Lærdal - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Lærdal is a municipality in the southwestern part of Sogn og Fjordane

Sogn og Fjordane

is a county in Norway, bordering Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland. The county administration is in the town of Hermansverk in Leikanger municipality while the largest town is Førde....

county

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...

, 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...

. It is part of the traditional district

Districts of Norway

The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...

of Sogn

Sogn

Sogn is a traditional district in Western Norway . It is located in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, surrounding the Sognefjord. Sogn consists of the municipalities of Aurland, Balestrand, Hyllestad, Høyanger, Gulen, Leikanger, Luster, Lærdal, Sogndal, Solund, Vik, and Årdal. The district covers ...

. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Lærdalsøyri

Lærdalsøyri

Lærdalsøyri is the administrative centre of the municipality of Lærdal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The village is located along the Lærdalselvi river where it empties into the Lærdalsfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord. The village is located about north of the east end of the Lærdal Tunnel...

. The area of the municipality is 1342 square kilometres (518.1 sq mi), half of it consists of mountain areas, the rest is valleys.

The valley of Lærdal is long, running from Hemsedal

Hemsedal

Hemsedal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Trøym. In 1897, Hemsedal was separated from the municipality of Gol to become a municipality of its own.Hemsedal is the...

(Høgeloft

Høgeloft

Høgeloft is a mountain on the border between the municipalities of Lærdal and Hemsedal , Norway. At above sea level, it is the highest mountain in the Filefjell mountain range...

mountain) and Filefjell

Filefjell

Filefjell is a mountainous area between Lærdal and Valdres in Norway.It is the historical, as well as modern, main route, linking West Norway and Østlandet.-Etymology:...

mountain in the east to the Sognefjord

Sognefjord

The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world. Located in Sogn og Fjordane county, it stretches inland to the small village of Skjolden...

in the west. About 1200 of the 2200 inhabitants live in the main area of Lærdalsøyri

Lærdalsøyri

; the rest in the small villages Borgund

Borgund, Sogn og Fjordane

Borgund is a village and former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Borgund was the village of Steinklepp, which has a store, a bank, and a school...

, Ljøsne, Tønjum, Erdal, Vindedalen, Ytre Frønningen, and Strendene. The Old Lærdalsøyri village has 161 protected buildings. Some of the houses there date back to the mid-18th century. The old Filefjell Kongevegen

Filefjell Kongevegen

The Filefjell Kongevegen is the name of the old trail over Filefjell, the mountainous area between Lærdal/Borgund and Valdres in Norway. It is the historical main route linking Western Norway and Eastern Norway....

road passes through Lærdal on its way to Valdres

Valdres

Valdres is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal.Administratively, Valdres belongs to Oppland. It consists of the municipalities Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, Vang and Etnedal. The main town in the region is...

and later to Oslo

Oslo

Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

General information

Lærdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt

Formannskapsdistrikt

Formannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...

). In the 19th century, the name was sometimes spelled Leerdahl or Leirdal. The municipality of 1838 was created to be identical to the Lærdal parish

Church of Norway

The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...

(prestegjeld
Prestegjeld
A Prestegjeld is a geographic and administrative area of the Church of Norway roughly equivalent to a parish. A prestegjeld can consist of one or many congregations...

) that included the sub-parishes (sokn) of Borgund

Borgund, Sogn og Fjordane

, Tønjum, Hauge, and Årdal

Årdal

Årdal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Årdalstangen is the administrative center of the municipality. Årdal was separated from Lærdal in 1860....

. In 1863, the sub-parish of Årdal

Årdal

(population: 1,791) was separated from Lærdal to form a separate municipality. In 1864, the sub-parish of Borgund

Borgund, Sogn og Fjordane

(population: 963) was separated from Lærdal to form its own municipality. This left Lærdal with 2,777 residents.

On 1 January 1964, Lærdal (population: 1,755) was merged with the municipality of Borgund

Borgund, Sogn og Fjordane

(population: 492) and the Muggeteigen, Luggenes, and Bergmål farms (population: 11) from Årdal

Årdal

. After the merger, Lærdal had a total of 2,258. On 1 January 1992, the Frønning region of Leikanger

Leikanger

is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Leikanger, which is also the administrative center of Sogn og Fjordane county....

(population: 32) was transferred to Lærdal.

