Øystre Slidre Municipality


Øystre Slidre is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Heggenes. Other villages in the municipality include Hegge, Rogne, Volbu, Moane, Skammestein, Beito, and Beitostølen.
The municipality is the 120th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Øystre Slidre Municipality is the 221st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 3,311. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 2.9% over the previous 10-year period.
WWW oystre-slidre.kommune.no

General information

The municipality of Østre Slidre was established in 1849 when the old Slidre Municipality was divided into Østre Slidre Municipality and Vestre Slidre Municipality. On 1 January 1882, a small area of Vang Municipality was transferred to the neighboring Østre Slidre Municipality. On 1 January 1899, a small unpopulated area of Østre Slidre Municipality was transferred to Vestre Slidre Municipality.
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.
On 1 January 2021, the Skjelgrenda area of Vestre Slidre Municipality was transferred to Øystre Slidre Municipality.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Slidre farm since the old Slidredomen church was built there. The name is probably derived from the word which means "sheath". In 1849, the municipality was divided into two separate municipalities. The word was added to the beginning of the name. Thus, the meaning of the name Østre Slidre is " eastern Slidre". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Østre Slidre. On 11 September 1925, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Øystre Slidre, switching to a local dialect spelling for the same word.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 17 March 1989. The official blazon is "Plumetty azure and argent". This means the arms have a field that is covered with a plumetty pattern with alternating tinctures of blue and argent. The arms are designed to look like tiles made of slate. This recognizes that the slate industry was a formerly important industry in the area. Slate roofing was very common in Valdres. The arms were designed by Odd Karlberg. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has four parishes within Øystre Slidre Municipality. It is part of the Valdres prosti in the Diocese of Hamar.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
HeggeHegge Stave ChurchHegge1216
LidarLidar ChurchSkammestein1932
RogneRogne ChurchRogne1857
VolbuVolbu ChurchVolbu1820

History

Båtskaret is a narrow pass along the mountain Bitihorn where in medieval times people from the Øystre Slidre area dragged their boats through, therefore the name. A bit further into the mountain there is a big lake called Vinstre with a lot of fine trout. As a result of a dispute between people from Valdres and people from Gudbrandsdalen, they could not leave their boats behind. Therefore, they had to resort to dragging their boats through Båtskaret. According to local folklore, the dispute began in medieval times with a young bride being married to an old man and a knight stealing his way over the mountains to rescue her.
Hegge Stave Church was originally constructed around the year 1216 in the village of Hegge. It has been extensively rebuilt and is mostly post-reformation. It contains a fine altarpiece carved by Eistein Kjørn from Heidal between 1781 and 1782.

Geography

Øystre Slidre Municipality shares borders with Nord-Aurdal Municipality and Vestre Slidre Municipality in the south; Vang Municipality in the west; Gausdal Municipality, Sør-Fron Municipality, and Nord-Fron Municipality to the east; and up to the Valdresflya plateau at the border of Vågå Municipality in the north. Øystre Slidre Municipality is part of the traditional district of Valdres in central, southern Norway, situated between the Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal valleys. Øystre Slidre Municipality measures about on a north–south axis and on an east–west axis.
The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Øystre Rasletinden, located as a tri-point on the border with Vågå Municipality, Vang Municipality, and Øystre Slidre Municipality. About 73% of the land is over in elevation. More than 10% of the land is over above sea level. Some of the notable mountains in the municipality include Gråhøe, Store Kalvemellen, Kvernhøe, Rabalsmellen, Raslet, Rundemellen, Skaget, and Skarvemellen. The lowest points lie at above sea level. Lakes and rivers cover of the area. The largest lakes are Vinstre, Yddin, Vangsjøen, Javnin, Olevatn, Nedre Heimdalsvatn, Øyangen, and Sandvatnet/Kaldfjorden/Øyvatnet.

Government

Øystre Slidre Municipality is responsible for primary education, 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 Vestoppland og Valdres District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Øystre Slidre 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 Øystre Slidre 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:
  • 1849–1853: Tøllev Løken
  • 1854–1855: Endre Rogne
  • 1871–1875: Ole R. Skattebo
  • 1875–1887: Tollef Knudsen Liekren
  • 1888–1891: Knud O. Rogne
  • 1892–1904: Torstein Rogne
  • 1905–1910: G.H. Skattebo
  • 1911–1916: Ole Bustebakke
  • 1917–1925: Knut O. Alfstad
  • 1925–1931: Knut Ekkern
  • 1931–1941: Gullik K. Hovi
  • 1941–1945: John O. Mørstad
  • 1945–1947: Gullik K. Hovi
  • 1948–1955: Haldor Hegge
  • 1956–1959: Knut Bjørnstad
  • 1960–1963: Haldor Hegge
  • 1964–1975: Knut Bjørnstad
  • 1976–1979: Nils T. Windingstad
  • 1980–1991: Knut Bergo
  • 1992–1997: Terje Stenseng
  • 1997–1999: Ola Fjelltun
  • 1999–2003: Ove Skaret
  • 2003–2011: Gro Lundby
  • 2011–2019: Kjell Berge Melbybråten
  • 2019–2023: Odd Erik Holden
  • 2023–present: Bjarne Budal

Economy

Because of the rugged landscape, farming is only possible on a small scale, but this is still one of the main sources of income. There are only about of agricultural land in the municipality. About 85% of farmers in the municipality use the high mountain pastures in the summer time.
The winter sports resort of Beitostølen, host to World Cup events in biathlon and cross-country skiing, is located here. It is the biggest tourist area in the municipality, and provides a large fraction of the municipality's income.

Notable people