Grue Municipality

Grue is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Solør. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Kirkenær. Other villages in the municipality include Bergesida, Grinder, Namnå, Risberget, Rotberget, Skasenden, and Svullrya.

The municipality is the 136th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Grue is the 193rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,513. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 8.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The parish of Grue was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). In 1867, the southern district of Grue Municipality (population: 3,946) was separated to become the new Brandval Municipality. This left Grue Municipality with 6,464 residents. In 1941, a small area of Grue Municipality (population: 68) was transferred to the neighboring Brandval Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1969, the Rotberget farm area (population: 23) was transferred from Åsnes Municipality to Grue Municipality. On 1 January 1974, an unpopulated part of the Lystad area was transferred from Grue Municipality to the neighboring Kongsvinger Municipality.

Historically, the municipality was part of the old Hedmark 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 old Grue farm (Template:Langx or ) since the first Grue Church was built there. The name is identical with the word or which means "depression" or "hollow".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 30 October 1992. The official blazon is "Per bend sinister rayonny of wolf-teeth argent and vert" (Template:Langx). This means the arms have are divided with a diagonal line that is rayonny, meaning it looks like curved wolf teeth rather than a straight line. The field (background) below the line has a tincture of Vert (green). Above 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 flame-like line represents the clearance of farms in the woods by the use of fire and is also a remembrance of the gruesome church fire of 1822. The colors symbolize the forests and the Glomma river. The arms were designed by Harald Hallstensen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes () within Grue Municipality. It is part of the Solør, Vinger og Odal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Churches in Grue

Parish ()	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Grue	Grue Church	Kirkenær	1825
Grue Finnskog	Grue Finnskog Church	Svullrya	1886

Geography

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

Ancestry	Number
Template:Flagicon Sweden	50
Template:Flagicon Poland	32
Template:Flagicon Lithuania	29
Template:Flagicon Iraq	28
Template:Flagicon Croatia	28
Template:Flagicon Eritrea	25
Template:Flagicon Bosnia-Herzegovina	23

Grue Municipality is situated around the Glomma river and the geography is dominated largely by forests and some agricultural areas around Glomma. It is located in the southeast part of Innlandet county. It is bordered on the south by Kongsvinger Municipality, on the north by Åsnes Municipality, and on the west by Nord-Odal Municipality. To the east, it borders Sweden.

Grue Municipality was the early center for the Finnish migration which today populates the Finnskogen, a belt about wide and running continuously along the Swedish border through Grue Municipality, Åsnes Municipality, and Våler Municipality. Their first population center in Norway was located around the lake of Røgden.

The rivers Løvhaugsåa and Rotna both run through the area. The lakes Hukusjøen, Skasen, and Gardsjøen are located in the municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Kaketjennsberget, located in the north, near the border with Åsnes Municipality.

Government

Grue 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 Romerike og Glåmdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Grue Municipality is made up of 19 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Grue kommunestyre 2023–2027   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	10
	Progress Party	2
	Conservative Party	3
	Pensioners' Party	1
	Centre Party	3
Total number of members:		19

Grue kommunestyre 2019–2023   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	8
	Progress Party	1
	Conservative Party	3
	Centre Party	6
	Grue local list	1
Total number of members:		19

Grue kommunestyre 2015–2019   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	8
	Centre Party	3
	Joint list of the Conservative Party , Christian Democratic Party , and Liberal Party	8
Total number of members:		19

Grue kommunestyre 2011–2015   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	9
	Centre Party	3
	Joint list of the Conservative Party , Christian Democratic Party , and Liberal Party	7
Total number of members:		19

Grue kommunestyre 2007–2011   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	9
	Progress Party	2
	Socialist Left Party	1
	Joint list of the Conservative Party , Christian Democratic Party , Centre Party , and Liberal Party	7
Total number of members:		19

Grue kommunestyre 2003–2007   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	7
	Progress Party	1
	Socialist Left Party	2
	Joint list of the Conservative Party , Christian Democratic Party , Centre Party , and Liberal Party	9
Total number of members:		19

Grue kommunestyre 1999–2003   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	8
	Socialist Left Party	1
	Joint list of the Conservative Party , Christian Democratic Party , Centre Party , and Liberal Party	10
Total number of members:		19

Grue kommunestyre 1995–1999   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	14
	Conservative Party	3
	Centre Party	6
	Socialist Left Party	1
	Liberal Party	1
Total number of members:		25

Grue kommunestyre 1991–1995   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	14
	Conservative Party	3
	Centre Party	5
	Socialist Left Party	3
Total number of members:		25

Grue kommunestyre 1987–1991   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	17
	Conservative Party	3
	Centre Party	3
	Socialist Left Party	1
	Liberal Party	1
Total number of members:		25

Grue kommunestyre 1983–1987   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	18
	Conservative Party	3
	Centre Party	3
	Socialist Left Party	1
Total number of members:		25

