Folldal is bordered on the north by Oppdal and Tynset municipalities, in the east by Alvdal municipality, in the south by Stor-Elvdal, Sør-Fron and Sel municipalities, and in the west by Dovre municipality. Mining at the Folldal mines was the main industry for Folldal's residents from the 18th century until the last mine related operation in 1993.
The 1,277-square-kilometre (493 sq mi) municipality is the 79th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Folldal is the 301st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,519. The municipality's population density is 1.2 inhabitants per square kilometre (3.1/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 8.2% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
General information
Winter in Folldal. Credit: Stiftelsen Folldal Gruver
Historically, the parish of Folldal was a part of Alvdal Municipality since 1838 (see Formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1914, the parish of Folldal was separated from Alvdal to become a separate municipality. Initially, Folldal had a population of 2,284. On 1 January 1970, the three western farms at Børgsungsætri (population: 11) were transferred from the neighboring Dovre Municipality (in Oppland county) to Folldal Municipality (in Hedmark county). On 28 September 1990, a small, unpopulated part of Sør-Fron Municipality (in Oppland county) was transferred to Folldal Municipality (in Hedmark county).[6]
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Folldal farm since the first Folldal Church was built there. The first element comes from the name of the local river Folla which has an unknown meaning (perhaps something like "the broad one"). The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale".[7] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Folldalen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Folldal.[8]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 21 September 1988. The official blazon is "Gules, a pickaxe Orin bend issuant from base sinister" (Norwegian: I rødt en skrått framvoksende gull hakke). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a diagonal pickaxe. The pickaxe has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. This design was chosen to represent the mining and agriculture industries in the municipality. The pickaxe was an important tool of miners and thus symbolizes the mining industry, which was the reason for Folldal municipality to be established in 1914. There was mining activity in the Folldal area from 1748 until 1993. The pickaxe also stands for farming as it was an essential tool in clearing the ground for farms in Folldal back when the area was first settled. The arms were designed by Sverre Morken. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11][12]
The main Folldal Church was historically a satellite church of the nearby Lesja Church, as was the church at the iron ore mines at Lesjaverk (Lesja Iron Works). Per Berg reports,
"When the sexton Ola Kring died in Lesja in 1751, Frederik Wiborg was appointed sexton there and was presented to the congregation on the third Sunday following Trinity. There certainly wasn't anything very special about being a teacher in Ringsaker, if he was willing to change that for being a sexton. No house or land went with the post and the work was hard. In the Lesja parish there were three satellite churches - Lesjeverk, Dovre, and Folldal. The travel distances were great and it could be very difficult in the winter."[13]
History
Interior view of the Gammelgruva mine.
Mining has been important to Folldal's development from the 18th century to the present. The Folldal works (Norwegian: Folldal Verk) was founded in 1748. Folldal's main copper mine, Gammelgruva, also opened in 1748. The mine employed up to 550 people. Until 1878, ore was transported by horse-drawn vehicles to the Lovise smelter located in neighboring Alvdal municipality. From 1878 to 1906 there was a lull in operations. Operations were restarted in 1906 when ore was transported by a 34-kilometre (21 mi) long cable car (Northern Europe's longest) to the smelter. The main mine played out and was closed in 1941. Smelting continued using ore from several other deposits in the area until 1968. Then the mining and ore dressing moved to Tverrfjellet at Hjerkinn, in neighboring Dovre municipality, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) from Folldal. The business was closed in 1993.
The municipal council(Kommunestyre) of Folldal is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Train with tourists heading into the mine. Reprinted with permission from Foundation Folldal Mines
Folldal is located along the northern border of Innlandet county. It is bordered in the northwest by Oppdal (in Trøndelag county). The rest of the surrounding municipalities are all in Innlandet county. The municipality of Tynset lies to the northeast, Alvdal is to the east, Stor-Elvdal is to the southeast, Sør-Fron and Sel are to the south, and Dovre is to the west.
Folldal Municipality is notable because the village of Folldal, its administrative center, has the highest elevation (712.5 metres or 2,338 feet above sea level) of all administrative centres in Norway. The village has picturesque scenery with mountains and valleys. The village lies at the foot of Rondeslottet mountain and Snøhetta mountain.
The area also has many interesting geologic features from the last Ice Age. Norway's longest seter valley, the 55-kilometre (34 mi) long Einunndalen, lies within the municipality. The Einunndalen valley is still actively used for summer grazing at the seters (mountain summer farms) established in the 1700s. Almost half of the municipal land is protected as conservation areas and national parks, including parts that are included in the Rondane National Park and Dovre National Park.
Folldal has a subarctic climate (Dfc) with short, cool summers and long, cold winters. Situated in a mountain valley on the southern, continental side of the Dovre mountain range at 694 metres (2,277 ft) above sea level, it has the coldest winters in the southern half of Norway.
Climate data for Folldal Mean average temperatures and precipitation (694 m).
Folldal offers a wide variety of outdoor activities. Hiking is good with marked trails and several cabins to visit. Fishing can be done in the rivers Folla, Einunna, or Glomma. The opportunities for hunting in the area are also good.
Notable people
Ivar Mortensson Egnund, 1924
Ivar Mortensson-Egnund (1857–1934), a Norwegian author, journalist, theologian, researcher, translator, writer, philosopher, and advocate of nynorsk who lived at Einabu in Folldal from 1894
Olav Dalgard (1898 in Folldal – 1980), a literary and art historian, filmmaker, author, and educator[38]
Tore Segelcke (1901–1979), an actress who spent many summers in Folldal after 1969[39]
Olav Odden (1914 in Folldal – 1969), a Norwegian skier, competed in cross-country skiing and Nordic combined at the 1948 Winter Olympics
Erling Brandsnes (born 1945 in Folldal), a Norwegian politician and mayor of Folldal from 1987-1999
Hans Einar Krokan (born 1945 in Folldal), a Norwegian physician and cancer researcher
Svein Borkhus (born 1955 in Dalholen), a Norwegian politician and mayor of Alvdal from 1999-2007 and from 2011
