Ringebu Municipality


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 Vålebrua. Other villages in the municipality include Fåvang and Brekkom.
The municipality is the 85th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Ringebu Municipality is the 195th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,447. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 1.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The prestegjeld of Ringebu was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. In 1864, the northern part of Ringebu Municipality was separated to become the new Sollia Municipality. On 1 January 1899, an unpopulated part of Ringebu Municipality was transferred to the neighboring Sollia 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 Ringebu farm since the old Ringebu Stave Church was built there. The first element was probably derived from the word ringr which means "ring". The last element is which means "farm", "estate", or "rural area".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 24 April 1992. The official blazon is "Gules, a three-tongued flame Or". This means the arms have a red field and the charge is a three-tongued flame of fire. The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. This represents the municipality's three valleys and three parishes: Ringebu, Fåvang, and Venabygd. Fire was chosen to represent the need for heat and light by all people. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes within Ringebu Municipality. It is part of the Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti in the Diocese of Hamar.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
FåvangFåvang Stave ChurchFåvang1630
FåvangFåvangfjellet ChapelGulhaugsætra1974
RingebuRingebu Stave ChurchVålebrua
VenabygdVenabygd ChurchVenabygd1780
VenabygdVenabygd ChapelVenabu1979

History

The stave church at Ringebu was built around the year 1220 and it is one of fewer than 30 surviving stave churches in Norway and is one of the largest.
About north of the church lies the old Hundorp farm which is the legendary home of Dale-Gudbrand. Dale-Gudbrand is mentioned in the Heimskringla by Snorri Sturluson. The account of King Olaf's conversion of Dale-Gudbrand to Christianity is popularly recognized.

Geography

Ringebu Municipality is bordered to the west by Sør-Fron Municipality, to the southwest by Gausdal Municipality, to the southeast by Øyer Municipality, and to the east and north by Stor-Elvdal Municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Muen, on the border with Stor-Elvdal Municipality.
The administrative center of Ringebu Municipality is the village of Vålebrua which is located at an elevation of above sea level in the valley along the river Gudbrandsdalslågen, but 50% of the area within the municipal borders lies at an elevation greater than above sea level. From Ringebu, two mountain passes provide road access into the Østerdal valley to the northeast; one of these is closed during the winter. Because these mountain areas reliably provide good snow conditions, the area is a popular tourist destination. The Kvitfjell ski area in Ringebu was expanded to serve as a downhill venue for the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Climate

Government

Ringebu 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 Ringebu 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 Ringebu 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:
  • 1838–1853: Vilhelm Fegth
  • 1854–1871: Nils Iversen Elstad
  • 1872–1873: Nils Johannessen Jevne
  • 1874–1877: John Kristiansen Mæhlum
  • 1878–1881: Ole Christian Elstad
  • 1882–1883: Nils Iversen Elstad
  • 1884–1893: Ole Christian Elstad
  • 1894–1897: Simen Kolstad
  • 1898–1899: Ole Christian Elstad
  • 1899–1910: Simen Kolstad
  • 1911–1913: Jon Nordrum
  • 1914–1925: Simen Kolstad
  • 1926–1928: Einar Vestad
  • 1929–1934: Johan Hustveit
  • 1935–1937: Einar Vestad
  • 1938–1941: Johan Hustveit
  • 1942–1945: Sigurd Mytting
  • 1945–1959: Asbjørn Haug
  • 1960–1967: Ole Ringen
  • 1968–1985: Birger Sæther
  • 1985–1995: Erik S. Winther
  • 1996–2007: Anders A. Fretheim
  • 2007–2011: Arnhild Baukhol
  • 2011–2015: Erik Odlo
  • 2015–present: Arne Fossmo

    Sister cities

Ringebu has sister city agreements with the following places: