Skjåk 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 ...
in
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
Gudbrandsdal
Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending toward ...
. 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
Bismo. Most of the municipal residents live in the
Billingsdalen and
Ottadalen valleys along the river
Otta. The local newspaper is named ''
Fjuken''.
The municipality is the 33rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Skjåk is the 270th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,151. 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 6.8% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The municipality of Skjåk was established on 1 January 1866 when the municipality of
Lom was divided and the western part of the municipality (population: 2,691) became the new municipality of Skjåk (historically spelled ''Skiaker''). The eastern part of the municipality (population: 3,299) remained as Lom.
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 ...
) is named after the old ''Skjåk'' farm ( non, Skeiðakr), since the first
Skjåk Church was built here. The first element is ''skeið'' which means "a running track for
horse racing" and the last element is ''akr'' which means "
field" or "
acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial and US customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, of a square mile, 4,840 square ...
".
Prior to 1889, the name was written "Skiaker", then from 1889 to 1910 it was spelled "Skiaaker", from 1911 to 1920 it was "Skjaak", and since 1921 it has been written in its present form, "Skjåk".
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 31 March 1989. It shows four white or silver-colored
acanthus leaves on a blue background. This was picked to symbolize growth and strength. These symbols are found in many historic artifacts from around 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 Skjåk. It is part of the
Nord-Gudbrandsdal 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

Skjåk is the westernmost municipality in the
Ottadalen valley. It is bordered to the north by the municipalities of
Fjord
In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Icela ...
,
Rauma, and
Lesja
Lesja is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is village of Lesja. Other villages in the municipality include Bjorli, Lesjaskog, ...
, in the east and southeast by
Lom, in the south by
Luster and in the west by
Stryn
Stryn is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Stryn. The municipality is located along the innermost part of ...
and
Stranda. The municipality lies along the
Otta river between the mountainous areas of Breheim and Reinheim.
Bismo is the modern population center and the location of the majority of industry and shopping as well as the municipal administration.
The community is at the meeting point between
Gudbrandsdalen
Gudbrandsdalen (; en, Gudbrand Valley) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending towa ...
and the mountains between the eastern parts of Norway and the west coast. The municipality lies on a historically significant traffic artery between Stryn and Nordfjord,
Geiranger, and
Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre (, en, South- Møre) is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities ( no, kommuner) of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal, ...
and the more easterly Ottadal municipalities of Lom and
Vågå
Vågå () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo. Other village areas in Vågå include Lalm and Besshe ...
. The
Breheimen National Park and
Reinheimen National Park are both located in the municipality.
Of the total area, is used for agriculture; for
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 covered by water (including the
Breiddalsvatnet lake); and the rest is mountains and other non-
arable land
Arable land (from the la, arabilis, "able to be ploughed") is any land capable of being ploughed and used to grow crops.''Oxford English Dictionary'', "arable, ''adj''. and ''n.''" Oxford University Press (Oxford), 2013. Alternatively, for th ...
. Virtually the entire long valley floor is continuously, but sparsely, built up. Skjåk serves as a point of entry to the mountain areas just west;
hunting
Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/ tusks, horn/ a ...
and
fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques ...
are also popular
tourist
Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism ...
activities. The municipality includes a number of large lakes including
Aursjoen
Aursjoen is a lake in Skjåk Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The lake sits at an elevation of above sea level. The lake lies about north of the village of Bismo. The mountain Horrungen lies just east of the lake. Reinheimen Nationa ...
,
Breiddalsvatnet,
Grønvatnet
Grønvatnet is a lake in Skjåk Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The lake lies within the Tafjordfjella mountain range, about north of the village of Grotli. The mountain lake lies in a low area surrounded by mountains, just west of ...
,
Langvatnet,
Rauddalsvatn
Rauddalsvatnet is a lake in Skjåk Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The lake lies just outside the Reinheimen National Park (which surrounds the lake on three sides. The lake sits at an elevation of above sea level and it has a pe ...
, and
Tordsvatnet
Tordsvatnet is a lake in Skjåk Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The lake lies within the Tafjordfjella mountain range inside the Reinheimen National Park. The mountain lake lies about northwest of the village of Bismo. The lake lies i ...
. The
Breheimen mountains run through the municipality and the
Holåbreen
Holåbreen is a glacier in the municipalities Skjåk (in Innlandet county) and Luster (in Vestland county) in Norway. Located in the mountain range Breheimen, it has a total area of about . The glacier lies between the mountains Gjelhøi and H ...
and
Tystigbreen
Tystigbreen is a glacier that is located on the border between Vestland and Innlandet counties in Norway. The glacier is located in the municipalities of Stryn and Skjåk, about east of the lake Oppstrynsvatnet. The Norwegian National Roa ...
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...
s are located in those mountains.
