Lesjaverk
Encyclopedia
Lesjaverk is a village in Lesja
municipality in the upper Gudbrandsdal
valley of Oppland
county
, Norway
. It lies approximately 25 miles north of Dombås
on the Raumabanen
railway line. European route E136
goes from Ålesund
up through the Romsdal
valley and passes through Lesjaverk to end at Dombås
. Located in a high mountain pass at 633 meters elevation, it is situated between Svartohøe (1883 meters), Storhøe (1868 meters) and Merratind (1702 meters) mountains in the Dovrefjell
range to the north and Digervarden (1780 meters) mountain to the south.
(The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway) by Snorri Sturluson
. The account of King Olaf
's (A.D. 1015-1021) conversion of Dale-Gudbrand to Christianity
is popularly recognized. King Olaf's success was short-lived, for in 1029 the Norwegian nobles, seething with discontent, rallied round the invading Knut the Great
, and Olaf had to flee. To avoid engaging a fleet of 25 ships, 400 of King Olav's men and 100 loyal peasant farmers from Romsdal
built a road up from the Romsdalfjord which passed through the area that became known as Lesjaverk. His men fled along this road and across Gudbrandsdal. There he was not warmly received since he had killed King Thorer of Gudbrandsdal, so he went on to Hedmark
. From there he proceeded to Sweden and on to Russia. On his return a year later he fell at the Battle of Stiklestad
.
Iron smelting is recorded at Lesjaverk as early as 1614, when King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway
authorized the Romsdal Market at Devold on the Rauma
river 4 miles upstream of Åndalsnes
. With this change, Molde
assumed the role as principal market town for Romsdal
formerly held by Veøy
. This change was made to provide the ironworkers at Lesjaverk with a convenient outlet for their products as well as providing them a market to purchases goods and food supplies such as stockfish
and grain.
Lesja jernverk (Lesja Iron Works) or Lesjaverk formally operated from 1659 to 1812 in the municipality of Lesja
, Norway
, and was an important Dano-Norwegian
iron works. When the forest was hewn, iron production was no longer economically viable at Lesjaverk, and the works were closed in 1812. The abandoned mines at Gruvlia, Håmårfossen and Stellsteinberget, as well as the former iron smelter and charcoal kiln
s can still be seen. A historical path with signs provides the visitor with an overview of the original operation; the oldest ironworks of this magnitude in Norway.
Lake Lesjaskogsvatnet
has outlets at both ends. It originally flowed west into the Rauma
river in the magnificent Romsdal
en valley. A 3-meter high dam that was constructed by the Lesja Iron Works in the 1660s to improve transportation caused the water to also flow eastward into the river Gudbrandsdalslågen
. The lake lies at 611 meter above sea level and is about 5 km2 in area.
The establishers of Lesja Verk built their own church for the workers in 1695, but the church was moved to Lesjaskog in 1855. The church in Lesjaverk was a satellite church of that in Lesja, as was the church for Folldal
which served the Folldal works (Folldal Verk) copper mines. Per Berg reports,
During the German invasion of World War II
, while retreating from Oslo half the Government stayed for one night at Lesjaverk, eight day before evacuating to London. King Haakon
and Crown Prince Olav
traveled over high-mountain roads, leaving Vågå
on 17 April 1940 and passed through Lesjaverk on the way to Molde
. With the evacuation of the King and the Cabinet from Molde to Tromsø
on 29 April, and the allied evacuation of Åndalsnes
on 1 May, formal Norwegian military resistance to the German invasion in Southern Norway came to an end.
