Gausdal
Encyclopedia
Gausdal is a municipality
in Oppland
county
, Norway
. It is part of the traditional region
of Gudbrandsdal
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Segalstad bru
. Follebu
is a township and sub-parish in eastern Gausdal.
Logging
, farming
, and tourism
are important occupations in the municipality.
form of the name was Gausdalr. The first element is the river name Gausa and the last element is dalr which means "valley
" or "dale". The river name is derived from the verb gjósa which means "stream forcefully".
is from modern times. They were granted on 19 September 1986. The arms show the typical shape of one of the main mountains in the municipality, Skeikampen
.
(around 1250). It is unusual in that the chancel
and nave
were built as one continuous piece.
In the 1880s, there was mining for nickel
in Espedalen
. The search for nickel was taken up again in 2004 by Blackstone Venture, a Canadian
company. As of 2006, they are still drilling for mineral samples only.
The municipality of Gausdal was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt
). Gausdal was divided into the separate municipalities of Vestre Gausdal
and Østre Gausdal
in 1879, but they were reunited into one municipality in 1962.
municipality, on the northeast by Ringebu
and Øyer
, on the southeast by Lillehammer
, on the south by Nordre Land
, on the southwest by Nord-Aurdal
and Øystre Slidre
.
The famous Peer Gynt
mountain road begins here and leads to Vinstra
.
A popular ski area is located on the south slope of Skeikampen mountain.
Western tributaries of the Gudbrandsdalslågen
include the Gausa River, which flows through Gausdal valley.
Norway's smallest national park, Ormtjernkampen National Park
, lies within the municipality.
with Gausdal: - Mora, Dalarna County
, Sweden
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in Oppland
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
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, 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 is part of the traditional region
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...
of Gudbrandsdal
Gudbrandsdal
The Gudbrandsdalen is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Oppland. The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer at Mjøsa, extending 230 km toward Romsdal...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Segalstad bru
Segalstad bru
Segalstad bru is the administrative centre of Gausdal municipality, Norway. Its population is 870. -References:...
. Follebu
Follebu
Follebu is a township and sub-parish in Gausdal municipality, Norway. Population 2000. The stone church there was built in approximately 1300....
is a township and sub-parish in eastern Gausdal.
Logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
, farming
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
, and tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
are important occupations in the municipality.
General information
Name
The Old 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 Gausdalr. The first element is the river name Gausa and the last element is dalr which means "valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
" or "dale". The river name is derived from the verb gjósa which means "stream forcefully".
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is from modern times. They were granted on 19 September 1986. The arms show the typical shape of one of the main mountains in the municipality, Skeikampen
Skeikampen
Skeikampen is a mountain that is located in central southern Norway in Gausdal.There is an alpine facility at the mountain with 10 ski-lifts and 17 pistes.The area also has an 18 hole golf course which is the highest golf course altitude in Norway....
.
History
The Follebu stone church was built in the early Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
(around 1250). It is unusual in that the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
and nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
were built as one continuous piece.
In the 1880s, there was mining for nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
in Espedalen
Espedalen
Espedalen is a valley in the Sør-Fron and Gausdal municipalities of Oppland County, Norway.Espedalen is a continuation of the valley of Vestre Gausdal. Historically mining was important employment in Espedalen with copper mining dating to the 1600s. In the 1880s, there was mining for nickel in...
. The search for nickel was taken up again in 2004 by Blackstone Venture, a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
company. As of 2006, they are still drilling for mineral samples only.
The municipality of Gausdal was established 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...
). Gausdal was divided into the separate municipalities of Vestre Gausdal
Vestre Gausdal
Vestre Gausdal is a former municipality in Oppland county, Norway. The administrative centre was Forset.It was created when Gausdal was split into Vestre and Østre Gausdal in 1879. At that time Vestre Gausdal had a population of 2.362....
and Østre Gausdal
Østre Gausdal
Østre Gausdal is a former municipality in Oppland county, Norway.It was created when Gausdal was split into Østre and Vestre Gausdal in 1879. At that time Østre Gausdal had a population of 5,911....
in 1879, but they were reunited into one municipality in 1962.
Geography
Gausdal is bordered on the northwest by Sør-FronSør-Fron
Sør-Fron is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hundorp....
municipality, on the northeast by Ringebu
Ringebu
is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vålebru.The municipality of Ringebu was established on 1 January 1838...
and Øyer
Øyer
Øyer is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tingberg....
, on the southeast by 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...
, on the south by Nordre Land
Nordre Land
Nordre Land is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Land. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dokka....
