Gausdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Segalstad bru. Other villages in Gausdal include Follebu, Forset, and Svingvoll.
Gausdal kommune | |
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Municipality | |
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Coordinates: 61°16′36″N 9°55′21″E | |
Country | Norway |
County | Innlandet |
District | Gudbrandsdal |
Established | 1 Jan 1838 |
• Created as | Formannskapsdistrikt |
Disestablished | 1879 |
• Succeeded by | Vestre Gausdal and Østre Gausdal |
Re-established | 1 Jan 1962 |
• Preceded by | Vestre Gausdal and Østre Gausdal |
Administrative centre | Segalstad bru |
Government | |
• Mayor (2019) | Stig Melbø (Sp) |
Area | |
• Total | 1,191.16 km2 (459.91 sq mi) |
• Land | 1,146.42 km2 (442.64 sq mi) |
• Water | 44.74 km2 (17.27 sq mi) 3.8% |
• Rank | #91 in Norway |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 6,079 |
• Rank | #157 in Norway |
• Density | 5.3/km2 (14/sq mi) |
• Change (10 years) | −1.3% |
Demonym | Gausdøl[1] |
Official language | |
• Norwegian form | Neutral |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
ISO 3166 code | NO-3441 |
Website | Official website |
The 1,191-square-kilometre (460 sq mi) municipality is the 91st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Gausdal is the 157th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,079. The municipality's population density is 5.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (14/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1.3% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]
Logging, farming, and tourism are important industries in the municipality.
The parish of Gausdal was established as a civil municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1867, a small area of neighboring Øyer Municipality (population: 40) was transferred into Gausdal. In 1879, the municipality of Gausdal was divided into two separate municipalities: Vestre Gausdal in the northwest (population: 2,362) and Østre Gausdal in the southeast (population: 5,911). On 27 July 1956, a small area of Sør-Fron municipality (population: 7) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Vestre Gausdal. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, the two municipalities of Vestre Gausdal (population: 2,590) and Østre Gausdal (population: 3,942) were merged into a new Gausdal Municipality.[5]
The municipality (and parish) were named after the valley in which it is located. The Old Norse form of the name was Old Norse: Gausdalr. The first element comes from the river Gausa which flows through the valley and the last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". The river name is derived from the verb Old Norse: gjósa which means "stream forcefully".[6]
The coat of arms was granted on 19 September 1986. The official blazon is "Per fess azure and argent, a single stair step section slanting outwards" (Norwegian: Delt av blått og sølv ved enkelt trappesnitt skrått utover). This means the arms have a field (background) that is divided horizontally in the shape of a stair step that is slanting to the right. The field has a tincture of blue on the top part and argent on the bottom part. Argent means it is colored white most of the time, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The arms were designed to mimic the shape of one of the main mountains in the municipality, Skeikampen. The bottom argent part represents the snowy mountain and the top blue part represents the sky. The arms were designed by Inger Line Thallaug.[7][8][9][10]
The Church of Norway has five parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Gausdal. It is part of the Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.
Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
---|---|---|---|
Aulstad | Aulstad Church | Aulstad | 1864 |
Follebu | Follebu Church | Follebu | 1260 |
Svatsum | Svatsum Church | Svatsum | 1860 |
Vestre Gausdal | Vestre Gausdal Church | Forset | 1784 |
Østre Gausdal | Østre Gausdal Church | Østre Gausdal | c. 1250 |
Ancestry | Number |
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Poland | 84 |
Denmark | 42 |
Lithuania | 36 |
Germany | 27 |
Thailand | 24 |
Somalia | 23 |
Sweden | 16 |
The old Follebu Church was built of stone in the early Middle Ages (around 1250). It is unusual in that the chancel and nave were built as one continuous piece.
In the 1880s, there was mining for nickel in the Espedalen valley in the northwest part of the municipality. The search for nickel was taken up again in 2004 by Blackstone Venture, a Canadian company. As of 2006, they are still drilling for mineral samples only.
Gausdal is bordered on the northwest by Sør-Fron Municipality, on the northeast by Ringebu Municipality and Øyer Municipality, on the southeast by Lillehammer Municipality, on the south by Nordre Land Municipality, and on the southwest by Nord-Aurdal Municipality and Øystre Slidre Municipality.
The famous Peer Gynt mountain road begins here and leads to the town of Vinstra.
A popular ski area is located on the south slope of Skeikampen mountain.
Western tributaries of the Gudbrandsdalslågen river include the Gausa River, which flows through Gausdalen valley. The lake Dokkfløyvatn is located in the municipality.
Norway's smallest national park, Ormtjernkampen National Park, lies within the municipality.
All municipalities in Norway, including Gausdal, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elects a mayor.[12] The municipality falls under the Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Gausdal is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 | |
Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 10 | |
Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre), Liberal Party (Venstre), and Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 | |
Local list in Gausdal (Bygdalista i Gausdal) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 23 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 | |
Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre) and the Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 | |
Local list in Gausdal (Bygdalista i Gausdal) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 23 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 | |
Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre) and the Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 | |
Local list in Gausdal (Bygdalista i Gausdal) | 4 | |
Total number of members: | 23 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre) and the Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 | |
Local list in Gausdal (Bygdalista i Gausdal) | 6 | |
Total number of members: | 23 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Joint list of the Conservative Party (Høyre) and the Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 | |
Local list in Gausdal (Bygdalista i Gausdal) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 23 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 12 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 11 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Local list in Gausdal (Bygdalista i Gausdal) | 4 | |
Total number of members: | 33 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 14 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 11 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Local list in Gausdal (Bygdalista i Gausdal) | 3 | |
Total number of members: | 33 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 15 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 10 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 4 | |
Total number of members: | 33 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 18 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 33 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 19 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 33 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 19 | |
Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 33 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 18 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 9 | |
Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 33 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 19 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 9 | |
Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 33 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 17 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 10 | |
Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) | 2 | |
Common List of small farmholders and Liberal Party (Småbrukere og Venstre) | 4 | |
Total number of members: | 33 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 17 | |
Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 9 | |
Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) | 1 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 | |
List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidere, fiskere, småbrukere liste) | 3 | |
Total number of members: | 33 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 24 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 12 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 4 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 42 | |
Note: On 1 January 1962, the municipalities of Vestre Gausdal and Østre Gausdal were merged into Gausdal. The members of the old municipal councils that had been elected from 1960-1963 were combined to form the new council for Gausdal. This was a temporary measure until the next election. |
The mayors of Gausdal (incomplete list):
Gausdal has sister city agreements with the following places::[28]
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