Gjøvik
Gjøvik kommune | |||
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Municipality | |||
Central Gjøvik | |||
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![]() Gjøvik within Oppland | |||
Coordinates: 60°47′36.3″N 10°41′42.9″E / 60.793417°N 10.695250°ECoordinates: 60°47′36.3″N 10°41′42.9″E / 60.793417°N 10.695250°E | |||
Country | Norway | ||
County | Oppland | ||
District | Vest-Oppland | ||
Administrative centre | Gjøvik | ||
Government | |||
• Mayor (2014) | Bjørn Iddberg | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 672 km2 (259 sq mi) | ||
• Land | 630 km2 (240 sq mi) | ||
Area rank | 165 in Norway | ||
Population (2014) | |||
• Total | 30,063 | ||
• Rank | 28 in Norway | ||
• Density | 44/km2 (110/sq mi) | ||
• Change (10 years) | 2.8 % | ||
Demonym(s) |
Gjøvikenser Gjøvikensar[1] | ||
Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
• Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
ISO 3166 code | NO-0502 | ||
Official language form | Bokmål | ||
Website |
www | ||
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Gjøvik is a town and a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Gjøvik.
In 1861, the village of Gjøvik in the municipality of Vardal was granted town status and was separated from Vardal to form a separate municipality. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring rural municipalities of Biri, Snertingdal, and Vardal were all merged into the municipality of Gjøvik.
Etymology
The town is named after the old Gjøvik farm (Old Norse: Djúpvík), consisting of the elements djúpr "deep" and vík "inlet".[2]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms were granted on 2 September 1960. The arms show a white swan (Cygnus cygnus).
The former coat of arms, adopted in 1922, was a linden tree, with the statement Vis et voluntas (meaning "Force and will") on the lower part of the shield. The following design was a so-called "potpourri" vase, the most significant design of the glassworks that was the funding industry of the town.[3]
Geography
Along with Hamar, Lillehammer, Brumunddal and Moelv, Gjøvik is one of the many towns bordering Norway's biggest lake, Mjøsa. The town administration of Gjøvik also covers the suburb area Hunndalen and the rural districts of Biri, Snertingdal, and Vardal. The municipal population is 28,807 (2010). About 16,000 people live in the urban area proper.
Gjøvik is bordered on the north by Lillehammer municipality, in the south by Østre Toten and Vestre Toten, and in the west by Søndre Land and Nordre Land. Across Lake Mjøsa to the east lies Ringsaker municipality in Hedmark.
The highest point is Ringsrudåsen with a height of 842 metres (2,762 ft).
Economy
![](../I/m/Gj%C3%B8vik_panorama.jpg)
Gjøvik owes much of its early growth to the local glassworks, which were established there by Caspar Kauffeldt in 1807. In the early 19th century, there was considerable immigration there from Valdres and Western Norway, aiding Gjøvik's growth. It was granted a town charter in 1861. Later, O. Mustad & Son became one of the world's largest manufacturers of fish hooks.[4]
Today Hoff Potetindustrier, Hunton Fiber and Natre Vinduer are some of the industrial companies operating from Gjøvik. The town is also a port for the former traffic ship, Skibladner, which is now a tourist ship.
The local paper is the Oppland Arbeiderblad. It was formerly a Labour Party newspaper. Defunct newspapers include Oplændingen and Velgeren (Labour Democrat/Liberal), Samhold (Liberal, later Agrarian) and Ny Dag (Communist).
Gjøvik has two notable hotels, the Grand hotel and the Strand hotel.
There have been three notable concerts held in Gjøvik's history, which starred Toto, Robbie Williams and Bryan Adams (June 2011).
Attractions
![](../I/m/Gjoevik_gaard_park.jpg)
- The world’s largest arena excavated in rock, called Gjøvik Olympic Hall (Norwegian: Fjellhallen), is located in Gjøvik. It was one of the sites of the Lillehammer Winter Olympics ice hockey games in 1994.
- Gjøvik farm
- Gjøvik glassworks
- Eiktunet cultural-history museum
- The world's oldest paddle steamer still on a regular schedule, the PS Skibladner
- Biri Travbane
- "Gripping" by Richard Deacon (sculptor)
Notable people from Gjøvik
- Paul Olaf Bodding (1865–1938), missionary to India
- Kjell Ola Dahl (born 1958), author
- Gro Hammerseng (born 1980), handball player
- Harold Harby (1894–1978), Los Angeles, California, City Council member, born in Gjøvik
- Nora Foss al-Jabri (born 1996), Norwegian singer, participant in the Norwegian quarter final of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest
- Ingvild Flugstad Østberg (born 1990), Norwegian cross-country skier
- Ole Evinrude born Ole Andreassen Aaslundeie (April 19, 1877 (born in Hunndalen in Vardal municipality (now Gjøvik)) – July 12, 1934) was a Norwegian-American inventor, known for the invention of the first outboard motor with practical commercial application.
International relations
Twin towns — sister cities
The following cities are twinned with Gjøvik:[5]
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- Álftanes, Capital Region, Iceland
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- Gävle, Gävleborg County, Sweden
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- Næstved, Region Sjælland, Denmark
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- Rauma, Länsi-Suomi, Finland
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- Stoughton, Wisconsin, United States
References
- ↑ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
- ↑ Rygh, Oluf (1900). Norske gaardnavne: Kristians amt (Anden halvdel) (in Norwegian) (4 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 40.
- ↑ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-01.
- ↑ Stagg, Frank Noel (1956). East Norway and its Frontier. George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.
- ↑ "Vennskapsbyer" (in Norwegian). Gjøvik kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-01.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gjøvik. |
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Look up Gjøvik in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
Gjøvik travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
- Tourist information
- Gjøvik University College
- Gstud - Student society in Gjøvik
- GSR: Gjøvik Student Radio – Online radio voluntarily run by Gstud