Gausdal Municipality

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 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 and its population has decreased by 1% over the previous 10-year period.

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.

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).

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).

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Gausdalen valley (Template:Langx) 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 Template:Wikt-lang which means to "gush", "burst out", or "stream forcefully". The last element is Template:Wikt-lang which means "valley" or "dale".

Coat of arms

File:Skeikampen Lindahl.jpeg

Skeikampen mountain – the outline is the inspiration for the municipal 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" (Template:Langx). 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.

Churches

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

Churches in Gausdal

Parish ()	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	Prestmoen (north of Segalstad bru)	c. Template:Trim

History

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Gausdal by country of origin in 2017

Ancestry	Number
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.

Geography

File:Torshov.JPG

An old barn at Torshov farm in the nearby Vang Municipality (to the west). Gausdal resident Abraham Pihl was the architect.

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 tall mountain Nordre Langsua, on the border with Sør-Fron 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. 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. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Gudbrandsdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Gausdal 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.

Gausdal kommunestyre 2023–2027   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	5
	Green Party	1
	Centre Party	8
	Liberal Party	1
	Joint list of the Conservative Party  and the Progress Party	3
	Local list in Gausdal	5
Total number of members:		23

Gausdal kommunestyre 2019–2023   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	9
	Green Party	1
	Centre Party	10
	Joint list of the Conservative Party , Liberal Party , and Progress Party	1
	Local list in Gausdal	2
Total number of members:		23

Gausdal kommunestyre 2015–2019   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	10
	Green Party	1
	Centre Party	7
	Liberal Party	1
	Joint list of the Conservative Party  and the Progress Party	2
	Local list in Gausdal	2
Total number of members:		23

Gausdal kommunestyre 2011–2015   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	9
	Centre Party	5
	Liberal Party	3
	Joint list of the Conservative Party  and the Progress Party	2
	Local list in Gausdal	4
Total number of members:		23

Gausdal kommunestyre 2007–2011   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	6
	Centre Party	5
	Socialist Left Party	1
	Liberal Party	2
	Joint list of the Conservative Party  and the Progress Party	3
	Local list in Gausdal	6
Total number of members:		23

Gausdal kommunestyre 2003–2007   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	9
	Centre Party	8
	Liberal Party	1
	Joint list of the Conservative Party  and the Progress Party	3
	Local list in Gausdal	2
Total number of members:		23

Gausdal kommunestyre 1999–2003   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	12
	Progress Party	2
	Conservative Party	1
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Centre Party	11
	Socialist Left Party	1
	Liberal Party	1
	Local list in Gausdal	4
Total number of members:		33

Gausdal kommunestyre 1995–1999   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	14
	Progress Party	1
	Conservative Party	1
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Centre Party	11
	Socialist Left Party	1
	Liberal Party	1
	Local list in Gausdal	3
Total number of members:		33

Gausdal kommunestyre 1991–1995   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	15
	Progress Party	1
	Conservative Party	2
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Centre Party	10
	Socialist Left Party	4
Total number of members:		33

Gausdal kommunestyre 1987–1991   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	18
	Progress Party	3
	Conservative Party	2
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Centre Party	6
	Socialist Left Party	2
	Liberal Party	1
Total number of members:		33

Gausdal kommunestyre 1983–1987   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	19
	Progress Party	1
	Conservative Party	2
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Centre Party	7
	Socialist Left Party	2
	Liberal Party	1
Total number of members:		33

Gausdal kommunestyre 1979–1983   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	19
	Progress Party	1
	Conservative Party	2
	Christian Democratic Party	2
	Centre Party	7
	Socialist Left Party	1
	Liberal Party	1
Total number of members:		33

Gausdal kommunestyre 1975–1979   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	18
	Conservative Party	1
	Christian Democratic Party	2
	Centre Party	9
	Socialist Left Party	2
	Liberal Party	1
Total number of members:		33

Gausdal kommunestyre 1971–1975   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	19
	Conservative Party	1
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Centre Party	9
	Socialist People's Party	2
	Liberal Party	1
Total number of members:		33

Gausdal kommunestyre 1967–1971   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	17
	Centre Party	10
	Socialist People's Party	2
	Common List of small farmholders and Liberal Party	4
Total number of members:		33

Gausdal kommunestyre 1963–1967   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	17
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Centre Party	9
	Socialist People's Party	1
	Liberal Party	2
	List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders	3
Total number of members:		33

Gausdal kommunestyre 1962–1963   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	24
	Centre Party	12
	Liberal Party	4
	Local List(s)	2
Total number of members:		42
Note: On 1 January 1962, Vestre Gausdal Municipality and Østre Gausdal Municipality were merged to form the new Gausdal Municipality. The members of the old municipal councils that had been elected from 1960 to 1963 were combined to form the new council for Gausdal. This was a temporary measure until the next election.

Mayors

The mayor (Template:Langx) 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):

• 1838–1839: Østen Ovren
• 1840–1845: Paul Nyegaard
• 1846–1847: Erlend Midtvold
• 1848–1849: Simen Ovren
• 1850–1851: Christian Gundersen Fougner
• 1852–1855: John Svendsen Waalen

• 1871–1871: John Svendsen Waalen
• 1872–1875: Christian Gundersen Fougner
• 1876–1878: John Svendsen Waalen
• (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)

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

The Arts

File:Portrett av Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, 1909 - no-nb digifoto 20150129 00043 bldsa BB0791 - Restoration.jpg

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, 1909

• Simen Fougner (1701 in Follebu – 1783), a farmer, poet, and non-fiction writer
• Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1832–1910), an author and Nobel Prize in Literature winner in 1903; lived in Aulestad in Follebu, 1874-1910
• Iver Holter (1850 in Gausdal – 1941), a composer and conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra from 1882-1886
• Ole Amundsen Buslett (1855 in Gausdal – 1924), a Norwegian-American author, newspaperman, and politician
• Clara Tschudi (1856–1945), a writer who lived in Gausdal
• Hans Aanrud (1863–1953), a writer of plays, poetry, and stories of rural life in Gudbrandsdalen; raised in Auggedalen
• Inge Krokann (1893 – 1962 in Gausdal), a writer who wrote idiosyncratic nynorsk works
• Carl Gustav Sparre Olsen (1903–1984), a violinist and composer of Norwegian folk tunes; lived in Gausdal from 1947-1966
• Magne Elvestrand (1914 in Østre Gausdal – 1991), a pianist, harpsichordist, and organist
• Else Kveine, (Norwegian Wiki) (1933 in Gausdal - 2013), a poet

Sport

• Christen Smed, (Norwegian Wiki) (1797 in Gausdal - 1846), a mountaineer who climbed Romsdalshornet
• Mattis Stenshagen (born 1996 in Follebu), a cross-country skier

Sister cities

Gausdal has sister city agreements with the following places:

• Template:Flagicon – Mora, Dalarna County, Sweden

External links

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway Template:In lang
• Tourist information
• Gausdølen - local newspaper Template:In lang