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44-692: The valley is one of the side valleys that branch off of the large Gudbrandsdalen valley. It lies on the northern edge of Jotunheimen National Park . Historically, the Ottadalen has been widely used as a transportation artery between western and eastern Norway through the Breidalen valley in Skjåk to Stryn , through the Breidalskrysset to Stranda , along the Jostedalsbreen glacier to

88-444: A tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a muskox that is black with yellow horn. It is displayed statant to dexter . The muskox is an animal typical for the northern parts of Canada , Alaska , and Greenland . It is not native to Norway, but in 1932, ten muskoxen were released near Dovre. The number has increased to around 300 (in 2013), and

132-532: A Moroccan waiter they mistakenly thought was Ali Hassan Salameh , who was involved in the Munich Massacre. The 1994 Winter Olympics were celebrated at Lillehammer . The 2016 Youth Olympics were celebrated at Lillehammer. 61°08′N 10°21′E  /  61.133°N 10.350°E  / 61.133; 10.350 Dovre Dovre is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway . It

176-523: A shallow lake. Drainage efforts from 1860 abolished the lake and left some 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of farmland. The central part of the valley is covered by the Losna lake, some 50–60 metres (160–200 ft) deep. The valley of Gudbrandsdalen is of considerable antiquity considering the overall development of the relief of Norway. The valley runs across the height axis of the southern Scandinavian Mountains —a characteristic that could be indicating that

220-471: Is Snøhetta at a height of 2,286 metres (7,500 ft). The 1,364-square-kilometre (527 sq mi) municipality is the 69th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Dovre is the 252nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,466. The municipality's population density is 1.8 inhabitants per square kilometre (4.7/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 9.6% over

264-569: Is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland ). The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa , extending 230 kilometers (140 mi) toward the Romsdalen valley. The river Gudbrandsdalslågen (Lågen) flows through the valley, starting from the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet and ending at the lake Mjøsa. The Otta river which flows through Otta valley

308-596: Is a major tributary to the main river Lågen. The valleys of the tributary rivers such as Otta and Gausa ( Gausdal ) are usually regarded as part of Gudbrandsdalen. The total area of the valley is calculated from the areas of the related municipalities . Gudbrandsdalen is the main valley in a web of smaller valleys. On the western (right hand) side there are long adjacent valleys: Ottadalen stretches 100 kilometers (62 mi) from Otta village, Gausdal some 50 kilometers (31 mi) from Lillehammer and Heidal some 40 kilometers (25 mi) from Sjoa. Gudbrandsdalen runs between

352-498: Is divided into three parts: Norddalen (Northern valley; the municipalities of Lesja , Dovre , Skjåk , Lom , Vågå and Sel ), Midtdalen (middle valley; the municipalities of Nord-Fron , Sør-Fron and Ringebu ), and Sørdalen (Southern valley; the municipalities of Øyer , Gausdal and Lillehammer ). The municipalities within the valley fall under the Vestre Innlandet District Court . Until 2016,

396-485: Is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal . The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Dovre is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show

440-478: Is in a valley at fairly high altitude and isolated from the sea by mountain ranges, giving some rain shadow effect for Dovre. Dovre, with the town Dombås, has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with sparse precipitation. The driest season is late winter and spring, and the wettest season is summer. April on average sees just 18 millimetres (0.71 in) precipitaiton, while the wettest months July and August get almost four times as much. Dovre has sister city agreements with

484-521: Is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal . The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dovre . Other villages in Dovre include Dombås and Hjerkinn . The municipality is bordered on the north by Oppdal municipality (in Trøndelag county), on the east by Folldal , on the south by Sel and Vågå , and on the northwest by Lesja . The highest peak in the municipality

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528-536: Is the greatest flood recorded in the Gudbrand Valley; several farms were devastated, and many people died. In 1827, the town of Lillehammer is established. The paddle steamer Skibladner on Mjøsa and Hovedbanen (the first railroad in Norway) connected the valley to the capital city, Christiania , in 1856. The Hamar-Selbanen railway was completed to Tretten in 1894. Hamar-Selbanen changed its name to

