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 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,

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 ...

. It is located in the traditional district of

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 ...

. The

administrative centre An administrative centre 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 the administrative language, such as Belgi ...

of the municipality is the village of

Stangebyen Stange or Stangebyen is the administrative centre of Stange Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located about south of the town of Hamar. The European route E6 highway runs along the east side of the village. Stange Church l ...

. Other villages include

Bekkelaget Bekkelaget is a neighborhood in the borough Nordstrand in 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 t ...

Espa Espa is a village in Stange Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the European route E6 highway near the southern part of the large lake Mjøsa, about southeast of the village of Tangen. Its population ( SSB 2005 ...

Bottenfjellet Bottenfjellet or Åsbygda is a village in Stange Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located about east of the village of Romedal. The village had a population (2016) of 265 and a population density of . Since 2016, the p ...

Ilseng Ilseng is a village in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located mostly in Stange Municipality, however, part of the village extends across the border into Hamar Municipality. The Rørosbanen railway line passes through the village, stoppi ...

Ottestad Ottestad is a village in Stange Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. Location The village centre is located about north of the village of Stangebyen Stange or Stangebyen is the administrative centre of Stange Municipality in Innlandet ...

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 Sinnerud is a village in Stange Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located along the south side of the river Svartelva, about east of the village of Bekkelaget. The European route E6 highway runs along the west side of the ...

Starhellinga Starhellinga or Sørbygdafeltet is a village in Stange Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located about southwest of the village of Romedal and about east of the village of Stangebyen. The village area has a population ( ...

Tangen Tangen is a village in Stange Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located near the shores of the large lake Mjøsa, about south of the village of Stangebyen. The small village of Espa lies about to the south of Tangen. The ...

, and

Romedal Romedal is a former municipality in the old Hedmark county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964 when it became part of Stange Municipality. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of ...

. The municipality is the 157th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Stange is the 59th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 21,356. The municipality's

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

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

General information

The parish of Stange 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 ...

law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the

Schei Committee The Schei Committee () was a committee named by the Government of Norway to look into the organization of municipalities in Norway post-World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a ...

. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of

(population: 6,441) and Stange (population: 9,734) were merged to form a new, larger municipality of Stange with a population of 16,175 residents. On 13 July 1956, a small part of the municipality of Vang (population: 24) was transferred to Stange municipality.

Name

The municipality (originally the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

) is named after the old ''Stange'' farm () since the first

Stange Church Stange Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Stange Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located about west of the village of Stangebyen. It is the church for the Stange parish which is part of the Hamar domprosti (d ...

was built there. The name is the

plural In many languages, a plural (sometimes list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated as pl., pl, , or ), is one of the values of the grammatical number, grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than ...

form of which means "bar", "pole", or "rod". (The farm is lying on a long hill, and this is probably the background for the name.)

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 ...

was granted on 20 June 1986. The official

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

is ''"

Vert Vert or Verts may refer to: * Vert (heraldry), the colour green in heraldry * Vert (music producer) (born 1972), pseudonym of Adam Butler, an English music producer * Vert (river), in southern France * Vert (sport), a competition in extreme versio ...

, a plough

argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to b ...

"'' (). This means the arms have a green

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 ...

(background) and the

charge Charge or charged may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Charge, Zero Emissions/Maximum Speed'', a 2011 documentary Music * ''Charge'' (David Ford album) * ''Charge'' (Machel Montano album) * '' Charge!!'', an album by The Aqu ...

is a medieval plough called an ard. The charge has a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design symbolizes this historic importance of

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 ...

in the area; originally the growing of

grains A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit ( caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and le ...

and then later growing

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

es. The arms were designed by Arne Løvstad. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The

Church of Norway The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

has five parishes () within the municipality of Stange. It is part of the

Hamar domprosti The list of churches in Hamar is a list of the Church of Norway churches in the Diocese of Hamar in Norway. It includes all of the parishes in Innlandet county plus the parishes in Lunner Municipality in Akershus county. The diocese is based at th ...

