Rauma 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' ...

Møre og Romsdal Møre og Romsdal (; ) is a Counties of Norway, county in the northernmost part of Western Norway, Western Norway. It borders the counties of Trøndelag, Innlandet, and Vestland. The county administration is located in the Molde (town), town of M ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

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 part of the traditional district of

Romsdal Romsdal is a Districts of Norway, traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal traditional comprises the areas that are part of Aukra Municipality, Molde Municipal ...

. 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 ...

is the town of

Åndalsnes is a town in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is also the administrative center of Rauma Municipality. It is located along the Isfjorden, at the mouth of the river Rauma, at the north end of the Romsdalen valle ...

. Other settlements in Rauma include the villages of Måndalen,

Innfjorden Innfjorden is a village in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is situated about southwest of the town of Åndalsnes and southeast of the village of Måndalen along the European Route E136 highway. The road from Åndalsne ...

Veblungsnes Veblungsnes is a village located in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village lies along Romsdal Fjord just across the mouth of the Rauma river from the town of Åndalsnes is a town in Rauma Municipality in Møre og R ...

, Verma, Isfjorden, Eidsbygda, Rødven,

Åfarnes Åfarnes (historically, ''Aafarnes'') is a village in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located at the confluence of the three fjords: Romsdal Fjord, Langfjorden, and Rødvenfjorden. The local Church of Norwa ...

, and Mittet. Most settlement in the municipality is located along the fjords and in the Romsdalen valley. The municipality surrounds part of the southern end of

Romsdalsfjorden or is the ninth-longest fjord in Norway. The long fjord is located in the Romsdal district of Møre og Romsdal county. It flows through the municipalities of Molde, Haram, Vestnes, and Rauma. The deepest point in the fjord is just southwest ...

and the Isfjorden and it also includes the

Romsdalen Romsdalen is a valley in the western part of Norway. The long valley runs from the Romsdalsfjorden through Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county and into Lesja Municipality in Innlandet county. It is the valley of the Rauma (river), Rau ...

valley and Romsdalsalpene mountains. In the lower part of the valleys and around Romsdal Fjord and Rødvenfjorden are driven

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

with emphasis on livestock. The clothing industry has traditionally been a dominant industry in the municipality, especially in Isfjorden. In the summer, Rauma has a fairly large amount of tourist traffic. The top tourist attractions include mountain climbing/hiking,

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

fishing,

Trollstigen Trollstigen (or trollstigvegen; ) is a Hairpin turn, serpentine mountain road and pass in Rauma Municipality, Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of Norwegian County Road 63 that connects the town of Åndalsnes in Rauma and the villag ...

, and the historic Rødven Stave Church. The municipality is the 61st largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Rauma Municipality is the 141st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,299. 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 decreased by 2.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Rauma was established on 1 January 1964 when the following neighboring municipalities were merged together: * Eid Municipality (population: 381) * Grytten Municipality (population: 3,683) *

Hen Municipality Hen is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1902 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Rauma Municipality in the traditional district of Romsdal. The administrative centre wa ...

(population: 1,663) * Voll Municipality (population: 1,163) *the southern part of

Veøy Municipality Veøy is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Molde Municipality and Rauma Municipality in the traditional district of Romsdal. The ...

(population: 1,400) On 1 January 2021, the Vågstranda area in the northwestern part of Rauma Municipality was transferred to the neighboring

Vestnes Municipality Vestnes is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Møre og Romsdal Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Vestnes is part of the Districts of Norway, traditional district of Romsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the ...

Name

The municipality is named after the

Rauma River The Rauma is a river that runs through the Romsdalen valley in Møre og Romsdal and Innlandet counties in Norway. It runs for from the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet in Lesja Municipality (in Innlandet county), through the valley all the way to the town ...

(), which flows through the

valley into the

Romsdal Fjord or is the ninth-longest fjord in Norway. The long fjord is located in the Romsdal district of Møre og Romsdal county. It flows through the municipalities of Molde, Haram, Vestnes, and Rauma. The deepest point in the fjord is just southwest ...

. It is uncertain if the fjord is named after the river or the river is named after the fjord. The name likely comes from the word which has an unknown meaning, or it could come from the word which means "roaring waterfall".

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 4 November 1983. 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 ''" Azure, three piles issuant from base

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 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 three piles pointing upwards from the base of the

shield A shield is a piece of personal armour held in the hand, which may or may not be strapped to the wrist or forearm. Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles suc ...

. The charge 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 design was chosen to represent the sky and three local mountains ( Vengetindane, Trolltindane and Romsdalshornet). The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth. 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 six parishes () within Rauma Municipality. It is part of the Indre Romsdal 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 Møre.

Geography

The municipality surrounds the eastern part of

, Isfjorden, and Rødvenfjorden, and it is south of the Langfjorden. It also surrounds the

valley and the

from the mouth to the

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 border. The Kyrkjetaket and Gjuratinden mountains lie in the northeastern part of the municipality. The mountains Dønttinden, Mannen, Romsdalshornet,

Store Trolltinden Store Trolltinden a mountain summit in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. At in height, it is the highest point along the Trolltindane ridge. It has the vertical Trollveggen cliff separating the peak from the Romsdalen valle ...

Trollryggen Trollryggen is a peak along the Trolltindene ridge along the Romsdalen valley. It is located in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The Rauma River, the European route E136 highway and the Rauma Line railway lie just to th ...

, Store Venjetinden, and the

Troll Wall The or is part of the mountain massif Trolltindene () in the Romsdalen valley in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located to the south of the towns of Åndalsnes and Molde inside the Reinheimen National Park. Th ...

are all in the central part of the municipality in the Romsdalsalpene mountain range. The mountains

Karitinden Karitinden is a mountain in the Tafjordfjella mountain range inside Reinheimen National Park on the border of Innlandet and Møre og Romsdal counties in Norway. The top of the mountain is a tripoint border junction for Skjåk Municipality (in Inn ...

