Hedmark () was a

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 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 ...

from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, bordering

Trøndelag Trøndelag (; or is a county and coextensive with the Trøndelag region (also known as ''Midt-Norge'' or ''Midt-Noreg,'' "Mid-Norway") in the central part of Norway. It was created in 1687, then named Trondhjem County (); in 1804 the county was ...

to the north,

Oppland Oppland is a former county in Norway which existed from 1781 until its dissolution on 1 January 2020. The old Oppland county bordered the counties of Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The ...

to the west,

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 ...

to the south, and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

to the east. The county administration is in

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 and

counties were merged into

Innlandet Innlandet is a Counties of Norway, county in Norway. It was created on 1 January 2020 with the merger of the old counties of Oppland and Hedmark (Jevnaker Municipality and Lunner Municipality were transferred to the neighboring county of Viken ( ...

county on 1 January 2020, when Norway's former 19 counties became 10 bigger counties / regions. Hedmark made up the northeastern part of

Østlandet Eastern Norway (, ) is the geographical Regions of Norway, region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Oslo, Akershus, Vestfold, Østfold, Buskerud, Telemark, and Innlandet. Eastern Norway is by far the most populo ...

, the southeastern part of the country. It had a long border with

to the east (

Dalarna County Dalarna County () is a county or '' län'' in central Sweden (Svealand). It borders on the counties of Uppsala, Jämtland, Gävleborg, Västmanland, Örebro and Värmland. It also borders on the Norwegian counties of Hedmark and Trøndelag to ...

and

Värmland County Värmland County () is a county or '' län'' in west central Sweden. It borders the Swedish counties of Dalarna, Örebro and Västra Götaland, as well as the Norwegian counties of Østfold, Akershus and Innlandet to the west. The title of Duke ...

). The largest lakes were Femunden and

Mjøsa Mjøsa is the largest lake in Norway and the fourth deepest in Norway and Europe. It is located in the southern part of Norway, about north of the city of Oslo. Its main tributary is the river Gudbrandsdalslågen flowing in from the north; the ...

, the largest lake in

. Parts of

Glomma The Glomma or Glåma is Norway's longest and most voluminous river. With a total length of , it has a drainage basin that covers 13% of Norway's surface area, all in the southern part of the country. Geography At its fullest length, the river r ...

, Norway's longest river, flowed through Hedmark. Geographically, Hedmark was traditionally divided into:

Hedemarken (, ; known as ''Hedemarken'' until 2003) is a traditional district in Innlandet county in Eastern Norway. Hedmarken consists of the municipalities Stange, Hamar, Løten, and Ringsaker. In the past, it also contained the municipalities of Rom ...

(east of the lake

Østerdalen Østerdalen () is a valley and Districts of Norway, 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. Østerdalen is often subdivide ...

("East Valley" north of the town

Elverum Elverum () 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 Elverum ( ...

), and Solør / Glåmdalen (south of Elverum) and Odal in the very south. Hedmark and

were the only Norwegian counties with no coastline. Hedmark also hosted some events of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games.

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 ...

, and

were cities in the county. Hedmark was one of the less urbanized areas in Norway; about half of the inhabitants lived on rural land. The population was mainly concentrated in the rich agricultural district adjoining

to the southeast. The county's extensive forests supplied much of Norway's timber; at one time, logs were floated down

to the coast but are now transported by truck and train.

Engerdal Municipality Engerdal 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 E ...

in Hedmark had the distinction of marking the current southernmost border in Norway of

Sápmi is the cultural region traditionally inhabited by the Sámi people. Sápmi includes the northern parts of Fennoscandia, stretching over four countries: Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Most of Sápmi lies north of the Arctic Circle, boun ...

, the traditional region of the

Sami people Acronyms * SAMI, ''Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange'', a closed-captioning format developed by Microsoft * Saudi Arabian Military Industries, a government-owned defence company * South African Malaria Initiative, a virtual expertise ...

. The county was divided into three traditional districts. Those were

Hedmarken (, ; known as ''Hedemarken'' until 2003) is a traditional district in Innlandet county in Eastern Norway. Hedmarken consists of the municipalities Stange, Hamar, Løten, and Ringsaker. In the past, it also contained the municipalities of Ro ...

, and Solør (with Odalen and Vinger). Hedmark was originally a part of the large

amt, but in 1757 ''Oplandenes amt'' was separated from it. Some years later, in 1781, this was divided into ''Kristians amt'' (now

) and ''Hedemarkens amt''. Until 1919, the county was called ''Hedemarkens amt''.

Etymology

The

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 ...

form of the name was ''Heiðmǫrk''. The first element is ''heiðnir'', the name of an old Germanic tribe and is related to the word ''heið'', which means

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...

. The last element is ''mǫrk'' 'woodland, borderland,

march March is the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 31 days. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. The March equinox on the 20 or 2 ...

'. (See also

Telemark Telemark () is a Counties of Norway, county and a current electoral district in Norway. Telemark borders the counties of Vestfold, Buskerud, Vestland, Rogaland and Agder. In 2020, Telemark merged with the county of Vestfold to form the county o ...

and

Finnmark Finnmark (; ; ; ; ) is a counties of Norway, county in northern Norway. By land, it borders Troms county to the west, Finland's Lapland (Finland), Lapland region to the south, and Russia's Murmansk Oblast to the east, and by water, the Norweg ...

