Eidskog 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 Vinger. 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 Skotterud. Other villages in the municipality include Magnor,

Matrand Matrand is a village in Eidskog Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located approximately south of the town of Kongsvinger and about north of the village of Skotterud. Matrand is approximately northwest of the border w ...

, and Åbogen. The municipality is the 181st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Eidskog is the 155th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,032. 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 4.1% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality was established on 1 January 1864 when the old Vinger Municipality was divided in two: Vinger (population: 6,226) in the north and Eidskog (population: 6,920) in the south. On 1 January 1986, the northern part of the Åbogen area (population: 14) was transferred from Kongsvinger Municipality to Eidskog Municipality.

Name

The municipality was named ''Eidskog'' (historically spelled ''Eidskogen''). The

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

form of the name was . The first 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 ...

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 "path between two lakes". The last element is which means "

wood Wood is a porous and fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulose fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of ligni ...

s". Thus the name means "the woods with the many ". (In historical times people traveled in small boats on the lakes and the rivers, but they had to drag the boats over the .)

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 12 September 1986. The arms show a gray background with a black grouse, a common inhabitant of the many

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s in the municipality.

Forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. ...

is also one of the main sources of income in the area.

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 two parishes () within the municipality of Eidskog. It is part of the Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti (

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.

Geography

The municipality is located in the southeastern part of

county. It is bordered to the north by the municipality of

Kongsvinger Kongsvinger () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Glåmdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsvinger. Other settlements in the municipality include Aust ...

(in Innlandet) and in the west by

Aurskog-Høland Aurskog-Høland is a municipality in Akershus in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bjørkelangen. The municipality of Rømskog, in Østfold ...

, Nes (both in Viken and Sør-Odal (in Innlandet). Eidskog also borders Sweden, both to the east and south. The lakes Digeren,

Mangen Mangen is a lake in the municipalities of Eidskog in Innlandet county and Aurskog-Høland in Viken county, Norway. The lake lies about northeast of the village of Aursmoen (in Aurskog-Høland) and about west of the village of Skotterud (in ...

, and Skjervangen are all located in Eidskog.

History

The name ''Eidskog'' is ancient and was used for the southern part of Vinger, the region between today's

in Norway and Arvika in Sweden. The Vinger Royal Road ( no, Eskoleia) historically traveled through Eidskog (and continues today as the Norwegian National Road 2). It was one of the most important traffic arteries between Norway and Sweden. The name Eidskog was already in use during the saga period and became, after the

canonization Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christian communion declaring a person worthy of public veneration and entering their name in the canon catalogue of ...

of Saint Olaf and important pilgrim's route from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

to Nidaros Cathedral. During the 12th century, the Eidskog Church was built. It was a

stave church A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church building once common in north-western Europe. The name derives from the building's structure of post and lintel construction, a type of timber framing where the load-bearing ore-pine posts ...

built in Midtskog (which means no, middle of the woods). The present Eidskog Church is built on the same site (now called

) and this building was constructed in 1665. The way through Eidskog was also militarily important and many times through history has been the point of Swedish strikes into

Hedmark Hedmark () was a county in Norway before 1 January 2020, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmark and Oppland counties were merg ...

. To defend against these assaults, a number of fortifications were built in the vicinity, including ones at Magnor and Matrand, but the chief fortification was Kongsvinger Fortress (to the north). The last Swedish attack through Eidskog was in 1814 when

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Carl Pontus Gahn on July 31 crossed the border and marched against Kongsvinger. His forces were stopped at Lier outside Kongsvinger on 2 August 1814 by troops led by Lieutenant Colonel

Andreas Samuel Krebs Andreas Samuel Krebs (10 March 1766 – 28 March 1818) was a Danish-Norwegian army officer. Early years Born on 10 March 1766 at Tønder in Sønderjylland, Krebs was the son of vicar Peter Ditlev Krebs and Birgitte Marie Lutz. Originally, he was ...

(1769-1818) and retreated to Eidskog. On 4 August 1814, Krebs followed after to drive Swedish troops off Norwegian territory. The two forces met in the Battle of Matrand which was the bloodiest battle of the war and ended with a Norwegian victory. Later in 1814, Norway was joined in union with Sweden and the confrontations at the Eidskog border ended. The Soot Canal, constructed in 1849, has Norway's oldest

sluice Sluice ( ) is a word for a channel controlled at its head by a movable gate which is called a sluice gate. A sluice gate is traditionally a wood or metal barrier sliding in grooves that are set in the sides of the waterway and can be considered ...

gates. It was the work of

Engebret Soot Engebret Olsen Soot (26 May 1786 – 3 March 1859) was a Norwegian engineer. He was one of Norway's first canal builders and joined the timber channels at Otteid and Mangen-Grasmo. He is known as the father of the Fredrikshald Canal (now known a ...

