Skjåk
Skjåk is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bismo. Most of the municipal residents live in the Billingsdalen and Ottadalen valleys along the river Otta. The local newspaper is named "Fjuken". The municipality is the 33rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Skjåk is the 269th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,021. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 5% over the previous 10-year period. General  information. The municipality of Skjåk was established on 1 January 1866 when the municipality of Lom was divided and the western part of the municipality (population: 2,691) became the new municipality of Skjåk (historically spelled "Skiaker"). The eastern part of the municipality (population: 3,299) remained as Lom. Name. The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old "Skjåk" farm (), since the first Skjåk Church was built here. The first element is "skeið" which means "a running track for horse racing" and the last element is "akr" which means "field" or "acre". Prior to 1889, the name was written "Skiaker , then from 1889-1910 it was spelled Skiaaker", from 1911-1920 it was "Skjaak", and since 1921 it has been written in its present form, "Skjåk". Coat of arms. The coat of arms was granted on 31 March 1989. It shows four white or silver-colored acanthus leaves on a blue background. This was picked to symbolize growth and strength. These symbols are found in many historic artifacts from around the area. Churches. The Church of Norway has two parishes () within the municipality of Skjåk. It is part of the Nord-Gudbrandsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar. Geography . Skjåk is the westernmost municipality in the Ottadalen valley. It is bordered to the north by the municipalities of Fjord, Rauma, and Lesja, in the east and southeast by Lom, in the south by Luster and in the west by Stryn and Stranda. The municipality lies along the Otta river between the mountainous areas of Breheim and Reinheim. Bismo is the modern population center and the location of the majority of industry and shopping as well as the municipal administration. The community is at the meeting point between Gudbrandsdalen and the mountains between the eastern parts of Norway and the  west coast. The municipality lies on a historically significant traffic artery between Stryn and Nordfjord, Geiranger, and Sunnmøre and the more easterly Ottadal municipalities of Lom and Vågå. The Breheimen National Park and Reinheimen National Park are both located in the municipality. Of the total area, is used for agriculture; for forestry; is covered by water (including the Breiddalsvatnet lake); and the rest is mountains and other non-arable land. Virtually the entire long valley floor is continuously, but sparsely, built up. Skjåk serves as a point of entry to the mountain areas just west; hunting and fishing are also  popular tourist activities. The municipality includes a number of large lakes including Aursjoen, Breiddalsvatnet, Grønvatnet, Langvatnet, Rauddalsvatn, and Tordsvatnet. The Breheimen mountains run through the municipality and the Holåbreen and Tystigbreen glaciers are located in those mountains. Climate. Nestled in a deep valley, the populated regions of Skjåk are rain shadowed and as a result are actually one of the most arid places in Europe with annual precipitation of about per year, but it avoids a steppe climate (Köppen "Bsk") by being too cold (mean annual temperature of ), thus having a low evapotranspiration rate, and having precipitation too spread out  (about 55% in summer). This gives Skjåk a subarctic climate (Köppen "Dfc"), thanks to low overall precipitation levels in summer. In addition, one side of the valley, "solsida" ("the sunny side"), has a southern exposure, whereas "baksida" (the "back side") gets very little sun. Agriculture has been enabled by elaborate irrigation systems for hundreds of years, so the area is green and productive rather than desert-like. History. Skjåk has historical roots back to the Viking Age and has a rich cultural heritage. An ancient route of travel between east and west went from Skjåk up through the Raudal valley  and down through the Sunndal valley to Stryn on an arm of the Nordfjord. For example, in 1197, according to King Sverre's saga, Bishop Nikolaus is reported to have sent a group of baglers from Oppdal over the mountains to Stryn on Nordfjord, via Raudal. Government. All municipalities in Norway, including Skjåk, are responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elects a mayor. The municipality falls under the  Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal. Municipal council. The municipal council of Skjåk is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows: Mayors. The mayors of Skjåk (incomplete list):