# Nord-Aurdal

Nord-Aurdal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town Fagernes. Other urban centres in Nord-Aurdal include the villages of Aurdal, Leira, and Skrautvål. The municipality is served by Fagernes Airport, Leirin. In Nord-Aurdal, there is an alpine skiing center called Valdres Alpinsenter.
The 906-square-kilometre (350 sq mi) municipality is the 128th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Nord-Aurdal is the 152nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 6,401. The municipality's population density is 7.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (19/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0.1% over the previous 10-year period.

## General information

The parish of Nordre Aurdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1894, the new Etnedal Municipality was established by merging the eastern valley area of Nordre Etnedal (population: 362) from Nordre Aurdal municipality and the Søndre Etnedal area (population: 1,331) from the neighboring municipality of Søndre Aurdal. On 1 January 1979, there was a border adjustment in an unpopulated area where part of Etnedal was transferred to Nord-Aurdal and another part of Nord-Aurdal that was transferred to Etnedal. Then on 1 January 1984, the unpopulated northern side of the Makalaus mountain was transferred from Sør-Aurdal to Nord-Aurdal.

### Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Aurdalen valley (Old Norse: Aurardalr) since it was a central geographic feature of the area. The first word in the name is nord which is essentially a prefix that means "north". The second word comes from the local valley name. The first element of that word is the genitive case of the old river name, Aur, now named Bøaelva. The river name comes from the word aurr which means "gravel". The last element of the second word is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Nordre Aurdal. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Nord-Aurdal. Both nordre and nord mean "north" (more specifically, "nordre" means "northern"), so the name Nord-Aurdal means "(the) northern (part of) Aurdal". (The Church of Norway parish of Aurdal that had existed for centuries was divided into two in 1805, just over 30 years before the parish borders were used to defin the new municipality that was established in 1838.)

### Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted by royal decree on 13 December 1985. The official blazon is "Or, three cinquefoils azure" (Norwegian: På gull grunn tre blå fembladingar, 2-1). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The charge is three five-petaled flowers. The arms show three blue flowers of the species Gentiana nivalis which are commonly called "Snow Gentian". The flowers, which are locally known as "the blue eyes of Christ", grow all over Norway, but they grow abundantly in this area. Three flowers were chosen to represent the three main settlements of the municipality: Aurdal, Fagernes, and Leira. This type of flower only opens in sunlight and heat, so it was chosen to symbolize being open and positive. The arms were designed by Bjørn Arnesen who based it off an idea by Ivar Aars. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

### Churches

The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Nord-Aurdal. It is part of the Valdres prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.
Churches in Nord-Aurdal :
| Parish (sokn) | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Aurdal | Aurdal Church | Aurdal | 1737 |
| Skrautvål | Skrautvål Church | Skrautvål | 1785 |
| Svenes | Strand Church | Synnstrond | 1735 |
| Tingnes | Tingnes Church | Fagernes | 1972 |
| Tisleidalen | Tisleidalen Church | Hovda | 1957 |
| Ulnes | Ulnes Church | Ulnes | 1250 |

## Geography

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Nord-Aurdal by country of origin in 2017 :
| Ancestry | Number |
| Lithuania | 81 |
| Poland | 73 |
| Romania | 62 |
| Netherlands | 38 |
| Syria | 36 |
| Eritrea | 34 |
| Denmark | 33 |
Nord-Aurdal municipality is located to the north of Sør-Aurdal Municipality, east of Etnedal Municipality and Gausdal Municipality, and south of Øystre Slidre Municipality and Vestre Slidre Municipality. To the west, it is bordered by Hemsedal Municipality and Gol Municipality in Buskerud county. Nord-Aurdal measures about 52.4 kilometres (32.6 mi) on the north–south axis and 43.3 kilometres (26.9 mi) on the east–west axis.
The municipality lies in the western side of Innlandet county. Although Fagernes is the administrative center of Nord-Aurdal, the village of Aurdal was the historic centre of the centuries-old Church of Norway parish of Aurdal. Nord-Aurdal is part of the traditional district of Valdres in the central part of southern Norway, situated between the valleys of Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal.
The highest point in Nord-Aurdal is the Duptjernkampen at 1,325 metres (4,347 ft). About 50% of the land is above 900 metres (3,000 ft). The Tisleifjorden and Aurdalsfjorden are large inland lakes that are located in Nord-Aurdal. The river Begna flows through the municipality as well, with the Strondafjorden being a large lake that the river flows through.

