Gausdal
Idnumber3441
CountyInnlandet
DistrictGudbrandsdal
CapitalSegalstad bru
Established1 Jan 1838
Precedednone
Disestablished1879
SucceededVestre Gausdal and Østre Gausdal
Established 21 Jan 1962
Preceded 2Vestre Gausdal and Østre Gausdal
DemonymGausdøl
LanguageNeutral
Webpagewww.gausdal.kommune.no
MayorAnette Musdalslien
Mayor partySp
Mayor as of2023
Elevation max1552.51 m
Area rank91
Area total1191.15 km²
Area land1146.41 km²
Area water44.74 km²
Area water percent3.8
Population as of2025
Population rank156
Population total6174
Population density5.2 km²
Population increase-1
Coordinates61°16′36″N 9°55′21″E

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.

The 1,191-square kilometre (460-square mile) municipality is the 91st largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Gausdal Municipality is the 156th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,174. The municipality's population density is 5.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (13 /sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1% over the previous 10-year period.[1][2]

Logging, farming, and tourism are important industries in the municipality.

General information

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 Municipality. In 1879, Gausdal Municipality was divided into two separate municipalities: Vestre Gausdal Municipality in the northwest (population: 2,362) and Østre Gausdal Municipality in the southeast (population: 5,911). On 27 July 1956, a small area of Sør-Fron Municipality (population: 7) was transferred to the neighboring Vestre Gausdal Municipality.[3]

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1962, Vestre Gausdal Municipality (population: 2,590) and Østre Gausdal Municipality (population: 3,942) were merged to re-establish the old Gausdal Municipality which existed from 1838-1879 (the borders where similar, but not the same as the old Gausdal).[3]

Historically, the municipality was part of the old Oppland county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Innlandet county (after Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged).[4]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Gausdalen valley (Old Norse: Gausdalr) since the municipality is located in the valley. The first element is named after the river Gausa which flows through the valley. The river name comes from the verb gjósa which means to "gush", "burst out", or "stream forcefully". The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".[5]

Coat of arms

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 are divided with a line that is divided horizontally in the shape of a stairstep that is slanting to the right. The field (background) above the line has a tincture of blue. Below the line, the field 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 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. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[6][7][8][9]

Churches

The Church of Norway has five parishes (sokn) within Gausdal Municipality. It is part of the Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Churches in Gausdal Municipality
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
AulstadAulstad ChurchAulstad1864
FollebuFollebu ChurchFollebu1260
SvatsumSvatsum ChurchSvatsum1860
Vestre GausdalVestre Gausdal ChurchForset1784
Østre GausdalØstre Gausdal ChurchPrestmoen
(north of Segalstad bru)		c. 1250

History

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Gausdal by country of origin in 2017[10]
AncestryNumber
Poland84
Denmark42
Lithuania36
Germany27
Thailand24
Somalia23
Sweden16

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.

Geography

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.

Western tributaries of the Gudbrandsdalslågen river include the Gausa River, which flows through Gausdalen valley. The lake Dokkfløyvatn is located in the municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,552.51-metre (5,093.5-foot) tall mountain Nordre Langsua, on the border with Sør-Fron Municipality.[11]

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. Langsua National Park, partially lies within the municipality.

Government

Gausdal 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 is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[12] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Gudbrandsdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Gausdal Municipality is made up of 23 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Mayors

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Gausdal Municipality 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 (incomplete list):[13][14]

