() is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Stjørdal (also called Stjørdalshalsen). Some of the villages in the municipality include Elvran, Flornes, Hegra, Hell, Kvithammer, Prestmoen, Skatval, Skjelstadmarka, Sona, and Værnes.

The municipality is the 125th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Stjørdal Municipality is the 51st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 24,717. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 9% over the previous 10-year period.

The municipality is well-known for the village of Hell which is located south of Stjørdalshalsen. Hell is especially known for its train station, Hell Station, where you find the old sign saying ' (meaning "Cargo handling").

In 1997, the municipal council declared Stjørdalshalsen to have town status. Stjørdal is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Trøndelag due to its proximity to the city of Trondheim and also to Statoil's presence (it controls a large part of the petroleum activity in the Norwegian Sea from Stjørdal).

General information

thumb|left|Pedestrian street in Stjørdal town

The old prestegjeld of Stjørdalen was established as Stjørdalen Municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1850, Stjørdalen Municipality was divided into two new municipalities: Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality (population: 5,199) in the east and Nedre Stjørdalen Municipality (population: 6,543) in the west. Later, on 1 January 1874, Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality was divided into two new municipalities: Hegra Municipality (population: 3,409) in the west and Meråker Municipality (population: 1,861) in the east.

The present-day Stjørdal Municipality was established on 1 January 1902 when the old Nedre Stjørdalen Municipality was divided into three new municipalities: Lånke Municipality (population: 1,449) in the south, Skatval Municipality (population: 2,125) in the north, and Stjørdal Municipality (population: 3,158) in the central part. Originally, Stjørdal Municipality was quite small in comparison to its size today, but over time it was expanded. Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Stjørdalen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Stjørdal. The pronunciation of the name Stjørdal in the local dialect is .

Coat of arms and flag

thumb|left|140px|Flag of Stjørdal

On 29 September 1983, by resolution of its municipal council, Stjørdal adopted a new municipal coat of arms in red and gold, bearing a gold or yellow Lindworm (a two-legged dragon or wyvern) on a field of red. The arms were granted on 25 November 1983. Most Norwegian municipalities have a banner of their respective coats of arms as a flag, and accordingly, the municipal flag of Stjørdal similarly bears a yellow wyvern on a red field.

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Steinvikholm slott.JPG|Steinvikholm Castle in Stjørdal where the last archbishop of Norway resided

Skatval Station 1945.JPG|8 May 1945 following years of German occupation

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Government

Stjørdal 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 Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council () of Stjørdal Municipality is made up of 37 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 Stjørdal 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:

  • 1902–1907: Bernhard Øverland (V)
  • 1908–1910: Peter Andreas Hofstad (V)
  • 1911–1925: Nils M. Vaagland (V)
  • 1926–1934: Marius Stokke (Bp)
  • 1935–1937: Gustav Johnsen (V)
  • 1938–1941: Peder Bjerve (V)
  • 1941–1942: Agnar Nordback (NS)
  • 1942–1944: Reidar Foss (NS)
  • 1944–1945: Arnt Hegstad (NS)
  • 1945–1945: Peder Bjerve (V)
  • 1946–1951: Arne Holtesmo (Ap)
  • 1952–1955: Johan A. Vikan (Bp)
  • 1956–1959: Joar Eimhjellen (Ap)
  • 1960–1966: Johan A. Vikan (Sp)
  • 1966–1967: Lars Bidtnes (V)
  • 1968–1975: Karl Eidsvik (Sp)
  • 1976–1979: Kaare J. Forø (V/DNF)
  • 1980–1985: Håvard Alstadheim (V)
  • 1986–1993: Alf Daniel Moen (Ap)
  • 1994–1995: Einar Wollebæk Andersen (H)
  • 1995–1999: Alf Daniel Moen (Ap)
  • 1999–2013: Johan Arnt Elverum (Sp)
  • 2013–2022: Ivar Vigdenes (Sp)
  • 2022–present: Eli Arnstad (Sp)

Geography

right|thumb|Part of Stjørdal valley in mid-May

Stjørdal Municipality consists of the lands from the old Skatval Municipality, Hegra Municipality, and Lånke Municipality. The Stjørdalselva river runs through the Stjørdalen valley, with the Skatval peninsula on the northern side. The Forbordsfjellet mountain sits in the northern part of the municipality. The Skarvan and Roltdalen National Park lies in the eastern part of the municipality, as is a tiny part of the lake Feren. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Storskarven, a tripoint border with Stjørdal Municipality, Meråker Municipality, and Selbu Municipality.

|source 2= NOAA-WMO averages 91-2020 Norway

Birdlife

The Stjørdal area has a rich bird life with well over 260 recorded species and several good birding localities. Though Stjørdal can not boast of a long coastline (it's only long) some of best birding areas are to be found along Stjørdalfjorden. Halsøen is virtually situated near the centre of Stjørdal, and can be easily viewed from a number of advantage points from route E6 in the east or Langøra in the west. Formed by the old river outlet, this tidal area is well worth checking. Due to the shallow waters and extensive areas of mud at low tide, Halsøen is used both as a wintering area and a migration stopover point by many species.