## Government

Nord-Aurdal Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

### Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Nord-Aurdal is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 2023–2027 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 5 |
| | Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 |
| | Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) | 1 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 9 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 21 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 2019–2023 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 6 |
| | Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 21 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 2015–2019 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 |
| | Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 3 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 2 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 2011–2015 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 |
| | Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 4 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 4 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 4 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 3 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 2007–2011 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 |
| | Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 6 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 2003–2007 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 |
| | Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 4 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 1999–2003 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 |
| | Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 2 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 4 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 1995–1999 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 4 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 1 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 1991–1995 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 9 |
| | Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 |
| | Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) | 2 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 1987–1991 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 12 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 5 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 6 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 1983–1987 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 |
| | Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) | 1 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 5 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 5 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 1979–1983 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 5 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 7 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 1975–1979 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 1971–1975 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 12 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 1967–1971 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 12 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 1 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 9 |
| | Liberal Party (Venstre) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal kommunestyre 1963–1967 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 12 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 |
| | Centre Party (Senterpartiet) | 8 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 1 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal herredsstyre 1959–1963 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 3 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 2 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 9 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal herredsstyre 1955–1959 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 11 |
| | Conservative Party (Høyre) | 2 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 9 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal herredsstyre 1951–1955 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 |
| | Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) | 3 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 12 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal herredsstyre 1947–1951 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 17 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 24 |
Nord-Aurdal herredsstyre 1945–1947 :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 10 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 15 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
Nord-Aurdal herredsstyre 1937–1940* :
| Party name (in Norwegian) | Party name (in Norwegian) | Number of representatives |
| | Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) | 8 |
| | Joint list of the Liberal Party (Venstre) and the Radical People's Party (Radikale Folkepartiet) | 1 |
| | Joint List(s) of Non-Socialist Parties (Borgerlige Felleslister) | 16 |
| Total number of members: | Total number of members: | 25 |
| Note: Due to the German occupation of Norway during World War II, no elections were held for new municipal councils until after the war ended in 1945. |||

### Mayors

The mayors of Nord-Aurdal:
* 1838-1839: Amund Wessel Kolderup
* 1840-1841: Thore S. Belgum
* 1842-1845: Torger Melbye
* 1846-1849: Amund Wessel Kolderup
* 1850-1853: Thore S. Belgum
* 1854-1859: Jean Marie L'Abee
* 1860-1865: Nils Frydenlund
* 1866-1881: Erik Kjørstad
* 1882-1901: Ole Skrutvold
* 1902-1907: O.T. Svennæs
* 1908-1913: Th. Aaberg
* 1914-1919: O.T. Svennæs
* 1920-1926: Erik Strand
* 1926-1945: Ivar Simensen
* 1946-1971: Asbjørn Granheim (Sp)
* 1972-1981: Nils T. Døvre (KrF)
* 1982-1987: Lage Westerbø (Sp)
* 1988-2003: Ola N. Døvre (Sp)
* 2003-2007: Svein Erik Hilmen (Sp)
* 2007-2011: Helge Halvorsen (Ap)
* 2011-2019: Inger Torun Klosbøle (Ap)
* 2019-present: Knut Arne Fjelltun (Sp)

## Attractions

The Valdres Folkemuseum is located just outside Fagernes and has large collections of old houses, textiles, and music instruments.
* Valdres Folkemuseum
* Valdres Museum
* Skattebustugu

## Notable people

* Knut Hamsun (1859–1952), a Norwegian author who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920
* J. C. M. Hanson (1864–1943), an American librarian and author
* Kaare Strøm (1902–1967), a Norwegian limnologist
* Olav Meisdalshagen (1903–1959), a Norwegian politician who was Minister of Finance from 1947-1951 and Minister of Agriculture from 1955-1956
* Asbjørn Granheim (1906–1977), a Norwegian politician who was mayor of Nord-Aurdal from 1945-1971
* Inger Helene Nybråten (born 1960), a former Norwegian cross-country skier, gold medalist at the 1984 Winter Olympics, and twice silver medallist at the 1992 & 1994 Winter Olympics
* Eldbjørg Hemsing (born 1990), a Norwegian classical violinist
* Guro Kleven Hagen (born 1994), a violinist, the 1st concertmaster at the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet
* Sylfest Glimsdal (born 1966), a former Norwegian biathlete who competed at three Summer Olympics

## International relations
### Twin towns — Sister cities

Nord-Aurdal has sister city agreements with the following places:
* - Kouvola, Etelä-Suomi, Finland
* - Lidköping, Västra Götaland County, Sweden
* - Skanderborg, Region Midtjylland, Denmark