Melhus 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 ...

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 countries, 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 ...

. It is part of the

Gauldal 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 ...

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 An administrative center is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a commune is located. In countries with French as administrative language (such as Belgium, Lu ...

of the municipality is the village of Melhus. Other villages include Gåsbakken, Hovin, Korsvegen, Kvål, Ler, Lundamo,

Storsand Storsand is a village in Melhus municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located on the eastern side of the river Gaula and on the western slopes of the mountain Vassfjellet, about south of the village of Melhus. The Europe ...

, and

Øysand Øysand is a small village in the northwestern part of the municipality of Melhus in Trøndelag county, Norway. The village sits on the south side of the mouth of the Gaula River, at the head of the Gaulosen, an arm off the main Trondheim Fjord ...

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

is important in Melhus, and the extensive lowland areas in the almost flat valley surrounding the Gaula River are dominated by grain fields. Many inhabitants work in the city of

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, an ...

, a 20-minute drive north from Melhus. The municipality is the 166th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Melhus is the 75th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 16,123. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

is and its population has increased by 11.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

Melhus was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () is the name for Norwegian local self-government districts that were legally enacted on 1 January 1838. This system of municipalities was created in a bill approved by the Parliament of Norway and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 Janu ...

law). In 1865, the western district of Høilandet (population: 1,818) was separated from Melhus to form a separate municipality. Then on 1880, the eastern district of Flaa (population: 614) was separated to form its own municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee ( no, Schei-komitéen) was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post- World War II. It convened in 1946, and its formal name was (The 1946 Committee on Munici ...

. On 1 January 1964, Melhus (population: 3,978) was merged with the neighboring municipalities of

Hølonda Hølonda is a former municipality in the old Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1865 until its dissolution in 1964. Hølonda encompassed the southwestern part of what is now the municipality of Melhus in Trøndelag c ...

(population: 1,428), Flå (population: 843),

Horg Horg is a former municipality in the old Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1841 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality of Horg encompassed the southern part of what is now the municipality of Melhus in Trøn ...

(population: 2,560), and the small ''Langørgen'' farm area in the neighboring municipality of Buvik (population: 11) to form a new, larger municipality of Melhus. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old

Sør-Trøndelag Sør-Trøndelag () was a county comprising the southern portion of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Nord-Trøndelag county as well as the counties of Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, and Hedmark. To the west is the N ...

county to the new

county.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

) is named after the old ''Melhus'' farm ( non, Meðalhúsar), since the first

Melhus Church Melhus Church ( no, Melhus kirke), also known as "the Gauldal Cathedral", is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Melhus municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Storsand, about south of the village of ...

was built there. The first element is ''meðal'' which means "middle" and the last element is the

plural The plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the ...

form of ''hús'' which means "house". The farm is one part of a greater and older farm, which had the name ''Óðinssalr'' which means "the ''salr'' (

mead hall Among the early Germanic peoples, a mead hall or feasting hall was a large building with a single room intended to receive guests and serve as a center of community social life. From the fifth century to the Early Middle Ages such a building was t ...

) of

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, victory, ...

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 on 8 November 1979. The arms show a gold-colored

archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In m ...

with a red background. The arms were chosen to symbolize Einar Tambarskjelve, who was a famous chief and archer from Melhus in the 11th century. He is mentioned as an archer for King Olav Tryggvason in the Battle of Svolder.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway ( nb, Den norske kirke, nn, Den norske kyrkja, se, Norgga girku, sma, Nöörjen gærhkoe) is an evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. The church ...

has four parishes () within the municipality of Melhus. 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. Administrati ...

(

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Anglican Communion, the Evangelical Church in Germany, and the Church of Norway. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or reside ...

) 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 Herborg ...

History

Melhus was the site of many important events during the

Viking Era The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period and the ...

. It was the site of the farm Rimul in Melhus at which Jarl Haakon was killed by his slave, Tormod Kark. Jarlshola is the location in Melhus thought to have been the hiding place of Jarl Haakon and Tormod Kark on their last night before the infamous murder at Rimul.

Geography

The municipality of Melhus includes the valley of the river Gaula as it flows northwards towards its mouth at the Gaulosen, an arm of the Trondheimsfjord. The lake Svorksjøen lies on the western border with

Orkdal Orkdal is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it joined Orkland Municipality. It was part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipali ...

and Meldal. The lakes Benna and Ånøya lie in the central part of the municipality, and the lake Samsjøen lies on the southeastern border with

Midtre Gauldal Midtre Gauldal is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Støren. Other villages in the municipality include Singsås, Soknedal, Enodden, ...

municipality. The mountains of Rensfjellet and Vassfjellet lie on the eastern border with

Selbu Selbu is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mebonden. Other villages in Selbu include Flora, Fossan, Hyttbakken, Innbygda, Selbustrand, Trøa, Tømra, and Vikvarvet. T ...

and

Klæbu Klæbu is a former municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 2020 when it was incorporated into the neighboring Trondheim Municipality. It was located in the southern part of the Trondheim Region, ...

municipalities, respectively.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Melhus, are responsible for

primary education Primary education or elementary education is typically the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/ kindergarten and before secondary school. Primary education takes place in '' primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health profe ...

