Røldal
Encyclopedia
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. Røldal was merged with Odda
on January 1, 1964.
The village lies on the route between the traditional Vest-
and Austlandet, at the borders between the counties of Hordaland, Rogaland and Telemark
. Røldal was formerly an independent municipality, but in 1964 Røldal became a part of Odda municipality.
Recognized points of tourist interest in Røldal include the Røldal stave church
and Røldal ski
center in the Hordadal valley which is famous for receiving the most snowfall of any area in Norway. Røldal also is a point for access to the Hardangervidda
plateau
.
of a rivername *Røyrga (derived from røyrr m 'rocky ground'). The last element is dalr m 'dale, valley'.
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...
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...
.
The parish of Suldal
Suldal
Suldal is a municipality in the northeast of Rogaland county, Norway located in the Ryfylke historically traditional district. Sand i Ryfylke is a the administrative center of Suldal....
had to be divided into two formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
January 1, 1838 – this because the main part of the parish belonged to the county of Rogaland
Rogaland
is a county in Western Norway, bordering Hordaland, Telemark, Aust-Agder and Vest-Agder. It is the center of the Norwegian petroleum industry, and as a result of this, Rogaland has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Norway, 1.1%...
, while the annex Røldal belonged to the county of Hordaland. Røldal was merged with Odda
Odda
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,...
on January 1, 1964.
The village lies on the route between the traditional Vest-
Vestlandet
Western Norway is the region along the Atlantic coast of southern Norway. It consists of the counties Rogaland, Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane, and Møre og Romsdal and the region has a population of approximately 1.3 million people. The largest city is Bergen, second largest is Stavanger...
and Austlandet, at the borders between the counties of Hordaland, Rogaland and Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
. Røldal was formerly an independent municipality, but in 1964 Røldal became a part of Odda municipality.
Recognized points of tourist interest in Røldal include the Røldal stave church
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...
and Røldal ski
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
center in the Hordadal valley which is famous for receiving the most snowfall of any area in Norway. Røldal also is a point for access to the Hardangervidda
Hardangervidda
The Hardangervidda is a mountain plateau in the Hardanger region of western Norway. It is the largest such plateau in Europe, with a cold year-round alpine climate and is the site of one of Norway's largest glaciers. Much of the plateau is protected as part of Hardangervidda National Park; it is a...
plateau
Plateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
.
The name
The Norse form of the name might have been *Røyrgudalr - and the first element would then be the genitive caseGenitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...
of a rivername *Røyrga (derived from røyrr m 'rocky ground'). The last element is dalr m 'dale, valley'.