Meråker 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 go ...

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 Denmar ...

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers 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 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 part of the Stjørdalen

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 and t ...

. 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 Midtbygda which is about west of Storlien in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and east of the town of

Stjørdalshalsen Stjørdalshalsen (also known as Stjørdal or Halsen) is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Stjørdal in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located between the rivers Stjørdalselva and Gråelva to the south and north and ...

in neighboring

Stjørdal Stjørdal () or is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stjørdal, also called Stjørdalshalsen. Some of the villages in the municipalit ...

municipality. Other villages in Meråker include Gudåa, Kopperå, and Stordalen. The municipality markets itself as a recreational area. The main areas of employment are in industry and

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 to ...

. The municipality is noted for its characteristic

dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...

. The municipality is the 80th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Meråker is the 260th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,399. 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 RosenberPopul ...

is and its population has decreased by 4.5% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Meråker was established on 1 January 1874 when the old municipality of

Øvre Stjørdal Øvre Stjørdal or Øvre Stjørdalen is a former municipality in the old Nordre Trondhjem county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1850 until its dissolution in 1874. The municipality encompassed the upper part of the Stjørdalen valley ...

was divided into two:

Hegra HEGRA, which stands for ''High-Energy-Gamma-Ray Astronomy'', was an atmospheric Cherenkov telescope for Gamma-ray astronomy. With its various types of detectors, HEGRA took data between 1987 and 2002, at which point it was dismantled in order ...

(population: 3,409) in the east and Meråker (population: 1,861) in the west. The municipal borders have not changed since then. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old

Nord-Trøndelag Nord-Trøndelag (; "North Trøndelag") was a county constituting the northern part of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. The county was established in 1804 when the old Trondhjems amt was divided into two: Nordre Trondhjems amt and S ...

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 m ...

) is named after the old ''Meråker'' farm (spelled "Mørakre" around 1430), since the first Meråker Church was built there. The meaning of the first element is uncertain (maybe ''merr'' which means "

mare A mare is an adult female horse or other equine. In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse three and younger. In Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four ...

" or ''mýrr'' which means "

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

" or "

marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...

") and the last element is ''akr'' which means "

field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

" or "

acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...

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 latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

was granted on 28 September 1990. Traditionally,

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

has played a major role in the area and has been of great economic importance for Meråker. Thus a silver mining cart on a red background as a symbol for the municipality was an obvious decision. The cart depicted in the arms, however, is officially described as a cart, not a mining cart.

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 b ...

has one parish () within the municipality of Meråker. It is part of the Stjørdal 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 residenc ...

) 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

Meråker Smelter

In 1898, a

carbide In chemistry, a carbide usually describes a compound composed of carbon and a metal. In metallurgy, carbiding or carburizing is the process for producing carbide coatings on a metal piece. Interstitial / Metallic carbides The carbides of the ...

factory was opened at Kopperå, later this factor was rebuilt as a

silicon Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic tab ...

smelter. The

smelter Smelting is a process of applying heat to ore, to extract a base metal. It is a form of extractive metallurgy. It is used to extract many metals from their ores, including Silver mining#Ore processing, silver, iron-making, iron, copper extracti ...

was in operation until June 2006. Its main product was

microsilica Silica fume, also known as microsilica, (CAS number 69012-64-2, EINECS number 273-761-1) is an amorphous (non-crystalline) polymorph of silicon dioxide, silica. It is an ultrafine powder collected as a by-product of the silicon and ferrosilicon a ...

which is used as an additive to

cement A cement is a binder, a chemical substance used for construction that sets, hardens, and adheres to other materials to bind them together. Cement is seldom used on its own, but rather to bind sand and gravel ( aggregate) together. Cement mix ...

Geography

Meråker is a landlocked municipality in the central part of

county. To the north is the municipality of

Verdal Verdal is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Innherad region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Verdalsøra. Some villages in the municipality include Forbregd/Lein, Lysthaugen, Stiklest ...

, to the west is

, to the south is Selbu and Tydal, and to the east is

. There are three major lakes in Meråker:

Feren Feren or Færen is a lake in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. A small part in the northwestern corner of the lake extends into the municipalities of Stjørdal, Levanger, and Verdal at the outlet into the river Forra. Th ...

Fjergen Fjergen is a lake in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. The lake has a hydropower dam on the southern end which flows out into the Kåpperåa river which is part of the Stjørdalselva river system. There is about of water ...

, and

Funnsjøen Funnsjøen is a lake in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. The lake flows into the Funna river, a part of the Stjørdalselva river system. The lake has a hydropower dam at the southern end of the lake. There is about of w ...

. The river

Stjørdalselva Stjørdalselva ( en, Stjørdal River) is a long river that reaches from near the Norwegian–Swedish border down the Stjørdalen valley through the municipalities of Meråker and Stjørdal before entering the Trondheimsfjord. The mouth is locate ...

runs through the municipality towards the Trondheimsfjord. The river

Rotla Rotla is a long river in Trøndelag county, Norway. The river begins at Roltdalstjønna in Meråker municipality, just north of the mountain Fongen. It then runs through west through the Skarvan and Roltdalen National Park. The river ends when ...

begins in the southern part of Meråker. The mountain

Fongen or is a mountain in Trøndelag county, Norway. The mountain sits along the border of the municipalities of Selbu, Tydal, and Meråker. The summit is located inside the Skarvan and Roltdalen National Park. The nearest villages are Mebonden in ...

sits on the southern border with Tydal and Selbu.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Meråker, 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 first ...