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

dates from 1987. It shows three ',

adze An adze () or adz is an ancient and versatile cutting tool similar to an axe but with the cutting edge perpendicular to the handle rather than parallel. Adzes have been used since the Stone Age. They are used for smoothing or carving wood in ha ...

s used to remove bark from timber logs.

Politics

Every four years the inhabitants of Hedmark elected 33 representatives to the Hedmark Fylkesting, the Hedmark County Assembly. After the elections of September 2007, the majority of the seats of the assembly were held by a three-party coalition consisting of the Labour Party (14 seats), the Centre Party (5 seats) and the Socialist Left Party (2 seats). Eight parties were represented in the assembly, the remaining 5 being the Progress Party (4 seats), the Conservative Party (4), the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

(2), the Christian Democratic Party (1) and the Pensioners Party (1). The assembly was headed by the county mayor (Norwegian: Fylkesordfører). From 2007 to 2011, the county mayor was Arnfinn Nergård, representing the Centre Party. In 2003, a parliamentary system was established, which meant that the county assembly elected a political administration or council to hold executive power. This county council reflected the majority of the county assembly and included the three parties holding the majority of the assembly seats, i.e., the Labour Party, the Center Party and the Socialist Left Party. The council was led by Siv Tørudbakken, a member of the Labour Party.

Municipalities

Districts

* Glåmdal *

* Solør * Vinger

Cities

* Brumunddal *

Parishes

* Alvdal * Austmarka (Østmark) * Brandval * Brøttum * Deset * Drevsjø (Drevsjøhytte) * Eidskog * Elverum * Engerdal * Finnskog * Folldal * Furnes * Gjesås * Grue *

* Helgøy Kapell * Hof * Innset * Kongsvinger * Kvikne * Lundersæter *

Løten Løten is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Hedemarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Løten. Other villages in the municipality include Ådalsbruk, H ...

* Mo * Nes * Nord-Odal * Nordre-Osen * Opstad * Os (Dalsbygda) * Ottestad * Rendal * Rendalen * Revholt * Ringsaker * Romedal * Sand * Sollia * Stange * Stavsjø (Ballishol) * Stor Elvdal * Strand * Strøm * Sør-Odal * Sør Osen * Tangen * Tolga * Trysil * Tylldal * Tynset * Ulleren * Vallset (Tomter) * Vang * Veldre * Vestmarka * Vingelen * Vinger * Våler * Ytre Rendal * Øvre Engerdal * Øvre Rendal * Åmot * Åsnes * Odalen Branch (LDS, 1857-1873) * Trysil Frimenighet, (1859-1891)

Villages

* Atna * Bergesida *

Bergset Bergset is the administrative centre of Rendalen Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located on the western shore of the river Renaelva, about north of the village of Otnes in the largely rural Østerdalen valley. The vi ...

* Braskereidfoss * Brumunddal * Disenå *

Drevsjø Drevsjø is a village in Engerdal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located about north of the village of Engerdalen and about southeast of the village of Sorken. The village takes its name from the lake Drevsjø which lies near ...

* Espa * Flisa * Furnes * Fådalen * Fåset * Galterud * Grinder * Hanestad * Hekne * Heimdal * Heradsbygd * Hjellum * Hodalen * Ilseng * Ingeberg * Innbygda * Kirkenær * Kjellmyra * Knapper * Koppang * Kvål * Kylstad * Lundersæter * Magnor *

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

* Mesnali * Mo (Gardvik) * Moelv * Namnå * Nybergsund * Os i Østerdalen * Otnes * Ottestad * Plassmoen * Rena * Ridabu * Risberget * Rotberget * Roverud * Rudshøgda * Sand (Sagstua) *

Sander A sander is a power tool used to smooth surfaces by abrasion with sandpaper. Sanders have a means to attach the sandpaper and a mechanism to move it rapidly contained within a housing with means to handhold it or fix it to a workbench. Woodw ...

Sandvika Sandvika () is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bærum in Norway. It was declared a List of cities in Norway, city by the municipal council (Norway), municipal council in Bærum on 4 June 2003. Sandvika is situated approximately ...

* Sinnerud * Sjølisand * Skarnes * Skasenden * Skotterud * Slettmoen * Sorken * Starhellinga * Svullrya * Tangen * Telneset * Tylldalen * Tørberget * Unset * Vangsås/Slemsrud * Våler * Østby * Øversjødalen * Åbogen *

Ådalsbruk Ådalsbruk is a village in Løten, Løten municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the river Svartelva, just east of the Norwegian National Road 3. The village of Løten (village), Løten lies about north of Ådalsb ...

* Åkre * Åkrestrømmen * Åsta

Former municipalities

* Brandval Municipality * Furnes Municipality * Hof Municipality * Kvikne Municipality * Nes Municipality *

Rendal Municipality Rendal is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Hedmark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1880 when it was divided into Ytre Rendal Municipality and Øvre Rendal Munic ...

* Romedal Municipality * Sollia Municipality * Tolga-Os Municipality * Vang Municipality * Vinger Municipality *

Ytre Rendal Municipality Ytre Rendal is a former municipality in the old Hedmark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1880 until its dissolution in 1965. The area is now part of Rendalen Municipality in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administra ...

* Øvre Rendal Municipality * Åsnes og Våler Municipality

References

External links

* *
Official homepage
{{Coord, 60, 50, 00, N, 11, 40, 00, E, source:itwiki_region:NO_type:adm1st, display=title Former counties of Norway History of Innlandet 2020 disestablishments in Norway Petty kingdoms of Norway States and territories disestablished in 2020