Kirkenær is 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, L ...
of
Grue Municipality
Grue is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Solør. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kirkenær. Other villages in the municipality include Bergesida, Grinder, ...
in
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 n ...
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 ...
. The village is located on the eastern shore of the river
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 ...
. The village of
Namnå lies about to the north and the village of
Grinder lies about to the south.
Grue Church is located on the south side of the village. The
Norwegian National Road 2 and the
Solørbanen railway line both run through the village.
The village has a population (2021) of 1,231 and a
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 ...
of .
History
The place is named after the Kirkenær farm and is located in the middle of
Solør Solør is a Norwegian traditional district consisting of the valley between Elverum in the north and Kongsvinger in the south. It is part of Innlandet county and it includes the municipalities Våler, Åsnes, and Grue.
Glomma valley
Glommada ...
.
In 1822, the
Grue Church fire
On 26 May 1822, during the Pentecost service, the church at Grue, Norway, caught fire and at least 113 people were killed. It is the deadliest fire disaster in the history of Norway.
Church
The old Grue Church was located close to Skulstad, n ...
occurred at
Grue Church which was located a little to the northwest of Kirkenær. It was a major fire catastrophe where at least 113 people perished in addition to destroying the church. Afterwards, the church was rebuilt about to the south, closer to the village.
When the
Solørbanen railway was completed to Kirkenær in 1893, the village rapidly grew up around the railway station.
Media gallery
15 D 13 Kirkenær - no-nb digifoto 20150731 00147 bldsa PK28386.jpg
2057 Kirkenær st. - no-nb digifoto 20150731 00128 bldsa PK28330.jpg
9 D 13 Kirkenær - no-nb digifoto 20150731 00146 bldsa PK28384.jpg
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirkenaer
Grue, Norway
Villages in Innlandet
Populated places on the Glomma River