Meråker Municipality


Meråker is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Midtbygda which is about west of Storlien in Sweden and east of the town of Stjørdalshalsen in neighboring Stjørdal Municipality. Other villages in the municipality include Gudåa, Kopperå, and Stordalsvollen.
The municipality is the 80th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Meråker Municipality is the 259th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,454. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 3.9% over the previous 10-year period.
The municipality markets itself as a recreational area. The main areas of employment are in industry and agriculture. The municipality is noted for its characteristic dialect.
WWW meraker.kommune.no

General information

The municipality of Meråker was established on 1 January 1874 when the old Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality was divided into two: Hegra Municipality in the east and Meråker Municipality in the west. The municipal borders have not changed since then. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.

Name

The municipality is named after the old Meråker farm since the first Meråker Church was built there. The meaning of the first element is uncertain. The last element is which means "field" or "acre". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Meraker. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Meraaker. On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Meraaker with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Meråker, using the letter å was instead.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, a cart argent". This means the arms have a red field and the charge is a mining cart. The mining cart 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 design was chosen to symbolize the fact that mining has traditionally played a major role in the area and has been of great economic importance for Meråker. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish within Meråker Municipality. It is part of the Stjørdal prosti in the Diocese of Nidaros.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
MeråkerMeråker ChurchMidtbygda1874
MeråkerKopperå ChapelKopperå1936
MeråkerStordalen ChapelStordalsvollen1863

History

Meråker Smelter

In 1898, a carbide factory was opened at Kopperå, later this factor was rebuilt as a silicon smelter. The smelter was in operation until June 2006. Its main product was microsilica which is used as an additive to cement.

Geography

Meråker is a landlocked municipality in the central part of Trøndelag county. To the north is Verdal Municipality, to the west is Stjørdal Municipality, to the south is Selbu Municipality and Tydal Municipality, and to the east is Åre Municipality in Sweden.
There are three major lakes in Meråker: Feren, Fjergen, and Funnsjøen. The river Stjørdalselva runs through the municipality towards the Trondheimsfjord. The river Rotla begins in the southern part of Meråker. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Fongen, a tripoint on the border of Meråker Municipality, Selbu Municipality, and Tydal Municipality.

Government

Meråker 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 Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Meråker 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 Meråker 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:
  • 1874–1877: Christian Erlandsen
  • 1878–1885: John Johnsen
  • 1886–1887: Iver Lie
  • 1888–1893: Fredrik Rø
  • 1894–1897: O. Hugdahl
  • 1898–1907: Fredrik Rø
  • 1908–1910: Carl Olaf Iversen
  • 1911–1913: Olav Stubban
  • 1914–1916: Ole E. Wollan
  • 1917–1922: Peder J. Myrmo
  • 1923–1925: Arne Bergsaas
  • 1926–1937: Kristian Rothaug
  • 1938–1939: Joar Eimhjellen
  • 1939–1941: Alf Karlsen
  • 1942–1942: Arild Solberg
  • 1943–1945: Alf Hembre
  • 1945–1966: Alf Karlsen
  • 1967–1973: Johnny Stenberg
  • 1973–1995: Svein Brækken
  • 1995–2015: Bård Langsåvold
  • 2015–2019: Kari Anita Furunes
  • 2019–2023: Kjersti Kjenes
  • 2023–present: Kari Anita Furunes

Transportation

The European route E14 highway runs east to west through the municipality connecting to Trondheim Airport, Værnes about to the west. The Meråker Line railway follows the E14 through the municipality also, with stops at Kopperå Station, Meråker Station, and Gudå Station.

Media

The newspaper Meråkerposten has been published in Meråker since 1982.

Notable people

Sport