(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 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 (human activity), w ...

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 administe ...

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 o ...

, 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 counci ...

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 a ...

. The municipality falls under the Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The

() of Meråker is made up of 21 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 f ...

breakdown of the council is as follows:

Mayor

The mayors of Meråker (incomplete list): *2019–present: Kjersti Kjenes ( LL) *2015-2019: Kari Anita Furunes ( Sp) *1995-2015: Bård Langsåvold ( Ap) *1973-1995: Svein Brækken (Ap)

Transportation

The

European route E14 European route E14 is a part of the International E-road network. It begins in Trondheim, Norway, and ends in Sundsvall, Sweden. The road is long. The road follows the route Trondheim - Storlien – Östersund – Sundsvall. Just east of Tron ...

highway runs east to west through the municipality connecting to

Trondheim Airport, Værnes Trondheim Airport ( no, Trondheim lufthavn; ) is an international airport serving Trondheim, a city and List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The airport is located in Værnes, Trøndelag, Værnes, a vill ...

about to the west. The

Meråker Line The Meråker Line ( no, Meråkerbanen) is a railway line which runs through the district and valley of Stjørdalen in Trøndelag county, Norway. The line branches off from the Nordland Line at Hell Station and runs eastwards to the Norway–Swed ...

railway follows the E14 through the municipality also, with stops at

Kopperå Station Kopperå Station ( no, Kopperå stasjon) is a railway station on the Meråker Line in the village of Kopperå in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station was opened on 1 April 1899 as Kopperaasen. It was renamed Koppe ...

Meråker Station Meråker Station ( no, Meråker stasjon) is a railway station on the Meråker Line in the village of Midtbygda in the municipality of Meråker in Trøndelag county, Norway. The station was opened on 17 October 1881 as Meraker, and received the c ...

, and Gudå Station.

Media

The newspaper ''

Meråkerposten ''Meråkerposten'' (The Meråker Gazette) is a Norwegian local newspaper published in Meråker in Nord-Trøndelag county. ''Meråkerposten'' is published weekly, appearing on Thursdays. The newspaper was established in 1982. It is edited by Knu ...

'' has been published in Meråker since 1982.

Notable residents

* Anton Johnson Fridrichsen (1888 in Meråker – 1953) a Swedish theologian * Helge Ingstad (1899 in Meråker - 2001)

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

, explorer and

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...

* Arne Braa Saatvedt (1922 in Meråker – 1945) a Norwegian police official and member of the Nasjonal Samling, executed in 1945 * Bård Langsåvold (born 1952) a Norwegian politician, Mayor of Meråker 1995-2015 * Dag Lyseid (1954–2012) a footballer and politician, deputy Mayor of Meråker 1999-2008 *

Vebjørn Selbekk Vebjørn Selbekk (born 14 April 1969) is a Norwegian newspaper editor and author. Selbekk became widely known in Norway and abroad after he in 2006 reprinted a facsimile of the ''Jyllands-Posten'' Muhammad cartoons as editor of the Christian new ...

(born 1969) a newspaper editor and author, brought up in Meråker

Sport

Magnar Lundemo Magnar Lundemo (4 March 1938 in Meråker – 7 January 1987 in Meråker) was a Norwegian cross-country skier and track and field athlete. As a skier he participated in two Olympic Games and placed fourth at the 1962 World Championships. In t ...

(1938 in Meråker - 1987) a cross country skier and track and field athlete, competed at the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

and

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 ...

* Frode Estil (born 1972) a retired cross country skier, lives in Meråker *

Kine Beate Bjørnås Kine Beate Bjørnås (born 12 May 1980) is a Norwegian former cross-country skier who won gold at the 2005 . Personal life Bjørnås is from Meråker. As a youngster, Bjørnås travelled to Sør-Trøndelag for skiing, as there were too few comp ...

(born 1980) a retired cross country skier *

Simen Raaen Sandmæl Simen Raaen Sandmæl (born 4 August 1990) is a former Norwegian footballer. Career Sandmæl started his career at Remyra as a junior, he then moved to Stjørdals-Blink in 2011. After two season in Stjørdals-Blink, he then moved to Levanger i ...

(born 1990 in Meråker) a Norwegian footballer with over 130 club caps

Gallery

File:Meråker, Norway - panoramio.jpg, Meråker, Norway File:Meråker smelteverk Kopperå 01.jpg, Meråker smelteverk Kopperå File:Juni 2011 041.jpg, Elven Kopperåa i Kopperå, Meråker File:Grønbergdammen 01.jpg, Grønbergdammen in Meråker

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meraaker Municipalities of Trøndelag 1874 establishments in Norway