Stjørdalen is a valley and a
traditional district in
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 ...
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 ...
. The valley follows the
Stjørdalselva
Stjørdalselva () is a long river that reaches from near the Norwegian– Swedish border down the Stjørdalen valley through Meråker Municipality and Stjørdal Municipality before entering the Trondheimsfjord. The mouth is located on the sout ...
river from the Norway-
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 ...
border to the west where it empties into the
Trondheimsfjorden
The Trondheim Fjord or Trondheimsfjorden (), an inlet of the Norwegian Sea, is Norway's List of Norwegian fjords, third-longest fjord at long. It is located in the west-central part of the country in Trøndelag county, and it stretches from Ørl ...
. The valley traverses
Stjørdal Municipality
() is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of towns and cities in ...
and
Meråker Municipality
Meråker is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Midtbygda which is about west of Storlien in Sweden and east of the town of Stjø ...
. The
European route E14
European route E14 is a part of the International E-road network. It runs between Trondheim, Norway, and Sundsvall, Sweden. The road is long.
The road follows the route Trondheim - Storlien – Östersund – Sundsvall. Just east of Trondheim, ...
highway and the
Meråker Line
The Meråker Line ( meːroːkərˌbɑːnən 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 No ...
railway follow the river through the length of the valley.
The traditional district of Stjørdalen is a historical region surrounding the Stjørdalen valley. The area is sometimes considered the southern part of the
Inntrøndelag Inntrøndelag or Inn-Trøndelag is a Districts of Norway, traditional district that encompasses the central part of Trøndelag county in Norway. It usually includes the area surrounding the inner part of the Trondheimsfjord. It is often used interch ...
region. The neighboring
Selbu Municipality
Selbu is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mebonden. Other villages in Selbu include Flora, Trøndelag, Flora, Fossan ...
and
Tydal Municipality
Tydal is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the Neadalen/ Tydalen valley. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ås. Other villages include Østby, Græsli, Aungrenda, and Stugudalen. There ...
to the south are sometimes grouped together in this historic district. From the
Iron Age
The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...
through the
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 ...
, the area was referred to as , one of the small
petty kingdoms
A petty kingdom is a kingdom described as minor or "petty" (from the French 'petit' meaning small) by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it (e.g. the numerous kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England unified into t ...
in the
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 ...
region under the
Frostating
Frostating () was one of the four ancient popular assemblies or things () of medieval Norway. Historically, it was the site of court and assembly for Trøndelag, Nordmøre, and Hålogaland. The assembly had its seat at Tinghaugen in what is n ...
assembly.
History
On 1 January 1838, the whole valley-district was established as
Stjørdalen Municipality
Stjørdalen is a former municipality in the old Nordre Trondhjem county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1850. The municipality covered the whole Stjørdalen valley in what is now Stjørdal Municipality an ...
under the newly passed
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 ...
. In 1850, however, the large municipality was divided to create the two new municipalities:
Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality
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 which includes wha ...
and
Nedre Stjørdalen Municipality
Nedre Stjørdalen is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1850 until its dissolution in 1902. The municipality covered the western part of what is now Stjørdal Municipality in Trønde ...
. Later, in 1874,
Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality
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 which includes wha ...
was split into
Hegra Municipality
Hegra is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1874 until its dissolution in 1962. The municipality was located in the Stjørdalen valley. It enc ...
and
Meråker Municipality
Meråker is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Midtbygda which is about west of Storlien in Sweden and east of the town of Stjø ...
. On 1 January 1901,
Nedre Stjørdalen Municipality
Nedre Stjørdalen is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county in Norway. The municipality existed from 1850 until its dissolution in 1902. The municipality covered the western part of what is now Stjørdal Municipality in Trønde ...
was divided into three municipalities of nearly equal sizes:
Skatval Municipality
Skatval is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1902 until its dissolution in 1962. The municipality encompassed the Skatval peninsula in the northwestern part of what is now Stjørdal M ...
,
Stjørdal Municipality
() is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of towns and cities in ...
, and
Lånke Municipality
Lånke was a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1902 until its dissolution in 1962. The municipality was located south of the Stjørdalselva rive ...
. At this point, there were now five municipalities in the valley. 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 1962,
Hegra Municipality
Hegra is a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1874 until its dissolution in 1962. The municipality was located in the Stjørdalen valley. It enc ...
,
Skatval Municipality
Skatval is a former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1902 until its dissolution in 1962. The municipality encompassed the Skatval peninsula in the northwestern part of what is now Stjørdal M ...
,
Stjørdal Municipality
() is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of towns and cities in ...
, and
Lånke Municipality
Lånke was a List of former municipalities of Norway, former municipality in the old Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1902 until its dissolution in 1962. The municipality was located south of the Stjørdalselva rive ...
were merged to form the new
Stjørdal Municipality
() is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of towns and cities in ...
.
On 1 June 1997, the village of
Stjørdalshalsen
Stjørdalshalsen or Stjørdal (nickname: ''Halsen'') is a town and the administrative centre of Stjørdal Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located between the rivers Stjørdalselva and Gråelva to the south and north and by th ...
in
Stjørdal Municipality
() is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Trøndelag Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen Districts of Norway, region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of towns and cities in ...
gained status as a
town
A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city.
The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...
. Currently, the combined population of Stjørdal Municipality and Meråker Municipality is 21,738.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stjordalen
Districts of Trøndelag
Stjørdal
Meråker
Valleys of Trøndelag