Notodden
Encyclopedia
is a town and municipality
in Telemark
county
, Norway. It is part of the traditional region
of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Notodden.
Notodden was separated from the municipality of Heddal
in 1913 to become a separate town and municipality. On 1 January 1964, the rural municipalities of Heddal and Gransherad
were merged into Notodden to form a new enlarged municipality.
Norway's biggest stave church
, Heddal stave church
, can be seen a few kilometres from the town centre.
Notodden Airport, Tuven
, is located west of the city centre. Norsk Hydro
was founded in this town. Notodden is famous for the annual Notodden Blues Festival
, which is considered one of the best blues festivals in Europe, but they also have a famous metal festival called Motstøy Festivalen.
". Thus the general meaning of the name is "the fishing place".
is from modern times. They were granted on 11 August 1939. The arms show a silver-colored river and four lightning
strikes. One of the first hydroelectric power
stations in Norway was established in the late 19th century at the Tinnfoss waterfall
on the Tinn river
which runs through Notodden.
Kåre Nordstoga
, the internationally known author Hans Herbjørnsrud
who was born in Heddal
, and the Hardanger fiddle
maker Olav Gunnarsson Helland
(1875–1939) who many consider the finest of the twentieth century. Composer Klaus Egge
, born 1906 in Gransherad
, also lived in Notodden.
American blues
musician Seasick Steve
, who is achieving fame in the United Kingdom, currently resides in Notodden.
Also, one of the most influential Norwegian black metal bands, Emperor
, came from Notodden, as does Mortiis
, Peccatum, Star of ash, Leprous
and Zyklon
. Emperor's singer, Ihsahn
, still resides in Notodden.
The following cities are twinned
with Notodden: Clarksdale, Mississippi
, United States Suwałki, Podlaskie Voivodeship
, Poland
Former twin cities of Notodden: Iisalmi
, Eastern Finland
, Finland Nyköping
, Södermanland County
, Sweden Stelle, Lower Saxony
, Germany
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
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. It is part of the traditional 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,...
of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Notodden.
Notodden was separated from the municipality of Heddal
Heddal
Heddal is a village and parish in Notodden municipality in Telemark County, Norway.- History :The parish of Hitterdal was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . Notodden was separated from Heddal both as a city and a municipality of its own, in 1913. Heddal was subsequently merged with...
in 1913 to become a separate town and municipality. On 1 January 1964, the rural municipalities of Heddal and Gransherad
Gransherad
Gransherad is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway, located north-west of the city Notodden.Grandsherred was created in 1860 by the merger of the parishes Hovin in Tinn and Gransherad in Hjartdal. On January 1, 1886 Hovin was separated from Gransherad to form a municipality of its own...
were merged into Notodden to form a new enlarged municipality.
Norway's biggest stave church
Stave church
A stave church is a medieval wooden church with a post and beam construction related to timber framing. The wall frames are filled with vertical planks. The load-bearing posts have lent their name to the building technique...
, Heddal stave church
Heddal stave church
Heddal stave church is a stave church located at Heddal in Notodden municipality, Norway.The church is a triple nave stave church and is Norway's largest stave church. It was constructed at the beginning of the 13th century. After the reformation the church was in a very poor condition, and a...
, can be seen a few kilometres from the town centre.
Notodden Airport, Tuven
Notodden Airport, Tuven
Notodden Airport, Tuven is a municipal regional airport at Heddal in Notodden, Norway. The airport is mostly used for general aviation, and has extensive sailplane activity. Bergen Air Transport operates the airport's only scheduled route, six times per week to Bergen Airport, Flesland. In 2010,...
, is located west of the city centre. 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...
was founded in this town. Notodden is famous for the annual Notodden Blues Festival
Notodden Blues Festival
Notodden Blues Festival is one of the largest blues music festivals in Europe and the largest in Scandinavia. The festival is held in Notodden, Norway, usually in early August.-History:...
, which is considered one of the best blues festivals in Europe, but they also have a famous metal festival called Motstøy Festivalen.
Name
The first element of the name is not which means "to fish using a seine" and the last element is the finite form of odde meaning "headlandHeadland
A headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...
". Thus the general meaning of the name is "the fishing place".
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 11 August 1939. The arms show a silver-colored river and four lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
strikes. One of the first hydroelectric power
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
stations in Norway was established in the late 19th century at the Tinnfoss waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
on the Tinn river
Tinnelva
Tinnelva is a river in Notodden, Telemark, Norway. It flows from the lake Tinnsjå to Heddalsvatnet. The waterfalls Årlifossene, Grønvollfoss, Svelgfoss and Tinnfoss are exploited, and the hydroelectric power stations have a combined installed capacity of ....
which runs through Notodden.
Notable residents
Notodden is also the hometown of Norway's excellent organistOrganist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
Kåre Nordstoga
Kåre Nordstoga
Kåre Nordstoga is a Norwegian organist.Nordstoga had his early studies under Harald Aune and Odd Jacob Unhammer in Notodden where he grew up. He went on to study at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, where his teachers included Kaare Ørnung, Søren Gangfløt, Magne Elvestrand and Bjørn Boysen...
