Folldal

Folldal kommune
Municipality

Coat of arms
Hedmark within
Norway

Folldal within Hedmark
Coordinates: 62°11′57″N 10°2′7″E / 62.19917°N 10.03528°E / 62.19917; 10.03528Coordinates: 62°11′57″N 10°2′7″E / 62.19917°N 10.03528°E / 62.19917; 10.03528
Country Norway
County Hedmark
District Østerdalen
Administrative centre Folldal
Government
 • Mayor (2003) Eva Tørhaug (Ap)
Area
 • Total 1,275 km2 (492 sq mi)
 • Land 1,257 km2 (485 sq mi)
Area rank 73 in Norway
Population (2004)
 • Total 1,739
 • Rank 354 in Norway
 • Density 1/km2 (3/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years) -9.3 %
Demonym(s) Folldøl[1]
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code NO-0439
Official language form Neutral
Website www.folldal.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

Folldal is a municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Østerdalen. It is bordered on the north by Oppdal and Tynset municipalities, in the east by Alvdal municipality, in the south by Stor-Elvdal, Sør-Fron and Sel municipalities, and in the west by Dovre municipality. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Folldal. Mining at the Folldal mines was the main industry for Folldal's residents from the 18th century until the last mine related operation in 1993. The new municipality of Folldal was separated from Alvdal in 1914.

General information

Winter in Folldal. Image courtesy of the Foundation Folldal Mines

Name

The first element is the river name Folla and the last element is dal which means "valley" or "dale". The meaning of the river name is unknown (perhaps "the broad one").

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted in 1988. The arms show a gold-colored pickaxe on a red background. This was chosen to represent mining and agriculture in the municipality.

History

Mining has been important to Folldal’s development from the 18th century to the present. The Folldal works (Folldal Verk) was founded in 1748. Folldal’s main copper mine, Gammelgruva, also opened in 1748. The mine employed up to 550 people. Until the 1878 ore was transported by horse-drawn vehicles to the Lovise smelter located in neighboring Alvdal municipality. From 1878 to 1906 there was a lull in operations. Operations were restarted in 1906 with ore was transported by a 34 km long cable car (Northern Europe's longest) to the smelter. The main mine played out and was closed in 1941. Smelting continues using ore from several other deposits in the area until 1968. Then the mining and ore dressing moved to Tverrfjellet at Hjerkinn, in Dovre municipality, approximately 30 km from Folldal. The business was closed in 1993.


The church in Folldal was a satellite church of that in Lesja, as was the church at the iron ore mines at Lesjaverk (Lesja Iron Works). Per Berg reports,

“When the sexton Ola Kring died in Lesja in 1751, Frederik Wiborg was appointed sexton there and was presented to the congregation on the third Sunday following Trinity. There certainly wasn't anything very special about being a teacher in Ringsaker, if he was willing to change that for being a sexton. No house or land went with the post and the work was hard. In the Lesja parish there were three satellite churches - Lesjeverk, Dovre, and Folldal. The travel distances were great and it could be very difficult in the winter.”[2]

Geography

Train with tourists heading into the mine. Reprinted with permission from Foundation Folldal Mines

Folldal is located along the northwestern border of Hedmark county. It is bordered in the north by Oppdal (in Sør-Trøndelag county) and Tynset, in the east by Alvdal, in the southeast by Stor-Elvdal, and to the southwest and west by Sør-Fron, Sel, and Dovre (all in Oppland county). Folldal Municipality has the country's highest administrative center (712.5 meters above sea level) and has picturesque scenery with mountains and valleys. The village lies at the foot of Rondeslottet mountain and Snøhetta mountain. The area also has many interesting geologic features from the last Ice Age. Norway’s longest seter valley, the 55 kilometer long Einunndalen, lies within the municipality. The Einunndalen is still actively used for summer grazing at the seters (mountain summer farms) established in the 1700s. Almost half of the municipal land is protected as conservation areas and national parks, including parts that are included in the Rondane National Park and Dovrefjell–Sunndalsfjella National Park.

A national tourist road, the RV 27, runs through the municipality.

Outdoors

Folldal offers a wide variety of outdoor activities. Hiking is good with marked trails and several cabins to visit. Fishing can be done in the rivers Folla, Einunna or Glomma. The opportunities for hunting in the area are also good.

References

  1. ↑ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  2. ↑ Berg, Per. Ei Wiborg-ættegrein på Lesja 1751–1900 (in Norwegian).
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