Lesja
Lesja 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 Lesja....
municipality in the upper 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...
valley of 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 lies approximately 25 miles north of Dombås
Dombås
The village of lies in the Dovre municipality and serves as an administrative center in the upper Gudbrandsdal, Norway. It lies at an important junction of roads: south leading to the current capital of Norway, Oslo, west via Lesja leading to Åndalsnes on the sea and north to the old capital,...
on the Raumabanen
Raumabanen
The Rauma Line is a long railway between Åndalsnes and Dombås in Norway. Running down the valley of Romsdalen, the line opened between 1921 and 1924 as a branch of the Dovre Line, which connects to Oslo and Trondheim. Originally intended as the first stage to connect Ålesund, and possibly also...
railway line. European route E136
European route E136
European route E 136 is a European highway which goes from Ålesund up through the Romsdal valley and crossing into the upper Gudbrandsdal valley to end at Dombås...
goes from Ålesund
Ålesund
is a town and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Sunnmøre, and the center of the Ålesund Region. It is a sea port, and is noted for its unique concentration of Art Nouveau architecture....
up through the Romsdal
Romsdal
Romsdal is the name of a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named for the valley of Romsdalen, which covers part of Rauma.The...
valley and passes through Lesjaverk to end at Dombås
Dombås
The village of lies in the Dovre municipality and serves as an administrative center in the upper Gudbrandsdal, Norway. It lies at an important junction of roads: south leading to the current capital of Norway, Oslo, west via Lesja leading to Åndalsnes on the sea and north to the old capital,...
. Located in a high mountain pass at 633 meters elevation, it is situated between Svartohøe (1883 meters), Storhøe (1868 meters) and Merratind (1702 meters) mountains in the Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell is a mountain range in central Norway that forms a natural barrier between Eastern Norway and Trøndelag, the area around Trondheim. As a result, it has been heavily trafficked during and probably preceding historical times...
range to the north and Digervarden (1780 meters) mountain to the south.
History
Lesjaverk lies on an important trade route used in prehistoric times. The area is first mentioned in the written chronicle of the HeimskringlaHeimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
(The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway) by Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
. The account of King Olaf
Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...
's (A.D. 1015-1021) conversion of Dale-Gudbrand to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
is popularly recognized. King Olaf's success was short-lived, for in 1029 the Norwegian nobles, seething with discontent, rallied round the invading Knut the Great
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
, and Olaf had to flee. To avoid engaging a fleet of 25 ships, 400 of King Olav's men and 100 loyal peasant farmers from Romsdal
Romsdal
Romsdal is the name of a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named for the valley of Romsdalen, which covers part of Rauma.The...
built a road up from the Romsdalfjord which passed through the area that became known as Lesjaverk. His men fled along this road and across Gudbrandsdal. There he was not warmly received since he had killed King Thorer of Gudbrandsdal, so he went on to 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...
. From there he proceeded to Sweden and on to Russia. On his return a year later he fell at the Battle of Stiklestad
Battle of Stiklestad
The Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle, King Olaf II of Norway was killed. He was later canonized...
.
Iron smelting is recorded at Lesjaverk as early as 1614, when King Christian IV of Denmark and Norway
Christian IV of Denmark
Christian IV was the king of Denmark-Norway from 1588 until his death. With a reign of more than 59 years, he is the longest-reigning monarch of Denmark, and he is frequently remembered as one of the most popular, ambitious and proactive Danish kings, having initiated many reforms and projects...
authorized the Romsdal Market at Devold on the Rauma
Rauma River
Rauma is a river in the Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties in Norway. It runs for from the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet in the municipality of Lesja to the town of Åndalsnes in the municipality of Rauma. The river was once famous for its salmon-fishing, but since an infection with Gyrodactylus...
river 4 miles upstream of Åndalsnes
Åndalsnes
is a town in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is the administrative center of Rauma. The town has a population of 2,207...
. With this change, Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...
assumed the role as principal market town for Romsdal
Romsdal
Romsdal is the name of a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named for the valley of Romsdalen, which covers part of Rauma.The...
formerly held by Veøy
Veøy
Veøy is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. It initially consisted of Vestnes, as well as the southern part of Molde and the northern part of Rauma. Vestnes was demerged in 1838, later the same year the municipality was established. From 1964, the municipality was split between Molde...
. This change was made to provide the ironworkers at Lesjaverk with a convenient outlet for their products as well as providing them a market to purchases goods and food supplies such as stockfish
Stockfish
Stockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by cold air and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore, called "hjell". The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years...
and grain.
Lesja jernverk (Lesja Iron Works) or Lesjaverk formally operated from 1659 to 1812 in the municipality of Lesja
Lesja
Lesja 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 Lesja....
, 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...
