Vestre Toten 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

Toten Toten is a traditional district in Innlandet county in the eastern part of Norway. It consists of the municipalities Østre Toten and Vestre Toten. The combined population of Toten is approximately 27,000. The largest town is Raufoss with appro ...

. 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 Raufoss. Other villages in the municipality include Bøverbru,

Eina Eina is a village in Vestre Toten Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the Gjøvikbanen railway line, between the villages of Jaren and Raufoss. The village of Eina is located south of the municipal centre of ...

, and

Reinsvoll Reinsvoll is a village in Vestre Toten Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the Norwegian National Road 4 between the villages of Eina and Raufoss. Reinsvoll has a train station that is located along the Gj� ...

. The municipality is the 287th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vestre Toten is the 89th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 13,572. 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 5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Vestre Toten 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 1875, there was a border adjustment between Østre Toten Municipality and Vestre Toten Municipality. On 1 January 1908, the municipality was divided into three parts: Kolbu Municipality (population: 2,412) in the southeast,

Eina Municipality Eina is a former municipality in the old Oppland county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1908 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vestre Toten Municipality in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centr ...

(population: 1,173) in the southwest, and Vestre Toten Municipality (population: 4,027) in the north. 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 1964, the following areas were merged to form a new, larger Vestre Toten Municipality: *all of the old Vestre Toten Municipality (population: 9,113) *the Sørligrenda area of Vardal Municipality (population: 87) *all of the old

(population: 1,591) *the area on 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 ...

from

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 ...

(population: 12)

Name

The municipality is named after the district of

. The first word ''Vestre'' means "western", thus the meaning of the name ''Vestre Toten'' is "(the) western (part of) Toten". (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 ...

of Toten was divided in 1825 and in 1838, the parish became a civil municipality.) The name ''Toten'' ( non, Þótn) has an unknown meaning, but it might mean "the pleasant district" or "something one likes".

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 3 May 1991. 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

vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme versi ...

, two

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

knives in bend sinister" ( no, I grønt to sølv kniver skråstilt venstre-høyre). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a

knife A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evid ...

(specifically a special local knife known as a ''Toten knife''). The knife has 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 argent which means it is colored white most of the time, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field symbolizes the local forests and agriculture and the knife was chosen since the area has a long tradition of

wood carving Wood carving is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentati ...

and knife making. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn.

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 three parishes () within the municipality of Vestre Toten. It is part of the

Toten 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 eac ...

(

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

According to the

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. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to th ...

s, Halfdan Hvitbeinn ''(Whiteleg)'' was the first

Yngling The Ynglings were a dynasty of kings, first in Sweden and later in Norway, primarily attested through the poem '' Ynglingatal''. The dynasty also appears as Scylfings ( Old Norse ''Skilfingar'') in ''Beowulf''. When ''Beowulf'' and ''Ynglingatal' ...

in Norway. He conquered Romerike, part of Hedmark, part of

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered ...

, and

. He was killed in Toten around the year 740. In 1021, according to saga, King Olaf (reigned 1015–1028) converted Toten to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

. Also, King Håkon IV (reigned 1217–1263) came to Toten around the year 1226 to settle local unrest. Christian II (1481–1559) was a Danish monarch and King of

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 ...

and Norway from 1513–1523 and also the King of

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 ...

from 1520–1521, under the

Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union ( Danish, Norwegian, and sv, Kalmarunionen; fi, Kalmarin unioni; la, Unio Calmariensis) was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden, that from 1397 to 1523 joined under a single monarch the three kingdo ...

