Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') 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' ...

Akershus Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

, Norway. It is part of the

Romerike Romerike is a Districts of Norway, traditional district located north-east of Oslo, in what is today south-eastern Norway. It consists of the Akershus municipalities Lillestrøm, Lørenskog, Nittedal, Rælingen and Aurskog-Høland in the southern ...

traditional region A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

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

General information

Etymology

The first element 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 ca ...

of the word ''eid'' (

Old Norse Old Norse, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was 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 ...

: ''eið'') and the last element is ''voll'' (Old Norse: ''vǫllr'') which means "

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

" or " field". The meaning of the word ''eid'' in this case is "a road passing around a waterfall". People from the districts around the lake ( Mjøsa) who were sailing down the river Vorma, and people from Romerike sailing up the same river, both had to enter this area by passing the Sundfossen

waterfall A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...

. Because of this, the site became an important meeting place long before the introduction of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Prior to 1918, the name was spelled "Eidsvold". The town of Eidsvold in

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

, Australia and Eidsvold Township, Lyon County, Minnesota, United States still use this old spelling.

Eidsvoll Church

Eidsvoll Church (''Eidsvoll Kirke'') is a

cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...

church from approx 1200. It is part of the Norwegian Church and belongs to Øvre Romerike deanery in the Diocese of Borg. The Romanesque building is in stone. Eidsvoll church is repeatedly burned and rebuilt. The old church records were lost in a fire. The altarpiece in Eidsvoll church is from 1765. It is a wooden structure with three floors, decreasing towards the top, where each floor concludes with gilded pilasters with capitals and rococo decor on each side of a painting. The altarpiece was restored after a fire in 1883, the next restoration occurred in 1915 and a third restoration occurred late 1960s. Access to the church is a well traveled tourist destination is via Rv181 and Fv502 / Rv177. Pilegrimsleden goes through Eidsvoll. Eidsvoll church is one of the more prominent stops along the path, which was officially opened on 16 June 2002.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 20 November 1987. The arms show a

balance Balance may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance, as in equality (mathematics) or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * Balance (1983 film), ''Balance'' ( ...

as a symbol of

justice In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

. In the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

a local

court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

was established in Eidsvoll. Grunnlovsstatue fra 1814 ved Eidsvoll

History

The parish of ''Eidsvold'' was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see

formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...

). The municipality of Feiring was merged with Eidsvoll on 1 January 1964. Eidsvoll is mentioned in Old Norse manuscripts. In the 11th century, it became the site of court and assembly (''ting'') for eastern parts of Norway, replacing Vang, now a part of

Hamar Hamar is a List of cities in Norway, town in Hamar Municipality in Innlandet Counties of Norway, county, Norway. Hamar is the administrative centre of Hamar Municipality. It is located in the Districts of Norway, traditional region of Hedmarken. ...

Hedmark Hedmark () was a Counties of Norway, county in Norway from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, bordering Trøndelag to the north, Oppland to the west, Akershus to the south, and Sweden to the east. The county administration is in Hamar. Hedmar ...

. Because of its access to the river Vorma and the lake Mjøsa, Eidsvoll has long provided a thoroughfare to northern parts of inland Norway. Historically the main industry of Eidsvoll was

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

, though the soil is rich in clay. Eastern parts of Eidsvoll were for a short time the site of a minor

gold rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

when

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

was found in 1758, and these areas are still known as ''Gullverket''. Eidsvoll Verk was opened to smelt

iron ore Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the f ...

by King

Christian IV of Denmark Christian IV (12 April 1577 – 28 February 1648) was King of Denmark and King of Norway, Norway and List of rulers of Schleswig-Holstein, Duke of Holstein and Schleswig from 1588 until his death in 1648. His reign of 59 years and 330 days is th ...

in 1624, relying on the excellent water power from the Andelva river. In 1688, it was owned by the director of the Kongsberg Silver Mines, ''Schlanbusch'', and remained in his family until 1781. Carsten Anker came into possession of works in 1794, at which time it was in decay since many of the surrounding

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s required for

charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...

had been depleted. He restored it and set up the production of stoves and similar iron goods. He also took residence in Eidsvoll in 1811, rebuilding the manor house which is now the

Eidsvollsbygningen Eidsvollsbygningen (Literally: ''The Eidsvoll building'') is a historic manor house located at Eidsvoll in Akershus county, Norway. The building is where the Constitution of Norway was signed on 17 May 1814. The estate is now owned by The State ...

, the site where the constitutional assembly met to draft and sign the

Constitution of Norway The 'Constitution of Norway'' (complete name: The Constitution of the Kingdom of Norway; Danish language, Danish: ; Norwegian language, Norwegian Bokmål: ; Nynorsk, Norwegian Nynorsk: ) was adopted on 16 May and signed on 17 May 1814 by the N ...

on 17 May 1814. Eidsvollsbygningen is today a famous museum. In 1854, Eidsvoll became the end point for the first railroad line in Norway from

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

. This became the transit point for travel with the

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

Skibladner to

Gjøvik Gjøvik () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Gjøvik (town), town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Norway, Biri, Bybrua, ...

, and

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the munici ...

on the lake Mjøsa. In addition to the historic Eidsvoll Church, Eidsvoll is the site of the Langset Church (''Langset kirke'') which dates to 1859 and the Feiring Church (''Feiring Kirke'') which dates to 1875.