572-490: Is the largest flood recorded in Norway and the valley was particularly affected. 61 people perished. About 3000 houses were totally damaged and some thousand livestock drowned. All bridges disappeared. Lågen rose up to 7 metres (23 ft) above its normal level and covered most of the valley floor. A number of farmers abandoned their damaged farms and settled in Målselv , Troms county. The second largest flood occurred in

616-513: The Heimskringla (Chronicle of the Kings of Norway) by Snorri Sturluson . The account of King Olaf 's (A.D. 1015–1021) conversion of Dale-Gudbrand to Christianity is popularly recognized. According to the saga Gudbrand built a church there "in the valleys", possibly at Haave farm near Hundorp where archaeological evidence indicates what may have been the first church in the valley. In 1206,

660-470: The Dovre Line in 1921, and the new main railway between Oslo and Trondheim , was completed through the valley. The outdoor museum of Maihaugen , exhibiting historical architecture from all parts of the valley, opened at Lillehammer in 1904. From around 1865 the population declined substantially because of emigration to North America. Until 1946 the majority of inhabitants worked in farming. There

704-552: The Hjerkinn . The plans for the church were designed by architect Magnus Poulsson (1881-1958). People have lived at Dovre for about 6,000 years. In the Stone Age , they were primarily hunters and fishermen . Approximately 2,000 years ago, the first farms were developed at this location. Dovre is mentioned in Heimskringla ( The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway ) by Snorri Sturluson . In 1021, King Olaf laid hold of all

748-616: The Jostedalen valley and Luster , and across the Sognefjellet to Sogn . There is also a road from Vågå, through Jotunheimen to Fagernes . The Otta River flows through the valley. The Otta River begins in the municipality of Skjåk and flows into lake Vågåvatnet . Exiting Vågåvatnet at Vågåmo , it continues its journey through the valley, leaving the municipality of Vågå to meet the Gudbrandsdalslågen river at

792-432: The court , travel mostly this way, because however high and deep the snow may fall, it blows together on the high mountains and becomes so hard men and horses can walk on it. The bonder run over it on skis and snowshoes . There are three stations: Drivstuen, Herdekinn , and Fogstuen built on this same mountain in order that travelers may find lodging there....at the stations there are implements and dry wood, so that

836-527: The rain shadow of the mountains west (including Jotunheimen ), north, and east of the valley. The valley is less incised than the valleys of western Norway. Farming is mostly confined to the relatively narrow areas along the rivers. Gudbrandsdalen and adjacent valleys are surrounded by wide uplands and mountain plateaus traditional used as seter or summer farms. In July 1789 the Storofsen flood disaster occurred and Gudbrandsdalslågen overflooded. This

880-523: The animal is thus a typical symbol for the municipality. The arms were designed by Einar Skjervold. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms. The Church of Norway has two parishes ( sokn ) within the municipality of Dovre. It is part of the Nord-Gudbrandsdal prosti ( deanery ) in the Diocese of Hamar . Dovre Church ( Dovre kirke ) was built in 1736. The bell tower

924-583: The best men, both at Lesja and Dovre, and forced them either to receive Christianity or suffer death , if they were not so lucky as to escape. The Pilgrim's Route (Old King's Road) between Oslo and Trondheim in the 16th century passed through the Gudbrandsdal valley. After leaving the Lågen river valley (downriver from present day Dombås ) the road passed over the Dovrefjell mountains into

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968-426: The current and historical composition of the council by political party . The mayors ( Norwegian : ordfører ) of Dovre (incomplete list): The municipality is a very mountainous area. Most of the residents live in the lower valley areas along the Gudbrandsdalslågen river. The Dovrefjell , Rondane , Smiubelgen , and Sunndalsfjella mountains are all partially located within the municipality. The Dovre area

1012-572: The district was also referred to as i Dalom ("in the valleys") because of the many valleys. Dale-Gudbrand settled in Hundorp , Sør-Fron . At the time of Halfdan the Black there was a "chief Gudbrand north in Gubrandsdalen" ( Gudbrand herse nord i Dalom ). Later Eric Bloodaxe had an opponent called Dale-Gudbrand. According to the sage Olaf II of Norway met one Dale-Gudbrand, supposedly