. Prior to becoming king, Duke Christian was sent to Norway in 1506 by John II (also called Hans), King of Norway (1483–1513) to take charge of the kingdom. In 1507, he became aware of a revolt in Hedmark. In early 1508, he took a force there, routing the rebellion. He then rowed across 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 ...

to Toten, capturing residents, imprisoning them in the vaulted cellar of the

rectory A clergy house is the residence, or former residence, of one or more priests or ministers of religion. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, parsonage, rectory or vicarage. Function A clergy house is typically o ...

in Østre Toten and torturing them there. As a result, he determined that Bishop Karl of

Hamar Hamar is a town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the traditional region of Hedmarken. The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lak ...

had been behind the rebellion. With Bishop Karl as his captive, he was able to suppress the unrest. Toten was a part of

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main cou ...

county until 1756, when it was became part of

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The c ...

county.

Lauritz Weidemann Lauritz Weidemann (27 November 1775 – 1 August 1856) was a Norwegian judge, civil servant and politician. He served as county governor for almost 35 years, participated at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly in 1814, and was a member of the ...

, Corporal Peder Balke, and Nels Dyhren from Toten attended the 1814 constitutional convention at Eidsvold.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Vestre Toten, 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,

welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specifical ...

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 and utilities. 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 Vestre Toten is made up of representatives that are elected to four year terms. X, 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:

Mayors

The mayors of Vestre Toten: *1838-1843: Peder Tollefsen Hallingstad *1844-1845: Johannes Johannessen Westrum *1846-1847: Hans Lemmich Juell *1848-1853: Wilhelm Christian Magelssen *1854-1855: Christian Eilert Heyerdahl *1856-1857: Johannes Johannessen Westrum *1858-1865: Christian Grønland *1866-1871: Lars Christiansen Blilie *1872-1885: Ole Christian Præstesæter *1886-1890: Peder Olsen Hohle *1890-1891: L. A. Grefsrud *1892-1893: Anton Jørgensen Røstøen *1894-1895: Ole Christian Præstesæter *1896-1901: Anton Jørgensen Røstøen *1902-1907: Mathias Blilie ( LL) *1908-1916: Olav Larsson Gjørvad ( AD) *1917-1922: Peder Markus Hansen Nauf ( AD) *1923-1940: Severin Olsen ( Ap) *1940-1942: Hans Henrik Petersen ( NS) *1942-1945: Ole Thorsrud ( NS) *1945-1945: Severin Olsen ( Ap) *1946-1951: Helge Sunde ( Ap) *1952-1955: Hans J. Kjelsberg ( Ap) *1956-1979: Sigurd Østlien ( Ap) *1980-1995: Svein Erik Strandlie ( Ap) *1995-2011: Stein Knutsen ( Ap) *2011-2019: Leif Waarum ( Ap) *2019-present: Stian Olafsen ( Ap)

Geography

Vestre Toten is located along the large lake

. The municipality is bordered by Østre Toten Municipality to the east,

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 ...

to the north, Søndre Land Municipality to the west, and

to the southwest. The highest point in the municipality is Lauvhøgda with a height of . The

Hunnselva Hunnselva is a river in Innlandet and Viken counties in Norway. The long river is located mostly in Innlandet county, but the headwaters are actually just over the border in Viken county. The river generally flows north and it runs through t ...

river runs through the lake

and flows through the whole municipality before going into Gjøvik where it empties into the large lake

Economy

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 industry are important. Raufoss Aluminum is a major employer in the community. The Gjøvikbanen railway line passes through the community.

Notable people

* Frøis Frøisland (1883 in Raufoss – 1930) a Norwegian newspaper correspondent and editor * Karsten Gaarder (1902 in Vestre Toten – 1980) Justice of the Supreme Court of Norway * Halfdan Hegtun (1918–2012) a radio personality, comedian, writer and former politician * Aud Blegen Svindland (1928 in Vestre Toten – 2019) physician and women's rights activist * Ronni Le Tekrø (born 1963) a guitarist with

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest ha ...

band TNT, lives in Raufoss * Bente Nordby (born 1974 in Raufoss) a former Norwegian football goalkeeper with 172 caps for Norway women

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 ...

* {{use dmy dates, date=November 2022 Municipalities of Innlandet 1838 establishments in Norway