Øyer 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 Tingberg. The two largest villages in the municipality are Granrudmoen and Tretten.

The municipality is the 182nd largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Øyer Municipality is the 182nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,134. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 0.7% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

left|thumb|Øyer town hall.

left|thumb|Painting of the Hov farm in Øyer by Fredrik Borgen (1895)

The parish of Øier (later spelled Øyer) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1867, a small area of Øier Municipality (population: 40) was transferred to the neighboring Gausdal Municipality. The borders of Øyer Municipality have not changed since that time.

Historically, the municipality was part of the old Oppland county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Innlandet county (after Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged).

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Øier farm ( / accusative case and dative case) since the first Øyer Church had been located there for centuries. The name comes from the word (nominative case). Two lakes in Norway had the name in Old Norse times (now called Øymark and Øyeren), and these names are derived from the word which means "flat and fertile land along the edge of the water". This name is probably given to this area because the Gudbrandsdalslågen river widens out in the central part of the municipality and creates two river-lakes (called the Jemnefjorden and Gildbusfjorden). was probably the old name of one (or both) of these "fjords". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Øier. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Øyer.

Coat of arms

thumb|left|View of a hegd which is the basis for the coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 29 April 1983. The official blazon is "Vert, a wooden staple argent" (). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a wooden staple or ). The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This is a type of ring or staple that was historically made of wood and it was used to fasten a tree trunk to a rope in order to haul it over the land. Similar devices were used all over Norway, but this particular shape is typical for this area. The arms were designed by Ola T. Rybakken. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms, but the staple design is off-center on the flag.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes () within Øyer Municipality. It is part of the Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|+ style="font-size:medium"|Churches in Øyer Municipality

!Parish ()!!Church name!!Location of the church!!Year built

|-

|rowspan="1"|Tretten||Tretten Church||Tretten||1728

|-

|rowspan="1"|Øyer||Øyer Church||Tingberg||1725

|}

History

The Black Death reached Norway in the winter of 1349-1350. The area that is now Øyer Municipality was one of the parishes that was most severely impacted. Estimates based on tax payments suggest that between 66 and 75% of all residents died. Many of the farms there became deserted farms (), which remained vacant until the late 17th century. The Tretten Church parish (which had been a separate parish from Øyer) was merged with the Øyer Church parish after the Black Death, because the decimated population of Tretten no longer could maintain their own priest.

Economy

{| style="float: right;" class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Øyer by country of origin in 2017

|-

!Ancestry!!Number

|-

| ||71

|-

| ||60

|-

| ||55

|-

| ||52

|-

| ||32

|}

Øyer has traditionally been a farming and logging municipality.

Recreation is increasingly important economically. Since it opened in 1989, the Hafjell Alpine Ski Center has grown to include 15 lifts (with an additional in construction) and 28 runs as well as extensive cross-country skiing runs. It is located in Øyer Municipality about from the town of Lillehammer, making it very accessible to a larger population. Tobogganing, luge, and bobsled racing (on the 1994 Olympic course) are also found in the area.

Government

Øyer 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 Gudbrandsdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Øyer Municipality 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.

Mayors

The mayor () of Øyer Municipality 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:

  • 1838–1843: Rev. H.C. Nissen
  • 1844–1859: Amund Østensen Tande
  • 1860–1861: Niels J. Skaaden
  • 1862–1863: Ole Bøe
  • 1864–1867: C.W. Bjerck
  • 1868–1871: Johannes Bøe
  • 1872–1873: Simen Skjønsberg
  • 1874–1885: Ole J. Moe
  • 1886–1897: Christian Hunder
  • 1897–1901: Ole Torgersen Gillebo (V)
  • 1902–1910: Christian Mageli
  • 1911–1916: Ole Torgersen Gillebo (V)
  • 1920–1922: Martin H. Lunke (Bp)
  • 1923–1925: Ole Torgersen Gillebo (V)
  • 1932–1934: John Vedum (Bp)
  • 1935–1941: Thor Mageli (Bp)
  • 1942–1945: Andreas Bjørge (NS)
  • 1945–1946: Thor Mageli (Bp)
  • 1946–1947: Ole Hageløkken (V)
  • 1948–1955: Erling Skjønsberg (Bp)
  • 1956–1959: Einar Bræin (V)
  • 1960–1975: Lars Bjerke (Sp)
  • 1976–1979: Geir Korslund (Ap)
  • 1980–1983: Einar Moe (Sp)
  • 1984–1987: Arne Bueie (Ap)
  • 1988–1995: Ola Prestegarden (Sp)
  • 1996–1999: Rigmor Aarø Spiten (Sp)
  • 1999–2007: Ole Hageløkken (Ap)
  • 2007–2015: Mari Botterud (H)
  • 2015–2019: Brit Kramprud Lundgård (Ap)
  • 2019–2023: Jon Halvor Midtmageli (Sp)
  • 2023–present: Anne Marie Sveipe (H)

Geography

Øyer Municipality is bordered by Ringebu Municipality to the north, Stor-Elvdal Municipality to the east, Ringsaker Municipality to the southeast, Lillehammer Municipality to the south, and Gausdal Municipality to the west. The municipality is divided into two parishes: Øyer in the south and Tretten in the north.

The municipality is located in the Gudbrandsdal valley, through which the Gudbrandsdalslågen river flows. The lake Losna is partially located in the municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Eldåhøgda, a tripoint on the border of Øyer Municipality, Ringebu Municipality, and Stor-Elvdal Municipality.

  • Färgelanda, Sweden
  • Muhos, Finland

References

  • Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway