Härjedalen
Encyclopedia
is a historical province
or landskap in the centre of Sweden
. It borders the country of Norway
as well as the provinces of Dalarna
, Hälsingland
, Medelpad
, and Jämtland
. The province originally belonged to Norway
, but was ceded to Sweden in the Treaty of Brömsebro, 1645.
serve no current administrative or political purposes, but are historical and cultural entities. In the case of Härjedalen there is a municipality
, kommun, Härjedalen Municipality
, which is located in the southern part of Jämtland County
. The municipality does not exactly correspond to the province, but is larger.
Four-fifths of the province is situated above 500 metres of altitude, constituting a part of the Scandinavian mountain range. Sweden's highest village Högvålen
, at 835 metres, is also within the province.
Härjedalen is strange in that there are no cities at all. The only village of even modest size is the market town Sveg
, which used to be the administrive center of the province.
The provincial flower is the Arctic violet. It is prominent on high altitudes in Europe, and is also found in the Alps
.
Sånfjället National Park extends through the municipality.
. Härjedalen came under the Norwegian king ca. 1100. After the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645, Härjedalen, along with Jämtland, were ceded to Sweden. Until 1660 is a common spelling Herjedalen and Jemtland.
The first population of Härjedalen is estimated to have migrated here some 9,000 years ago. The population lived from hunting and fishing, close to the inland ice which by then had started to melt. Ruändan, in the Flatruet mountains in northwestern Härjedalen, is the location of a large site of rock paintings. The rock paintings at Ruändan consists of some twenty figures depicting people, bear, moose and reindeer. The rock paintings was first reported in 1896 and are estimated to be over 4000 years old.
According to one legend, Härjedalen is named after a powerful Norseman who had to flee east from the Norwegian court of king Halfdan Svarte
after killing one of the king's men with a horn. Thereafter he was known as Härjulf Hornbrytare (lit. "Härjulf the Hornbreaker") For a time he entered the service of the Svea King Anund
, until he eloped with that king's sister, Helga, and together they disappeared into the remote location in the region eventually named after him. Today a statue stands dedicated to them in the village of Lillhärdal
. Härjulf and Helga were the foreparents to the Icelander, Bjarni Herjólfsson
, who was the first Norseman to see the "new world" when he was blown off-course whilst on a voyage to Greenland
. His boat is the one Leif Eriksson
acquired about 15 years later for Leif's famed landing on Vineland
.
A large portion of Härjedalen residents emigrated to America, principally to Northwestern Minnesota
during the late 1800s.
ized transliteration is Herdalia, although that name is hardly encountered in the English language
today. More prominent are derivations such as Herjedalen or Haerjedalen. The more prosaic explanation of the name says that the word her or har just means "mound of stones" and refers to stones in the river Härjån.
Provinces of Sweden
The provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....
or landskap in the centre of 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....
. It borders the country of 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...
as well as the provinces of Dalarna
Dalarna
', English exonym: Dalecarlia, is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. Another English language form established in literature is the Dales. Places involving the element Dalecarlia exist in the United States....
, Hälsingland
Hälsingland
' is a historical province or landskap in central Sweden. It borders to Gästrikland, Dalarna, Härjedalen, Medelpad and to the Gulf of Bothnia...
, Medelpad
Medelpad
' is a historical province or landskap in the north of Sweden. It borders to Hälsingland, Härjedalen, Jämtland, Ångermanland and the Gulf of Bothnia....
, and Jämtland
Jämtland
Jämtland or Jamtland is a historical province or landskap in the center of Sweden in northern Europe. It borders to Härjedalen and Medelpad in the south, Ångermanland in the east, Lapland in the north and Trøndelag and Norway in the west...
. The province originally belonged to 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...
, but was ceded to Sweden in the Treaty of Brömsebro, 1645.
Administration
The traditional provinces of SwedenProvinces of Sweden
The provinces of Sweden, landskap, are historical, geographical and cultural regions. Sweden has 25 provinces and they have no administrative function, but remain historical legacies and the means of cultural identification....
serve no current administrative or political purposes, but are historical and cultural entities. In the case of Härjedalen there is a municipality
Municipalities of Sweden
The municipalities of Sweden are the local government entities of Sweden. The current 290 municipalities are organized into 21 counties...
, kommun, Härjedalen Municipality
Härjedalen Municipality
Härjedalen Municipality is a municipality in Jämtland County in northern Sweden. Its seat is located in Sveg.The municipality roughly, but not exactly, corresponds with the traditional province Härjedalen....
, which is located in the southern part of Jämtland County
Jämtland County
Jämtland County is a county or län in the middle of Sweden consisting of the provinces of Jämtland and Härjedalen, along with minor parts of Hälsingland and Ångermanland, plus two tiny uninhabited strips of Lapland and Dalarna. Jämtland County constitutes 12 percent of Sweden's total area, and is...
. The municipality does not exactly correspond to the province, but is larger.
Heraldry
The arms is represented with a dukal coronet. Blazon: "Argent a Sledgehammer Sable with Core Gules between Tongs of the second and two Hammers adorsed in pale of the second handled Gules.". It was granted in 1660. Since 1974 Härjedalen Municipality uses the same coat of arms, but without the coronet.Geography
Högvålen
Högvålen is a former village near Tännäs in the Härjedalen province of Sweden. At 835 metres above sea level, it is Sweden's highest continuously inhabited village. It have lived around 100 persons there at most, now only a few persons lives there. Högvålen is surrounded by mountains and big mires...
, at 835 metres, is also within the province.
Härjedalen is strange in that there are no cities at all. The only village of even modest size is the market town Sveg
Sveg
Sveg is a locality and the seat of Härjedalen Municipality in Jämtland County, Sweden with 2,633 inhabitants in 2005.The Swedish author Henning Mankell was brought up in Sveg, and it is the setting for his crime novel Danslärarens återkomst .- References :...
, which used to be the administrive center of the province.
The provincial flower is the Arctic violet. It is prominent on high altitudes in Europe, and is also found in the Alps
The Alps
The Alps is a 2007 American documentary film about the climbing of the north face of the Eiger in the Bernese Alps by John Harlin III, son of John Harlin who died on the same ascent 40 years earlier...
.
Sånfjället National Park extends through the municipality.
History
Jämtland and Härjedalen were originally provinces of NorwayNorway
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...
. Härjedalen came under the Norwegian king ca. 1100. After the Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645, Härjedalen, along with Jämtland, were ceded to Sweden. Until 1660 is a common spelling Herjedalen and Jemtland.
The first population of Härjedalen is estimated to have migrated here some 9,000 years ago. The population lived from hunting and fishing, close to the inland ice which by then had started to melt. Ruändan, in the Flatruet mountains in northwestern Härjedalen, is the location of a large site of rock paintings. The rock paintings at Ruändan consists of some twenty figures depicting people, bear, moose and reindeer. The rock paintings was first reported in 1896 and are estimated to be over 4000 years old.
According to one legend, Härjedalen is named after a powerful Norseman who had to flee east from the Norwegian court of king Halfdan Svarte
Halfdan the Black
Halfdan the Black was a ninth-century king of Vestfold. He belonged to the House of Yngling and was the father of Harald Fairhair, the first king of Norway.-Biography:...
after killing one of the king's men with a horn. Thereafter he was known as Härjulf Hornbrytare (lit. "Härjulf the Hornbreaker") For a time he entered the service of the Svea King Anund
Anund
Anund, Swedish: Bröt-Anund meaning trail-blazer Anund or Anund the Land Clearer; alternate names Brøt-Anundr or Braut-Önundr , was a legendary Swedish king of the House of Yngling who reigned in the mid-seventh century...
, until he eloped with that king's sister, Helga, and together they disappeared into the remote location in the region eventually named after him. Today a statue stands dedicated to them in the village of Lillhärdal
Lillhärdal
Lillhärdal is a locality situated in Härjedalen Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden with 365 inhabitants in 2005....
. Härjulf and Helga were the foreparents to the Icelander, Bjarni Herjólfsson
Bjarni Herjólfsson
Bjarni Herjólfsson was a Norwegian explorer who is the first known European discoverer of the mainland of the Americas, which he sighted in 985 or 986.-Life:...
, who was the first Norseman to see the "new world" when he was blown off-course whilst on a voyage to Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. His boat is the one Leif Eriksson
Eriksson
Eriksson is a common Swedish patronymic surname meaning "son of Erik", itself an Old Norse given name. There are other spelling variations of this surname such as Erikson, Ericson, Ericsson and Erixon...
acquired about 15 years later for Leif's famed landing on Vineland
Vineland
Vineland is a 1990 novel by Thomas Pynchon, a postmodern fiction set in California, United States in 1984, the year of Ronald Reagan's re-election...
.
A large portion of Härjedalen residents emigrated to America, principally to Northwestern Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
during the late 1800s.
Etymology
The name Härjedalen, from Old West Norse Herjárdalr, literally means the "Valley of the Härje river". A LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
ized transliteration is Herdalia, although that name is hardly encountered in the English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
today. More prominent are derivations such as Herjedalen or Haerjedalen. The more prosaic explanation of the name says that the word her or har just means "mound of stones" and refers to stones in the river Härjån.
Subdivisions
Härjedalen was historically divided into districts.- Hede Court District
- Sveg Court District