Høgstolen Høgstolen is a mountain in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The tall mountain lies on the border of Rauma Municipality and Fjord Municipality in the Tafjordfjella mountain range, about west of the border with Innlandet county. Høgstolen lies ...

, and

Puttegga Puttegga is the highest mountain in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It lies on the border of Fjord Municipality and Rauma Municipality. It is located just northwest of the mountain Karitinden, inside Reinheimen National Park. The nearest villag ...

are located in the southwestern part of the municipality. Part of

Reinheimen National Park Reinheimen National Park () is a national park in Norway that was established in 2006. The park consists of a continuous protected mountain area. It is located in Møre og Romsdal and Innlandet counties in Norway. The park includes parts of the ...

lies within the municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain

Transportation

European Route E136 European route E136 is a European highway located entirely in Møre og Romsdal and Innlandet counties in Norway. The highway begins in the town of Ålesund (town), Ålesund in Møre og Romsdal county on the west coast of Norway, and it goes east ...

Norwegian County Road 63 Norwegian County Road 63 ( or ) is a Norwegian county road in Møre og Romsdal county and a very small part in Innlandet county, Norway. It begins at Norwegian National Road 15 along the lake Langvatnet in Skjåk Municipality in Innlandet county ...

, and

Norwegian County Road 64 County Road 64 () is a two-lane highway which runs between the towns of Kristiansund (town), Kristiansund and Åndalsnes in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It branches from Norwegian National Road 70, National Road 70 in Kristiansund, runs thro ...

all pass through the municipality. The

road is part of County Road 63 in Rauma, and it is a famous tourist attraction due to the many

hairpin turn A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal ha ...

s on the steep road. The Rauma railway line also runs through the municipality, over the Kylling Bridge, and terminates at

Åndalsnes Station Åndalsnes Station () is a railway station in the town of Åndalsnes, the administrative centre of Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It has served as the terminal station of the Rauma Line since the line was extended to Ånd ...

. The nearest airports are

Ålesund Airport, Vigra Ålesund Airport (, ), or alternatively Ålesund Vigra Airport, is an international airport serving the Ålesund (town), town of Ålesund in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located on the Vigra (island), island of Vigra in Giske Municipali ...

which is by road from Åndalsnes and Molde Airport which is by road plus a road ferry.

Government

Rauma 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

Møre og Romsdal District Court Møre og Romsdal District Court () was a district court located in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. This court was based at four different courthouses which were located in Volda, Ålesund, Molde, and Kristiansund. The court was subordinate to t ...

and the

Frostating Court of Appeal The Frostating Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Trondheim. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. These areas constitute the ...

Municipal council

The

() of Rauma is made up of 27 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

() of Rauma is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position: *1964–1971: Peder Mork ( KrF) *1972–1973: Lars Ramstad ( H) *1974–1985: Oddvar Morstøl ( KrF) *1986–1987: Knut Hauge *1988–1989: Nils Valde ( KrF) *1990–1991: Ole S. Dahle *1992–1993: Nils Valde ( KrF) *1994–1999: Torbjørn Ådne Bruaset ( Sp) *1999–2011: Torbjørn Rødstøl ( Sp) *2011–2019: Lars Olav Hustad ( H) *2019–present: Yvonne Wold ( SV)

Attractions

Rauma is frequently visited by tourists, especially due to the major sights: *

Trollveggen The or is part of the mountain massif Trolltindene () in the Romsdalen valley in Rauma Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located to the south of the towns of Åndalsnes and Molde inside the Reinheimen National Park. The ...

valley *

road to

Geiranger Geiranger is a small tourist village in Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county in the western part of Norway. It is located in Stranda Municipality at the head of the Geirangerfjorden, which is a branch of the large Storfjorden (Sunnmøre), ...

* Rødven Stave Church (built around the year 1200)

Notable people

* Mathias Soggemoen (1847 in Rauma – 1929), a railway worker and mountain climbing pioneer * Kirsten Utheim Toverud (1890 in Veblungsnes – 1949), a pediatrician * Arne Randers Heen (1905 in Hen, Møre og Romsdal – 1991), a mountain climber and member of the Norwegian resistance during WWII * Nils Bølset (1928 in Veøy – 2015), a Norwegian diplomat in Germany, Turkey, and Australia * Oddgeir Bruaset (born 1944 in Rauma), a journalist and non-fiction writer *

Ida Nilsson Ida Nilsson (born 8 February 1981) is a Sweden, Swedish long-distance runner who also competes in ski mountaineering. In 2003 – 2006 she won a total of ten gold medals in Swedish championships in track & field and cross country running, plus t ...

(born 1981), a Swedish long-distance runner, also competes in ski mountaineering *

Aksel Berget Skjølsvik Aksel Berget Skjølsvik (born 15 May 1987) is a Norwegian former footballer who played as a midfielder or striker. Skjølsvik started his football career with Åndalsnes IF. When he was 16 years old, he went to Rosenborg BK. Originally a secon ...

(born 1987 in Åndalsnes), a former footballer with over 250 club caps * Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (born 1991 in Rauma), a middle-, long- and steeplechase runner *

Leo Skiri Østigård Leo Skiri Østigård (born 28 November 1999) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for French club Rennes and the Norway national team. Club career Early career In the winter of 2017, Østigård signed a three-year ...

(born 1999 in Rauma), a professional footballer

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 ...

{{authority control Municipalities of Møre og Romsdal 1964 establishments in Norway Populated places established in 1964