Driva
Encyclopedia
The Driva river runs through Sør-Trøndelag
and Møre og Romsdal
counties
in Norway
. The headwaters lie in the Dovrefjell
mountains in the south, from where it flows northward, downward through the valley Drivdalen
in the municipality of Oppdal
. In Oppdal it turns westward down the Sunndalen valley to the Sunndalsfjord
at Sunndalsøra
in the municipality of Sunndal
. Some of the other villages along the river include Grøa
, Hoelsand
, and Lønset
. At Gjøra the river changes name to Sunndalselva. (Sunndal river)
Many of the tributaries on the west side of the Oppdal valley are dry; the waters in reservoirs formed from the many mountain lakes in that region flow in pipes through the mountain to Driva hydroelectric station at Fale in Sunndal
. The largest lake in the reservoir system is Gjevillvatnet which is about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) long and about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) wide.
Before the last ice age, Driva drained northwards from Oppdal and joined the Orkla river. The uppermost part of the river in Sunndalen with the tributaries from Gjevilvatnet, Dindalen and Storlidalen then drained eastwards to Oppdal and joined the older Driva there. These three tributaries flows eastwards even today, until they meet the westward-flowing Driva.
shrine
in Trondheim
during the Middle Ages
. As a result of the heavy stream of pilgrims who followed the Pilgrim's Route
prior to the Reformation
, king Øystein
erected mountain stations where the pilgrims could find food and shelter. Kongsvoll
, located on the Driva River, was one of these stations, another was Drivstua.
river, but the parasite Gyrodactylus salaris
has decimated the salmon stock. It is an excellent sea trout river, usually ranked number 1 (or at least 2) in Norway, by total catch. Salmon and sea trout migrate up to Magalaupet (approximately 80 kilometres (49.7 mi)) and at optimal water discharge probably even further. Especially for sea trout this is an unusually long migration, although the majority of trout in Driva do not wander so far.
The only tributary with a run of anadromous fish, is the Grøvu. A river that enters from the south/west soon after Driva has reached the Sunndal valley. Grøvu is also Drivas biggest tributary, and well known for the "Åmotan". A part of the Grøvu valley where 5 rivers meet, 3 of them coming down dramatic waterfalls. Grøvu is also world known as a good river for extreme kayaking.
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
and Møre og Romsdal
Møre og Romsdal
is a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
counties
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The headwaters lie in the Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell
Dovrefjell is a mountain range in central Norway that forms a natural barrier between Eastern Norway and Trøndelag, the area around Trondheim. As a result, it has been heavily trafficked during and probably preceding historical times...
mountains in the south, from where it flows northward, downward through the valley Drivdalen
Drivdalen
Drivdalen is a valley located in the municipality of Oppdal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The valley surrounds the river Driva. The European route E6 and the Dovrebanen railway line follow the river through much of the valley. The valley is the site of the "Old Kings' Road", Vårstigen, with...
in the municipality of Oppdal
Oppdal
is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Dovre region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Oppdal. Other villages in the municipality include Lønset, Vognillan, Fagerhaug, and Holan...
. In Oppdal it turns westward down the Sunndalen valley to the Sunndalsfjord
Sunndalsfjord
Sunndalsfjord is a fjord in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The long Sunndalsfjord comprises the southern end of the Tingvollfjorden. It begins at Ballsneset, at the municipal boundary of Sunndal and extends south to the village of Sunndalsøra. Other villages along...
at Sunndalsøra
Sunndalsøra
is a village and the administrative centre of the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located at the mouth of the river Driva at the beginning of the Sunndalsfjord. It is about west of Hoelsand, southeast of Øksendalsøra, and about west of Grøa. The village has a...
in the municipality of Sunndal
Sunndal
is a municipality in the Nordmøre region located in the northeast part of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Sunndalsøra. Other villages include Jordalsgrenda, Øksendalsøra, Grøa, Hoelsand, Ålvund, and Gjøra.With an area of it is the...