Name

The Old Norse

Old Norse

Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

form of the name was Lærardalr. The first element is the genitive case of the old name of the river Lærr (now the river is called Lærdalselvi) and the last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale." The meaning of the old river name is unknown.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms

Coat of arms

A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

is modern (1987). It shows two Norse dragon

Dragon

A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...

heads (as seen on the gables of Borgund stave church

Borgund stave church

Borgund Stave Church is a stave church located in Borgund, Lærdal, Norway. It is classified as a triple nave stave church of the so-called Sogn-type. This is also the best preserved of Norway's 28 extant stave churches.-Construction:...

Churches

The Church of Norway

Church of Norway

has four churches within the municipality of Lærdal. It is part of the Diocese of Bjørgvin

Diocese of Bjørgvin

Bjørgvin Diocese is a diocese in the Church of Norway. It covers churches located in the counties of Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane. The cathedral city is Bergen. Bergen Cathedral, formerly the Church of Saint Olaf, serves as the seat of the presiding Bishop...

and the Rural Deanery

Deanery

A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...

(Prosti) of Indre Sogn

Sogn

style="font-size:medium"|***Churches in Lærdal***
Parish (Prestegjeld)	Sub-Parish (Sogn)	Church Name	Year Built	Location of the Church
*Lærdal Parish*	Borgund	Borgund kyrkje	1868	Borgund Borgund, Sogn og Fjordane Borgund is a village and former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Borgund was the village of Steinklepp, which has a store, a bank, and a school...
	Borgund	Borgund stavkyrkje Borgund stave church Borgund Stave Church is a stave church located in Borgund, Lærdal, Norway. It is classified as a triple nave stave church of the so-called Sogn-type. This is also the best preserved of Norway's 28 extant stave churches.-Construction:...	c Circa Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date... . 1150	Borgund Borgund, Sogn og Fjordane Borgund is a village and former municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. It was part of the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center of Borgund was the village of Steinklepp, which has a store, a bank, and a school...
	Hauge	Hauge kyrkje	1868	Lærdalsøyri Lærdalsøyri Lærdalsøyri is the administrative centre of the municipality of Lærdal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The village is located along the Lærdalselvi river where it empties into the Lærdalsfjord, a branch of the Sognefjord. The village is located about north of the east end of the Lærdal Tunnel...
	Tønjum	Tønjum kyrkje	1832	Tønjum

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Lærdal, are responsible for primary education

Primary education

A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...

(through 10th grade), outpatient health services

Health care

Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...

, senior citizen

Old age

Old age consists of ages nearing or surpassing the average life span of human beings, and thus the end of the human life cycle...

services, unemployment

Unemployment

Unemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...

and other social services

Social work

Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...

, zoning

Zoning

Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...

, economic development

Economic development

Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...

, and municipal road

Road

A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways each with one or more lanes and also any...

s. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Lærdal is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to every four years. For 2007–2011, the party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

breakdown is as follows:

Mayor

The mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

(ordførar) of a municipality in Norway is a representative of the majority party of the municipal council who is elected to lead the council. The mayor for the 2007–2011 term is Arne Sanden of the Labour Party

Norwegian Labour Party

The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in Norway. It is the senior partner in the current Norwegian government as part of the Red-Green Coalition, and its leader, Jens Stoltenberg, is the current Prime Minister of Norway....

(Det Norske Arbeiderpartiet).

Twin towns - Sister cities

Lærdal is twinned with:
Jericho

Jericho

Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...

, Palestinian National Authority

Palestinian National Authority

The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...

(since 1998)

Geography

Lærdal is located southeast of the Sognefjord

Sognefjord

The Sognefjord is the largest fjord in Norway, and the second longest in the world. Located in Sogn og Fjordane county, it stretches inland to the small village of Skjolden...

along the Lærdalselvi River with the Filefjell

Filefjell

Filefjell is a mountainous area between Lærdal and Valdres in Norway.It is the historical, as well as modern, main route, linking West Norway and Østlandet.-Etymology:...

and Hemsedalsfjell mountain ranges on its east. Lærdal is bordered in Sogn og Fjordane

Sogn og Fjordane

county by the municipality of Aurland

Aurland

Aurland is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The administrative center is the village of Aurlandsvangen. Other villages include Bakka, Flåm, Undredal, and Gudvangen....

to the southwest, by Sogndal

Sogndal

Sogndal is a municipality in the county of Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sogn. The village of Sogndalsfjøra is the administrative center of Sogndal municipality. Other main villages include Kaupanger, Kjørnes, and Fjærland...

to the northwest, and by Årdal

Årdal

to the north. It is also bordered on the east by Vang (Oppland

Oppland

is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway....

county) and Hemsedal

Hemsedal

(Buskerud

Buskerud

is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...

county), and in the south by Ål

Ål

Ål is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ål....

and Hol

Hol

Hol is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway.-Administrative history:The area of Hol was separated from the municipality of Ål in 1877 to become a separate municipality. In 1937 a part of neighboring Uvdal with 220 inhabitants was moved to Hol municipality. The area of Dagali was transferred...

(both in Buskerud

Buskerud

is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...

county).

The lakes Eldrevatnet

Eldrevatnet

Eldrevatnet or Eldrevatn is a lake in the municipality of Lærdal in Sogn og Fjordane county, Norway. The lake lies at an elevation of above sea level. It is located about southeast of Borgund, not far from the highway and the Filefjell Kongevegen road. The lake Øljusjøen lies south of the...

, Juklevatnet

Juklevatnet

Juklevatnet is a lake in the municipalities of Hemsedal and Lærdal , Norway. It is located east of Borgund in Lærdal, just to the south of the mountain Høgeloft in the Filefjell range. The lake sits at an elevation of above sea level...

, and Øljusjøen

Øljusjøen

Øljusjøen is a lake in the municipalities of Hemsedal and Lærdal , Norway. The lake is located at an elevation of above sea level. It is southeast of Borgund and the highway. The lake Eldrevatnet is to the north...

are located along the southeastern border, south of the mountain Høgeloft

Høgeloft

Høgeloft is a mountain on the border between the municipalities of Lærdal and Hemsedal , Norway. At above sea level, it is the highest mountain in the Filefjell mountain range...

Lærdal tunnel

The Lærdalstunnelen was built through the mountains dividing Aurland

Aurland

from Lærdal. The tunnel is the worlds longest (as of 2008) at 24.5 kilometres (15.2 mi). Construction began in 1995 and was completed in 2000.

Lærdalselvi river

The River Lærdalselvi was traditionally one of the most exclusive salmon

Salmon

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...

and sea trout

Brown trout

The brown trout and the sea trout are fish of the same species....

rivers in Norway

Norway

. Known by the Norwegian King Harald V

Harald V of Norway

Harald V is the king of Norway. He succeeded to the throne of Norway upon the death of his father Olav V on 17 January 1991...

as his second Queen, the river has established Lærdal as one of the meccas of salmon and sea trout fly fishing

Fly fishing

Fly fishing is an angling method in which an artificial 'fly' is used to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. Casting a nearly weightless fly or 'lure' requires casting techniques significantly different from other forms of casting...

, among others for the unusual fact that the river offers daylight fishing and dry fly fishing for sea trout. The salmon population was drastically depleted after an infestation with the salmon 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...

in the fall of 1996. After several treatments with aluminium sulfate

Aluminium sulfate

Aluminium sulfate, alternatively spelt aluminum sulfate, aluminium sulphate, or aluminum sulphate; is a chemical compound with the formula Al23...

, there are still problems with the parasite. In fall 2007, a smolt

Spawn (biology)

Spawn refers to the eggs and sperm released or deposited, usually into water, by aquatic animals. As a verb, spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, also called spawning...

was again found infected by the parasite, and new treatments started in late March 2008. Because of this parasite, the river will be closed to angling for the 2008 season.

The river has formed a large delta at Lærdalsøyri

Lærdalsøyri

, where huge amounts of silt

Silt

Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...

and sand have been deposited by the river. Although the area has been spoiled by some unfortunate landfills it is still a sight worth seeing.

Economy

Lærdal has long traditions in farming, with the lower region of the valley being great for vegetable crops. Because of its dry climate it was one of the first places in Norway to begin the use of artificial irrigation

Irrigation

Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...

. Despite having an inland climate, the water in the fjord keeps the winters from getting too cold.

The local Western Norway Regional Health Authority

Western Norway Regional Health Authority

Western Norway Regional Health Authority is a state-owned Regional Health Authority responsible for operating the hospitals in the counties of Rogaland, Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane in Norway. Based in Stavanger the authority operates five health trusts that operate nine hospitals...

hospital provides medical care for Lærdal itself and seven of the surrounding municipalities. The hospital, together with Opplysningen 1881 (directory assistance company), Østfold Energiproduksjon A/S and Norsk Hydro

Norsk Hydro

Norsk Hydro ASA is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. Hydro is the fourth largest integrated aluminium company worldwide. It has operations in some 40 countries around the world and is active on all continents. The Norwegian state holds a 43.8 percent...

Aluminium Production Facilities in Årdal

Årdal

, are the major employers in Lærdal. The local government and health authority is trying to close this hospital due to cost cutting, which may have negative effects on the area.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.