(arch-

deanery A deanery (or decanate) is an ecclesiastical entity in the 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 residence of ...

) in the

Diocese of Hamar The Diocese of Hamar () is a diocese within the Church of Norway. The Diocese of Hamar includes all of the churches in Innlandet county plus the churches in Lunner Municipality in Akershus county. Administratively, the diocese is divided into 1 ...

Media

The newspaper ''

Stangeavisa ''Stangeavisa'' () is a local Norwegian newspaper published once a week in Stangebyen in Innlandet county. The newspaper covers events in Stange Municipality. The paper is edited by Lars Kristian Seierstad, who is also the single shareholder in th ...

'' has been published in Stange since 2004.

History

Archeological finds indicate agricultural settlements in the area well before the

Viking Age The Viking Age (about ) was the period during the Middle Ages when Norsemen known as Vikings undertook large-scale raiding, colonising, conquest, and trading throughout Europe and reached North America. The Viking Age applies not only to their ...

. Since the shortest route from the south to

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. ...

went through the area, there have also been trade and hospitality there since time immemorial. Stange has its own historical association that publishes articles, short research topics, as well as authoritative works on the area's history.

is located in

. The church is mentioned in 1225 in Håkon Håkonsen's

saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

and the current church building was constructed around the year 1250. The Atlungstad Distillery was established in Stange in 1855.

Geography

The municipality is situated on the east side of the lake

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 ...

. It borders the municipalities of

on the north;

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 ...

, Våler, and Åsnes to the east;

Nord-Odal Nord-Odal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Odalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Sand. Other villages in the municipality include Knapper and Mo. Th ...

to the south; and

Eidsvoll Eidsvoll (; sometimes written as ''Eidsvold'') is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Romerike Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the munic ...

to the west. The municipality can be roughly divided into two areas: the northern area, with rich and fertile agricultural land; and a southern area with craggy,

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, ...

ed area (the Stange Commons). As a result, the northern section is dominated by large, prosperous farms; the southern part by small, marginal farms. The rivers

Lageråa Lageråa is a small river in Innlandet county, Norway. The long river flows from the Langgjesna marsh area in the Vang commons in Hamar Municipality southwards. For a time, the river forms the border between Hamar Municipality and Løten Municip ...

and

Svartelva Svartelva () is a river in Innlandet county, Norway. The long river flows from the lake Gjetholsmjøen on the border of Løten and Stange at Byenga and it heads westward into Romedal. The river passes very close to the lake Rokosjøen in Løte ...

both run through the municipality.

Government

Stange Municipality is responsible for

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

(through 10th grade), outpatient

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

senior citizen Old age is the range of ages for people nearing and surpassing life expectancy. People who are of old age are also referred to as: old people, elderly, elders, senior citizens, seniors or older adults. Old age is not a definite biological sta ...

services,

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

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. Also available amachine-converted HTML They may be provided by individuals, private and i ...

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

economic development In economics, economic development (or 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 object ...

, and municipal

road A road is a thoroughfare used primarily for movement of traffic. Roads differ from streets, whose primary use is local access. They also differ from stroads, which combine the features of streets and roads. Most modern roads are paved. Th ...

s and utilities. 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, borough cou ...

of directly elected representatives. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

indirectly elected An indirect election or ''hierarchical voting,'' is an election in which voters do not choose directly among candidates or parties for an office ( direct voting system), but elect people who in turn choose candidates or parties. It is one of the o ...

by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Østre Innlandet District Court and the

Eidsivating Court of Appeal The Eidsivating Court of Appeal () is one of six courts of appeal in the Kingdom of Norway. The Court is located in the city of Hamar, with jurisdiction over the Eidsivating judicial district (), comprising the counties of Innlandet, Østfold, a ...

Municipal council

The

of Stange is made up of 35 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political

party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a Hospitality, 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 oft ...

