Odda
Encyclopedia
is a municipality
and town in the county
of Hordaland
, Norway. Odda was separated from Ullensvang
on 1 July 1913 and on 1 January 1964 Røldal
was merged with Odda. The town of Odda is the centre of the landscape of Hardanger
, located at the end of the Hardangerfjord
.
In 1927, Erling Johnson, working at Odda Smelteverk, invented a process to produce fertilizers. This process is now known as the Odda process
.
Oddi), since the first church was built there. The name is identical with the word oddi which means "headland".
is from modern times. They were granted on 8 October 1982. The arms show a canting
of an arrowhead
(Norwegian language
: pilodd). The name of the village, however is not derived from an arrow head, but from a landscape element.
The Røldal stave church
was built around 1200 - 1250 in Røldal
.
The present Odda is a modern town which grew up around smelters built at the head of the Sørfjord
branch of the Hardangerfjord
in the mid-twentieth century, drawing migrants from different parts of Norway.
The carbide
production and the subsequent production of cyanamide
was started in 1908 after the water power plant was operational and provided the necessary electricity for the arc furnaces. The plant was the largest in the world and remained operational till 2003 shortly after the plant was sold to Philipp Brothers Chemicals Inc. The Norwegian government tried to get the site recognized together with other industrial plants as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As a result, there developed in town a new dialect, a mixture of that spoken in the home regions of the migrants - a phenomenon termed by linguists "a Koiné language
".
Odda provided valuable insights to linguists studying this phenomenon. The researcher Kerswill conducted an intensive study of the Norwegian spoken in Odda and in its neighbor Tyssedal
, which arose in the same time and socio-economic circumstances as those of Odda but its inhabitants came from a very different geographical origin: The workers in Odda came predominantly (86%) from western Norway. In Tyssedal only about one third came from western Norway; one third came from eastern Norway; and the rest from other parts of the country.
The dialects that evolved in these two towns were radically different from each other, though spoken at a short geograhical distance from each other.
; the lakes Sandvinvatnet
, Votna
, Valldalsvatnet
, Røldalsvatnet
, Ringedalsvatnet
, Langavatnet
, and parts of Ståvatn; the glacier Buarbreen
and parts of Folgefonna
National Park
.
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
and town in the 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...
of Hordaland
Hordaland
is a county in Norway, bordering Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Telemark and Rogaland. Hordaland is the third largest county after Akershus and Oslo by population. The county administration is located in Bergen...
, Norway. Odda was separated from Ullensvang
Ullensvang
Ullensvang is a municipality in the county of Hordaland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hardanger. The administrative centre is the village of Kinsarvik....
on 1 July 1913 and on 1 January 1964 Røldal
Røldal
Røldal is a former municipality in Hordaland county, Norway.The parish of Suldal had to be divided into two formannskapsdistrikt January 1, 1838 – this because the main part of the parish belonged to the county of Rogaland, while the annex Røldal belonged to the county of Hordaland...
was merged with Odda. The town of Odda is the centre of the landscape of Hardanger
Hardanger
Hardanger is a traditional district in the western part of Norway, dominated by the Hardangerfjord. It consists of the municipalities of Odda, Ullensvang, Eidfjord, Ulvik, Granvin, Kvam and Jondal, and is located inside the county of Hordaland....
, located at the end of the Hardangerfjord
Hardangerfjord
With a length of , the Hardangerfjord in the county of Hordaland in Norway is the third largest fjord in the world and the second largest in Norway. The surrounding district is called Hardanger....
.
In 1927, Erling Johnson, working at Odda Smelteverk, invented a process to produce fertilizers. This process is now known as the Odda process
Nitrophosphate process
The nitrophosphate process was a method for the industrial production of nitrogen fertilizers invented by Erling Johnson in the city of Odda, Norway around 1927....
.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old farm Odda (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....
Oddi), since the first church was built there. The name is identical with the word oddi which means "headland".
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 8 October 1982. The arms show a canting
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...
of an arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
(Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
: pilodd). The name of the village, however is not derived from an arrow head, but from a landscape element.
History
Røldal stave church
Røldal stave church is a stave church at Røldal in Odda municipality, Hardanger, Norway.-History:The estimated age of the Church is generally dated to between 1200-1250. A baptismal font in the church is dated to between 1200 and 1250. A crucifix in the church dates from about 1250...
was built around 1200 - 1250 in Røldal
Røldal
Røldal is a former municipality in Hordaland county, Norway.The parish of Suldal had to be divided into two formannskapsdistrikt January 1, 1838 – this because the main part of the parish belonged to the county of Rogaland, while the annex Røldal belonged to the county of Hordaland...
.
