Helgøya, Hedmark
Encyclopedia
Helgøya is an island in Mjøsa
located to Ringsaker
municipality in Hedmark
county, Norway
.
With an area of 18.3 km², Helgøya is the largest freshwater island in Norway. The island is located south of the peninsula Nes
, connected by bridge since 1957, and was formerly a part of Nes municipality.
The island consists of 32 farms. The most notable of these are the old manor Hovinsholm that until 1612 had its own church. Another old farm is Eik ('oak
') that has given the name of the tallest hill on the island: Eksberget. The island is generally rich on medieval traces.
Helgøya Church (Helgøya kirke) was inaugurated on 7 December 1870. The chapel was built in timber and block in the Gothic Revival style. The church has about 200 seats. The chapel was restored and partially rebuilt in the 1970s.
n 'pagan temple (for the Norse gods)' and vin f 'meadow'.
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...
located to Ringsaker
Ringsaker
is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Brumunddal.The municipality of Ringsaker was established on 1 January 1838...
municipality in Hedmark
Hedmark
is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Akershus. The county administration is in Hamar.Hedmark makes up the northeastern part of Østlandet, the southeastern part of the country. It includes a long part of the borderline with Sweden, Dalarna County and Värmland County. The...
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...
.
With an area of 18.3 km², Helgøya is the largest freshwater island in Norway. The island is located south of the peninsula Nes
Nes, Hedmark
Nes is a former municipality in Hedmark county, Norway.The parish of Næs was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . The whole parish, except for the island of Helgøya, lies on a large peninsula located in Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake. Nes was merged with Ringsaker January 1, 1964...
, connected by bridge since 1957, and was formerly a part of Nes municipality.
The island consists of 32 farms. The most notable of these are the old manor Hovinsholm that until 1612 had its own church. Another old farm is Eik ('oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
') that has given the name of the tallest hill on the island: Eksberget. The island is generally rich on medieval traces.
Helgøya Church (Helgøya kirke) was inaugurated on 7 December 1870. The chapel was built in timber and block in the Gothic Revival style. The church has about 200 seats. The chapel was restored and partially rebuilt in the 1970s.
The name
The Norse forms of the name were Helgøy and Øyin helga, both with the meaning 'holy island'. The farm name Hovin (Norse Hofvin - later named Hovinsholm, see above) on the southern tip of the island is a compound of hofHeathen hofs
Heathen hofs or Germanic pagan temples were the temple buildings of Germanic paganism; there are also a few built for use in modern Germanic neopaganism...
n 'pagan temple (for the Norse gods)' and vin f 'meadow'.
Additional reading
- Enemo, Egil (1978) Helgøya: lokalhistoriske bruddstykker ISBN 82-990490-0-8