Mayors

The

mayors In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

() of Stange: *1838–1840: Michel Andersen Saxlund *1841–1842: Even Christensen Ringnes *1843–1846: Ole Erichsen Frostad *1847–1848: Martinus Hansen Lalum *1849–1850: Severin Michelsen Saxlund *1851–1854: Martinus Hansen Lalum *1855–1856: Ole Nilsen *1857–1859: Iver Jonsen Grimerud *1859–1866: Severin Michelsen Saxlund *1867–1870: Mons Olsen Hosmestad *1871–1874: Anders Christophersen Musli *1875–1882: Ludvig Anton Øwre *1883-1884: Ole Nilsen Ringens *1885-1888: Jakob Christophersen Gaustad *1888-1888: Lars Christiansen Schjerden *1889-1892: Jakob Christophersen Gaustad *1893–1898: Carl Wedel-Jarlsberg *1899-1901: Ole Nilsen Ringens *1902-1904: O. Rostad *1905-1907: Frantz Blehr *1908–1916: Hans Helmersen Sørholte *1917-1917: M. Hestnes *1918–1919: Albert Sørlie *1920–1922: Ebbe Carsten Morten Astrup *1923-1926: Martin Hestnæs ( Ap) *1926–1941: Kristian Fjeld ( Ap) *1941-1942: Ottar Opsand ( NS) *1943-1945: E. Wollebæk ( NS) *1945–1945: Kristian Fjeld ( Ap) *1946–1951: Christian Stensbak ( Ap) *1952–1976: Arnljot Johnstad ( Ap) *1977–1983: Jens K. Nybruket ( Ap) *1984–2007: Jan Tyriberget ( Ap) *2007–2022:

Nils A. Røhne Nils Amund Røhne (20 April 1949 – 10 January 2022) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. Life and career Røhne was born in Stange on 20 April 1949. From 1994 to 1996, during the third cabinet Brundtland, Røhne was appointed polit ...

( Ap) *2022–present: Bjarne H. Christiansen ( Ap)

Twin towns – sister cities

Stange has

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

agreements with the following places: *

Botkyrka Botkyrka Municipality ( ) is a municipality in Stockholm County in east central Sweden, not far from the capital Stockholm. Its seat is located in the town of Tumba. In 1971 ''Grödinge'' was merged with Botkyrka and in 1974 ''Salem'' was added ...

, Sweden * Brøndby, Denmark

Notable people

Bolette Gjør :''Should not be confused with Bolette Margrethe Nissen, born 1849, the mother-in-law of Hartvig Johannson.'' Bolette Margrethe Gjør, née Nissen (11 May 1835 – 4 November 1909) was a Norwegian writer and inner missionary. She was born in T ...

(1835–1909), a Norwegian writer and inner missionary who was brought up in Romedal *

Otto Blehr Otto Albert Blehr (17 February 1847 – 13 July 1927) was a Norwegian statesman, attorney and newspaper editor who was the prime minister of Norway from 1902 to 1903 during the Union between Sweden and Norway and from 1921 to 1923 following the ...

(1847 in Stange – 1927), an attorney and

Prime Minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway (, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet of Norway, Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government departme ...

from 1902 to 1903 *

Holm Hansen Munthe Holm Hansen Munthe (1 January 1848 – 23 May 1898) was a Norwegian architect. He was a leading representative of dragon style architecture (''Dragestil'') which originated in Norway and was widely used principally between 1880 and 1910 ...

(1848 in Stange – 1898), a Norwegian architect of the Dragon Style *

Kristoffer Olsen Oustad Kristoffer Olsen Oustad (January 27, 1857 – February 13, 1943) was a Norwegian-American engineer who designed major structures in the United States. Often working together with three other Norwegian-American engineers (Martin Sigvart Grytbak, An ...

