Alvdal is a

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

Innlandet Innlandet is a county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (the municipalities of Jevnaker and Lunner were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken on the same date). The n ...

county,

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 t ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

Østerdalen Østerdalen () is a valley and traditional district in Innlandet county, in Eastern Norway. This area typically is described as the large Glåma river valley as well as all its tributary valleys. It includes the municipalities Rendalen, Alvda ...

. 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, L ...

of the municipality is the village of Alvdal. Other villages include Barkald, Plassmoen, and Strømmen. The municipality is located to the south of

Tynset Tynset is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tynset. Other villages in Tynset include Fådalen, Fåset, Telne ...

, north and west of

Rendalen Rendalen is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of ...

, north of

Stor-Elvdal Stor-Elvdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Koppang. Other villages in the municipality include Atna, Eve ...

, and east of

Folldal Folldal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Folldal. The municipality was established in 1914 when it was sepa ...

. The Rørosbane

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

and the

Norwegian National Road 3 Norwegian National Road 3 ( no, Riksvei 3, Rv3) is a Norwegian national road that is the main route through the Østerdalen district in Eastern Norway. It has been dubbed which means 'the green shortcut' by the old Hedmark County Municipalit ...

both pass through Alvdal. The municipality is the 124th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Alvdal is the 260th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,445. 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 increased by 0.6% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

In 1864, the parish of ''Lille-Elvdal'' (later renamed "Alvdal") was separated from

Tynset Municipality Tynset is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tynset. Other villages in Tynset include Fådalen, Fåset, Telne ...

to become a separate municipality of its own. Initially, the new municipality had a population of 3,216. On 1 January 1914, the western part of Alvdal (population: 2,284) was separated to become the new

Folldal Municipality Folldal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Folldal. The municipality was established in 1914 when it was sepa ...

. This left Alvdal with 2,135 residents.

Name

The area was historically known as Elvdalen or Øvre Elvdalen ( non, (øfri) Elfardalr). The first element is meaning "upper", the next part is the

genitive case In grammar, the genitive case ( abbreviated ) is the grammatical case that marks a word, usually a noun, as modifying another word, also usually a noun—thus indicating an attributive relationship of one noun to the other noun. A genitive can ...

of which means "

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the ...

", and the last element is which means "valley" or "dale". Thus the name means "(upper) river

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 over ...

", referring to the upper part of the Glåma river valley. When the municipality was established in 1864, it was named ''Lille Elvdalen'', which meant "Little" Elvdalen in order to distinguish it from the nearby Store Elvedalen municipality ("the large Elvedalen"). In 1918, the name was changed to ''Alvdal'', a shortened version of the old name using a local dialect spelling.

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 it ...

was granted on 25 November 1988. The arms show the front ends of two silver skis on a blue background. They represent the history and importance of

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ...

in the area. One of the oldest skis discovered by archeologists in Norway was found in Alvdal.

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 Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. ...

has one parish () within the municipality of Alvdal. It is part of the

Nord-Østerdal prosti The list of churches in Hamar is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Hamar which includes all of Innlandet county (plus two municipalities in Viken county) in Norway. The list is divided into several sections, one for each ...

(

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 Hamar The Diocese of Hamar ( no, Hamar Bispedømme) is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner in Viken county. Administratively, the diocese is divided ...

Geography

Alvdal is bordered by

to the north,

to the east and south,

to the south, and

to the west. The highest mountain in the municipality is Storsølnkletten at tall. Another mountain in Alvdal is Tronfjell. The lake Savalen is partially located in Alvdal. The rivers Sivilla and Glåma both flow through the municipality. The Jutulhogget canyon is located in this municipality as well.

Economy

Agriculture and forestry are the most important industries in Alvdal. As of 2022, the municipality has decided not to continue renting land to a company that does

bitcoin mining The bitcoin network is a peer-to-peer payment network that operates on a cryptographic protocol. Users send and receive bitcoins, the units of currency, by broadcasting digitally-signed messages to the network using bitcoin cryptocurrency ...

; no jobs were created from that enterprise - however, a local company did service work on occasion.https://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/i/gEE0l5/bitcoinfabrikk-forsvant.

Verdens Gang ''Verdens Gang'' ("The course of the world"), generally known under the abbreviation ''VG'', is a Norwegian tabloid newspaper. In 2016, circulation numbers stood at 93,883, having declined from a peak circulation of 390,510 in 2002. ''VG'' is n ...

. Retrieved 2022-10-15

Legal liability In law, liable means "responsible or answerable in law; legally obligated". Legal liability concerns both civil law and criminal law and can arise from various areas of law, such as contracts, torts, taxes, or fines given by government age ...

: the municipality is being sued for

Norwegian kroner The krone (, abbreviation: kr (also NKr for distinction); code: NOK), plural ''kroner'', is currency of the Kingdom of Norway (including Svalbard). Traditionally known as the Norwegian crown in English. It is nominally subdivided into 100 '' ...

4 million, by the operator of the former bitcoin mining facility (on municipal property).

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Alvdal, are responsible for primary education (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 profes ...

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 usag ...

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 refer ...

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 s ...

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 a ...

, 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 coun ...

of elected representatives, which in turn elects 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 as ...

