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 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 Stangebyen. Other villages include Bekkelaget, Espa,

Bottenfjellet Bottenfjellet or Åsbygda is a village in Stange Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located about east of the village of Romedal. The village had a population (2016) of 265 and a population density of . Since 2016, the p ...

, Ilseng, Ottestad,

Sandvika Sandvika () is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bærum in Norway. It was declared a List of cities in Norway, city by the municipal council (Norway), municipal council in Bærum on 4 June 2003. Sandvika is situated approximately ...

, Sinnerud, Starhellinga, Tangen, and Romedal. The municipality is the 157th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Stange is the 59th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 21,356. 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 10% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The parish of Stange 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). 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 municipalities of Romedal (population: 6,441) and Stange (population: 9,734) were merged to form a new, larger municipality of Stange with a population of 16,175 residents. On 13 July 1956, a small part of the municipality of Vang (population: 24) was transferred to Stange municipality.

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 ''Stange'' farm () since the first Stange Church was built there. The name is the

plural In many languages, a plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated as pl., pl, , or ), is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than ...

form of which means "bar", "pole", or "rod". (The farm is lying on a long hill, and this is probably the background for the name.)

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 20 June 1986. 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 plough

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 is a medieval plough called an ard. 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 symbolizes this historic importance of

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 ...

in the area; originally the growing of

grains A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit ( caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and le ...

and then later growing

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. The arms were designed by Arne Løvstad. 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 Stange. It is part of the Hamar domprosti (arch-

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.

Media

The newspaper '' Stangeavisa'' has been published in Stange since 2004.

History

Archeological finds indicate agricultural settlements in the area well before the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

. Since the shortest route from the south to

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. ...

went through the area, there have also been trade and hospitality there since time immemorial. Stange has its own historical association that publishes articles, short research topics, as well as authoritative works on the area's history. Stange Church is located in Stangebyen. The church is mentioned in 1225 in Håkon Håkonsen's

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 ...

and the current church building was constructed around the year 1250. The Atlungstad Distillery was established in Stange in 1855.

Geography

The municipality is situated on the east side of the lake Mjøsa. It borders the municipalities of

on the north; Løten, Våler, and Åsnes to the east; Nord-Odal to the south; 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 ...

to the west. The municipality can be roughly divided into two areas: the northern area, with rich and fertile agricultural land; and a southern area with craggy,

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

ed area (the Stange Commons). As a result, the northern section is dominated by large, prosperous farms; the southern part by small, marginal farms. The rivers Lageråa and Svartelva both run through the municipality.

Government

Stange 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 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 ...

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 Stange is made up of 35 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 Stange: *1838–1840: Michel Andersen Saxlund *1841–1842: Even Christensen Ringnes *1843–1846: Ole Erichsen Frostad *1847–1848: Martinus Hansen Lalum *1849–1850: Severin Michelsen Saxlund *1851–1854: Martinus Hansen Lalum *1855–1856: Ole Nilsen *1857–1859: Iver Jonsen Grimerud *1859–1866: Severin Michelsen Saxlund *1867–1870: Mons Olsen Hosmestad *1871–1874: Anders Christophersen Musli *1875–1882: Ludvig Anton Øwre *1883-1884: Ole Nilsen Ringens *1885-1888: Jakob Christophersen Gaustad *1888-1888: Lars Christiansen Schjerden *1889-1892: Jakob Christophersen Gaustad *1893–1898: Carl Wedel-Jarlsberg *1899-1901: Ole Nilsen Ringens *1902-1904: O. Rostad *1905-1907: Frantz Blehr *1908–1916: Hans Helmersen Sørholte *1917-1917: M. Hestnes *1918–1919: Albert Sørlie *1920–1922: Ebbe Carsten Morten Astrup *1923-1926: Martin Hestnæs ( Ap) *1926–1941: Kristian Fjeld ( Ap) *1941-1942: Ottar Opsand ( NS) *1943-1945: E. Wollebæk ( NS) *1945–1945: Kristian Fjeld ( Ap) *1946–1951: Christian Stensbak ( Ap) *1952–1976: Arnljot Johnstad ( Ap) *1977–1983: Jens K. Nybruket ( Ap) *1984–2007: Jan Tyriberget ( Ap) *2007–2022: Nils A. Røhne ( Ap) *2022–present: Bjarne H. Christiansen ( Ap)

Twin towns – sister cities

Stange 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: * Botkyrka, Sweden * Brøndby, Denmark

Notable people

* Bolette Gjør (1835–1909), a Norwegian writer and inner missionary who was brought up in Romedal * Otto Blehr (1847 in Stange – 1927), an attorney and

Prime Minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway (, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet of Norway, Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government departme ...

from 1902 to 1903 * Holm Hansen Munthe (1848 in Stange – 1898), a Norwegian architect of the Dragon Style * Kristoffer Olsen Oustad (1857 in Romedal – 1943), a Norwegian-American engineer who built bridges * Hulda Garborg (1862 at Såstad farm – 1934), a novelist, playwright, poet, folk dancer, and theatre instructor who kindled interest in the bunad tradition * Eiliv Austlid (1899–1940), a farmer and army officer who lived at Såstad Søndre farm from 1924 *

Ingrid Semmingsen Ingrid Elisabeth Semmingsen (29 March 1910 in Hamar, Hedmark – 31 May 1995) was a Norway, Norwegian historian. Appointed as a professor at the University of Oslo in 1963, she was the first female professor of history in Norway. Personal life S ...

(1910–1995), the first female professor of history in Norway who grew up in Stange *

Odvar Nordli Odvar Nordli (; 3 November 1926 – 9 January 2018) was a Norway, Norwegian politician from the Det norske Arbeiderparti, Labour Party. He was the prime minister of Norway from 1976 to 1981 during the Cold War. Before serving as prime minister, No ...

(1927 in Tangen – 2018), a politician and

from 1976 to 1981 * Nils A. Røhne (born 1949 in Stange), a Norwegian politician and Mayor of Stange from 2007 * Linda Bakke (born 1973), a Norwegian artist who lives in Stange *

Trygve Slagsvold Vedum Trygve Magnus Slagsvold Vedum (born 1 December 1978) is a Norwegian politician and farmer who served as Minister of Finance (Norway), Minister of Finance between 2021 and 2025. A member of the Centre Party (Norway), Centre Party, which he has led ...

(born 1978), a leader of the Centre Party who grew up in Romedal * Bård Lahn (born 1983 in Stange), a Norwegian environmentalist with '' Natur og Ungdom''

Sport

* Trygve Brudevold (born 1920 in Stange – 2021), a bobsledder who competed at the

1956 Winter Olympics The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( or ), were a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which ...

* Ole Holm (1870 in Stange – 1956), a rifle shooter and team silver medallist in the 1906 Summer Olympics * Eskil Rønningsbakken (born 1979 in Vallset), an entertainer who does dangerous balancing acts and

tightrope walking Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

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 ...

Municipal website
{{use dmy dates, date=March 2022 Municipalities of Innlandet 1838 establishments in Norway