The present Odda is a modern town which grew up around smelters built at the head of the Sørfjord
Sørfjorden, Hardanger
Sørfjorden is a 38 kilometre long fjord arm of the Hardangerfjord in Hordaland county, Norway. The longest arm of the Hardangerfjord, Sørfjorden stretches from north of Kinsarvik to the industrial town of Odda. The glacier of Folgefonna is located to its west, while the mountain plateau of...
branch of the Hardangerfjord
Hardangerfjord
With a length of , the Hardangerfjord in the county of Hordaland in Norway is the third largest fjord in the world and the second largest in Norway. The surrounding district is called Hardanger....
in the mid-twentieth century, drawing migrants from different parts of Norway.
The carbide
Carbide
In chemistry, a carbide is a compound composed of carbon and a less electronegative element. Carbides can be generally classified by chemical bonding type as follows: salt-like, covalent compounds, interstitial compounds, and "intermediate" transition metal carbides...
production and the subsequent production of cyanamide
Cyanamide
Cyanamide is an organic compound with the formula CN2H2. This white solid is widely used in agriculture and the production of pharmaceuticals and other organic compounds. It is also used as an alcohol deterrent drug in Canada, Europe and Japan. The molecule features a nitrile group attached to an...
was started in 1908 after the water power plant was operational and provided the necessary electricity for the arc furnaces. The plant was the largest in the world and remained operational till 2003 shortly after the plant was sold to Philipp Brothers Chemicals Inc. The Norwegian government tried to get the site recognized together with other industrial plants as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As a result, there developed in town a new dialect, a mixture of that spoken in the home regions of the migrants - a phenomenon termed by linguists "a Koiné language
Koine language
In linguistics, a koiné language is a standard language or dialect that has arisen as a result of contact between two mutually intelligible varieties of the same language. Since the speakers have understood one another from before the advent of the koiné, the koineization process is not as rapid...
".
Odda provided valuable insights to linguists studying this phenomenon. The researcher Kerswill conducted an intensive study of the Norwegian spoken in Odda and in its neighbor Tyssedal
Tyssedal
Tyssedal is a village in Odda municipality in Norway with about 700 inhabitants and is situated 6 km north of Odda center. Tyssedal is located in a charming environment between fjords and mountains, in the fjord arm Sørfjorden and at the edge of the Hardangervidda mountain plateau.Tyssedal is...
, which arose in the same time and socio-economic circumstances as those of Odda but its inhabitants came from a very different geographical origin: The workers in Odda came predominantly (86%) from western Norway. In Tyssedal only about one third came from western Norway; one third came from eastern Norway; and the rest from other parts of the country.
The dialects that evolved in these two towns were radically different from each other, though spoken at a short geograhical distance from each other.
Geography
Odda municipality includes the waterfall LåtefossenLåtefossen
Låtefossen or Låtefoss is a waterfall located in the municipality of Odda in western Norway. The total height is 165 meters. The water fall is a well known tourist attraction in the area. It is special in that it consists of two separate streams from its source, Lotevatnet, that meets in the middle...
; the lakes Sandvinvatnet
Sandvinvatnet
Sandvinvatnet is a lake in the municipality of Odda in Hordaland county, Norway....
, Votna
Votna
Votna is a lake in the municipality of Odda in Hordaland county, Norway....
, Valldalsvatnet
Valldalsvatnet
Valldalsvatnet is a lake in the municipality of Odda in Hordaland county, Norway....
, Røldalsvatnet
Røldalsvatnet
Røldalsvatnet is a lake in the municipality of Odda in Hordaland county, Norway.The village Røldal is located at the northern tip of the lake, whereas Botnen is located at the southern end....
, Ringedalsvatnet
Ringedalsvatnet
Ringedalsvatnet is a lake in the municipality of Odda in Hordaland county, Norway. The lake is the main reservoir for a hydropower production in Tyssedal, that provides electricity for the power intensive industry in Odda. The 521 m wide, 33 m high Ringedals Dam was constructed during the years...
, Langavatnet
Langavatnet, Odda
Langavatnet is a lake in the municipality of Odda in Hordaland county, Norway....
, and parts of Ståvatn; the glacier Buarbreen
Buarbreen
The glacier Buarbreen in is an offshoot of the Folgefonna glacier. It lies in Odda municipality of Hordaland county in Norway.-See also:* List of glaciers in Norway...
and parts of Folgefonna
Folgefonna
Folgefonna is a collective term for three plateau glaciers in Hardanger, Norway,* Nordre Folgefonna * Midtre Folgefonna...
National Park
Folgefonna National Park
Folgefonna National Park has an area of 545.2 km². It spans the municipalities of Jondal, Kvinnherad, Etne, Odda and Ullensvang. The national park was opened by Queen Sonja on May 14th 2005...
.