Grue kommunestyre 1979–1983   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	16
	Conservative Party	3
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Centre Party	3
	Socialist Left Party	1
	Liberal Party	1
Total number of members:		25

Grue kommunestyre 1975–1979   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	16
	Conservative Party	2
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Centre Party	4
	Socialist Left Party	2
Total number of members:		25

Grue kommunestyre 1971–1975   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	18
	Conservative Party	1
	Centre Party	5
	Socialist People's Party	1
Total number of members:		25

Grue kommunestyre 1967–1971   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	18
	Conservative Party	1
	Centre Party	4
	Socialist People's Party	2
Total number of members:		25

Grue kommunestyre 1963–1967   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	17
	Conservative Party	2
	Communist Party	1
	Centre Party	4
	Local List(s)	1
Total number of members:		25

Grue herredsstyre 1959–1963   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	17
	Conservative Party	2
	Communist Party	2
	Centre Party	4
Total number of members:		25

Grue herredsstyre 1955–1959   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	17
	Conservative Party	2
	Communist Party	2
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Farmers' Party	3
Total number of members:		25

Grue herredsstyre 1951–1955   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	16
	Conservative Party	2
	Communist Party	3
	Farmers' Party	3
Total number of members:		24

Grue herredsstyre 1947–1951   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	15
	Conservative Party	1
	Communist Party	4
	Christian Democratic Party	1
	Farmers' Party	3
Total number of members:		24

Grue herredsstyre 1945–1947   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	14
	Communist Party	4
	Christian Democratic Party	2
	Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties	4
Total number of members:		24

Grue herredsstyre 1937–1941*   

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party	15
	Conservative Party	2
	Communist Party	1
	Farmers' Party	4
	Liberal Party	2
Total number of members:		24
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.

Mayors

The mayor (Template:Langx) of Grue 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:

• 1838–1845: Ole Arntzen Lützow
• 1846–1847: Jørgen Cappelen Omsted
• 1848–1857: Nicolai Astrup
• 1858–1859: Gunder Gundersen
• 1860–1863: Jacob Rolsdorph Andersen
• 1864–1879: Ole Bredesen Opset
• 1880–1883: Arne A. Omsted
• 1883–1887: Ole Bredesen Opset
• 1888–1898: Arne A. Omsted
• 1899–1907: Amund Bredesen Opset
• 1908–1913: Wilhelm Omsted
• 1914–1919: Amund Bredesen Opset
• 1920–1925: Magnus Vangerud
• 1926–1928: Sigurd Woll
• 1929–1931: Ole H. Sæther
• 1932–1933: Arve Myrvang
• 1933–1934: Arne Tveter
• 1935–1935: Ole Kamphaug
• 1936–1940: Eivind Grimstad
• 1940–1945: Vacant due to WWII
• 1945–1945: Martin Møllerud
• 1946–1955: Magnus Vangerud
• 1956–1963: Reidar Mellem
• 1964–1964: Martin Råberget
• 1964–1978: Thor Henriksen
• 1979–1985: Torbjøn Øveråsen
• 1985–1999: Ragnar Nyman
• 1999–2007: Niels Ferdinand Rolsdorph
• 2007–2011: Herdis Bragelien
• 2011–2015: Niels Ferdinand Rolsdorph
• 2015–2019: Wenche Huser Sund
• 2019–present: Rune Grenberg (Ap)

Economy

A privately owned lamp factory with 51 employees is located in Grue. As of June 2024, it was announced that in less than a year the production will be moved to Poland, an EU country.

Notable people

File:Åsta Holt 1945.jpg

Åsta Holth, 1945

• Andreas Aagaard Kiønig (1771–1856), a lawyer and representative at the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly
• Andreas Arntzen (1777–1837), a politician, police chief, Supreme Court judge, & timber merchant
• Mor Sæther (1793–1851), a Norwegian "klok kone" ("cunning woman"), i.e. a herbalist
• Ole Peter Riis Høegh (1806–1852), a trained civilian architect and Bergen's first town surveyor
• Wilhelm Maribo Schøyen (1844–1918), Norway's first government entomologist
• Olav Strøm (1866-1963), a pioneer trade unionist
• Kristian Prestrud (1881–1927), a naval officer and member of Amundsen's South Pole expedition
• Hagbart Haakonsen (1895-1984), a cross-country skier who competed at the 1928 Winter Olympics
• Åsta Holth (1904–1999), a novelist, poet and short story writer
• Kåre Jonsborg (1912–1977), a painter and textile artist
• Sinikka Langeland (born 1961), a traditional folk singer and kantele player
• Tom Harald Hagen (born 1978), a football UEFA referee

Gallery

• Grue Church
  Grue Church
• River Rottnan in Svullrya
  River Rottnan in Svullrya
• Opaker Grue
  Opaker Grue
• Løvhaugsåa river
  Løvhaugsåa river

External links

• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway Template:In lang