Biri, Norway
Encyclopedia
Biri is a village in the municipality of GjøvikOppland
county, Norway
. It was formerly classified as a municipality.
The parish of Biri was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
). On 1 January 1910, the district Snertingdal
was divided from Biri to form a municipality of its own, leaving Biri with 2,815 inhabitants. On 1 January 1964, Biri was incorporated into the neighboring municipality Gjøvik
. Prior to the merger Biri had 3,274 inhabitants.
Biri was the center of several small villages including Biri Øverbygd, Udahlsroa and Klomsteinroa. This has traditionally been an agricultural and forestry community. The village of Biri had a population of 1,389 inhabitants as of 1 January 2009. It is located at Mjøsa Bridge
on the west side of Mjøsa
lake, between Lillehammer
and Gjøvik
. The Vismunda river, which drains into lake Mjøs, has been an important lifeline.
Biri church (Biri kirke) is a cruciform church dating from 1777. Built of timber, it has 450 seats. The church was erected after the original church burned down. During 1890 there was another major fire, this time in Biri parsonage. The fire also destroyed church records for 1789-1814 and 1854-1877. In April 2007, major damage in the church led to an extensive rehabilitation.
Biri Glassworks produced layer glass, windows and bottles. Production started in 1764 after it was created by Royal Norwegian charter. The operation went bankrupt in 1843 but was rebuilt in 1855. In the 1880s, it was closed.
Madshus
is an Norwegian ski and ski-equipment manufacturer which is located at Biri. The first Madshus ski were produced by Martin Madshus in 1906 in a barn in Vardal near Gjøvik. The company was moved to Lillehammer in 1936, and then to Biri in 1972.
form of the name was Biríð. The name is probably very old, and the meaning is unknown.
Oppland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....
county, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It was formerly classified as a municipality.
The parish of Biri was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). On 1 January 1910, the district Snertingdal
Snertingdal
Snertingdal is a former municipality in Oppland county, Norway.It was created by a split from Biri on January 1, 1910. At that time Snertingdal had a population of 2,028....
was divided from Biri to form a municipality of its own, leaving Biri with 2,815 inhabitants. On 1 January 1964, Biri was incorporated into the neighboring municipality Gjøvik
Gjøvik
is a town and a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Gjøvik.In 1861, the village of Gjøvik in the municipality of Vardal was granted town status and was separated from Vardal to form a separate municipality...
. Prior to the merger Biri had 3,274 inhabitants.
Biri was the center of several small villages including Biri Øverbygd, Udahlsroa and Klomsteinroa. This has traditionally been an agricultural and forestry community. The village of Biri had a population of 1,389 inhabitants as of 1 January 2009. It is located at Mjøsa Bridge
Mjøsa Bridge
Mjøsa Bridge is a box girder bridge that crosses lake Mjøsa between Moelv and Biri in Hedmark and Oppland counties in Norway. The bridge is 1421 metres long, the longest span is 69 metres, and the clearance to the water is 15 metres...
on the west side of Mjøsa
Mjøsa
Mjøsa is Norway's largest lake, as well as one of the deepest lakes in Norway and in Europe as a whole, after Hornindalsvatnet. It is located in the southern part of Norway, about 100 km north of Oslo...
lake, between Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
and Gjøvik
Gjøvik
is a town and a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Gjøvik.In 1861, the village of Gjøvik in the municipality of Vardal was granted town status and was separated from Vardal to form a separate municipality...
. The Vismunda river, which drains into lake Mjøs, has been an important lifeline.
Biri church (Biri kirke) is a cruciform church dating from 1777. Built of timber, it has 450 seats. The church was erected after the original church burned down. During 1890 there was another major fire, this time in Biri parsonage. The fire also destroyed church records for 1789-1814 and 1854-1877. In April 2007, major damage in the church led to an extensive rehabilitation.
Biri Glassworks produced layer glass, windows and bottles. Production started in 1764 after it was created by Royal Norwegian charter. The operation went bankrupt in 1843 but was rebuilt in 1855. In the 1880s, it was closed.
Madshus
Madshus
Madshus is an Norwegian ski and ski-equipment manufacturer, located at Biri in Gjøvik. The company produces cross-country skis and ski-boots.- History :...
is an Norwegian ski and ski-equipment manufacturer which is located at Biri. The first Madshus ski were produced by Martin Madshus in 1906 in a barn in Vardal near Gjøvik. The company was moved to Lillehammer in 1936, and then to Biri in 1972.
The name
The NorseOld Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
form of the name was Biríð. The name is probably very old, and the meaning is unknown.
Notable residents
- Torbjorn Løkken, combined skier skiing
- Gunnar KalrastenGunnar KalrastenGunnar Kalrasten was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party.He was born in Biri.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Oppland in 1950, and was re-elected on three occasions. He had previously been a deputy representative in the period 1945–1949...
, parliamentary representative of Norwegian Labour PartyNorwegian Labour PartyThe Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....