Holtålen is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; sma, Trööndelage) is a county in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County ( no, Trondhjems Amt); in 1804 the county was split into Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag by the King of Denma ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

. It is part of the

Gauldalen Gauldal or Gauldalen ( en, Gaula River valley) is a valley and traditional district in Trøndelag county, Norway. The river Gaula runs through the long valley from the Røros mountains near the lake Aursunden to the Trondheimsfjorden. The n ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is located in the Ålen area of the village of

Renbygda Renbygda is the administrative centre of the municipality of Holtålen in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located along the Gaula River and the Rørosbanen railway line, about north of the town of Røros and about southeast of the ...

. Other villages in the municipality include Hessdalen, Aunegrenda, and Haltdalen. The municipality is the 89th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Holtålen is the 283rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,953. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

is and its population has decreased by 3% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of '' Holtaalen'' was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1841, the western part of the municipality was separated to become the municipality of Singsaas. This left Holtaalen with 1,885 residents. Then in 1855, the southeastern part of Holtaalen was separated to become the municipality of Aalen, leaving Holtaalen with 809 residents. The spelling of the name was changed to ''Holtålen'' in 1921. In 1937, the name was changed from Holtålen to Haltdalen. On 1 January 1972, the municipality of Haltdalen was merged with the neighboring municipality of Ålen to form the new (present-day) municipality of Holtålen (resurrecting an old name for the area as the name of the new municipality). Prior to the merger, Haltdalen had 778 residents. On 21 April 1989, a small unpopulated part of the neighboring municipality of

Røros Røros ( sma, Plaassja, ) is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Røros. Some of the villages in Røros include Brekken, Glåmos, Feragen, Galåa, and Hitterdalen. The min ...

was transferred to Holtålen. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Sør-Trøndelag county to the new

county.

Name

The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and their overseas settlemen ...

forms of the name was ''Holtdalr'' and (later) ''Holtáll''. The first element is the old name of the local river Holda. The last element was originally ''dalr'' which means "

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between hills or mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers or streams ove ...

" or " dale", but this name was later (around 1400 AD) replaced by the word ''áll'' which means "

ditch A ditch is a small to moderate divot created to channel water. A ditch can be used for drainage, to drain water from low-lying areas, alongside roadways or fields, or to channel water from a more distant source for plant irrigation. Ditches ar ...

" or " gully" (''ålen'' is the modern definite form of this word). Historically, the spelling was ''Holtaalen'', and in the 20th century the spelling was changed to the current ''Holtålen''.

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

was granted in 1988. The arms show a willow ptarmigan ( Lagopus lagopus) in silver or white on a red background. This common local bird was chosen to reflect the importance of

hunting Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, ...

in the municipality.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes () within the municipality of Holtålen. It is part of the

Gauldal prosti This list of churches in Nidaros is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Nidaros which covers all of Trøndelag county in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each deanery in the diocese. Administra ...

( deanery) in the

Diocese of Nidaros Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Trøndelag county in Central Norway and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. Since 10 September 2017, the Bishop of Nidaros is Herbor ...

Geography

The

valley with the river Gaula originates from the mountainous area near the mining town of

, about south of

, which is listed as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. At the village of

the deep Gauldalen valley disappears into the mountains, not far from the lake Riasten. The western part of Holtålen is where the

Forollhogna National Park Forollhogna National Park ( no, Forollhogna nasjonalpark) is a national park in the counties of Trøndelag and Innlandet in Norway. Forollhogna (or ''Forelhogna'') park includes extensive plant life and is an important range for wild reindeer. T ...

is located with the mountain

Forollhogna Forollhogna (or ''Forolhogna'') is a mountain located on the border between three municipalities in Norway: Midtre Gauldal and Holtålen (in Trøndelag county) and Os (in Innlandet county). The tall mountain Forollhogna is the highest mounta ...

on the border with Midtre Gauldal municipality. The lake Øyungen lies just outside the park. The Kjøli and Killingdal

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...

mines are located in the southeastern part of Holtålen. The last mine in production was Killingdal until it closed down in 1986. Hessdalen is a mountain valley joining the Gauldal valley close to the village of Renbygda. Around 1983, Hessdalen became famous for

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

observations and the

Hessdalen lights The Hessdalen lights are unidentified lights observed in a stretch of the Hessdalen valley in rural central Norway. Background The Hessdalen lights are of unknown origin. They appear both by day and by night, and seem to float through and abov ...

. Because of this the Hessdalen AMS station was founded in the valley. The Rørosbanen railway line runs through the municipality, stopping at the Ålen Station and

Haltdalen Station Haltdalen Station ( no, Haltdalen stasjon) is a railway station located in the village of Haltdalen in the municipality of Holtålen in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located on the Røros Line. The station is served three times daily in each d ...

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Holtålen, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services,

senior citizen Old age refers to ages nearing or surpassing the life expectancy of human beings, and is thus the end of the human life cycle. Terms and euphemisms for people at this age include old people, the elderly (worldwide usage), OAPs (British usage ...

services,

unemployment Unemployment, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), is people above a specified age (usually 15) not being in paid employment or self-employment but currently available for work during the refere ...

and other social services,

zoning Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and ...

, and municipal

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

s. The municipality is governed by a

municipal council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elect a

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

. The municipality falls under the

Trøndelag District Court Trøndelag District Court ( no, Trøndelag tingrett) is a district court located in Trøndelag county, Norway. This court is based at four different courthouses which are located in Brekstad, Namsos, Steinkjer, and Trondheim. The court serves the ...

and the

Frostating Court of Appeal The Frostating Court of Appeal ( no, Frostating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Trondheim. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. ...

Municipal council

The

() of Holtålen is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often featur ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Holtålen (incomplete list): *2019–present: Arve Hitterdal ( LL) *2015–2019: Jan Håvard Refsethås ( Sp) *2011–2015: Heidi Greni (Sp) *1991–2011: Ivar Volden ( Ap)

Notable people

Mons Lie Mons Lie (15 February 1757 – 2 August 1827) was a Norwegian police chief and writer. He was born in Ålen as a son of Jonas Monsen Storli (1715–1791) and Karen Svendsdotter Aspaas (born 1717). His mother was a first cousin of Svend Aspaas ...

(1757 in Ålen – 1827) a Norwegian police chief, writer and songwriter * Hans Bull Brodtkorb Mohr (1886 in Haltdalen – 1973) an educator and international cooperation activist * Anders Bjørgaard (1891 in Holtålen – 1967) a Norwegian illustrator of the comic series ''

Jens von Bustenskjold ''Jens von Bustenskjold'' is the title of a Norwegian comic strip, which appeared in ''Arbeidermagasinet'' (later renamed ''Magasinet For Alle'') from 1934 to 1970. It's a humoristic comic about a nobleman. The series was created by Sigurd Lybeck, ...

'' *

Kåre Prytz Harald Kåre Prytz (12 September 1926 – 6 July 1994) was a Norwegian journalist and novelist. He was born in Ålen, belonging to the Prytz family from Røros. He became editor-in-chief of ''Arbeidets Rett'' at the age of 19 before working in '' ...

(1926 in Ålen – 1994) a Norwegian journalist and novelist

References

External links

*
Municipal fact sheet
from Statistics Norway {{DEFAULTSORT:Holtaalen Municipalities of Trøndelag 1972 establishments in Norway