Sør-Fron 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 Hundorp. Other villages in the municipality include Gålå, Harpefoss, and Lia.
Sør-Fron kommune | |
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Municipality | |
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Coordinates: 61°34′8″N 9°55′24″E | |
Country | Norway |
County | Innlandet |
District | Gudbrandsdal |
Established | 1 Jan 1851 |
• Preceded by | Fron Municipality |
Disestablished | 1 Jan 1966 |
• Succeeded by | Fron Municipality |
Re-established | 1 Jan 1977 |
• Preceded by | Fron Municipality |
Administrative centre | Hundorp |
Government | |
• Mayor (2011) | Ole Tvete Muriteigen (Sp) |
Area | |
• Total | 742.21 km2 (286.57 sq mi) |
• Land | 711.55 km2 (274.73 sq mi) |
• Water | 30.66 km2 (11.84 sq mi) 4.1% |
• Rank | #153 in Norway |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 3,064 |
• Rank | #224 in Norway |
• Density | 4.3/km2 (11/sq mi) |
• Change (10 years) | −4.5% |
Demonym | Frøning[1] |
Official language | |
• Norwegian form | Neutral |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
ISO 3166 code | NO-3438 |
Website | Official website |
The 742-square-kilometre (286 sq mi) municipality is the 153rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Sør-Fron is the 224th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,064. The municipality's population density is 4.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (11/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 4.5% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]
The prestegjeld of Fron was established as a civil municipality on 1 January 1838 when the new formannskapsdistrikt law went into effect. On 1 January 1851, the municipality was divided in two. The northwest portion became Nord-Fron Municipality (population: 4,685) and the southeast portion became Sør-Fron Municipality (population: 3,421). On 27 July 1956, a small area of Sør-Fron municipality (population: 7) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Vestre Gausdal.[5]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1966, the municipalities of Nord-Fron (population: 5,758) and Sør-Fron (population: 3,648) were merged to form a new Fron Municipality (with similar borders to the old Fron municipality that existed from 1838-1851 minus the Sjoa area had switched from Nord-Fron to Sel).[5]
This merger was not well-liked among the residents of the new municipality. On 1 January 1977, the merger was reversed and Nord-Fron (population: 6,131) and Sør-Fron (population: 3,509) were recreated using their old borders from 1965.[5]
The municipality (and the prestegjeld) of Fron was named after the old Fron farm (Old Norse: Frón since this was the site of the first Fron Church. The meaning of the name is unknown (maybe "earth" or "land"). The prefix of the name, Sør- means "south", hence the name of the municipality is "(the) southern (part of) Fron" (since the parish of Fron was divided in 1851 into a "north" and a "south" part). During the 19th century, it was called Søndre Fron, using another word which also means "south".[6]
The coat of arms was granted on 4 March 1988. The arms show a white or silver club on a green background. The club is reminiscent of the club that Kolbein Sterke used in the year 1021 when King Olav Haraldsson met the people of Fron and Dale-Gudbrand at Hundorp. This meeting is in a book by Snorre Sturlusson. "Look, our god is coming with a lot of light," said King Olav. Dale-Gudbrand and the farmers looked at the sun that was just rising. Kolbein then took the club and smashed to pieces the statue of the god Thor standing at Hundorp. After this, the people of the area were Christians, according to Snorre.[7][8]
The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within the municipality of Sør-Fron. It is part of the Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.
Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
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Sør-Frøn | Sør-Fron Church | Hundorp | 1792 |
Espedalen Chapel | Espedalen | 1974 |
All municipalities in Norway, including Sør-Fron, 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.[9] The municipality falls under the Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Sør-Fron is made up of 19 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) | 6 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 10 | |
Sør-Fron Local List (Sør-Fron Bygdaliste) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 | |
Sør-Fron Local List (Sør-Fron Bygdeliste) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
Sør-Fron Local List (Sør-Fron Bygdeliste) | 4 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 12 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 | |
Sør-Fron Local List (Sør-Fron Bygdeliste) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Local list for Sør-Fron (Bygdalista i Sør-Fron) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 | |
Local list for Sør-Fron (Bygdalista i Sør-Fron) | 2 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 12 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 1 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 3 | |
Local list for Sør-Fron (Bygdalista i Sør-Fron) | 3 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 13 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 13 | |
Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 | |
Total number of members: | 19 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Total number of members: | 17 | |
Note: On 1 January 1966, Nord-Fron and Sør-Fron were merged into Fron Municipality. This merger only lasted until 1 January 1977 when the merger was reversed. |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 | |
Total number of members: | 17 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 5 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 17 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 4 | |
Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 16 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 4 | |
Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) | 1 | |
Total number of members: | 16 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 | |
Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 3 | |
Local List(s) (Lokale lister) | 3 | |
Total number of members: | 16 |
Party Name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives | |
---|---|---|
Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 | |
Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) | 5 | |
Total number of members: | 16 | |
Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945. |
The mayors of Sør-Fron (incomplete list):
Ancestry | Number |
---|---|
Lithuania | 85 |
Poland | 37 |
Bosnia-Herzegovina | 32 |
Denmark | 18 |
Netherlands | 16 |
Sør-Fron municipality is bordered to the west by Nord-Fron municipality, to the southwest by Øystre Slidre municipality, to the south by Gausdal municipality, to the east by Ringebu and Stor-Elvdal municipalities, and to the north by Folldal municipality. The river Gudbrandsdalslågen runs through the central part of the municipality.
The lakes Atnsjøen, Olstappen, and Sandvatnet/Kaldfjorden/Øyvatnet are located in the municipality. The municipality includes parts of the Gudbrandsdalen and Espedalen valleys.
Rondane National Park, which lies partially in Sør-Fron, was the first Norwegian National Park, established in 1962. In 2003, Rondane National Park was enlarged and smaller areas of nature protection were opened or enlarged adjacent to the park.
The famous play Peer Gynt is staged annually at Lake Gålå in a mountainous region of Sør-Fron as part of a festival. The play itself is supposed to have been set in a Norwegian location such as Gålå.
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