Climate
Nestled in a deep valley, the populated regions of Skjåk are
rain shadow
A rain shadow is an area of significantly reduced rainfall behind a mountainous region, on the side facing away from prevailing winds, known as its leeward side.
Evaporated moisture from water bodies (such as oceans and large lakes) is carri ...
ed and as a result are actually one of the most arid places in
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 ...
with annual precipitation of about per year, but it avoids a
steppe climate
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi ...
(
Köppen ''Bsk'') by being too cold (mean annual temperature of ), thus having a low
evapotranspiration
Evapotranspiration (ET) is the combined processes by which water moves from the earth’s surface into the atmosphere. It covers both water evaporation (movement of water to the air directly from soil, canopies, and water bodies) and transpir ...
rate, and having precipitation too spread out (about 55% in summer). This gives Skjåk a
subarctic climate (Köppen ''Dfc''), thanks to low overall precipitation levels in summer.
In addition, one side of the valley, ''solsida'' ("the sunny side"), has a southern exposure, whereas ''baksida'' (the "back side") gets very little sun.
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 peop ...
has been enabled by elaborate
irrigation
Irrigation (also referred to as watering) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has been dev ...
systems for hundreds of years, so the area is green and productive rather than desert-like.
History
Skjåk has historical roots back to the
Viking Age
The Viking Age () was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonizing, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. It followed the Migration Period
The ...
and has a rich cultural heritage. An ancient route of travel between east and west went from Skjåk up through the Raudal valley and down through the Sunndal valley to
Stryn
Stryn is a municipality in the county of Vestland, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Nordfjord. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Stryn. The municipality is located along the innermost part of ...
on an arm of the
Nordfjord
Nordfjord ( en, Northern fjord—in contrast to Sunnfjord) is a traditional district of Norway.
Geography
The region is located in the northern part of Vestland county in Western Norway. It centers on the Nordfjorden and it comprises the muni ...
. For example, in 1197, according to
King Sverre's saga
is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Square Enix. The series originated on the Game Boy in 1989 as the creation of Akitoshi Kawazu at Square. It has since continued across multiple platforms, from the Super NES to the Pl ...
, Bishop Nikolaus is reported to have sent a group of
bagler
The Bagli Party or Bagler (Old Norse: ''Baglarr'', Norwegian Bokmål: ''Bagler'', Norwegian Nynorsk: ''Baglar'') was a faction or party during the Norwegian Civil Wars. The Bagler faction was made up principally of the Norwegian aristocracy, cler ...
s from Oppdal over the mountains to Stryn on Nordfjord, via Raudal.
Government
All municipalities in Norway, including Skjåk, 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
Vestre Innlandet District Court
Vestre Innlandet District Court ( no, Vestre Innlandet tingrett) is a district court (Norway), district court located in Innlandet county, Norway. This court is based at four different courthouses which are located in Gjøvik (town), Gjøvik, Fag ...
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
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 Skjåk 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:
Mayors
The mayors of Skjåk (incomplete list):
*1960–1971: Trygve Bakke (
Sp)
*1972–1983: Hans Krogstad (
Sp)
*1984–1987: Åge Willy Rønningen (
Ap)
*1988–1995: Margit Grimstad Lien (
Sp)
*1996–2003: Hans Krogstad (
Sp)
*2003–2007: Ola Stensgård (
Sp)
*2007–2015: Rolv Kristen Øygard (
Sp)
*2015–2019: Elias Sperstad (
Sp)
*2019–present: Edel Kveen (
Sp)
Notable residents
*
Skjåk-Ola, (Norwegian Wiki) (1744 in Skjåk - 1803) real name ''Ola Rasmussen Skjåk'', wood carver
*
Tore Ørjasæter
Tore Ørjasæter (3 March 1886 – 29 February 1968) was a Norwegian educator and poet.
Biography
� ...
(1886 in Skjåk – 1968) an educator, literature critic, author and poet
*
Jan-Magnus Bruheim
Jan-Magnus Bruheim ( 15 February 1914 – 10 August 1988) was a Norwegian poet and children's writer.
Biography
Bruheim was born at Skjåk in Oppland, Norway.
He was the son of Mathias Bruheim (1882–1967) and Torø Jonsdotter Lund (1 ...
(1914 in Skjåk – 1988) a Norwegian poet and children's writer
*
Magnhild Bruheim, (Norwegian Wiki) (born 1951 in Skjåk) author and journalist
*
Rune Øygard (born 1959 in Skjåk) a former politician and convicted paedophile
*
Trond Bersu
Trond Bersu (born 4 January 1984 in Skjåk, Norway) is a Norwegian drummer and producer.
Career
During his music studies on the Jazz program at the Trondheim musikkonservatorium Bersu started the band PELbO together with fellow students Ine ...
(born 1984 in Skjåk) a Norwegian drummer and producer
References
External links
Municipal fact sheetfrom
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 ...
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skjaak
Municipalities of Innlandet
1866 establishments in Norway