Nord-Fron

Nord-Fron is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vinstra. Other population centers in Nord-Fron include the villages of Kvam and Skåbu.

Nord-Fron kommune
Nordre Fron herred (historic)
Municipality
View of the lake Olstappen and Skåbu village area
View of the lake Olstappen and Skåbu village area
Flag of Nord-Fron kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Nord-Fron kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Nord-Fron kommune
Innlandet within
Norway
Nord-Fron within Innlandet
Nord-Fron within Innlandet
Coordinates: 61°39′32″N 9°43′40″E
CountryNorway
CountyInnlandet
DistrictGudbrandsdal
Established1 Jan 1851
 • Preceded byFron Municipality
Disestablished1 Jan 1966
 • Succeeded byFron Municipality
Re-established1 Jan 1977
 • Preceded byFron Municipality
Administrative centreVinstra
Government
 • Mayor (2021)Anne-Marie Olstad (Ap)
Area
 • Total1,141.32 km2 (440.67 sq mi)
 • Land1,091.82 km2 (421.55 sq mi)
 • Water49.5 km2 (19.1 sq mi)  4.3%
 • Rank#95 in Norway
Population
 (2022)
 • Total5,628
 • Rank#166 in Norway
 • Density5.2/km2 (13/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −3.5%
DemonymFrøning[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNynorsk
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3436
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

The 1,141-square-kilometre (441 sq mi) municipality is the 95th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Nord-Fron is the 166th most populous municipality in Norway, with a population of 5,628. The municipality's population density is 5.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (13/sq mi), and its population has decreased by 3.5% over the previous 10-year period.[3][4]

General information

The prestegjeld of Fron was established as a civil municipality on 1 January 1838 when the new formannskapsdistrikt law was enacted. On 1 January 1851, the municipality was divided in two. The northwest portion became Nord-Fron Municipality (population: 4,685), and the southeast portion became Sør-Fron Municipality (population: 3,421).[5]

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1965, the Sjoa area (population: 413) was transferred from Nord-Fron to the neighboring Sel Municipality. Then, on 1 January 1966, the municipalities of Nord-Fron (population: 5,758) and Sør-Fron (population: 3,648) were merged to form a new Fron Municipality (with similar borders to the old Fron municipality that existed from 1838 to 1851 minus the Sjoa area which was then part of Sel).[5]

This merger was not well-liked among the residents of the new municipality. On 1 January 1977, the merger was reversed. Nord-Fron (population: 6,131) and Sør-Fron (population: 3,509) were recreated using their old borders from 1965.[5]

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Fron farm (Old Norse: Frón) since the first Fron Church was built there. The first element is nord which means "northern". The last element is uncertain, but it may come from the word frón, which means "earth" or "land". Thus the name of the municipality is "(the) northern (part of) Fron" (since the parish of Fron was divided in 1851 into a "north" and a "south" part). Historically, it was called Nordre Fron, using another word that also means "north".[6]

See also: Sør-Fron § Name

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 18 July 1980. The official blazon is "Gules, a horse forcené Or" (Norwegian: På raud botn ein oppreist gull hest). This means the arms have a red field (background), and the charge is a Dole Gudbrandsdal horse rearing up on its hind legs. The horse has a tincture of Or, which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The Fron area has a long-standing tradition in horse breeding and is one of the main centres of horse breeding in Norway. Historically, the old Fron municipality used unofficial arms with a horse on it. After Fron was divided into Nord- and Sør-Fron in 1977, Nord-Fron chose these arms. Hallvard Trætteberg designed the arms. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[7][8]

See also: the coats of arms for Eid, Gloppen, Levanger, Lyngen, Skedsmo and Ski.

Churches

The Church of Norway has four parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Nord-Fron. It is part of the Nord-Gudbrandsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Churches in Nord-Fron
Parish (sokn)Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
KvamKvam ChurchKvam1952
KvikneKvikne ChurchKvikne1764
SkåbuSkåbu ChurchSkåbu1927
SødorpSødorp ChurchVinstra1752
Sødorp ChapelVinstra1929

History
Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Nord-Fron by country of origin in 2017[9]
AncestryNumber
 Poland74
 Eritrea53
 Syria39
 Lithuania31
 Afghanistan28
 Netherlands21
 Thailand18

The Nord-Hoge farm in the Sødorp parish of Nord-Fron is the legendary home of Per Gynt. Per was made famous by Peter Asbjørnsen's folk tales and Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt.

The body of Captain Sinclair is buried in Kvam.

The small Kvam Church, built in 1775, was burned down during the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during World War II. It was rebuilt after the war.[10]

Geography

Nord-Fron is bordered to the northwest by Sel municipality, to the east and south by Sør-Fron municipality, in the south by Øystre Slidre municipality, and to the southwest by Vågå municipality. The municipality stretches from the Rondane mountains in the north to the Jotunheimen mountains in the southwest.

