Overhalla Municipality (original) (raw)

Municipality in Trøndelag, Norway

Municipality in Trøndelag, Norway

Overhalla Municipality Overhalla kommune
Municipality
Overhallen herred (historic name)
Flag of Overhalla MunicipalityFlagCoat of arms of Overhalla MunicipalityCoat of arms
Trøndelag within NorwayTrøndelag within Norway
Overhalla within TrøndelagOverhalla within Trøndelag
Coordinates: 64°30′28″N 11°53′38″E / 64.50778°N 11.89389°E / 64.50778; 11.89389
Country Norway
County Trøndelag
District Namdalen
Established 1 Jan 1838
• Created as Formannskapsdistrikt
Administrative centre Ranemsletta
Government
• Mayor (2021) Hege Kristin Kværnø Saugen (Sp)
Area
• Total 730.05 km2 (281.87 sq mi)
• Land 689.34 km2 (266.16 sq mi)
• Water 40.71 km2 (15.72 sq mi) 5.6%
• Rank #155 in Norway
Highest elevation[1] 726.51 m (2,383.56 ft)
Population (2024)
• Total 3,924
• Rank #205 in Norway
• Density 5.4/km2 (14/sq mi)
• Change (10 years) Increase +5.1%
Demonym Overhallning[2]
Official language[3]
• Norwegian form Neutral
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code NO-5047[4]
Website Official website
Data from Statistics Norway

Overhalla is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Namdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ranemsletta (also called Overhalla). Other villages include Melen, Hunn, Skogmo, Svalia, and Øysletta.

The population is concentrated in the relatively broad Namsen river valley at the center. Public services, agriculture, and tourism are the main sources of income. Overhallahus (a house building company) and Pharmaq (a fish vaccine factory) are both located in the municipality.

The 730-square-kilometre (280 sq mi) municipality is the 155th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Overhalla is the 205th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,924. The municipality's population density is 5.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (15/sq mi) and its population has increased by 5.1% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]

General information

[edit]

View of Overhalla in the mid-20th century

Ranem Church

The municipality of Overhalla was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee, although Overhalla's borders were only slightly modified. On 1 January 1964, the Galguften and Hauknes area (population: 15) of Høylandet Municipality (on the southern shore of the lake Eidsvatnet) was transferred to Overhalla Municipality.[7]

On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.

The municipality (originally the parish) is named Overhalla (Old Norse: œfri hálfa), an old name for the area. Historically, the Namdalen district was divided in two parts: "the upper half" and "the lower half". The first element comes from the word efri which means "upper". The last element derives from the word halfr which means "half". Thus, the name means "the upper half (of Namdalen)". The municipality of Overhalla today is, however, just a fraction of the old part of what was historically considered œfri hálfa.[8] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Overhallen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Overhalla.[9]

The coat of arms was granted on 2 June 1989. The official blazon is "Or, sevense crosses gules in annulo" (Norwegian: I gull sju røde kors som danner en sirkel). 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 a circular arrangement of seven greek crosses. The design was inspired by a 1344 seal used by local peasants on a document regarding the coronation of King Håkon Magnusson. The seal depicts a building topped with a cross similar to those on the coat of arms and at the local Ranem Church. The arms were designed by Harald Ekseth. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[10][11][12]

View of the river Namsen

The municipality includes part of the lake Eidsvatnet, from which the river Bjøra flows into the river Namsen, which runs from the east to the west. By the time it reaches the border with Namsos Municipality, the river Namsen is already brackish and influenced by the tides the ocean. The river Nordelva also empties into the estuary here. On the south side of the Namsen river, there is an area of mountains and mountain lakes. The highest point in the municipality is the 726.51-metre (2,383.6 ft) tall mountain Reinsjøfjellet.[1] The Bangsjøene lakes form the border with Snåsa Municipality. The western approaches to Geitfjell lies in Overhalla Municipality, while the summit lies in Grong Municipality. The southern tip of the lake Storgrønningen lies in Overhalla Municipality, while the vast majority of the lake lies in Høylandet Municipality.

Overhalla 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.[13] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Overhalla 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.

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Overhalla is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:[33]

The historic Namsos Line railway traversed the municipality on its way from Grong to Namsos, but the line was closed to passenger traffic in 1978. Freight traffic on the line was discontinued in 2002. The Norwegian County Road 17 also crosses the municipality.

There are 38 grave mounds in the Hunn area. The Olamo-haugen is the largest of those. The other ones have been dated to years 600 to 800 Common Era, just before the Viking Age. During the construction of a school in Hunn, the Olamo-haugen mound was uncovered and studied. About 300 square metres (3,200 sq ft) or about one-third of the mound was excavated by the time the dig was concluded (in 2022).[35]

The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within Overhalla Municipality. It is part of the Namdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

Churches in Overhalla

Parish (sokn) Church name Location of the church Year built
Ranem Ranem Church Ranemsletta 1187
Skage Skage Church Skage 1903

Inge Ryan, 2013

Trine Skei Grande, 2019

  1. ^ a b "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. 16 January 2024.
  2. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  3. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  4. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (9 January 2024). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon.
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  7. ^ Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  8. ^ Rygh, Oluf (1903). Norske gaardnavne: Nordre Trondhjems amt (in Norwegian) (15 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 306.
  9. ^ "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1917. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norge: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 1057–1065. 1917.
  10. ^ "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Overhalla, Nord-Trøndelag (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  12. ^ "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 18 August 1989. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  13. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Trøndelag Trööndelage". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  15. ^ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Trøndelag". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  16. ^ a b c d "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  17. ^ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2011 - Nord-Trøndelag". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  18. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  19. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  20. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  21. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  22. ^ "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  23. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  24. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  25. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  26. ^ "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  27. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1959" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1960. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  28. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1955" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1957. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  29. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1951" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1952. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  30. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1947" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1948. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  31. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1945" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1947. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  32. ^ "Kommunevalgene og Ordførervalgene 1937" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1938. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  33. ^ Groven, Gunnar (1990). Overhalla bygdebok bind VI - Bygdehistorie fra 1837 til etter siste verdenskrig (in Norwegian). Namsos: Overhalla kommune. pp. 39–42.
  34. ^ "Ordføreren i Overhalla" (in Norwegian). Overhalla kommune. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
  35. ^ Sandmo, Espen (23 October 2022). "Skadet gravhaug under skolebygging – nå må den bygges opp igjen". NRK.no (in Norwegian). Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  36. ^ Per Kvist at IMDb. Retrieved 11 October 2020.