaas (18 September 1941 – 7 July 2006) was a Norwegian veterinarian, civil servant and politician for the Labour Party. He was born in Søndre Land. A veterinarian by education, he took his doctoral degree in Hannover in 1969. He w ...

(1941-2006) a Norwegian veterinarian, civil servant and politician * Per Blom (1946-2013) a Norwegian film director IMDb Database
retrieved 25 December 2020 *

Finn Thrana Finn Thrana (8 March 1915, Søndre Land – 21 January 2006) was a Norwegian barrister and civil servant for Nasjonal Samling. He was a jurist by education, having graduated from the Royal Frederick University in 1938. From the same year he wo ...

(1958–2006) a Norwegian barrister and civil servant for

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 a ...

Ellen Andrea Wang Ellen Andrea Wang (born 10 October 1986 in Gjøvik, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (double bass and singer) and composer. She is the cousin of singer-songwriter Marthe Wang. Raised in Søndre Land, Oppland, she released her debut album, ' ...

(born 1986) a Norwegian jazz double bass player, singer and composer

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 ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sondre Land Municipalities of Innlandet Land, Norway 1847 establishments in Norway