Rendalen Municipality
Rendalen is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bergset. Other villages in the municipality include Hanestad, Otnes, Sjølisand, Unset, Åkre, and Åkrestrømmen.
The municipality is the 13th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Rendalen is the 292nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,846. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 2.4% over the previous 10-year period.
General information
The municipality of Rendalen was established on 1 January 1965 when the old Ytre Rendal Municipality and Øvre Rendal Municipality were merged. On 1 January 1984, the unpopulated Spekedalen valley was transferred from Tynset Municipality to Rendalen.Historically, the municipality was part of Hedmark county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Innlandet county.
Name
The municipality is named after the Rendalen valley which is located in the municipality. The first element is which means "reindeer". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale". The river Rena runs through the valley and it is not known if the valley was named after the river or if the river was named after the valley. A nearby mountain Renafjellet also has a similar name.Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 2 June 1989. The official blazon is "Azure, two reindeer heads argent in pale". This means the arms have a blue field and the charge is two reindeer heads. 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. The design symbolizes the importance of reindeer farming in the community. The arms are a canting since the name Rendalen is derived from the word for reindeer. There are two heads to represent Øvre Rendal Municipality and Ytre Rendal Municipality which were merged in 1965 to form this municipality. The arms were designed by Arvid Sveen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.Churches
The Church of Norway has four parishes within Rendalen Municipality. It is part of the Nord-Østerdal prosti in the Diocese of Hamar.| Parish | Church name | Location of the church | Year built |
| Hanestad | Hanestad Church | Hanestad | 1926 |
| Sjøli | Sjøli Church | Sjølisand | 1914 |
| Ytre Rendal | Ytre Rendal Church | Otnes | 1751 |
| Øvre Rendal | Øvre Rendal Church | Bergset | 1759 |
Geography
The municipality has an area of which makes it the 2nd largest municipality in Southern Norway. The 11 largest municipalities are all in rural Northern Norway and they are followed by Ullensvang and Rendalen. Rendalen municipality is bordered on the northwest by Alvdal Municipality and Tynset Municipality, in the north by Tolga Municipality, in the east by Engerdal Municipality, in the south by Trysil Municipality and Åmot Municipality, and in the west by Stor-Elvdal Municipality.Rendalen municipality encompasses most of the Rendalen valley, a side valley of the large Østerdalen valley which dominates Eastern Norway. In addition, the municipality encompasses the northern part of the lake Storsjøen as well as the lakes Sølensjøen, Galtsjøen, Harrsjøen, and Lomnessjøen. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Sølen. Another notable mountain in the municipality is Elgspiggen. The rivers Glomma and Renaelva both flow through the municipality.
Government
Rendalen 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 Hedmarken og Østerdal District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.Municipal council
The municipal council of Rendalen 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 Rendalen 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:- 1965–1967: Erik Husfloen
- 1968–1977: Kjell Borgen
- 1978–1979: Otto Tobro
- 1980–1991: Steinar Berget
- 1992–1995: Sindre Undseth
- 1995–2007: Erling Myhre
- 2007–2019: Norvald Illevold
- 2019–present: Linda Døsen
Economy
Notable people
- Johan Reinhardt, a professor of zoology at Copenhagen University
- Gustav Storm, a historian and academic
- Jacob Breda Bull, an author, journalist, and editor
- David P. Kvile, a teacher, farmer, politician and teacher in Øvre Rendal
- Peder E. Vorum, an educator, politician, mayor of Ytre Rendal from 1913 to 1934, member of Nasjonal Samling in 1940, and collaborator during WWII who was convicted of treason in 1948
- Ottar E. Akre, an accordionist, composer, and educator
- Sigurd Akre-Aas, a fencer who competed at the 1924 and 1928 Summer Olympics
- Oddbjørn Hagen, a skier who competed at the 1936 Winter Olympics, gold medal winner in the Nordic combined, and twice silver medalist in cross-country skiing
- Kjell Borgen, a politician, former Minister of Transport, and secondary school teacher in Rendalen from 1962 to 1966
- Ola Otnes, an actor
- Guren Hagen, , a musician
International relations
Twin towns – Sister cities
Rendalen has sister city agreements with the following places:- - Aalborg, Region Nordjylland, Denmark
- - Liperi, Itä-Suomi, Finland
- - Orsa, Dalarna County, Sweden
Media gallery