  • 1838–1839: Østen O. Ovren[15]
  • 1839–1840: Sven J. Waalen[14]
  • 1840–1845: Paul Nygaard[16]
  • 1846–1847: Erlend Midtvold[17]
  • 1848–1849: Simen O. Ovren[18]
  • 1850–1851: Christian Gundersen Fougner[19]
  • 1852–1855: John Svendsen Waalen[20]
  • 1856–1859: Christian Gundersen Fougner[14]
  • 1860–1863: John Svendsen Waalen[14]
  • 1864–1867: Per Bø[14]
  • 1869–1869: Christian Gundersen Fougner[14]
  • 1870–1871: John Svendsen Waalen[21]
  • 1872–1875: Christian Gundersen Fougner[22]
  • 1876–1878: John Svendsen Waalen[23]
  • (1879–1961: Gausdal Municipality did not exist)
  • 1962–1971: Reidar Engjom (Ap)
  • 1971–1975: Bjørn Midtlien (Ap)
  • 1975–1983: Kristian Baukhol (Ap)
  • 1983–1991: Nils Nygard (Ap)
  • 1991–1993: Liv Røe Johnsen (SV)
  • 1994–2001: Inger Enger (Sp)
  • 2001–2007: Olav Olstad (Sp)
  • 2007–2011: Mona B. Nicolaysen (Sp)
  • 2011–2019: Hans Oddvar Høistad (Ap)
  • 2019–present: Anette Musdalslien (Sp)[24]

Notable people

Public service

  • Abraham Pihl (1756 in Gausdal – 1821), a clergyman, astronomer, and architect
  • Hakon Adelsteen Sommerfeldt (1811 in Gausdal – 1888), a Norwegian naval officer and ship designer
  • Sigurd Fougner (1879 in Østre Gausdal – 1959), a Norwegian Supreme Court judge
  • Reidar Engjom, (Norwegian Wiki) (1907 in Gausdal - 1970), a Norwegian politician
  • Amund O. Ringsrud (1854 in Gausdal - 1931 in Elk Point, South Dakota) business owner, first Secretary of State for South Dakota, member of United States Constitutional Convention of 1889, Republican candidate for governor of South Dakota in 1896 (barely defeated, with it requiring an official count of the ballots to decide the election)

The Arts

Sport

Sister cities

Gausdal has sister city agreements with the following places:[25]

References

  1. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (2022). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian)
  2. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (2022). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian)
  3. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  4. ^
  5. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1900). Norske gaardnavne: Kristians amt (første halvdel) (in Norwegian). 4 ed. Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 183.
  6. ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  7. ^ "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no. Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 1986-09-19. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  8. ^ "Gausdal, Oppland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  9. ^ "Kommunevåpen for Gausdal" (in Norwegian). Gausdal kommune. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  10. ^ "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population". ssb.no. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. 2024-01-16.
  12. ^
  13. ^ Fiva, Jon H (ed.) (2024). "Local Candidate Dataset"
  14. ^ Berge, Haavard (1937). "Formannskap og herredsstyre". Gausdal gjenom 100 år 1837-1937 (in Norwegian). Lillehammer: Engers Boktrykkeri. p. 21.
  15. ^ "Amtsformandskabs-Forhandlinger. Kristians Amt" (in Norwegian). Den Norske Rigstidende. 1838-07-22. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  16. ^ "Lillehammer, den 13de Juli" (in Norwegian). Oplands-Tidende. 1840-07-14. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  17. ^ "Lillehammer, 7de Juli" (in Norwegian). Lillehammer Tilskuer. 1846-07-07. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  18. ^ "Lillehammer, 19de Juni" (in Norwegian). Morgenbladet. 1848-06-23. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  19. ^ "Lillehammer, 18de Juni" (in Norwegian). Morgenbladet. 1850-06-20. p. 2. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  20. ^ "Lillehammer, 21de Juni" (in Norwegian). Lillehammer Tilskuer. 1852-06-23. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  21. ^ "Lillehammer, 19 Juni" (in Norwegian). Kristians Amtstidende. 1871-06-23. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  22. ^ "Amtsformandskabet for Kristians amt" (in Norwegian). Kristians Amtstidende. 1872-06-21. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  23. ^ "Kristians Amtsformandskab" (in Norwegian). Kristians Amtstidende. 1876-06-23. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-07-27.
  24. ^ "Sp fortsatt ordfører i Gausdal" (in Norwegian). NRK. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  25. ^ "Vennskapstreff i Mora" (in Norwegian). Gausdal kommune. Retrieved 2008-12-30.[dead link]