Fagernes

Fagernes
Fagernes
Town/City
	View of the town
	Fagernes Fagernes
	Coordinates: 60°59′09″N 9°13′56″E / 60.98586°N 9.23227°E
Country	Norway
Region	Eastern Norway
County	Innlandet
District	Valdres
Municipality	Nord-Aurdal Municipality
Established as
Town (By)	8 Sept 2007
Area
• Total	2 km2 (0.8 sq mi)
Elevation	360 m (1,180 ft)
Population (2024)
• Total	1,983
• Density	992/km2 (2,570/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code	2900 Fagernes

Fagernes^ⓘ^[4] is a town^[1] in Nord-Aurdal Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The town is the administrative centre of the municipality as well as the largest urban/commercial centre for the Valdres region. It is located just northwest of the village of Leira and about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south of the village of Skrautvål. The 2-square-kilometre (490-acre) town has a population (2024) of 1,983 and a population density of 992 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,570/sq mi).^[2]^[5]

Fagernes lies approximately 3 hours northwest of the capital city of Oslo, and is an important destination for tourism in Norway, due to good transportation connections and the nature in the surrounding Valdres valley, including the mountain areas such as Jotunheimen and Spåtind. The European route E16 highway runs through the town. The Strondafjorden lake lies on the south side of the town. Tingnes Church is located in the town.^[5]

History

On 14 June 2007 the municipal council of Nord-Aurdal Municipality decided to bestow town status on the large village of Fagernes. The decision came into force on 8 September 2007, when Fagernes celebrated the 150th anniversary of its establishment as a village.^[6]^[5]

Name

Fagernes is a compound word made up of fager which means "fair" or "beautiful" and nes which means "headland".

Climate

Fagernes has a boreal climate (subarctic), close to a humid continental climate. February–April is the driest season, while summer is the wettest. The all-time low −36.4 °C (−33.5 °F) was recorded January 1987, and the all-time high 32.3 °C (90.1 °F) was recorded in both July 2014 and August 1982. The average date for first overnight freeze (below 0 °C (32 °F)) in autumn is 25 September (1981-2010 average).^[7]

Climate data for Fagernes in Nord-Aurdal, Valdres 1991-2020 (358 m, extremes 1982-2020)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °C (°F)	11.6 (52.9)	12.2 (54.0)	15.2 (59.4)	21.5 (70.7)	27.5 (81.5)	31.3 (88.3)	32.3 (90.1)	32.3 (90.1)	26.3 (79.3)	21.7 (71.1)	14.9 (58.8)	11.3 (52.3)	32.3 (90.1)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	−3.9 (25.0)	−1.9 (28.6)	3.3 (37.9)	8.8 (47.8)	14.3 (57.7)	18.6 (65.5)	21.2 (70.2)	19.4 (66.9)	14.4 (57.9)	7 (45)	0.9 (33.6)	−3.3 (26.1)	8.2 (46.9)
Daily mean °C (°F)	−7.6 (18.3)	−6.7 (19.9)	−2.4 (27.7)	2.8 (37.0)	8.1 (46.6)	12.8 (55.0)	15.4 (59.7)	13.8 (56.8)	9.4 (48.9)	3.4 (38.1)	−1.8 (28.8)	−6.6 (20.1)	3.4 (38.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	−11.1 (12.0)	−10.4 (13.3)	−6.4 (20.5)	−1.3 (29.7)	3 (37)	7.8 (46.0)	10.7 (51.3)	9.7 (49.5)	6 (43)	1 (34)	−4.1 (24.6)	−9.6 (14.7)	−0.4 (31.3)
Record low °C (°F)	−36.4 (−33.5)	−34.4 (−29.9)	−29.5 (−21.1)	−18.2 (−0.8)	−4.9 (23.2)	−1.3 (29.7)	1.5 (34.7)	0 (32)	−4.4 (24.1)	−13.4 (7.9)	−23 (−9)	−27.7 (−17.9)	−36.4 (−33.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	44.6 (1.76)	26.9 (1.06)	25.1 (0.99)	27.2 (1.07)	55.7 (2.19)	67.2 (2.65)	87.1 (3.43)	88.6 (3.49)	54.6 (2.15)	52.1 (2.05)	53.8 (2.12)	39.9 (1.57)	622.8 (24.53)
Source 1: Norwegian Meteorological Institute^[8]
Source 2: NOAA-WMO averages 91-2020 Norway ^[9]

Notable people

Russian–Norwegian singer Erika Lundmoen was born in Fagernes.

References

^ ^a ^b In the Norwegian language, the word by can be translated as "town" or "city".
^ ^a ^b ^c Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 October 2024). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
^ "Fagernes, Nord-Aurdal". yr.no. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
^ "Informasjon om stadnamn". Norgeskart (in Norwegian). Kartverket. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
^ ^a ^b ^c Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (1 August 2025). "Fagernes". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
^ Kessel, Dag (15 June 2007). "Fagernes blir by". NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 4 July 2007.
^ "Første frostnatt – Yr". 25 September 2013.
^ "Eklima/met.no".
^ "NOAA-WMO normals Norway 1991-2020". Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.

External links

[town-1] In the Norwegian language, the word by can be translated as "town" or "city".

[ssb-2] Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 October 2024). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".

[3] "Fagernes, Nord-Aurdal". yr.no. Retrieved 15 September 2022.

[name-4] "Informasjon om stadnamn". Norgeskart (in Norwegian). Kartverket. Retrieved 31 August 2025.

[snl-5] Thorsnæs, Geir, ed. (1 August 2025). "Fagernes". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 1 September 2025.

[6] Kessel, Dag (15 June 2007). "Fagernes blir by". NRK (in Norwegian). Retrieved 4 July 2007.

[7] "Første frostnatt – Yr". 25 September 2013.

[8] "Eklima/met.no".

[9] "NOAA-WMO normals Norway 1991-2020". Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2023.

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