. The municipality falls under the Østre Innlandet District Court and the

Eidsivating Court of Appeal The Eidsivating Court of Appeal ( no, Eidsivating lagmannsrett) is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Hamar. The court has jurisdiction over the counties of Innlandet and eastern Viken. Thes ...

Municipal council

The

of Alvdal is made up of 17 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 feature ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Alvdal: *1864-1865: Fritz Emil Aas *1866-1873: Morten Mortensen *1874-1881: Fritz Emil Aas *1882-1883: Johan Steien *1884-1891: Morten Mortensen *1892-1893: Johan Steien *1894-1895: Morten Sandvold *1896-1898: P. Randmæl *1899-1901: Jacob Stamoen *1902-1904: P. Randmæl *1905-1907: Haldo Müller *1908-1910: P. Randmæl *1911-1916: Per Hoel *1917-1919: P. Randmæl *1920-1922: Per Hoel *1923-1925: Arne Mellesmo *1926-1931: Per Hoel *1932-1934: Martin Müller *1935-1942: Olav Nyeggen *1942-1945: Embret Mellesmo *1946-1955: Harald Reinertsen *1956-1963: Eivind Kveberg *1963-1967:

Lars Holen Lars Holen (27 January 1912 – 23 August 1994) was a Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party The Labour Party ( nb, Arbeiderpartiet; nn, Arbeidarpartiet; A/Ap; se, Bargiidbellodat), formerly The Norwegian Labour Party ( no, ...

*1968-1969: Oddgeir Skarpsno *1970-1971: Asmund Westgård *1972-1979: Kåre Blystad *1980-1983: Per Arnfinn Bergebakken ( Sp) *1984-1991: Sverre Dalen ( Sp) *1991-1995: Sverre Sørbø ( Sp) *1995-1999: Per Hvamstad ( Sp) *1999-2007: Svein Borkhus ( Ap) *2007-2011: Olov Grøtting ( Sp) *2011-2015: Svein Borkhus ( Ap) *2015-2019: Johnny Hagen ( Ap) *2019–present: Mona Murud ( Sp)

Notable residents

Ivar Mortensson-Egnund Ivar Mortensson-Egnund (originally Ivar Julius Mortensen and also referred to as Ivar Matlaus) (24 July 1857 – 16 February 1934) was a Norwegian author, journalist, theologian, researcher, translator, writer, philosopher and advocate of nynors ...

(1857–1934) a Norwegian author, journalist, theologian, researcher, translator, writer, philosopher and advocate of

nynorsk Nynorsk () () is one of the two written standards of the Norwegian language, the other being Bokmål. From 12 May 1885, it became the state-sanctioned version of Ivar Aasen's standard Norwegian language ( no, Landsmål) parallel to the Dano- ...

* Lars Olsen Aukrust (1886–1965) a Norwegian farmer and politician *

Arvid Nilssen Arvid Nilssen (25 December 1913 – 24 March 1976) was a Norwegian actor, revue artist and singer. He was regarded as one of the leading comedians in Norwegian revue. Biography Nilsen was born at Alvdal in Hedmark, Norway. He made his debu ...

(1913–1976) a Norwegian actor, revue artist, singer and comedian IMDb Database
retrieved 19 November 2020 * Kjell Aukrust (1920–2002) a Norwegian author, humourist, poet and artist, the Huset Aukrust, (Norwegian Wiki) is dedicated to him. He is famous for creating the fictional Norwegian village of ''

Flåklypa ''The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix'' ( no, Flåklypa Grand Prix) is a 1975 Norwegian stop-motion-animated feature film directed by Ivo Caprino. It is based on characters from a series of books by Norwegian cartoonist and author Kjell Aukrust. It is th ...

'' and its cast of idiosyncratic characters. * Ola Jonsmoen (born 1932) a Norwegian educator, poet, novelist and children's writer * Svein Borkhus (born 1955) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Alvdal 1999-2007 * Olov Grøtting (born 1960) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Alvdal 2007-2011 * Anne Nørdsti (born 1977) a Norwegian

dansband (; "dance band"), or in Norwegian and Danish, is a Swedish term for a band that plays ("dance band music"). ' is often danced to in pairs. Jitterbug and foxtrot music are often included in this category. The music is primarily inspired ...

singer, influenced by country music

Sport

* Per Samuelshaug (1905–1990) a Norwegian cross-country skier, participated at the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

Kristian Bjørn Kristian Bjørn (22 August 1919, in Alvdal – 1 April 1993) was a Norwegian cross-country skier who competed in the 1940s and 1950s. He finished ninth in the 50 km race at the 1948 Winter Olympics. He won a bronze medal in the 4 × 10&n ...

(1919–1993) a Norwegian cross-country skier, competed at the

1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (german: V. Olympische Winterspiele; french: Ves Jeux olympiques d'hiver; it, V Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, V Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. Moritz ...

* Torgeir Bjørn (born 1964) a retired Norwegian cross-country skier, competed at the

1988 Winter Olympics ) , nations = 57 , athletes = 1,423 (1,122 men, 301 women) , events = 46 in 6 sports (10 disciplines) , opening = February 13, 1988 , closing = February 28, 1988 , opened_by = Governor General Jeanne Sauvé , cauldron ...

* Harald Stormoen (born 1980) a retired Norwegian footballer with over 200 club caps

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 ...

{{use dmy dates, date=February 2022 Municipalities of Innlandet 1864 establishments in Norway