Rollag
Encyclopedia
Rollag is a municipality
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...

 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
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 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 Numedal
Numedal
Numedal is a traditional district and valley Buskerud, Norway. Running north–south, it extends between Kongsberg in the south to Rødberg in the north, passing through the municipalities of Kongsberg, Flesberg, Rollag and Nore og Uvdal.. The river Numedalslågen, the third-longest in the country,...

. The municipality of Rollag was established 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...

). Nore og Uvdal
Nore og Uvdal
Nore og Uvdal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rødberg....

 was separated from Rollag in 1858.

The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rollag, although the most populated area in the municipality is Veggli
Veggli
Veggli is a village in the municipality of Rollag, in the county of Buskerud, Norway. It is located in the traditional district and valley of Numedal. Veggli is about 66 miles north of Kongsberg. It is situated on the Numedalslågen River. Its population in 2005 was 292. Veggli Church dates from 1859...

. Rollag is bordered in the north by Nore og Uvdal, in the east by Sigdal
Sigdal
Sigdal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestfoss. -Background:...

, in the south by Flesberg
Flesberg
Flesberg is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lampeland....

, and in the west by Tinn
Tinn
Tinn is a 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 Rjukan....

 (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).

Name

The municipality (originally the parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

) is named after the old Rollag farm (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....

: Roll(u)lag), since the first church was built here. The first element is probably (the genitive case
Genitive case
In grammar, genitive is the grammatical case that marks a noun as modifying another noun...

 of) a river name Rolla (now called the Troelva river) and the last element is lag which means "fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

 place". The meaning of the river name is unknown (maybe "the shivering").

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 from modern times. They were granted in 1993. The arms show two gold-colored lines on a red background. The lines represent an old warning cairn
Cairn
Cairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...

 made of timber.

Geography

The municipality lies in the heart of the Numedal
Numedal
Numedal is a traditional district and valley Buskerud, Norway. Running north–south, it extends between Kongsberg in the south to Rødberg in the north, passing through the municipalities of Kongsberg, Flesberg, Rollag and Nore og Uvdal.. The river Numedalslågen, the third-longest in the country,...

 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,...

 and 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...

, the westernmost valley in southeastern Norway. The river Numedalslågen
Numedalslågen
-Location:Numedalslågen stretches for over 250 kilometres through the counties of Vestfold and Buskerud, beginning at the Hardangervidda plateau and meeting the ocean at Larvik in Vestfold. Numedalslågen is one of Norway's longest rivers. The rivers runs through the municipalities Larvik, Lardal,...

flows through Rollag and into the Ytre Oslofjord
Ytre Oslofjord
Ytre Oslofjord is that part of the Norwegian Oslofjord which is south of Drøbaksund . Ytre Oslofjord stretches down to Færder fyr and west to Tjøme....

 at Larvik
Larvik
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....

.

In the northwest of the Rollag lie the Vegglifjell mountains
Vegglifjell mountains
The Vegglifjell mountains is a chain of mountains in Buskerud, County, Norway. The city of Rollag offers an entranceway into the Hardangervidda Norwegian National park and the mountains....

, which are an entryway into the Hardangervidda
Hardangervidda
The Hardangervidda is a mountain plateau in the Hardanger region of western Norway. It is the largest such plateau in Europe, with a cold year-round alpine climate and is the site of one of Norway's largest glaciers. Much of the plateau is protected as part of Hardangervidda National Park; it is a...

. The municipality's highest point is Storegrønut at 1289 metres (4,229 ft) located in the Vegglifjell mountains.

Rollag stave church

  • The Rollag stave church
    Rollag stave church
    Rollag Stave Church is a stave church in Rollag, Norway. The church is located a few kilometres north of the centre of the village Rollag. It was probably originally built in second half of the 12th century, though not much is left of the original church. Originally, the church has been a simple...

     (built around 1150-1200) is located a few kilometres north of the centre of Rollag. It was extended and windows were added in 1652. A new Apse
    Apse
    In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...

     was added in 1666. The transept
    Transept
    For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...

     was constructed in 1697-1698. A gallery was added in 1702. The sacristy
    Sacristy
    A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...

     was built in 1739. A Baroque
    Baroque
    The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

     pulpit was added in 1763.

Sister cities

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 Rollag: Jokioinen
Jokioinen
Jokioinen is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Tavastia Proper region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...

, Southern Finland
Southern Finland
Southern Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Finland and Russia.- History :...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...


External links

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