, the internationally known author Hans Herbjørnsrud
Hans Herbjørnsrud
Hans Herbjørnsrud is a Norwegian author of short stories. His works frequently play with the differences between Norwegian languages Bokmål and Nynorsk and the various Norwegian dialects...
who was born in Heddal
Heddal
Heddal is a village and parish in Notodden municipality in Telemark County, Norway.- History :The parish of Hitterdal was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . Notodden was separated from Heddal both as a city and a municipality of its own, in 1913. Heddal was subsequently merged with...
, and the Hardanger fiddle
Hardingfele
A Hardanger fiddle is a traditional stringed instrument used originally to play the music of Norway. In modern designs, the instruments are very similar to the violin, though with eight or nine strings and thinner wood...
maker Olav Gunnarsson Helland
Olav Gunnarsson Helland
Olav Gunnarsson Helland , Norwegian Hardanger fiddle maker from Bø in Telemark.He was the eldest of Gunnar Olavsson Helland's five sons, four of whom became violin makers...
(1875–1939) who many consider the finest of the twentieth century. Composer Klaus Egge
Klaus Egge
Klaus Egge was a Norwegian composer and music critic. His music, often called a stream of will, is characterized by polyphony and a strong rhythmical energy.-Music:...
, born 1906 in Gransherad
Gransherad
Gransherad is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway, located north-west of the city Notodden.Grandsherred was created in 1860 by the merger of the parishes Hovin in Tinn and Gransherad in Hjartdal. On January 1, 1886 Hovin was separated from Gransherad to form a municipality of its own...
, also lived in Notodden.
American blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
musician Seasick Steve
Seasick Steve
Steven Gene Wold, commonly known as Seasick Steve, is an American blues musician. He plays guitars, and sings, usually about his early life doing casual work.-Childhood and early life:...
, who is achieving fame in the United Kingdom, currently resides in Notodden.
Also, one of the most influential Norwegian black metal bands, Emperor
Emperor (band)
Emperor was a Norwegian black metal band formed in 1991. They dissolved in 2001, but reunited in 2006 and again in 2007 for a few festival dates and brief US tours. The group was founded by Samoth and Ihsahn .-Biography:...
, came from Notodden, as does Mortiis
Mortiis
Mortiis is a band from Notodden, Norway fronted by Håvard Ellefsen, who is also known as the namesake of the band. The name is a misspelling of the word 'mortis', which is the pronunciation used by the band. However, Mortiis started as the solo project of Ellefsen as a means to convey a story...
, Peccatum, Star of ash, Leprous
Leprous
Leprous is a Norwegian progressive metal band formed in 2001 in the metal town of Notodden, Norway, home of other bands such as Emperor, Ihsahn, Peccatum.-Biography:...
and Zyklon
Zyklon
Zyklon is the German word for Cyclone.It may also refer to:* Zyklon, a Norwegian industrial blackened death metal band.* Zyklon B, a pesticide ultimately used by Nazi Germany in gas chambers...
. Emperor's singer, Ihsahn
Ihsahn
Ihsahn is a Norwegian composer, guitar, bass, keyboard player and vocalist. He is best known for his work with Norwegian black metal band Emperor. He has appeared in Thou Shalt Suffer, up until March 4, 2006, played in Peccatum with his wife Ihriel , and now devotes himself to his solo project,...
, still resides in Notodden.
Twin towns — Sister cities
In 2008, Notodden city council decided to end the twin city agreements with Ilisalmi, Nyköping and Stelle. At the same time Suwałki was approved as a new twin city.The following cities are twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with Notodden: Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale, Mississippi
Clarksdale is a city in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 20,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Coahoma County....
, United States Suwałki, Podlaskie Voivodeship
Podlaskie Voivodeship
Podlaskie Voivodeship , is a voivodeship in northeastern Poland. It borders on Masovian Voivodeship to the west, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship to the northwest, Lublin Voivodeship to the south, the Belarusssian Voblasts of Grodno and Brest to the east, the Lithuanian Counties of Alytus and...
, Poland
Former twin cities of Notodden: Iisalmi
Iisalmi
Iisalmi is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Eastern Finland and is part of the Northern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is...
, Eastern Finland
Eastern Finland
Eastern Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Western Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered Russia.- History :...
, Finland Nyköping
Nyköping Municipality
Nyköping Municipality is a municipality in Södermanland County in southeast Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Nyköping....
, Södermanland County
Södermanland County
Södermanland County is a county or län on the south east coast of Sweden. It borders the counties of Östergötland, Örebro, Västmanland, Uppsala, Stockholm and to the Baltic sea....
, Sweden Stelle, Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony
Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...
, Germany
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...
- Notodden on FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
- 1908 in Notodden: Of course the workers must have houses, from Norsk HydroNorsk HydroNorsk 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...