Gausdal

Encyclopedia : G : GA : GAU : Gausdal

Gausdal kommune

County

Oppland

District

Gudbrandsdalen

Municipality

[[ISO 3166-2:NO>NO-0522]]

Administrative centre

Østre gausdal

Mayor (2003)

Olav Olstad (Sp)

Official language form

Neutral

Area
- Total
- Land
- Percentage

1,192 Square kilometre>km²
1,149 km²
0.37 %

Population
- Total (as of 2004>2004)
- Percentage
- Change (10 years)
- Density

Ranked 163
6,186
0.14 %
-2.1 %
5/km²

Coordinates

[www.gausdal.kommune.no]
[Data from Statistics Norway]

Coordinates: Gausdal is a municipality in the county of Oppland, Norway. Follebu is a township and sub-parish in eastern Gausdal.

The Gausdal coat-of-arms shows the mountain Skeikampen in profile.

Contents

1 Geography
2 History
3 Commerce
4 Famous residents
5 External links

Geography

Gausdal is bordered on the northwest by Sør-Fron municipality, on the northeast by Ringebu and Øyer, on the southeast by Lillehammer, on the south by Nordre Land, on the southwest by Nord-Aurdal and Øystre Slidre.

The famous Peer Gynt mountain road begins here and leads to Vinstra.

A popular ski area is located on the south slope of Skeikampen mountain.

Western tributaries of the Gudbrandsdalslågen include the Gausa River, which flows through Gausdal valley.

Norway's smallest national park, Ormtjernkampen National Park, lies within the municipality.

History

The Follebu stone church was built in the early middle ages (~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 Espedalen. 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.

Commerce

Logging, farming and tourism are important occupations.

Famous residents

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

Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson (1832–1910) was a Norwegian author and Nobel Prize in Literature winner in 1903. Aulestad in Follebu, Gausdal was his primary residence from 1874 until his death in 1910.
Inge Krokann (1893–1962) was a Norwegian writer who wrote dialect and idiosyncratic nynorsk works which are largely inaccessible to international readers but reputed to be very powerful, lived his later years and died in Gausdal.
Hans Aanrud (1863–1953) was a Norwegian writer who wrote plays, poetry, and stories depicting rural life in Norway.
Reidar Engjom- politician
Brynhild Marie Foss - politician
Jan Erik Kristiansen - politician
Else Kveine - poet
Olav Olstad - politician
Abraham Pihl - theologian, astronomer and architect
Christen Smed - mountaineer

External links

[Tourist information]
[Gausdølen] - local newspaper, Norwegian only

Municipalities of Oppland
Dovre \| Etnedal \| Gausdal \| Gjøvik \| Gran \| Jevnaker \| Lesja \| Lillehammer \| Lom \| Lunner \| Nord-Aurdal \| Nord-Fron \| Nordre Land \| Ringebu \| Sel \| Skjåk \| Søndre Land \| Sør-Aurdal \| Sør-Fron \| Vang \| Vestre Slidre \| Vestre Toten \| Vågå \| Østre Toten \| Øyer \| Øystre Slidre

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