(1786–1859). It was built to allow timber to be transported (floated) to the Halden

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

s. The canal was long and had 16 locks which extended from Lake Skjervangen at above sea level up to Lake Mortsjølungen at above sea level. The route through Eidskog became an important connection between the two countries; this was strengthened with the opening of the ''Grenseban'' railway in 1862, which connected Christiania to Stockholm.

Government

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

health services Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wiktionary:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physical and menta ...

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 Romerike og Glåmdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

of Eidskog is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayors

The mayors of Eidskog: *1864-1872: Henry T. Fearnley *1872-1879: Haagen Pedersen Malmer *1879-1895: Meldal Johnsen *1895-1897: O. Løken *1897-1905: Hans Taugbøl *1905-1907: O. Løken *1908-1913: Otto Pramm *1913-1915: Ole Syversen Fagernæs ( V) *1915: M. T. Huse *1915-1916: Olof Nilsson *1917-1919: Otto Pramm *1920-1922: H. A. Rambøl *1923-1928: Thorvald Taugbøl *1929-1934: Kaspar Billerud *1935-1945: Selmer Alm ( Ap) *1945-1947: Hallgrim Sørli ( Ap) *1948-1963: Sigurd Skjørberg *1964-1981: Ivar Delviken *1982-1983: Kaare Fjeld *1984-1999: Kåre Delviken *1999-2005: Ivar Skulstad ( Ap) *2005-2007:

Greta Storm Ofteland Greta may refer to: *Greta (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name Places * Greta Bridge, village in County Durham, England * Greta, New South Wales, town in Australia ** Greta railway station ** Greta Army Camp, form ...

( Ap) *2007-2015:

Knut Gustav Woie Knut ( Norwegian and Swedish), Knud ( Danish), or Knútur (Icelandic) is a Scandinavian, German, and Dutch first name, of which the anglicised form is Canute. In Germany both "Knut" and "Knud" are used. In Spanish and Portuguese Canuto is use ...

( Sp) *2015–present:

Kamilla Thue Kamilla and Kamila are feminine given names. Notable people with these names include: Kamila * Kamila Aliyeva (born 1967), Azerbaijani politician * Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz (born 1983), Polish politician * Kamila Valieva (born 2006), Russian f ...

( Ap)

Attractions

* Soot Canal - the first lock constructed in Norway, used for log floating * Grenselosmuseet - museum on the route for escape to Sweden during the

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

* Oppistun Børli - poet Hans Børli's home * Morokulien - memorial to the long lasting peace with Sweden * Rønning Treski - last wood ski producer in Norway

Notable residents

Portrett av Erik Werenskiold, 1880(cropped)

* Erik Werenskiold (1855 in Eidskog – 1938) a Norwegian painter and illustrator *

Konrad Hirsch Konrad Emanuel Nikolaus Hirsch (19 May 1900 – 17 November 1924) was a Norwegian-born Swedish football (soccer) player who competed in the 1924 Summer Olympics. He was a member of the Swedish team, which won the bronze medal in the football tour ...

(1900 in Eidskog – 1924) Swedish footballer, played in

1924 Summer Olympics The 1924 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1924), officially the Games of the VIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIIe olympiade) and also known as Paris 1924, were an international multi-sport event held in Paris, France. The op ...

Julla Sæthern Julie Therese "Julla" Sæthern (4 December 1901 – 1981) was a Norwegian barrister, feminist and politician. She was born in Eidskog to Lauritz Sæthern and Martha Nilsson, and graduated as cand.jur. in 1938. From 1953 to 1959 she chaired ...

(1901 in Eidskog – 1981) a Norwegian barrister, feminist and politician * Hans Børli (1918 at Eidskog – 1989) a Norwegian poet, writer and

lumberjack Lumberjacks are mostly North American workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees for ultimate processing into forest products. The term usually refers to loggers in the era (before 1945 in the Unite ...

* Torgrim Sollid (born 1942 in Eidskog) a composer and folk and jazz musician * Ivar Skulstad (born 1953) politician, Mayor of Eidskog 1999 to 2005 * Kristin Solli Schøien (born 1954) an author and composer, lives in Eidskog * Max Ivan Lindkjølen (born 1956) chef and entrepreneur *

Remi Eriksen Remi Eriksen (born 1967) is the current Group President and Chief Executive Officer of DNV, an international classification society and certification body. He assumed the position on August 1, 2015, succeeding former CEO Henrik O. Madsen. Eriksen ...

(born 1967) Group President and CEO of DNV GL, a classification society *

Wilhelm Brenna Wilhelm Brenna (born 8 October 1979) is a retired Norwegian ski jumper. In the World Cup he finished once among the top 15, with a thirteenth place from Kuopio Kuopio (, ) is a Finnish city and municipality located in the region of Northern Sa ...

(born 1979) a retired Norwegian ski jumper, junior world champion * Andreas Ulvo (born 1983) a jazz pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer

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 ...

Culture in Eidskog on the map
{{use dmy dates, date=March 2022 Municipalities of Innlandet 1864 establishments in Norway