, and was an important Dano-Norwegian
Dano-Norwegian
Dano-Norwegian is a linguistic term for a koiné that evolved among the urban elite in Norwegian cities during the later years of the union between the Kingdoms of Denmark and Norway . It is from this koiné that Riksmål and Bokmål developed...
iron works. When the forest was hewn, iron production was no longer economically viable at Lesjaverk, and the works were closed in 1812. The abandoned mines at Gruvlia, Håmårfossen and Stellsteinberget, as well as the former iron smelter and charcoal kiln
Kiln
A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, or oven, in which a controlled temperature regime is produced. Uses include the hardening, burning or drying of materials...
s can still be seen. A historical path with signs provides the visitor with an overview of the original operation; the oldest ironworks of this magnitude in Norway.
Lake Lesjaskogsvatnet
Lesjaskogsvatnet
Lesjaskogsvatnet is a lake which serves as the headwaters for Gudbrandsdalslågen . Gudbrandsdalslågen flows through the Gudbrandsdal valley bottom, ending in lake Mjøsa....
has outlets at both ends. It originally flowed west into the Rauma
Rauma River
Rauma is a river in the Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties in Norway. It runs for from the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet in the municipality of Lesja to the town of Åndalsnes in the municipality of Rauma. The river was once famous for its salmon-fishing, but since an infection with Gyrodactylus...
river in the magnificent Romsdal
Romsdal
Romsdal is the name of a traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal, located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre. The district of Romsdal comprises Aukra, Fræna, Midsund, Molde, Nesset, Rauma, Sandøy, and Vestnes. It is named for the valley of Romsdalen, which covers part of Rauma.The...
en valley. A 3-meter high dam that was constructed by the Lesja Iron Works in the 1660s to improve transportation caused the water to also flow eastward into the river 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...
. The lake lies at 611 meter above sea level and is about 5 km2 in area.
The establishers of Lesja Verk built their own church for the workers in 1695, but the church was moved to Lesjaskog in 1855. The church in Lesjaverk was a satellite church of that in Lesja, as was the church for Folldal
Folldal
Folldal is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Dovre. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Folldal. The new municipality of Folldal was separated from Alvdal in 1914.-Name:...
which served the Folldal works (Folldal Verk) copper mines. Per Berg reports,
“When the sextonSexton (office)A sexton is a church, congregation or synagogue officer charged with the maintenance of its buildings and/or the surrounding graveyard. In smaller places of worship, this office is often combined with that of verger...
Ola Kring died in Lesja in 1751, Frederik Wiborg was appointed sexton there and was presented to the congregation on the third Sunday following Trinity. There certainly wasn't anything very special about being a teacher in RingsakerRingsakeris 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...
, if he was willing to change that for being a sexton. No house or land went with the post and the work was hard. In the Lesja parish there were three satellite churches - Lesjeverk, DovreDovreDovre is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Dovre. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dovre....
, and Folldal. The travel distances were great and it could be very difficult in the winter.”
During the German invasion of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, while retreating from Oslo half the Government stayed for one night at Lesjaverk, eight day before evacuating to London. King Haakon
Haakon VII of Norway
Haakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
and Crown Prince Olav
Olav V of Norway
Olav V was the king of Norway from 1957 until his death. A member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg, Olav was born in the United Kingdom as the son of King Haakon VII of Norway and Queen Maud of Norway...
traveled over high-mountain roads, leaving Vågå
Vågå
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....
on 17 April 1940 and passed through Lesjaverk on the way to Molde
Molde
is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The municipality is located on the Romsdal Peninsula, surrounding the Fannefjord and Moldefjord...
. With the evacuation of the King and the Cabinet from Molde to Tromsø
Tromsø
Tromsø is a city and municipality in Troms county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Tromsø.Tromsø city is the ninth largest urban area in Norway by population, and the seventh largest city in Norway by population...
on 29 April, and the allied evacuation of Åndalsnes
Åndalsnes
is a town in the municipality of Rauma in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Åndalsnes is the administrative center of Rauma. The town has a population of 2,207...
on 1 May, formal Norwegian military resistance to the German invasion in Southern Norway came to an end.