Heidal
Encyclopedia
Heidal is a valley and parish within Gudbrandsdalen valley, in the county of Oppland
, Norway
.
as a separate municipality of its own on January 1, 1908. It was merged with the municipality of Sel
on January 1, 1965.
Heidal is a side valley of Gudbrandsdalen. The valley runs northwest from the village of Sjoa on Highway E-6, some 10 km before the community center of Otta
. Heidal is rich in beauty and tradition, lying along the narrow valley of the Sjoa
River. The Sjoa runs from Lake Gjende
in the Jotunheimen
Mountains, through Heidal and down to the Gudbrandsdalslågen river. It has a high concentration of older protected timber houses and farmsteads. The main industries are is agriculture and forestry. Local traditions includes carpentry, wood carving, painting and weaving.
Heidal church (Heidal Kirke) was built during the period 1937-41 as an exact replica of a 1754 church which was destroyed after being struck by lightning in 1933. Heidal Church is a cruciform
church as are most of the churches in Gudbrandsdalen. The church was built of wood. It has about 300 seats and three galleries. The church was designed by architect, Bredo Berntsen (1877-1957). The altarpiece is a work by the Norwegian sculptor, Jakob Klukstad
. Near the church stands the Bjølstad Chapel (Bjølstad-kapellet). Bjølstad Chapel seating 75 and dates from around 1531.
Some locations allow guided tours, including Søre Harildstad farm and Bjølstad Chapel. Farms like Bjølstad
are not open to the public. At Bjølstad the newest building was constructed in about 1820 and the farm has been in the same family since the 13th century.
(or Ivar Gjæsling) was King Magnus IV's lendmann for the Opplands. Gjesling
allied himself with the Birkebeiner
— who chose Sverre as their king at Øreting in Nidaros
in 1177. In return King Sverre granted Gjesling the valley of Heidal.
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....
, 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...
.
History
Heidal parish was separated from VågåVågå
Vågå 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 Vågåmo....
as a separate municipality of its own on January 1, 1908. It was merged with the municipality of Sel
Sel
Sel is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Otta....
on January 1, 1965.
Heidal is a side valley of Gudbrandsdalen. The valley runs northwest from the village of Sjoa on Highway E-6, some 10 km before the community center of Otta
Otta
Otta may refer to:* A preliminary name of the yotta SI unit prefix.* In Norse mythology, Hildisvini, also known as "Otta the Simple", who was Freya's lover.* Otta, Norway, a Norwegian town in Gudbrandsdal.* The Otta River in Norway....
. Heidal is rich in beauty and tradition, lying along the narrow valley of the Sjoa
Sjoa
The Sjoa river provides the outlet from lake Gjende at Gjendesheim in the Jotunheimen mountains of Norway's Jotunheim National Park. It flows eastward into the Gudbrandsdalslågen river via the Heidal traditional district in the Gudbrandsdal....
River. The Sjoa runs from Lake Gjende
Gjende
Gjende is a lake in the Jotunheimen mountains in Norway's Jotunheimen National Park. The proglacial lake shows typical characteristics of glacial formation, being long and narrow—in length 18 km and in breadth 1.5 km at the broadest point with steep walls...
in the Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen
Jotunheimen is a mountainous area of roughly 3,500 km² in Southern Norway and is part of the long range known as the Scandinavian Mountains. The 29 highest mountains in Norway are all in Jotunheimen, including the very highest - Galdhøpiggen...
Mountains, through Heidal and down to the Gudbrandsdalslågen river. It has a high concentration of older protected timber houses and farmsteads. The main industries are is agriculture and forestry. Local traditions includes carpentry, wood carving, painting and weaving.
Heidal church (Heidal Kirke) was built during the period 1937-41 as an exact replica of a 1754 church which was destroyed after being struck by lightning in 1933. Heidal Church is a cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
church as are most of the churches in Gudbrandsdalen. The church was built of wood. It has about 300 seats and three galleries. The church was designed by architect, Bredo Berntsen (1877-1957). The altarpiece is a work by the Norwegian sculptor, Jakob Klukstad
Jakob Klukstad
thumb|right|300px|The altarpiece at Lesja Church Jakob Bersveinson Klukstad was a Norwegian wood carver and painter. Klukstad had great significance for future wood carvers within the valley of Gudbrandsdalen....
. Near the church stands the Bjølstad Chapel (Bjølstad-kapellet). Bjølstad Chapel seating 75 and dates from around 1531.
Some locations allow guided tours, including Søre Harildstad farm and Bjølstad Chapel. Farms like Bjølstad
Bjølstad
Bjølstad is a village in the municipality of Sel, Norway, located in the former municipality Heidal. Its population is 311....
are not open to the public. At Bjølstad the newest building was constructed in about 1820 and the farm has been in the same family since the 13th century.
Gjesling family
1177 - Ivar GjeslingGjesling
Gjesling was an old family at Vågå in Oppland, Norway.In 1130 Ivar Gjesling was the earliest-known owner of the farm Sandbu in Vågå. He served as King Magnus IV's lendmann for the Opplands. Ivar Gjesling, allied himself with the Birchlegs — who chose Sverre as their king at Øreting in 1177...
(or Ivar Gjæsling) was King Magnus IV's lendmann for the Opplands. Gjesling
Gjesling
Gjesling was an old family at Vågå in Oppland, Norway.In 1130 Ivar Gjesling was the earliest-known owner of the farm Sandbu in Vågå. He served as King Magnus IV's lendmann for the Opplands. Ivar Gjesling, allied himself with the Birchlegs — who chose Sverre as their king at Øreting in 1177...
allied himself with the Birkebeiner
Birkebeiner
The Birkebein Party or Birkebeinar was the name for a rebellious party in Norway, formed in 1174 around the pretender to the Norwegian throne, Eystein Meyla...
— who chose Sverre as their king at Øreting in Nidaros
Nidaros
Nidaros or Niðarós was during the Middle Ages, the old name of Trondheim, Norway . Until the Reformation, Nidaros remained the centre of the spiritual life of the country...
in 1177. In return King Sverre granted Gjesling the valley of Heidal.
Other sources
- Kleiven, Ivar (1973) Gamal bondekultur i Gudbrandsdalen: Lom og Skjaak (Forlagt Av H. Aschehoug & Co.) ISBN 978-8203059513
- Welle-Strand, Erling (1996) Adventure Roads in Norway (Nortrabooks) ISBN 82-90103-71-9