1056-460: The end of the last ice age a large but an ephemeral ice-dammed lake formed in the valley. The valley was shaped by the recent ice age and rivers from the present glacial areas in Jotunheimen and Dovre . Bones and teeth from mammoths and musk oxen , living in the area at that time, are found in the valley. Several traces of hunters from the Stone Age are found in the valley (and in

1100-463: The giant Dofri , at Dovrefjell , who was helped by Harald Fairhair and in return assisted him all his life. In Närke , the Dovra lakes were attributed to the giantess Dovra who wept for her husband. The coat of arms was granted on 11 July 1986. The official blazon is " Argent , a muskox sable " ( Norwegian : I sølv en svart moskus ). This means the arms have a field (background) has

1144-667: The heir to the Norwegian throne , Håkon Håkonsson , was saved by birkebeiners with a ski-run from Lillehammer to Rena . Until the Black Plague settlement expanded and new farms were established at outskirts. Farms with names -gard , -rud , -hus , and -li are mostly from this expansion period. During the High Middle Ages about 40 churches existed, most built in wood except for instances masonry churches in Easter Gausdal and Follebu . Hamar episcopal see

1188-499: The last Dale-Gudbrand, in 1021. Historians believe there was a regional centre at Hundorp during the Viking era and that the name Gudbrand was used for many generations by the ruling family. Burial mounds ( tumulus ) at Hundorp suggest that powerful men are buried there. The Gudbrandsdalen valley includes the most arid area in Norway. At Skjåk the average annual precipitation is only 278 millimetres (10.9 in). The valley sits in

1232-442: The main valley and other areas with vacant land. A large number of clergy also perished during the plague and churches fell into disrepair. During the 1600s the population again reached the same level as in 1300. During the 1500s the area had about 6000 inhabitants. No census was taken before 1665 and population figures are based on estimates. This resulted in a temporary improvement for the lower classes as crofters became scarce and

1276-692: The major mountain ranges of Norway including Jotunheimen and Dovrefjell – Rondane . Together with the Glomma river and the Østerdalen valley, the river Lågen and the Gudbrandsdalen valley form Norway's largest drainage system covering major parts of Eastern Norway . Gudbrandsdalen is home to Dovre Line railway and the European route E6 highway. The valley is the main land transport corridor through Eastern Norway, from Oslo and central eastern lowlands to Trondheim and Møre og Romsdal . The valley

1320-467: The mountain areas around). There is a rock carving of moose in the northern part of Lillehammer . Gudbrandsdalen has always hosted the main road between Trondheim and the central eastern lowlands. In Old Norse known as þjóðvegr ( tjodvei ), "people's road" or "everybody's road". Raum the Old was the father of Dale-Gudbrand, and he settled in Hundorp . The Gudbrand Valley is mentioned extensively in

1364-910: The old Dovre farm ( Old Norse : Dofrar ) since the first Dovre Church was built there. The name belongs to a group of Scandinavian toponyms that the Swedish linguist Elof Hellquist has derived from a Proto-Norse * đuƀra- , and linguists have further derived them from the old Proto-Indo-European root * d ub -/ d up - (cf. PIE * d ubrós , "deep" ), a root that is also attested in German Topel ("forested valley") and Old Slavic dublŭ ("hole"). There are several place names in Denmark, Norway and Sweden that are identified as related to Dovre : The name has also been given to giants in Scandinavian legends. The name has been given to

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1408-660: The poor were able to rent the better farms. During the Reformation in 1537, the Church of Norway was subordinated to the lendmenn or sheriffs. Church property was appropriated by the Crown and the King became the biggest landowner in the valley. The Battle of Kringen took place in 1612, near Otta, Norway , and the local "Gudbrandsdøls" defeated a Scottish mercenary army. The legends of this battle live on to this day, including

1452-557: The present-day municipality of Dovre. The heavy stream of annual pilgrims who visited the shrine of St. Olaf in Trondheim prior to the Protestant Reformation resulted in the construction of mountain stations along the route where the pilgrims could find food and shelter. In speaking of this route, Gjerset quotes Peder Claussøn Friis as writing: But in the winter people of high estate, as well as members of

1496-400: The previous 10-year period. The municipality of Dovre was established in 1861 when it was separated from the municipality of Lesja . Initially, the new municipality had 2,537 residents. On 1 January 1970, the three western farms at Bergsengseter (population: 11) were transferred from Dovre to the neighboring Folldal Municipality . The municipality (originally the parish ) is named after