Culture

Kimen kulturhus is a culture house that opened in 2015, which includes a 3-auditorium cinema, a public library, and concert halls.

The radio station Radio Trøndelag is based in Stjørdal, which broadcasts programming targeted to rural Trøndelag audiences, and is the only significant radio station in the Trondheim metropolitan area that still broadcasts on FM.

Sports-wise, the southern farming-based district (the former Lånke Municipality) is the place of the Lånkebanen, a rallycross complex that hosts annual rounds of the FIA World Rallycross Championship and the FIA European Rallycross Championship. The municipality's primary sports team is IL Stjørdals-Blink, whose men's football team currently plays in the 2. divisjon.

Transportation

thumb|Trondheim Airport Værnes

Stjørdal is a regional transportation centre that is near the regional airport, Trondheim Airport, Værnes, as well as port facilities, European route E6, European route E14, and the Nordland Line going through the municipality from Trondheim to Bodø with stops at Hell Station, Trondheim Airport Station, Stjørdal Station, and Skatval Station. In addition, the Meråkerbanen railway line goes from Hell east to Åre Municipality in Sweden. Stations on that railway line include Hell Station, Hegra Station, Sona Station, and Flornes Station.

Regional bus services connect Stjørdal to Trondheim, Melhus, Orkanger, Steinkjer and Selbu 7 days a week, while two local routes connecting downtown Stjørdal with its northern and southern neighbourhoods run 6 and 5 days a week respectively.

Notable people

Public service and public thinking

130px|thumb|Ole Vig

130px|thumb|Marit Arnstad, 2009

  • Petter Johnsen Ertzgaard (1784 in Stjørdal – 1848), a farmer, elected official, military officer, and representative at the Norwegian Constitutional Assembly
  • Ole Vig (1824 in Kvithammer – 1857), a Norwegian teacher, poet, non-fiction writer, magazine editor, and early proponent of universal public education
  • Olaf Alfred Hoffstad (1865 in Stjørdal – 1943), a botanist, writer, school principal, and politician
  • Andreas Fleischer (1878 in Hegra – 1957), a theologian, missionary to China, and Bishop of Diocese of Bjørgvin
  • Johan Peter Trøite (1880 in Hegra – 1977), a politician and Mayor of Hegra from 1937 to 1941
  • Jon Leirfall (1899 in Hegra – 1998), a Norwegian politician and Mayor of Hegra from 1959 to 1961
  • Alf Amble (1909–1950), a petty criminal, anti-Semitic activist, writer, and Nazi sympathiser in WWII who was brought up in Stjørdal
  • Petter Jakob Bjerve (1913 in Stjørdal – 2004), an economist, statistician, politician, director of Statistics Norway from 1949 to 1980, and president of the International Statistical Institute from 1971 to 1975
  • Reidar Kvaal MC (1916 in Stjørdal – 2016), a Norwegian military officer who fought in Kompani Linge
  • Håvard Alstadheim (1936 in Stjørdal – 1998), an economist, politician, and Mayor of Stjørdal from 1980 to 1985
  • Arnstein Øverkil (1937 in Hegra – 2014), a Norwegian police chief, freemason, and civil servant
  • Alf Daniel Moen (born 1950 in Hegra), a forester, politician, and Mayor of Stjørdal from 1986–1994 and 1995–1999
  • Eli Arnstad (born 1962 in Stjørdal), a Norwegian civil servant, sports official, and politician
  • Marit Arnstad (born 1962 in Stjørdal), a Norwegian lawyer and politician

130px|thumb|Kjell Arnljot Wig, 2009

The Arts

  • Kjell Arnljot Wig (1924 in Stjørdal – 2015), a Norwegian media personality and TV host
  • Mona Grudt (born 1971 in Stjørdal), a TV host, model, editor, and Miss Universe 1990
  • Bjørn Marius Hegge (born 1987 in Elvran), a jazz musician and composer who plays upright bass and guitar

Sport

  • Tor Richter (1938 in Stjørdal – 2010), a sports shooter who competed at the 1960 Summer Olympics
  • Arild Holm (born 1942 in Stjørdal), an alpine skier who competed at the 1964 Winter Olympics
  • Kjell Alseth (born 1960 in Stjørdal), a Norwegian football FIFA referee
  • Fredrik Midtsjø (born 1993 in Stjørdal), a Norwegian footballer with 230 club caps

Twin towns – sister cities

Stjørdal is twinned with:

  • Karstula, Finland

References

  • Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway