Meldal
Encyclopedia
Meldal is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag
county
, Norway
. It is part of the Orkdalen
region
.
The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Meldal. The 1.04 square kilometres (257 acre) village of Meldal has a population (2009) of 609. Other villages include Løkken Verk
, Bjørnli
, and Storås
.
The municipality is most renowned for its mining
activities at Løkken Verk
, being the birthplace of the Orkla mining company, now Orkla Group
. It is also home to the annual Storåsfestivalen
music festival.
). In 1839, the southern district of Rennebu
was separated from Meldal to form a municipality of its own.
form of the name was Meðaldalr. The first element is meðal which means "middle" and the last element is dalr which means "valley
" or "dale". The municipality is named this probably because it is located in the middle of the Orkdalen
valley. The name was historically spelled Meldalen.
is from modern times. They were granted on 5 February 1985. The arms are a combination of a wheel as a symbol for the local industry, and a wheat ear as a symbol for the agriculture. Both items are yellow on a red background.
has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Meldal. It is part of the Deanery
(prosti) of Orkdal and the Diocese of Nidaros
.
in the middle of the Orkdalen
valley. The lakes Hostovatnet
and Svorksjøen
are located along the northern border of the municipality.
The municipality of Rindal
(in Møre og Romsdal
) lies to the west, Rennebu
lies to the south, Midtre Gauldal
and Melhus
to the east, and Orkdal
to the north.
The Løkken Station
is the terminal station
on the Thamshavn Line railway.
Sør-Trøndelag
- References :...
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 Orkdalen
Orkdalen
Orkdalen or Orkladalen is a traditional Norwegian district in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Orkdalen was also a petty kingdom....
region
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,...
.
The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Meldal. The 1.04 square kilometres (257 acre) village of Meldal has a population (2009) of 609. Other villages include Løkken Verk
Løkken Verk
Løkken Verk is a village in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located south of Svorkmo , east of Bjørnli, and north of the municipal center of Meldal....
, Bjørnli
Bjørnli
Bjørnli is a village in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located just east of the Orkla River about west of Løkken Verk and about northeast of Storås. The Løkken Church is located on the east side of the village....
, and Storås
Storås
Storås is a village in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located along the Orkla River, about northwest of the village of Meldal. For most Norwegians, Storås is best known for hosting the annual Storåsfestivalen festival, since 2004. The nearest major city is...
.
The municipality is most renowned for its mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
activities at Løkken Verk
Løkken Verk
Løkken Verk is a village in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located south of Svorkmo , east of Bjørnli, and north of the municipal center of Meldal....
, being the birthplace of the Orkla mining company, now Orkla Group
Orkla Group
Orkla Group is a Norwegian industrial conglomerate operating in the Nordic region, Eastern Europe, Asia and the US. The company's main divisions are branded consumer goods, aluminium solutions, materials, associates and financial investments.-Operations:...
. It is also home to the annual Storåsfestivalen
Storåsfestivalen
Storåsfestivalen is a three-day annual music festival.It's held at Storås, in municipality of Meldal, in the county of Sør-Trøndelag, Norway....
music festival.
General information
Meldal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt
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 1839, the southern district of Rennebu
Rennebu
Rennebu is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berkåk, located along European route E6...
was separated from Meldal to form a municipality of its own.
Name
The Old NorseOld 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 Meðaldalr. The first element is meðal which means "middle" and the last element is dalr which means "valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
" or "dale". The municipality is named this probably because it is located in the middle of the Orkdalen
Orkdalen
Orkdalen or Orkladalen is a traditional Norwegian district in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Orkdalen was also a petty kingdom....
valley. The name was historically spelled Meldalen.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat 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 from modern times. They were granted on 5 February 1985. The arms are a combination of a wheel as a symbol for the local industry, and a wheat ear as a symbol for the agriculture. Both items are yellow on a red background.
Churches
The Church of NorwayChurch 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...
has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Meldal. It is part of the 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 Orkdal and the Diocese of Nidaros
Diocese of Nidaros
Nidaros is a diocese in the Lutheran Church of Norway. It covers Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag counties and its cathedral city is Trondheim, which houses the well-known Nidaros Cathedral. The diocese is divided into 12 deaneries . Finn Wagle was the bishop from 1991 to 2008...
.
| Parish (Sokn) | Church Name | Year Built | Location of the Church |
|---|---|---|---|
| Løkken | Løkken kirke Løkken Church Løkken Church is a parish church in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located on the east side of the village of Bjørnli, near Løkken Verk.... |
1929 | Bjørnli Bjørnli Bjørnli is a village in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located just east of the Orkla River about west of Løkken Verk and about northeast of Storås. The Løkken Church is located on the east side of the village.... |
| Meldal | Meldal kirke Meldal Church Meldal Church is a parish church in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the village of Meldal and it is part of the Orkdal deanery in the Diocese of Nidaros.... |
1988 | Meldal |
Geography
The municipality of Meldal is located along the Orkla RiverOrkla River
The Orkla River is the longest river in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The long river follows the Orkdalen valley, discharging into the Orkdalsfjord, an arm of the Trondheimsfjord, at the village of Orkanger....
in the middle of the Orkdalen
Orkdalen
Orkdalen or Orkladalen is a traditional Norwegian district in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Orkdalen was also a petty kingdom....
valley. The lakes Hostovatnet
Hostovatnet
Hostovatnet is a lake on the border of the municipalities of Orkdal and Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The village of Hoston is located on the northeastern shore of the lake....
and Svorksjøen
Svorksjøen
Svorksjøen is a lake on the border of the municipalities of Melhus, Meldal and Orkdal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. The lake lies about east of the village of Svorkmo in Orkdal....
are located along the northern border of the municipality.
The municipality of Rindal
Rindal
Rindal is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Rindal. Rindal is the only landlocked municipality in Møre og Romsdal county. The lakes Foldsjøen and Gråsjøen lie along the border with Surnadal to the...
(in 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:...
) lies to the west, Rennebu
Rennebu
Rennebu is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berkåk, located along European route E6...
lies to the south, Midtre Gauldal
Midtre Gauldal
Midtre Gauldal is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Støren...
and Melhus
Melhus
Melhus is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Melhus...
to the east, and Orkdal
Orkdal
Orkdal is a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Orkanger. Other villages in the municipality include Kjøra, Geitastrand, Gjølme, Thamshavn, Fannrem, Vormstad, Svorkmo, and...
to the north.
The Løkken Station
Løkken Station
Løkken Station is a former railway station that was the southern terminus of the Thamshavn Line. It is located in the village of Løkken in the municipality of Meldal in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway.-References:...
is the terminal station
Terminal Station
Terminal Station is a 1953 film by Italian director Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of the love affair between an Italian man and an American woman. The film was entered into the 1953 Cannes Film Festival.-Production:...
on the Thamshavn Line railway.
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...