Tokke is a municipality

Municipalities of Norway

Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...

 in 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:...

 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 is part of the traditional region

Districts of Norway

The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...

 of Vest-Telemark

Vest-Telemark

The Vest-Telemark traditional district of Norway comprises the upper and western areas of the county of Telemark. The region consists of six municipalities: Fyresdal, Tokke, Vinje, Nissedal, Kviteseid and Seljord....

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dalen

Dalen, Telemark

Dalen is the administrative centre of Tokke municipality, Norway. Its population is 801 . Dalen is located on and around the delta where the river Tokke flows into the west end of the lake Bandak....

. The municipality of Tokke was created on 1 January 1964 upon the merger of the two older municipalities of Lårdal

Lårdal

Lårdal is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway.The parish of Laurdal was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . On 1 January 1964 a merger took place between Lårdal and Mo, creating the new municipality Tokke. Before the merger Lårdal had a population of 1,929.-The name:The Old...

 and Mo

Mo, Telemark

Mo is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway.The parish of Mo was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 .On 1 January 1964 a merger took place between Mo and Lårdal, creating the new municipality Tokke...

. Located in Lårdal, Eidsborg stave church is one of Norway's old stave church

Stave church

A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...

es.

Name

The name originally belongs to the river running through the municipality. The Old Norse

Old 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....

 form of the river name must have been Þotka and it is related to the name of the lake Totak

Totak

Totak is a lake in the municipality of Vinje in Telemark county, Norway. The lake is part of the Skein river watershed , discharging via the river Tokke to lake Bandak. At 306 m Totak is the 10th deepest lake in Norway; this tremendous overdeepening marks it as a glacially formed lake with...

 (which it comes from). The river name is probably derived form the Norse word þot meaning "roaring, rushing, or howling".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms

Coat 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 6 February 1987. The arms show a black bear

Bear

Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...

 on a gold background. The bear in the arms symbolizes the rich nature in the forest

Forest

A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...

s in the municipality. The bear plays a major role in many local legend

Legend

A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...

s and stories.

Geography

Tokke borders Vinje

Vinje

Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.-Name:...

, Kviteseid

Kviteseid

Kviteseid is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kviteseid...

, Seljord

Seljord

Seljord is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Seljord...

, Fyresdal

Fyresdal

Fyresdal is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Moland. The municipality of Moland was established on 1 January 1838 . In 1879, the name was changed to...

, Valle, and Bykle

Bykle

Bykle is a municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Setesdal. The administrative center is the village of Bykle in the southern part of the municipality. Another village nearby is Nordbygdi...

. The highest peak is Urdenosi which is 1520 metres (4,986.9 ft) above sea level.

Notable residents

• Anne Grimdalen
  Anne Grimdalen
  Anne Grimdalen was a Norwegian sculptor. She was born on the mountain farm Grimdalen in Skafså, Telemark, and later also lived and worked in the so-called Kunstnerdalen in Asker. She worked mainly with granite, and also bronze...
  
   (1899–1961), sculptor from Skafså
  Skafså
  Skafså is a parish in southern part of the municipality Tokke in Telemark, Norway. The Skafså Church was consecrated in 1839. The mountain farm Grimdalen, today a museum , has farm buildings from the time of barter economy in the 17th century. Nearby is a collection of around 300 of Anne...
  
   in Tokke
• Eivind Groven
  Eivind Groven
  Eivind Groven was a Norwegian microtonal composer and music-theorist. He was from Telemark and had his background in the folk music of the area.- Biography :...
  
   (1901–1977), composer from Lårdal
  Lårdal
  Lårdal is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway.The parish of Laurdal was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . On 1 January 1964 a merger took place between Lårdal and Mo, creating the new municipality Tokke. Before the merger Lårdal had a population of 1,929.-The name:The Old...
  
   in Tokke

External links

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
  Statistics Norway
  Statistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...
  
  
• Tokke description