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 refe ...

and other

social services Social services are a range of public services intended to provide support and assistance towards particular groups, which commonly include the disadvantaged. They may be provided by individuals, private and independent organisations, or adminis ...

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 o ...

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 and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Melhus is made up of 37 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 featu ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Melhus (incomplete list): *2019–present: Jorid Jagtøyen ( Sp) *2015-2019: Gunnar Krogstad ( Ap) *2011-2015: Jorid Jagtøyen (Sp) *2003-2011: Erling Bøhle (Ap) *2001-2003: Solfrid Løvseth (Ap) *1995-2001: Anders Estenstad (Ap)

Transportation

European route E6 European route E6 ( no, Europavei 6, sv, Europaväg 6, or simply E6) is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and thr ...

runs north and south through the municipality, following the Gaula River. There is also a long stretch of

European route E39 European route E39 is the designation of a north–south road in Norway and Denmark from Klett, just south of Trondheim, to Aalborg via Bergen, Stavanger and Kristiansand. In total, there are nine ferries, more than any other single road in Eur ...

passes east and west in the northern part of Melhus between Buvika and

Leinstrand Leinstrand is a former municipality in the old Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality of Leinstrand encompassed the south-central part of what is now the city of Trondh ...

. The Dovre Line also follows the river through Melhus. The following stations are located along the railway line in Melhus:

Melhus Station Melhus Station ( no, Melhus stasjon) is a railway station in the village of Melhus in the municipality of Melhus in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station is located on the Dovre Line, about south of Trondheim Central Station ''(Trondheim S)'' ...

Kvål Station Kvål Station ( no, Kvål stasjon) is a railway station in the village of Kvål in the municipality of Melhus in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station is located on the Dovre Line, about south of Trondheim Central Station ''(Trondheim S)'' ...

Ler Station Ler Station ( no, Ler stasjon) is a railway station in the village of Ler in the municipality of Melhus in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station is located on the Dovre Line, about south of Trondheim Central Station ''(Trondheim S)'' and about ...

Lundamo Station Lundamo Station ( no, Lundamo stasjon) is a railway station in the village of Lundamo in the municipality of Melhus in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station is located on the Dovre Line, about south of Trondheim Central Station ''(Trondheim S) ...

, and

Hovin Station Hovin Station ( no, Hovin stasjon) is a railway station in the village of Hovin in the municipality of Melhus in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station is on the Dovre Line, about south of Trondheim Central Station (''Trondheim S'') and about ...

. The railroad goes through the

Gulfoss Tunnel Gulfoss Tunnel is a railway tunnel situated in the municipality of Melhus in Trøndelag county, Norway. The tunnel runs beneath the village of Hovin, alongside the river Gaula past the Gulfossen waterfall. The tunnel carries a single, electrif ...

at Hovin.

Gallery

File:Melhusbrua 001.JPG, Bridge crossing Gaula River File:Klemmets veg.JPG, Gimse in Melhus File:Gaustadvatnet.jpg, Gaustad Lake File:Vassfjellkapellet.jpg, Chapel at Vassfjellet on the border with

File:Øysand.jpg, View of

in northern Melhus

Newspapers

* ''

Trønderbladet ''Trønderbladet'' is a local online and print newspaper published in Melhus, Norway. It covers the municipalities of Melhus, Skaun, Midtre Gauldal, Klæbu and the Gaulosen area of Trondheim. Published in tabloid format, the newspaper had a ...

'': Largest newspaper in Melhus. * '' Gaula'': Newspaper published in Melhus which also covers the

and

Byneset Byneset is a former municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The municipality of Byneset encompassed the western part of what is now Trondheim municipality in Trøndela ...

Notable residents

Einar Thambarskelfir Einar Eindridesson Thambarskelfir (c. 980–c. 1050) (Old Norse: ''Einarr Þambarskelfir'', Modern Norwegian: ''Einar Tambarskjelve'') was an influential Norwegian noble and politician during the 11th century. He headed the feudal lords in t ...

(ca.980 – ca.1050) influential nobleman, de facto ruler of Norway * Johannes Klingenberg Sejersted (1761 in Flå – 1823) a Norwegian senior military officer * Hartvig Nissen (1815 in Melhus – 1874) a Norwegian philologist and educator * Walter Scott Dahl (1839 in Melhus – 1906) politician and Government minister * Sophus Dahl (1877 in Horg– 1952) a Norwegian theater and film actor IMDb Database
retrieved 07 November 2020 *

Martin Tranmæl Martin Olsen Tranmæl (27 June 1879 – 11 July 1967) was a Norwegian socialist leader from The Norwegian Labour Party. Biography Martin Tranmæl grew up on a middle-sized farm in Melhus, in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. He started working ...