, on the southwest by Nord-Aurdal
Nord-Aurdal
Nord-Aurdal is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fagernes....
and Øystre Slidre
Øystre Slidre
Øystre Slidre is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of...
.
The famous Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
mountain road begins here and leads to Vinstra
Vinstra
Vinstra is the name of both a village and a river in Gudbrandsdalen. The village lies in Nord-Fron municipality in Oppland County, Norway. The administrative centre of Nord-Fron, the population is 2449. The village has rail connections via the Dovre railroad and has a high school. Highway E6...
.
A popular ski area is located on the south slope of Skeikampen mountain.
Western tributaries of the Gudbrandsdalslågen
Gudbrandsdalslågen
The Gudbrandsdalslågen river flows through the Gudbrandsdal of Norway.The Gudbrandsdalslågen begins in the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet , which lies in Lesja municipality in Oppland. Lesjavatn is the only lake in Norway which has two outlets; they flow into two of Norway’s more famous rivers...
include the Gausa River, which flows through Gausdal valley.
Norway's smallest national park, Ormtjernkampen National Park
Ormtjernkampen National Park
Ormtjernkampen is a former national park located in Gausdal municipality in the county of Oppland in Norway. It was in 2011 included in the larger Langsua National Park....
, lies within the municipality.
Notable residents
- Bjørnstjerne BjørnsonBjørnstjerne BjørnsonBjørnstjerne Martinius Bjørnson was a Norwegian writer and the 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. Bjørnson is considered as one of The Four Greats Norwegian writers; the others being Henrik Ibsen, Jonas Lie, and Alexander Kielland...
(1832–1910) was a Norwegian author and Nobel Prize in LiteratureNobel Prize in LiteratureSince 1901, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually to an author from any country who has, in the words from the will of Alfred Nobel, produced "in the field of literature the most outstanding work in an ideal direction"...
winner in 1903. Aulestad in Follebu, Gausdal was his primary residence from 1874 until his death in 1910. - Reidar Engjom - politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
- Brynhild Marie Foss - politician
- Iver HolterIver HolterIver Paul Fredrik Holter was a Norwegian composer. He was conductor and music director of the Oslo Philharmonic for a quarter century....
(1850–1941) was a composerComposerA composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and was conductorConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
of the Bergen Philharmonic OrchestraBergen Philharmonic OrchestraThe Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world's oldest orchestral institutions. It performs some 110 concerts a year, and is based at the 1,500-seat Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway.-History:...
from 1882 until 1886. - Jan Erik Kristiansen - politician
- Inge KrokannInge KrokannInge Krokann was a Norwegian writer. Because his writing is so strongly tied in the use of dialect and idiosyncratic nynorsk, his works are largely inaccessible and arguably untranslatable.His work was characterized by:...
(1893–1962) was a Norwegian writer who wrote dialect and idiosyncratic nynorskNynorskNynorsk or New Norwegian is one of two official written standards for the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. The standard language was created by Ivar Aasen during the mid-19th century, to provide a Norwegian alternative to the Danish language which was commonly written in Norway at the...
works which are largely inaccessible to international readers but reputed to be very powerful, lived his later years and died in Gausdal. - Else Kveine - poetPoetA poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
- Olav Olstad - politician
- Abraham Pihl - theologian, astronomer and architect
- Christen SmedChristen SmedChristen Smed was the first person to climb Romsdalshornet, together with Hans Bjermeland in 1828....
- mountaineer - Hans AanrudHans AanrudHans Aanrud was a Norwegian author. He wrote plays, poetry, and stories depicting rural life in his native Gudbrandsdal, Norway.- Life :...
(1863–1953) was a Norwegian writer who wrote plays, poetry, and stories depicting rural life in Norway. - Ole Amundsen BuslettOle Amundsen BuslettOle Amundsen Buslett was a Norwegian born, American author, newspaperman, and politician.-Background:Ole Amundsen Buslett was born in Gausdal, Oppland, Norway. Buslett was the oldest of eight children born to Amund Halvorsen Buslett and Netta Ringsrud...
(1855–1924) - Norwegian-American author, newspaperman, and politician.
Sister cities
The following cities are twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Gausdal: - Mora, Dalarna County
Dalarna County
Dalarna County is a county or län in middle Sweden. It borders the counties of Jämtland, Gävleborg, Västmanland, Örebro and Värmland. It is also bordered by the Norwegian counties of Hedmark and Sør-Trøndelag in the west...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway 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 releases are published both in Norwegian and English...
- Tourist information
- Gausdølen - local newspaper
- Art of the States: Bright Days of Little Sunlight musical work inspired by the mountains near Gausdal