The 2,274-square-kilometre (878 sq mi) municipality is the 24th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Oppdal is the 139th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,389. The municipality's population density is 3.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (8.3/sq mi) and its population has increased by 8.4% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
General information
Oppdal is situated where two valleys meet, surrounded by mountains
The prestegjeld of Oppdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.[7] On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Sør-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Oppdal farm (Old Norse: Uppdalr) since the first Oppdal Church was built there. The first element is upp which means "upper". The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". Historically, the name was also spelled Opdal.[8]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 19 February 1982 (they were re-approved on 13 May 1983 after the government slightly changed the wording of the blazon). The official blazon is "Azure, three pilesargent conjoined in pall" (Norwegian: I blått tre motstøtende sølv spisser i form av et gaffelkors). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is three triangles that meet in the centre, forming a Y-shaped design. The triangle design has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design was nicknamed "meeting of ways" (Norwegian: vegamot) representing three important roads that meet in Oppdal, making it a major centre of commerce and transportation. One road comes from Dombås in the south going over the Dovre Mountains, one road comes from Sunndalsøra in Nordmøre from west, and the third road comes from Trondheim in the north(east). Historically, this area was a gathering place due to its central location. The arms were designed by Einar H. Skjervold. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11]
View of Oppdal Church also known as "Marit Vang" Credit: Daniel Northall – 28 Dec 2005Autumn in the mountains, Oppdal Municipality
Prehistory
Oppdal is an alpine community which dates back to the Norwegian Iron Age. It is located at a crossroads for traffic from Trondheim, the Dovrefjell mountain range, and Sunndal Municipality on the west coast. This is reflected in the three rays in the coat-of-arms.
Oppdal was first settled sometime before 600 CE. By then there were about 50 farms in the area, and this number grew by about 20 more in the Viking Age. There are remnants of over 700 Pagangrave mounds from the time at Vang, in which jewelry and other pieces from the British Isles were found. This indicates that the area was relatively affluent and participated in the Viking trade. Much of the affluence was likely derived from the availability of game, both in the area and from nearby mountain ranges. Several game traps can still be seen in mountains around Oppdal, particularly ditches for reindeer. There have been more than 80 finds of at least two different types of arrowheads in the area.[12]
Archeological finds in Oppdal indicate that there were less pronounced economic disparities than elsewhere in Norway. Communal efforts to hold off famine and share burdens appear to have been common throughout several centuries.
Middle Ages
During the Christian era, Pagan shrines and grave mounds were replaced by churches and chapels. Five rural churches were built in Oppdal at the time, in Vang, Ålbu, Lønset, Lo, and Nordskogen. The Oppdal Church, built to replace an earlier stave church in 1653, stands to this day.[13]
Oppdal was a stop for pilgrims on their way to the St. Olav shrine at the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim during the Middle Ages. As a result of the heavy stream of pilgrims who followed the Pilgrim's Route prior to the Reformation, King Eystein erected mountain stations where the pilgrims could find food and shelter. Kongsvoll, located on the Driva River along the route where pilgrims passed from the Gudbrandsdal valley into Oppdal was one of these stations, and is still an inn today. Drivstua, further north, was another.[13][14]
Oppdal was particularly affected by the Black Plague, which led to the abandonment of a number of farms. With a worsening of the climate, the community hadn't recovered 170 years later, and there were only 35 farms and 350 people left. Only one church at Vang was still in use. As late as 1742, people in Oppdal died of hunger.
Modern period
In the early 17th century, Oppdal's fortunes turned and population grew. By 1665, 2,200 people lived in Oppdal, and a new church was built at Vang, the Oppdal Church, which stands to this day. The Lønset Chapel and Fagerhaug Chapel have been re-established, and Oppdal houses several other religious communities. Since the 18th century, the inhabitants of Oppdal have made significant investments in education, leading to the establishment of several small rural schools and, recently, a high school.
In the 19th century, increased fertility and reduced mortality led to population growth that could not be sustained by agricultural resources. Many became tenant farmers, and eventually a large proportion of people from Oppdal emigrated to the United States. The population decreased until 1910, when the railroad from Oslo to Trondheim via Dovre (the Dovre Line) created employment and opened the area for tourism. In 1952, the first ski lift opened, and with further expansions Oppdal now offers one of Norway's largest downhill networks.
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Oppdal is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Oppdal is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:
The southeastern part of Trollheimen mountain range is located in the municipality. The municipality covers an area equal to the entire county of Vestfold. The administrative centre is at 545 metres (1,788 ft) above sea level. In 2001, its drinking water was named the best in Norway.[38]
In the valleys there are creeks and rivers which are surrounded by spruce and pine woods; closer to the treeline, birches dominate. There are several lakes in the municipality, the most famous being Gjevillvatnet, a particularly scenic lake with hiking and cross-country skiing trails around it. The lake Fundin is located in the southern part of the municipality.
Heather and alpine meadows provide grazing for sheep in the summer. About 1,161 square kilometres (448 sq mi) of the mountains has been held since time immemorial as a collective (almenning) by farmers in the area, giving them the right to hunt, fish, and rent cabins.
Climate
Oppdal has a boreal climate, with spring as the driest season and summer as the wettest season. The climate is slightly continental with an average annual precipitation of only 600 millimetres (24 in). Considering the inland location and the altitude of 600 metres (2,000 ft) above sea level, the winters are fairly mild. The all-time high 30.1 °C (86.2 °F) was recorded 26 July 2019. The all-time low −26.1 °C (−15.0 °F) is from February 2010. The weather station at Oppdal-Sæther (elevation: 604 metres [1,982 ft]) started recording December 1999. The earlier weather station Oppdal-Bjørke (elevation: 625 metres [2,051 ft]) recorded from 1975 to August 1992. Data for precipitation days is from Oppdal-Mjøen (elevation: 512 metres [1,680 ft]), which averaged just 470 millimetres (19 in) annually in 1961–1990.
Snakes have never made it to Oppdal, and snowy weather is not that unusual on the 17 May National Day celebrations.
Climate data for Oppdal 1991-2020 (604 m, avg high/low 2004-2020, precip days 1961-90, extremes 1975-2024 incl earlier station)
The main industries in Oppdal today are agriculture, tourism, and some light manufacturing. It has the largest sheep population of any municipality in Norway, with 45,000 head of sheep put out to graze in the mountains every year. Oppdal Ski Center is one of Norway's best ski resorts and is surrounded by national parks. A slatequarry exists.[41]
Notable people
Harald Sæther, 2008
Inge Krokann (1893 in Oppdal – 1962), a writer whose use of the Oppdal dialect makes the area central to his work
Olav Dalgard(1898–1980), an art historian, filmmaker, author and educator who was raised at Oppdal[42]
^Megargee, Geoffrey P.; Overmans, Rüdiger; Vogt, Wolfgang (2022). The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos 1933–1945. Volume IV. Indiana University Press, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. p. 379. ISBN978-0-253-06089-1.
^Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
