Østre Toten is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Innlandet Innlandet is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (Jevnaker Municipality and Lunner Municipality were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken ( ...

county,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Toten Toten is a Districts of Norway, 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 ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the village of Lena. Other villages in the municipality include Kapp, Kolbu, Kraby, Lensbygda, Nordlia,

Skreia Skreia is a village in Østre Toten Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located on the western shore of the large lake Mjøsa, about southeast of the village of Lena, Norway, Lena and about to the south of the village of Ka ...

, and Sletta. The municipality is the 193rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Østre Toten is the 83rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 14,896. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

is and its population has increased by 0.9% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The parish of Østre Toten was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

law). On 1 January 1875, there was a border change between Vestre Toten Municipality and Østre Toten Municipality. On 1 January 1896, a small area of Østre Toten (population: 49) was transferred to the neighboring Vardal Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee () was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring Kolbu Municipality (population: 2,909) was merged with Østre Toten to form a new, larger Østre Toten Municipality.

Etymology

The municipality is named ''Østre Toten'' after the district of

(). The name is identical with the word which has an uncertain meaning, but it might be from the word which means "the pleasant district" or "something one likes". The

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

of Toten was divided into two parts (eastern and western) in 1825 and the first word, was added to signify that this was the "eastern" part, thus the name was ''Østre Toten'' which means "(the) eastern (part of) Toten".

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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

was granted on 27 March 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 an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"

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 versio ...

, a potato plant

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

"'' (). This means the arms have a green field (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 a potato plant. The potato plant 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 ...

which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field symbolizes the importance of agriculture in the municipality and the potato was chosen since that is a particularly important crop that is grown in the municipality. The arms were designed by Arne Løvstand. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

has five parishes () within the municipality of Østre Toten. It is part of the Toten prosti (

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Geography

Østre Toten is bordered to the west by Vestre Toten, to the north by

Gjøvik Gjøvik () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Gjøvik (town), town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Norway, Biri, Bybrua, ...

, as well as by Hurdal and

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the munic ...

in neighboring Akershus county. The highest peak is Torsæterkampen with a height of . Settlement in Østre Toten is predominantly dispersed. In January 2015, 42.6% of the population lived in areas defined as urban settlements by

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, 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 year on its web site. All rele ...

, compared to 81% for Norway as a whole. The urban settlements in Østre Toten are Kapp, Kolbu, Lena, Lensbygda, Nordlia,

and Sletta.

History

According to the

saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

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 (, ) in ''Beowulf''. When ''Beowulf'' and ''Ynglingatal'' were composed sometime ...

in Norway. He conquered

Romerike Romerike is a Districts of Norway, traditional district located north-east of Oslo, in what is today south-eastern Norway. It consists of the Akershus municipalities Lillestrøm, Lørenskog, Nittedal, Rælingen and Aurskog-Høland in the southern ...

, part of

Hedmark Hedmark () was a Counties of Norway, county in Norway from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmar ...

, part of

Vestfold Vestfold () is a county and a current electoral district in Norway. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it borders Buskerud and Telemark counties. The county administration is located in Tønsberg, Norway's oldest city, and the larg ...

, 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, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. 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 Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

and Norway from 1513–1523 and also the King of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

from 1520–1521, under the

Kalmar Union The Kalmar Union was a personal union in Scandinavia, agreed at Kalmar in Sweden as designed by Queen Margaret I of Denmark, Margaret of Denmark. From 1397 to 1523, it joined under a single monarch the three kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden (then in ...

. 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 the largest lake in Norway and the fourth deepest in Norway and Europe. It is located in the southern part of Norway, about north of the city of Oslo. Its main tributary is the river Gudbrandsdalslågen flowing in from the north; the ...

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 a given religion, serving as both a home and a base for the occupant's ministry. Residences of this type can have a variety of names, such as manse, p ...

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

Hamar Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...

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 county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...

county until 1756, when it 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 ...

county. Lauritz Weidemann, Corporal Peder Balke, and Niels Dyhren from Toten attended the 1814 constitutional convention at Eidsvold.

Government

Østre Toten Municipality is responsible for

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

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. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or 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 object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

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, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

of Østre Toten is made up of 29 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, 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 oft ...

Mayors

The

mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

of Østre Toten: *1838-1847: Peder Fauchald *1848-1849: Ole Larsen Hammerstad *1850-1856: Peder Fauchald *1856-1861: Ole Larsen Hammerstad *1862-1865: Jacob Brager *1866-1869: Hans Henrik Thaulow Borchgrevink *1870-1871: Ole Larsen Hammerstad *1872-1875: Carl Schjøll *1876-1877: Hans Laurits O. Hammerstad *1878-1893:

Martin Adolf Andersen Martin Adolf Andersen (17 January 1844 – 21 December 1927) was a Norwegian farmer and politician for the Liberal Party. He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament in 1889, representing the constituency of Kristians Amt (now Oppland). He only ...