Eidsvoll gallery

File:1301. Eidsvold. Hotellet og Dampskibsbryggen (8386295516).jpg, Steamer Skibladner, Dampskibsbryggen and Eidsvold Hotel File:Eidsvollsbygninen.jpg,

at Eidsvoll Verk, site of the constitutional assembly File:Eidsvoll(08Altertavle).JPG, Eidsvoll Church altar File:Langset kirke -4.JPG, Langset Church File:Winter in Norway2.jpg, Winter at Bøn in Eidsvoll

Geography

Eidsvoll municipality is bordered on the north by

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

(in Oppland county on the west side of Mjøsa) and by Stange (on the east side of the lake) and to the east by Nord-Odal (both in Hedmark county). In the county of Akershus to the southeast lies Nes, to the south lies Ullensaker, and to the west lies Nannestad and Hurdal. In addition to being a

commuter town A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for

, it also has agriculture and

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

industries. The main population and commercial centres are Sundet and Råholt.

Notable residents

* Henrik Wergeland (1808–1845), poet, writer and playwright; brought up in Eidsvoll; son of Professor Nicolai Wergeland (1780–1848) *

Alf Collett Alf Collett (8 August 1844 – 12 June 1919) was a Norway, Norwegian writer and historian.

(1844–1919), Norwegian writer,

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their Lineage (anthropology), lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family ...

and historian * Hans Langseth (1846–1927) Norwegian-American world record holder for the longest beard * Gyda Gram (1851–1906), painter * Cecilie Thoresen Krog (1858–1911), feminist pioneer, first female university student in Norway *

Fredrikke Waaler Fredrikke Amalie Holtemann Rynning Waaler (7 May 1865 – 2 February 1952) was a Norwegian composer, violinist, and proponent for women's rights. Waaler was born in Eidsvoll to Paul Emil Rynning and Anne Margrethe Holtermann. She married physici ...

(1865–1952) composer, violinist and proponent for women's rights * Maja Flagstad (1871–1958) a pianist, choral conductor and répétiteur * F. Melius Christiansen (1871–1955) Lutheran choral conductor in

Marinette, Wisconsin Marinette is a city in and the county seat of Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the south bank of the Menominee River, at its mouth at Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay, part of Lake Michigan; to the north is Stephe ...

* Arne Ekeland (1908–1994), artist, lived and worked in Bøn his entire life * Ola Skjåk Bræk (1912–1999), minister of industry, born and raised in Eidsvoll * Per Gjestvang (1915–2002) a veterinarian, resistance member, military officer and politician * Dagmar Lahlum (1923–1999), resistance worker in

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, fiancée of Eddie Chapman * Åsmund Lønning Strømnes (1927–2009), professor of education; lived in Eidsvoll * Leif Johansen (1930–1982) an economist and professor * Sivert Donali (1931–2010) a Norwegian sculptor, lived in Feiring from 1973 * Drude Berntsen (born 1939) a computer scientist, director of Norwegian Computing Center * Kari Hag (born 1941) mathematician, researched

complex analysis Complex analysis, traditionally known as the theory of functions of a complex variable, is the branch of mathematical analysis that investigates functions of complex numbers. It is helpful in many branches of mathematics, including algebraic ...

quasicircle In mathematics, a quasicircle is a Jordan curve in the complex plane that is the image of a circle under a quasiconformal mapping of the plane onto itself. Originally introduced independently by and , in the older literature (in German) they wer ...

s * Siv Stubsveen (born 1968) a Norwegian model, saleswoman and media personality * Stian Carstensen (born 1971) a multi-instrument jazz musician, member of

Farmers market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...

* Jan Gunnar Røise (born 1975) a Norwegian theatre and film actor. *

Stella Mwangi Stella Nyambura Mwangi (born 1 September 1986) is a Kenyan-Norwegian singer, rapper, and songwriter. Her work has been used in films such as '' American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile'' and '' Save the Last Dance 2'', and also in TV-series such a ...

(born 1986) a Kenyan-Norwegian singer, musician, songwriter and rapper * Alexandra Rotan (born 1996) a singer for Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 Tormod Knutsen 1964cr

Sport

* Tormod Knutsen (born 1932) a retired Nordic combined skier, silver and gold medallist at the 1960 &

1964 Winter Olympics The 1964 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Innsbruck 1964 (), were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck, Austria, from January 29 to February 9, 1964. The city was a ...

* Ole Einar Martinsen (born 1967) a retired footballer with 300 club caps and two with

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

* Henning Berg (born 1969) a football manager and former player with 422 club caps and 100 with

* Espen Aarnes Hvammen (born 1988) a Norwegian champion speed skater * Henrik Furuseth (born 1996) a Norwegian racing driver

Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Eidsvoll: * - Egilsstaðir,

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

* - Skara,

Västra Götaland County Västra Götaland County () is a county or '' län'' on the western coast of Sweden. The county is the second most populous of Sweden's counties and it comprises 49 municipalities (''kommuner''). Its population of 1,616,000 amounts to 17% of S ...

, Sweden * -

Sorø Sorø () is a town in Sorø municipality on the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand in east Denmark with a population of 8,433 (2025).

, Region Sjælland, Denmark * - Suolahti, Länsi-Suomi,

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

References

External links

Municipal fact sheet
from

Statistics Norway Statistics Norway (, 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 year on its web site. All rele ...

*
Eidsvollbygningen museum
{{Authority control Municipalities of Akershus Constitution of Norway