. Some of the other villages along the river include Grøa
Grøa
Grøa is a village in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the river Driva about east of Sunndalsøra and about east of Hoelsand. The Vinnufossen waterfall lies about west of the village....
, Hoelsand
Hoelsand
Hoelsand is a village in the municipality of Sunndal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located along the river Driva, just west of the Vinnufossen waterfall. The village lies about east of Sunndalsøra and about west of Grøa. The village has a population of 365....
, and Lønset
Lønset
Lønset is a small village in the municipality of Oppdal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The village is located along Norwegian National Road 70, about west of Vognillan and about west of the municipal center of Oppdal....
. At Gjøra the river changes name to Sunndalselva. (Sunndal river)
Many of the tributaries on the west side of the Oppdal valley are dry; the waters in reservoirs formed from the many mountain lakes in that region flow in pipes through the mountain to Driva hydroelectric station at Fale in Sunndal
Sunndal
is a municipality in the Nordmøre region located in the northeast part of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Sunndalsøra. Other villages include Jordalsgrenda, Øksendalsøra, Grøa, Hoelsand, Ålvund, and Gjøra.With an area of it is the...
. The largest lake in the reservoir system is Gjevillvatnet which is about 20 kilometres (12.4 mi) long and about 1 kilometre (0.621372736649807 mi) wide.
Before the last ice age, Driva drained northwards from Oppdal and joined the Orkla river. The uppermost part of the river in Sunndalen with the tributaries from Gjevilvatnet, Dindalen and Storlidalen then drained eastwards to Oppdal and joined the older Driva there. These three tributaries flows eastwards even today, until they meet the westward-flowing Driva.
History
Pilgrims followed the Driva on their way to the St. OlavOlaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...
shrine
Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral is a Church of Norway cathedral located in the city of Trondheim in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Nidaros from its establishment in 1152 until its abolition in 1537. Since the Reformation, it has been the cathedral of the...
in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
during the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. As a result of the heavy stream of pilgrims who followed the Pilgrim's Route
Pilgrim's Route
The Pilgrim's Route, also known as St. Olav's Way or the Old Kings' Road, was a pilgrimage route to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway, the site of the tomb of St. Olav. The main route is approximately long...
prior to the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, king Øystein
Eystein I of Norway
Eystein I Magnusson was king of Norway from 1103 to 1123.-Biography:Eystein became king, together with his brothers Sigurd and Olaf, when his father Magnus Barefoot died in 1103...
erected mountain stations where the pilgrims could find food and shelter. Kongsvoll
Kongsvoll
Kongsvoll lies along the Pilgrim´s Route or Old Kings' Road between Oslo and Trondheim in Norway. The shelter is located in the Drivdalen valley in the municipality of Oppdal in Sør-Trøndelag county....
, located on the Driva River, was one of these stations, another was Drivstua.
Angling
The Driva was formerly an excellent salmonSalmon
Salmon is the common name for several species of fish in the family Salmonidae. Several other fish in the same family are called trout; the difference is often said to be that salmon migrate and trout are resident, but this distinction does not strictly hold true...
river, but the parasite Gyrodactylus salaris
Gyrodactylus salaris
Gyrodactylus salaris is a small monogenean ectoparasite which mainly lives on the skin of freshwater fish, especially Atlantic salmon. This species is a leech-like parasite that has been implicated in some diminution of Atlantic salmon populations in the Norwegian fjords. Its common name is Salmon...
has decimated the salmon stock. It is an excellent sea trout river, usually ranked number 1 (or at least 2) in Norway, by total catch. Salmon and sea trout migrate up to Magalaupet (approximately 80 kilometres (49.7 mi)) and at optimal water discharge probably even further. Especially for sea trout this is an unusually long migration, although the majority of trout in Driva do not wander so far.
The only tributary with a run of anadromous fish, is the Grøvu. A river that enters from the south/west soon after Driva has reached the Sunndal valley. Grøvu is also Drivas biggest tributary, and well known for the "Åmotan". A part of the Grøvu valley where 5 rivers meet, 3 of them coming down dramatic waterfalls. Grøvu is also world known as a good river for extreme kayaking.