*1894-1897: Peder Madsen Wang *1898-1907: Adolf Rogneby *1908-1910: Peder Madsen Wang ( LL) *1911-1913: Even Fodstad ( LL) *1914-1922: Ole Weflen ( AD) *1923-1925: Kristian Ørud ( Bp) *1926-1928: Even Fodstad ( Bp) *1929-1931: Ole Aass ( Bp) *1932-1934: Ole Festad ( Bp) *1935-1940: Einar Hermanrud ( Ap) *1941-1943: Hans Rognerud ( NS) *1943-1945: Nils Lundbæk ( NS) *1945-1945: Per Gjestvang ( NS) *1945-1967: Einar Hermanrud ( Ap) *1968-1975: Fredrik Bredli ( Ap) *1976-1983: Johan Nygaard ( Ap) *1984-1991: Helge Røragen ( Ap) *1992-1995: Hans Bjerregård ( Ap) *1996-2003: Tor Finstad ( Sp) *2004-2015: Hans Seierstad ( Sp) *2015-2019: Guri Bråthen ( Ap) *2019–present: Bror Helgestad ( Sp)

Climate

Østre Toten has a subarctic climate (Dfc). It is very close to a

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm to hot summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in central and eastern parts of the three northern-tier continents (North America, Europe, and Asia), typi ...

as September averages and May averages . Summer is the wettest time of year and winters are cold and snowy.

Economy

Østre Toten is one of the Innlandet's most productive farming municipalities. Østre Toten is Norway's largest producers of

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es and

onion An onion (''Allium cepa'' , from Latin ), also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus '' Allium''. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classifie ...

s. This is reflected in the municipality's coat of arms, which displays a potato plant. The KiMs factory (which produces

potato chip Potato chips (North American English and Australian English; often just chip) or crisp (British English and Hiberno-English) are thin slices of potato (or a thin deposit of potato paste) that has been deep frying, deep fried, baking, baked, ...

s) is located at

Attractions

Among the town's most notable landmarks are the old Hoff Church and the rock carvings at Glemmestad near Kapp, now displayed in the Toten Museum.

Notable people

Public Service

* Ole Hannibal Sommerfelt (1753 at Sukkestad – 1821), a jurist, civil servant, and

topographer Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary scienc ...

* Lauritz Weidemann (1775 in Sukkestad – 1856), a Norwegian judge, civil servant, and politician * Niels Fredriksen Dyhren (1778 in Østre Toten – 1866) & Peder Paulsen Balke (1779 in Østre Toten –1840), farmers, non-commissioner military officers and representatives at the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly * Eduard Bøckmann (1849 in Østre Toten – 1927), a Norwegian-American ophthalmologist and physician * E. W. Everson (1857 in Hveem - 1931), a pioneer homesteader in

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

* Kristian Ørud (1878 at Skjefstad – 1946), a farmer and Mayor of Østre Toten in the 1920s * twins Adolf Bredo Stabell (1908 in Kolbu – 1996), a Norwegian diplomat & Peter Platou Stabell (1908 in Kolbu – 1992), a Norwegian barrister. * Atle Ørbeck Sørheim (born 1933 in Østre Toten), a Norwegian veterinarian and civil servant

The Arts

* Peder Balke (1804–1887), a painter of romantic and dramatic landscapes, lived in Toten * Marie Wexelsen (1832 in Østre Toten – 1911), an educator, poet, children's writer, and novelist * Leif Solberg (1914 in Lena – 2016), a Norwegian classical composer and organist * Margit Sandemo (1924 in Lena – 2018), a Norwegian-Swedish historical fantasy author *

Svein Erik Brodal Svein Erik Brodal (born 21 February 1939 in Østre Toten, Oppland) is a Norwegian actor, theatre director, poet, novelist and politician. He made his stage debut at Det Norske Teatret in 1960, and served as theatre director from 1979 to 1990. He ...

(born 1939 in Østre Toten), an actor, theatre director, novelist and politician * Einar Steen-Nøkleberg (1944 in Østre Toten), a classical pianist and musical pedagogue * Inger Lise Rypdal (born 1949 in Lena), a Norwegian singer and actress * Maj Britt Andersen (born 1956 in Østre Toten), a Norwegian singer *

Eldar Vågan Eldar Vågan (born 30 August 1960) is best known as the songwriter and guitarist in Vazelina Bilopphøggers. Previously he was a guitarist in the rock band Baiage. Vågan has also developed his own solo musical career as well as being a published ...

(born 1960 in Kapp), a songwriter and guitarist in Vazelina Bilopphøggers *

Knut Anders Sørum Knut Anders Sørum (born 12 April 1976) is a Norwegian singer from Østre Toten. He represented Norway at Eurovision Song Contest 2004 in Istanbul with the pop-ballad "High (Knut Anders Sørum song), High". He was also a vocalist and keyboard pla ...

(born 1976 in Østre Toten), a singer at the Eurovision Song Contest 2004

Sport

* Alv Gjestvang (1937 in Østre Toten − 2016), a speed skater, bronze and silver medallist at the

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 (), were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964. The city was a ...

* Arne Senstad (born 1969 in Kapp), a professional Norwegian handball coach * Ruben Gabrielsen (born 1992 in Lena), a professional footballer with over 200 club caps

Sister cities

Østre Toten 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 inte ...

agreements with the following places: * – Jammerbugt,

Region Nordjylland The North Jutland Region (), or in some official sources, the North Denmark Region, is an administrative region of Denmark established on 1 January 2007 as part of the 2007 Danish municipal reform, which abolished the traditional counties () an ...

, Denmark * – Kesälahti, Itä-Suomi, Finland * – Rättvik,

Dalarna County Dalarna County () is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden (Svealand). It borders on the counties of Uppsala, Jämtland, Gävleborg, Västmanland, Örebro and Värmland. It also borders on the Norwegian counties of Hedmark and Trøndelag to ...

, Sweden

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ostre Toten Municipalities of Innlandet 1838 establishments in Norway