Dovre Municipality


Dovre 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 Dovre. Other villages in Dovre include Dombås and Hjerkinn.
The municipality is the 69th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Dovre Municipality is the 252nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,516. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 7.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Dovre was established in 1861 when it was separated from the large Lesja Municipality. Initially, the new municipality had 2,537 residents. On 1 January 1970, the three western farms at Bergsengseter were transferred from Dovre Municipality to the neighboring Folldal 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.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Dovre farm since the first Dovre Church was built there. The name belongs to a group of Scandinavian toponyms that the Swedish linguist Elof Hellquist has derived from a Proto-Norse *đuƀra-, and linguists have further derived them from the old Proto-Indo-European root dʰub-/dʰup-, a root that is also attested in German Topel and Old Slavic dublŭ. There are several place names in Denmark, Norway and Sweden that are identified as related to Dovre:
;Denmark
  • Døvregaarde in the narrow valley Døvredal, in Bodilsker parish on Bornholm.
  • Dover a place with steep slopes in Lintrup parish in Haderslev amt.
  • Dovergaard located among deeply cut banks of a small stream, in Skipdsted parish near Aalborg.
  • Dover vestergaard, an old farm name, and the bay Doverkil, with hilly terrain, in Ydby parish, near Thisted.
  • Dover sogn a parish in Hjelmslev hundred in Århus amt. It has a hilly terrain with steep slopes.
;Norway
  • Dovre herred. ON Dofrar was originally the name of an old farm and it later became the name for the entire parish and municipality.
  • Dofrar was the name of a lost farm in Biri, but it survives in the name of a local meadow Dåvreænga.
  • Døvre, where the name is derived from dofrar and vin.
;Sweden
  • Dovra sjöar, which are three lakes in a fissure valley in Närke.
  • Ödesdovra, a farm located at the southernmost extension of the valley.
  • Dovern, a long and narrow inlet of the lake Glan in Östergötland, and there is a strait named Doversund and a farm named Doverstorp.
The name has also been given to giants in Scandinavian legends. The name has been given to the giant Dofri, at Dovrefjell, who was helped by Harald Fairhair and in return assisted him all his life. In Närke, the Dovra lakes were attributed to the giantess Dovra who wept for her husband.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 July 1986. The official blazon is "Argent, a muskox sable". This means the arms have a field has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a muskox that is black with yellow horn. It is displayed statant to dexter. The muskox is an animal typical for the northern parts of Canada, Alaska, and Greenland. It is not native to Norway, but in 1932, ten muskoxen were released near Dovre. The number has increased to around 300, and the animal is thus a typical symbol for the municipality. The arms were designed by Einar Skjervold. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes within Dovre Municipality. It is part of the Nord-Gudbrandsdal prosti in the Diocese of Hamar.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
DombåsDombås ChurchDombås1939
DombåsEystein ChurchHjerkinn1969
DovreDovre ChurchDovre1736

Dovre Church was built in 1736. The bell tower was added early in the 19th century. It was built based upon designed by Jesper Mikkelson Rusten. It was constructed of wood and has protected status.
Eystein Church in Dovre was built in 1969 as a church for pilgrims and travelers on the Pilgrim's Route. The church lies near the juncture of the boundaries of Innlandet and Trøndelag counties. Eystein Church is built of concrete using stone and sand brought from the Hjerkinn. The plans for the church were designed by architect Magnus Poulsson.

History

People have lived in what is now Dovre Municipality for about 6,000 years. In the Stone Age, they were primarily hunters and fishermen. Approximately 2,000 years ago, the first farms were developed at this location.
Dovre is mentioned in Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson. In 1021, King Olaf laid hold of all the best men, both at Lesja and Dovre, and forced them either to receive Christianity or suffer death, if they were not so lucky as to escape.
The Pilgrim's Route between Oslo and Trondheim in the 16th century passed through the Gudbrandsdal valley. After leaving the Lågen river valley the road passed over the Dovrefjell mountains into the present-day municipality of Dovre. The heavy stream of annual pilgrims who visited the shrine of St. Olaf in Trondheim prior to the Protestant Reformation resulted in the construction of mountain stations along the route where the pilgrims could find food and shelter. In speaking of this route, Gjerset quotes Peder Claussøn Friis as writing:
The Battle of Kringen took place in August 1612, just downstream of Dovre, where the Scottish force stayed on 24 August 1612.

Government

Dovre 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 Gudbrandsdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Dovre Municipality is made up of 17 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 Dovre 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:
  • 1861–1865: Thor P. Tofte
  • 1866–1867: Lars Hansen Lindsøe
  • 1867–1869: Hans O. Thomter
  • 1870–1871: Rev. Hans Matzau
  • 1871–1872: Gunder E. Talleraas
  • 1872–1874: Tollef Solberg
  • 1875–1876: Johan Jerkind
  • 1877–1881: Ole Ekre
  • 1882–1883: Thor T. Tofte
  • 1884–1887: Ole A. Hatrem
  • 1888–1891: Thor T. Tofte
  • 1892–1895: Thor Lie
  • 1896–1901: Edvard Olsen Landheim
  • 1901–1904: Bjørner Ekre
  • 1905–1907: Edvard Olsen Landheim
  • 1908–1910: Ole Ekre
  • 1911–1913: John Ruste
  • 1914–1922: Bjørner Vigerust
  • 1922–1924: M.E. Killi
  • 1924–1937: Albert Guddal
  • 1937–1941: T. Schanke
  • 1941–1945: Jakob B. Vigerust
  • 1945–1945: T. Schanke
  • 1946–1947: Albert Guddal
  • 1948–1955: Paul P. Enersgård
  • 1956–1962: Karl P. Schanke
  • 1962–1967: Erland Rykhus
  • 1968–1975: Martin Leren
  • 1976–1983: Gunder Bentdal
  • 1984–1991: Arne Kåre Os
  • 1992–1992: Harald Hammerstad
  • 1992–1995: Melvin Rykhus
  • 1995–2007: Erland Løkken
  • 2007–2018: Bengt Fasteraune
  • 2018–2019: Oddny Garmo
  • 2019–2023: Astrid Skomakerstuen Ruste
  • 2023–present: Magne Vorkinn

    Geography

The municipality is a very mountainous area. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Snøhetta. Most of the residents live in the lower valley areas along the Gudbrandsdalslågen river. The Dovrefjell, Rondane, Smiubelgen, and Sunndalsfjella mountains are all partially located within the municipality.
The municipality is bordered on the north by Oppdal Municipality, on the east by Folldal Municipality, on the south by both Sel Municipality and Vågå Municipality, and on the northwest by Lesja Municipality.

National Parks

  • Rondane National Park, which lies partially in Dovre, was the first Norwegian National Park, established on 21 December 1962. In 2003, Rondane National Park was enlarged and smaller areas of nature protection were opened or enlarged.
  • Dovre National Park lies primarily in Dovre, although part lies in Folldal Municipality. It was established in 2003. Dovre National Park covers an area of and the altitude varies from the tree line at to the peak of Storhøe. The park is located between Rondane National Park, which lies to its southeast, and Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park on its northwest.
  • Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park was founded in 2002 and encompasses part of the former Dovrefjell National Park area. It is and encompasses areas in Dovre as well as in adjacent Lesja municipality plus areas in Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. It includes the whole Dovrefjell mountain range.

    Climate

Dovre has a boreal climate with relatively low precipitation by Norwegian standards.

International relations

Dovre has sister city agreements with the following places: