Hol

This article is about the municipality in Buskerud, Norway. For other uses, see Hol (disambiguation).
Hol kommune
Municipality

Coat of arms
Buskerud within
Norway

Hol within Buskerud
Coordinates: 60°34′18″N 8°4′18″E / 60.57167°N 8.07167°E / 60.57167; 8.07167Coordinates: 60°34′18″N 8°4′18″E / 60.57167°N 8.07167°E / 60.57167; 8.07167
Country Norway
County Buskerud
District Hallingdal
Administrative centre Hol
Government
 • Mayor (2003) Erik Kaupang (Ap)
Area
 • Total 1,858 km2 (717 sq mi)
 • Land 1,664 km2 (642 sq mi)
Area rank 36 in Norway
Population (2004)
 • Total 4,556
 • Rank 211 in Norway
 • Density 3/km2 (8/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years) -1.5 %
Demonym(s) Holing[1]
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
ISO 3166 code NO-0620
Official language form Neutral
Website www.hol.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway
Map of Hol

Hol is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway.

Administrative history

The area of Hol was separated from the municipality of Ål in 1877 to become a separate municipality. In 1937 a part of neighboring Uvdal with 220 inhabitants was moved to Hol municipality. The area of Dagali was transferred from Uvdal to Hol in 1944. In 1962 Uvdal was reunited with Nore to form the new municipality of Nore og Uvdal.

General information

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hol farm (Old Norse: Hóll), since the first church was built here. The name is identical with the word hóll, which means "round (and isolated) hill".

Villages in Hol

Geography

Hol is bordered to the north by Lærdal, to the north and east by Ål, to the south by Nore og Uvdal, and to the west by Eidfjord, Ulvik and Aurland. Hol is a mountainous area, where over 90% of the area is at an altitude exceeding 900 meters above sea level. The Hallingskarvet mountain range is the highest point in the municipality, at 1933 meters above sea level. The Usta or Usteåne River flows northeast from Lake Ustevatn traveling down the Ustedalen valley. The Hallingdalselva River is formed by the confluence of the Usta River and the Holselva River from Lake Strandavatnet.

Lakes

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms of Hol is from modern times; the arms were granted on 5 July 1991. They show three silver anvils on a blue background and were designed by Trond Andersson. The three anvils are stacked one above the other, with the top one being largest and the bottom one smallest. The anvil was chosen to symbolize the former smithies in the municipality, which were famous for the production of axes, blades, and knives. Iron mining was already practiced in the area in the Viking Age.[2][3]

(See also coat-of-arms of Trøgstad)

Hol Church

Hol Old Church

Hol Old Church (Hol gamle kirke) is presumed to date from the 13th century, but the exact dating is unknown. The church is the oldest parish in Hol and is first mentioned in a letter from 1328 as a small stave church with covered side porches (svalganger). The church has been expanded several times, in the 16th century, in 1697 and in 1798-99. It was rebuilt in 1888 and 1938. It is believed that the floor of the church was made using columns from the old stave church. The pulpit and baptismal font are from the Renaissance period (1697) and the altarpiece from 1703. The pulpit is placed above the altar. [4]

Notable residents

Attractions

Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Hol:[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  2. ↑ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  3. ↑ "Kommunevåpenet" (in Norwegian). Hol kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  4. ↑ Sigrid Marie Christie, Håkon Christie. "Hol gamle kirke". Norges Kirker. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Vennskapskommuner" (Microsoft Word) (in Norwegian). Hol kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
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