Løten 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' ...

in Innlandet 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 Hedemarken. 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 Løten. Other villages in the municipality include Ådalsbruk, Heimdal, and Brenneriroa. The municipality is the 246th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Løten is the 133rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,836. 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 4.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The parish of ''Løiten'' 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). The name was later changed to ''Løten''. The boundaries of the municipality have never changed.

Name

The municipality (originally 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 ...

) is named after the old ''Løten'' farm (). The actual farm is probably the one which is now called ''Prestgarden'' (meaning "the vicarage"), where the first Løten Church was built. The first element is which means "hollow depression". (There is a long depression between the ''Prestgarden'' and the old church.) The last element is which means "

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

" or " pasture". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled ''Leuten'' or ''Leuthen''. In 1838 the spelling was changed to ''Løiten''. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to ''Løten''.

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 7 September 1984. 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 ''" Gules, a drinking horn Or"'' (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a drinking horn from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. It represents the historical importance of growing wheat and also the products of the modern Løiten Brænderi (Løten distillery), which was established in 1855. The arms were designed by Harald Trætteberg. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish () within the municipality of Løten. It is part of the Hamar domprosti (arch- deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

History

There has been traffic from east to west through Løten, throughout all recorded periods of history and archeological evidence supports earlier trade along this route. The old village center was formed around the Løten Church, which was built during the 13th century. When King Christian IV of Denmark prohibited the importation of German beer in the early 17th Century, distillation began in Norway. In 1624, distilled alcohol was prohibited at weddings, and by 1638 King Christian forbade the clergy the right to distill in their own homes. The corn-growing districts of Løten, Vang (the former municipality in Hedmark), and Romedal all became famous for their distilleries. "Gamle Løiten" from Løiten Brænderi, which was established in 1855, was a highly prized " akvavit" produced in Løten. When the railway was opened in 1862, Løten Station became the new centre of trade and management. The area around the new station grew up as the present village of Løten.

Government

Løten 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, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning,

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 ...

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

Municipal council

The

of Løten is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayors () of Løten: * 1838-1839: Axel Quinsgård * 1840-1840: T.A. Gjestvang * 1841-1844: Ole Rasmussen Grøholt * 1847-1848: Johan Fredrik Wilhelm Larsen * 1849-1856: Ole Rasmussen Grøholt * 1857-1864: Hedvard Norderhaug * 1865-1866: Per Sigstad * 1867-1868: Jens Grøholt * 1873-1874: Thore Sigstad, Jr. * 1875-1875: Jens Grøholt * 1881-1882: Håkon Qvæken * 1883-1884: Mathias Rustad * 1885-1886: Thv. Gjestvang * 1887-1890: Mathias Rustad * 1891-1891: Thv. Gjestvang * 1892-1894: Johan D. Karterud * 1895-1898: Ole Imset * 1899-1901: Karl Wefring * 1902-1907: Gudbrand Søberg * 1908-1910: Edvard Holth * 1911-1913: Johan Kleppen * 1914-1916: J. Englaugsmoen * 1917-1919: N. Thorshaug * 1920-1925: M.A. Nordli * 1926-1928: Kristen O. Ommang * 1929-1931: M.A. Nordli * 1932-1940: Oscar Wilhelm Nilssen * 1941-1945: Einar Myki * 1945-1955: Oscar W. Nilssen * 1956-1959: M.A. Nordli * 1960-1967: Ole L. Skaugerud * 1968-1979: Leif Hjelsengsveen * 1980-1997: Even Østlund ( Ap) * 1997-1999: Bente Elin Lilleøkseth ( Ap) * 1999-2007: Martin Skramstad ( Sp) * 2007-2019: Bente Elin Lilleøkseth ( Ap) * 2019–present: Marte Larsen Tønseth ( Sp)

Geography

Løten lies in the eastern part of the traditional district of Hedmarken. It is surrounded by Hamar Municipality to the west-northwest, Stange municipality to the west-southwest, and Elverum municipality to the east. Small portions of the municipality border on Åmot in the far north and Våler in the south. The Hedmarksvidda

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...

lies in the north. Løten lies along the "border" between the agricultural wheat fields of the lower part of Eastern Norway (the areas around and south of lake Mjøsa), and the taiga (boreal coniferous forests) that stretch from eastern Norway all the way to Siberia. This border area between the cultivated farm land and the wilderness was written about by the poet Rolf Jacobsen, from Hamar, in his classic poem (''Thoughts at the Ånestad crossroad'').

Notable people

* Kristoffer Nilsen Svartbækken Grindalen (1804–1876), the last person in Norway to be sentenced to death for murder (he committed murder in Løten and was executed there) * Edvard Munch (1863 in Ådalsbruk – 1944), a Norwegian painter of '' The Scream'' * Helmer Hermansen (1871 in Løten – 1958), a rifle shooter and team silver medallist at the 1900 Summer Olympics * Marius Røhne (1883 in Løten – 1966), a Norwegian landscape architect * Hallvard Trætteberg (1898 in Løten – 1987), a leading Norwegian heraldic artist * Emil Løvlien (1899 in Løten - 1973), a Norwegian politician and leader of the Communist Party of Norway (1946-1965) * Einar Johannessen (1926–2016), a Norwegian radio and TV personality who lived in Løten * Magne Dæhli (born 1987 in Løten), a Norwegian orienteer, ski-orienteer, and cross-country skier * Monika Kørra (born 1989 in Løten), a Norwegian author and former track and field athlete

Gallery

Finstadhaugen.jpg, Finstadhaugen i Løten Korpreiret.jpg, Korpreiret canyon in river Øksna, Løten Loeten prestegard.jpg, Løten prestegard

References

External links

* *
Municipal fact sheet
from

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 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Loeten Municipalities of Innlandet 1838 establishments in Norway