There are two main population centres in Nord-Fron: the town of Vinstra in the central part of the municipality and the village of Kvam in the north. Kvam is located at the northern end of the Peer Gynt Road, which passes through high roads with excellent views of the Jotunheimen, Dovrefjell, and Rondane mountain.[11]

Lakes in the area include Feforvatnet, Olstappen, Øyangen, and Sandvatnet/Kaldfjorden/Øyvatnet. Mountains in the region include Gravdalsknappen, Heimdalshøe, Hornflågene, Ingulssjøhøi, Saukampen, Sikkilsdalshøa, Styggehøe, and Smiubelgen.

Government

All municipalities in Norway are 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. A vote of the municipal council indirectly elects the mayor.[12] The municipality falls under the Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Nord-Fron is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four-year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows:

Nord-Fron kommunestyre 2020–2023 [13]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 15
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
Total number of members:25
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 2016–2019 [14][15]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 13
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
Total number of members:25
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 2012–2015 [16]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 10
  Progress Party (Framstegspartiet) 1
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:25
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 2008–2011 [15]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 12
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:25
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 2004–2007 [15]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 14
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
Total number of members:25
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 2000–2003 [15]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 20
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
Total number of members:31
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 1996–1999 [17]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 19
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
Total number of members:31
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 1992–1995 [18]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 17
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
Total number of members:31
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 1988–1991 [19]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 20
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
Total number of members:31
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 1984–1987 [20]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 21
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
Total number of members:31
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 1980–1983 [21]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 18
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:31
Note: On 1 January 1977, Fron Municipality was divided into Nord-Fron and Sør-Fron municipalities (reversing the merger from 1 January 1966). A special election was held in 1976 for a new council that existed from 1977-1979.
Nord-Fron kommunestyre 1964–1965 [22]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 16
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  List of workers, fishermen, and small farmholders (Arbeidarar, fiskarar, småbrukarar liste) 1
Total number of members:25
Note: On 1 January 1966, Nord-Fron and Sør-Fron were merged into Fron Municipality.
Nord-Fron heradsstyre 1960–1963 [23]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 15
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
Total number of members:25
Nord-Fron heradsstyre 1956–1959 [24]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 16
  Conservative Party (Høgre) 1
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristeleg Folkeparti) 1
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 7
Total number of members:25
Nord-Fron heradsstyre 1952–1955 [25]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 15
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 9
Total number of members:24
Nord-Fron heradsstyre 1948–1951 [26]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 15
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 3
  Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgarlege Felleslister) 6
Total number of members:24
Nord-Fron heradsstyre 1945–1947 [27]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 15
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 7
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) 2
Total number of members:24
Nord-Fron heradsstyre 1938–1941* [28]  
Party Name (in Nynorsk)Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeidarpartiet) 14
  Farmers' Party (Bondepartiet) 8
  Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) 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 mayors of Nord-Fron (incomplete list):

  • 1894–1898: Ole Iversen Teige (V)
  • 1902–1907: Ole Iversen Teige (V)
  • 1945-1955: Albert Kvammen (Ap)
  • 1956-1965: Paul Brenna (Ap)
  • (1966-1977: part of Fron Municipality)
  • 1977-1983: Tollef Beitrusten (Ap)
  • 1984-2007: Gunnar Tore Stenseng (Ap)
  • 2007-2011: Tove Haugli (Ap)
  • 2011-2015: Olav Røssum (Sp)
  • 2015–2021: Rune Støstad (Ap)
  • 2021–present: Anne-Marie Olstad (Ap)

Attractions
Smiubelgen in Rondane National Park

Royal residence

The Royal Mountain Chalet, Prinsehytta, is located in the Sikkilsdalen valley in Nord-Fron. It is used as a royal residence by the Norwegian royal family for hunting trips and during the Easter and winter holidays.

Eidefoss petroglyphs

The rock carvings at Eidefoss are located on the east side of the river south of the white water.[29]

National parks

Sister cities

Nord-Fron has sister city agreements with the following places:[30]

Ole Haagenstad

Notable people

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2021). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  4. Statistisk sentralbyrå (2021). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  5. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  6. Rygh, Oluf (1900). Norske gaardnavne: Kristians amt (in Norwegian) (4 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. pp. 99 & 120.
  7. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  8. "Nord-Fron kommune, våpen". Digitalarkivet. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  9. "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.
  10. Stagg, Frank Noel (1956). East Norway and its Frontier. George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.
  11. Welle-Strand, Erling (1996). Adventure Roads in Norway. Nortrabooks. ISBN 978-82-90103-71-7.
  12. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  13. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Innlandet". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
  14. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2015 - Innlandet". Valg Direktoratet.
  15. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  16. "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Innlandet". Valg Direktoratet.
  17. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  22. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  23. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  24. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  25. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  26. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  27. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  28. "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  29. Taylor-Wilkie, Doreen, ed. (1996). Insight Guides: Norway. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 978-0-395-81912-8.
  30. "Vennskapskommunar" (in Norwegian). Nord-Fron kommune. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
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