1540-494: The story of how the peasant girl Prillar-Guri lured the Scots into an ambush by playing the traditional ram's horn. The 1665 census indicates a population of 13,000. In 1670 to 1725, most of the royal property was sold off to pay for war debts, first to established property holders, but increasingly to peasant proprietors. A freeholders' era began and a new "upper class" of landholders was formed. Storofsa happened in 1789, and

1584-729: The summer of 1995 and again the valley floor was largely covered by water. After Storofsen the valley floor upstream from Sel Church changed into bogs and shallow lakes because stone and gravel changed the flow of Lågen. From around 1910 drainage efforts left some 500 hectares (1,200 acres) of dry farmland on what is still known as the Sel bogs. The toxic cicuta virosa thrived on those bogs before they were drained and are known in Norwegian as selsnepe (literally Sel turnip ). The valley floor in Lesja (between Dombås and Lora) were originally covered by

1628-518: The town of Otta in the municipality of Sel . Reinheimen National Park , which consists of much of the Tafjordfjella mountain range, includes the reindeer habitat in the northern part of the Ottadalen valley. This Innlandet location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Gudbrandsdalen Gudbrandsdalen ( Urban East Norwegian: [ˈɡʉ̂ː(d)brɑnsˌdɑːɳ] ; English: Gudbrand Valley )

1672-677: The traveler may build themselves fire , and not suffer from cold, when they have to remain over night, and cannot find the way across the mountain. The Battle of Kringen ( Slaget ved Kringen ) took place in August 1612, just downstream of Dovre, where the Scottish force stayed on 24 August 1612. Dovre Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services , senior citizen services, welfare and other social services , zoning , economic development , and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality

1716-585: The valley formed before the tectonic uplift of Norway . The valley is one of several valleys of southern Norway that existed already as part of the ancient Paleic relief but had at the time gentler slopes. Gudbrandsdalen formed and developed originally as a valley of fluvial origin. Only millions of year later was the valley re-shaped by glaciers during the Quaternary period . As the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet melted and retreated during

1760-416: The valley in 1862 and collected local stories, legends and poems. Ibsen also made drawings from his trip, including "Elstad in Gudbrandsdalen". The name Gudbrandsdalen means 'the valley/dale of Gudbrand'. Gudbrand ( Old Norse Guðbrandr ) is an old male name compounded of guð , 'god' and brandr , 'sword'. The name may be derived from a chief ( hersir ) called Gudbrand. According to Snorri Sturluson

1804-499: The valley was also a police district. The Gudbrandsdalen district covers about 60% of the former Oppland county. The invention of the modern, firm, fatty variant of Brunost cheese is commonly attributed to the milkmaid Anne Hov from the rural valley. The main character in Henrik Ibsen 's play Peer Gynt was inspired by a real or legendary person living in the valley in the 18th or 17th century. Ibsen travelled through

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1848-550: Was added early in the 19th century. It was built based upon designed by Jesper Mikkelson Rusten. It was constructed of wood and has protected status. Eystein Church ( Eysteinskirka ) in Dovre was built in 1969 as a church for pilgrims and travelers on the Pilgrim's Route . The church lies near the juncture of the boundaries of Innlandet and Trøndelag counties. Eystein Church is built of concrete using stone and sand brought from

1892-535: Was established in 1152 and its jurisdiction included Gudbrandsdalen. Garmo Stave Church and Ringebu Stave Church are examples of ancient wooden churches. Fåvang Stave Church and Vågå Church include parts from older churches. The Black Plague reduced the population in Gudbrandsdal by 50 to 70% during 1349 to 1350. Saksum, Brekkom, Skåbo, Venabygd and other districts were left largely deserted for centuries. Inhabitants from marginal areas presumably relocated to

1936-702: Was severe fighting in the valley at Tretten and Kvam , as well as in Dombås , during World War II . The Battle of Dombås was an attempt to stop the German advance . British troops engaged German troops in land battles for the first time in World War 2 after many months of Phoney War . Lillehammer was the site of the Lillehammer affair in 1973, wherein operatives of the Israeli Mossad shot and killed

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