(1879 in Melhus – 1967) Party Secretary and MP for the

Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party ( nb, Arbeiderpartiet; nn, Arbeidarpartiet; A/Ap; se, Bargiidbellodat), formerly The Norwegian Labour Party ( no, Det norske Arbeiderparti, DNA), is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is positioned on the cent ...

, editor of

Arbeiderbladet ''Dagsavisen'' is a daily newspaper published in Oslo, Norway. The former party organ of the Norwegian Labour Party, the ties loosened over time from 1975 to 1999. It has borne several names, and was called ''Arbeiderbladet'' from 1923 to 1997. ...

Per Borten (3 April 1913 – 20 January 2005) was a Norwegian politician from the Centre Party and the 25th prime minister of Norway from 1965 to 1971. Per Borten is credited for leading the modernization of what was then named Bondepartiet (the Agrarian ...

(1913 in Flå – 2005)

Prime Minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...

1965 to 1971 * Odd Bye (1916 in Horg – 2010) journalist and politician * Hans Flock (born 1940 in Melhus) Supreme Court Justice, 1996 to 2010. * Tor Singsaas (born 1948) Bishop of Nidaros, grew up in Melhus *

Jorun Thørring Jorun Thørring is a Norwegian writer, born in Tromsø in 1955. She lives in Melhus, is a specialist in gynaecology, and has her own private practice in Trondheim. She made her literary debut in 2005 with the crime novel Crime fiction, det ...

(born 1955) a Norwegian crime writer and gynaecologist, lives in Melhus *

Torstein Flakne Torstein Flakne (born December 17, 1960 in Trondheim, Norway) is a Norwegian singer and guitarist, best known for being the founder of the Norwegian rock band Stage Dolls. He is from Melhus Melhus is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norwa ...

(born 1960) rock musician, member of The Kids and founder of

Stage Dolls Stage Dolls is a Norwegian hard rock band based in Trondheim, Norway. History In 1982, Erlend Antonsen and Terje Storli played at local clubs in and around Trondheim. In need of a guitarist they called on Torstein Flakne, who by then had finishe ...

* Hans Bollandsås (born 1980 in Melhus) a blues musician, won the Norwegian X Factor in 2010. Magnar Estenstad 1949

Sport

* Magnar Estenstad (1924 in Hølonda – 2004) cross-country skier, bronze and team silver medallist at the

1952 Winter Olympics The 1952 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VI Olympic Winter Games ( no, De 6. olympiske vinterleker; nn, Dei 6. olympiske vinterleikane) and commonly known as Oslo 1952, was a winter multi-sport event held from 14 to 25 February 19 ...

Toralf Engan Toralf Engan (born 1 October 1936) is a retired Norwegian ski jumper. At the 1964 Winter Olympics he won the large hill and placed second in the new normal hill event. His other victories include the Four Hills Tournament, which he had won the ...

(born 1939) ski jumper, gold and silver medallist at the

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games (german: IX. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 ( bar, Innschbruck 1964, label=Austro-Bavarian), was a winter multi-sport event which was celebr ...

Magne Thomassen Magne Thomassen (born 1 May 1941) is a former speed skater from Norway. He participated in international championships over a period of more than ten years. He took part in 23 country matches for Norway in the period 1959–1971 and competed in ...

(born 1941 in Melhus)

speed skater Speed skating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in travelling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating. ...

silver medallist at the

1968 Winter Olympics The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games (french: Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 18 February 1968 in Grenoble, France. Thirty-seven countries participated. Frenchm ...

Oddvar Brå Oddvar Brå (born 16 March 1951) is a Norwegian former cross-country skier. He was among the best skiers in Norway, the three-times winner of the World Cup (1972–73, then named "World ranking", 1974–75 and 1978–79) and the winner of 16 nati ...

(born 1951 in Hølonda) cross-country skier, team silver medallist at the 1972 &

1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States. Lake Placid was elected ...

* Unni Lehn (born 1977 in Melhus)

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugb ...

, team gold medallist at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

* Ingrid Syrstad Engen (born 1998 in Melhus)

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

for

FC Barcelona Femení Futbol Club Barcelona Femení, commonly referred to as Barça Femení, is a Spanish professional women's football team based in Barcelona, Catalonia. It's the women's football section of FC Barcelona and it competes in the Primera División, ...

and

Norway women's national football team The Norway women's national football team is controlled by the Football Association of Norway. The team is former European, World and Olympic champions and thus one of the most successful national teams. The team has had less success since the 2 ...

References

External links

*
Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway ( no, Statistisk sentralbyrå, abbreviated to ''SSB'') 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 ye ...

Municipal website

Melhus Prestegårdslåna

Local history of Melhus
{{use dmy dates, date=October 2022 Municipalities of Trøndelag 1838 establishments in Norway