(1857 in Romedal – 1943), a Norwegian-American engineer who built bridges *

Hulda Garborg Hulda Garborg (née Bergersen, 22 February 1862 – 5 November 1934) was a Norwegian writer, novelist, playwright, poet, folk dancer, and theatre instructor. She was married to Arne Garborg, and is today perhaps best known for kindling intere ...

(1862 at Såstad farm – 1934), a novelist, playwright, poet, folk dancer, and theatre instructor who kindled interest in the

bunad ''Bunad'' (, plural: ''bunader''/''bunadar'') is a Norwegian umbrella term. In a broader sense, the term encompasses household, householding equipment, and livestock as well as both traditional rural clothes (mostly dating to the 18th and 19th ...

tradition * Eiliv Austlid (1899–1940), a farmer and army officer who lived at Såstad Søndre farm from 1924 *

Ingrid Semmingsen Ingrid Elisabeth Semmingsen (29 March 1910 in Hamar, Hedmark – 31 May 1995) was a Norway, Norwegian historian. Appointed as a professor at the University of Oslo in 1963, she was the first female professor of history in Norway. Personal life S ...

(1910–1995), the first female professor of history in Norway who grew up in Stange *

Odvar Nordli Odvar Nordli (; 3 November 1926 – 9 January 2018) was a Norway, Norwegian politician from the Det norske Arbeiderparti, Labour Party. He was the prime minister of Norway from 1976 to 1981 during the Cold War. Before serving as prime minister, No ...

(1927 in Tangen – 2018), a politician and

from 1976 to 1981 *

(born 1949 in Stange), a Norwegian politician and Mayor of Stange from 2007 * Linda Bakke (born 1973), a Norwegian artist who lives in Stange *

Trygve Slagsvold Vedum Trygve Magnus Slagsvold Vedum (born 1 December 1978) is a Norwegian politician and farmer who served as Minister of Finance (Norway), Minister of Finance between 2021 and 2025. A member of the Centre Party (Norway), Centre Party, which he has led ...

(born 1978), a leader of the Centre Party who grew up in Romedal *

Bård Lahn Bård Lappegård Lahn (born 26 May 1983 in Stange, Norway) is a Norwegian environmentalist and writer. He is a researcher at CICERO, Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research, in Oslo, with a research focus on climate politics, ...

(born 1983 in Stange), a Norwegian environmentalist with ''

Natur og Ungdom Natur og Ungdom (NU) which translates to Nature and Youth, also known in English as Young Friends of the Earth Norway, is a Norwegian youth environmental protection organisation. It is the only environmentalist youth organisation in Norway. 7, ...

Sport

Trygve Brudevold Trygve Brudevold (19 December 1920 – 19 August 2021) was a Norwegian bobsledder who competed in the 1950s. Competing in two Winter Olympics, he earned his best finish of 11th in the four-man event at Cortina d'Ampezzo in 1956. He was born in Stan ...

(born 1920 in Stange – 2021), a bobsledder who competed at the

1956 Winter Olympics The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( or ), were a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which ...

Ole Holm Ole Holm (28 December 1870 – 29 January 1956) was a Norwegian rifle shooter. He was born in Stange. He won a silver medal in free rifle team at the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of ...

(1870 in Stange – 1956), a rifle shooter and team silver medallist in the

1906 Summer Olympics The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games (), held from 22 April 1906 to 2 May 1906, was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Kingdom of Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were re ...

Eskil Rønningsbakken Eskil Rønningsbakken (born 24 June 1979) is an extreme artist from Vallset in Stange, Norway.Berglund, Nina "Performer drops Letterman after US bombing." ''Aftenposten'', January 17, 2006. Accessed on August 9, 2010. Rønningsbakken travels the wo ...

(born 1979 in Vallset), an entertainer who does dangerous balancing acts and

tightrope walking Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

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 ...

Municipal website
{{use dmy dates, date=March 2022 Municipalities of Innlandet 1838 establishments in Norway