Vestre Toten Municipality


Vestre Toten is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Raufoss. Other villages in the municipality include Bøverbru, Eina, and Reinsvoll.
The municipality is the 288th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Vestre Toten Municipality is the 90th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 4.7% over the previous 10-year period.
WWW vestre-toten.kommune.no𝕏 TotenVestre

General information

Vestre Toten was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. On 1 January 1875, there was a border adjustment between Østre Toten Municipality and Vestre Toten Municipality. On 1 January 1908, the municipality was divided into three parts: Kolbu Municipality in the southeast, Eina Municipality in the southwest, and Vestre Toten Municipality in the north.
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the following areas were merged to form a new, larger Vestre Toten Municipality:
Historically, this 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 Vestre Toten after the district of Toten. The name is identical with the word Þótn which has an uncertain meaning, but it might be from the word þóttr which means "the pleasant district" or "something one likes". The parish of Toten was divided into two parts in 1825 and the first word, was added to signify that this was the "western" part, thus the name was Vestre Toten which means " western Toten".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 3 May 1991. The official blazon is "Vert, two knives argent in bend sinister points to base dexter". This means the arms have a green field and the charge is two knives that are lined up diagonally. 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 green color in the field symbolizes the local forests and agriculture and the knife was chosen since the area has a long tradition of wood carving and knife making. 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 Vestre Toten Municipality. It is part of the Toten prosti in the Diocese of Hamar.
Parish Church nameLocation of the churchYear built
EinaEina ChurchEina1890
RaufossRaufoss ChurchRaufoss1939
ÅsÅs ChurchBøverbru1921

Geography

Vestre Toten Municipality is located along the large lake Mjøsa. The municipality is bordered by Østre Toten Municipality to the east, Gjøvik Municipality to the north, Søndre Land Municipality to the west, and Gran Municipality to the southwest.
The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Lauvhøgda. The Hunnselva river runs through the lake Einavatnet and flows through the whole municipality before going into Gjøvik where it empties into the large lake Mjøsa.

History

According to the sagas, Halfdan Hvitbeinn was the first Yngling in Norway. He conquered Romerike, part of Hedmark, part of Vestfold, and Toten. He was killed in Toten around the year 740.
In 1021, according to saga, King Olaf converted Toten to Christianity. Also, King Håkon IV came to Toten around the year 1226 to settle local unrest.
Christian II was a Danish monarch and King of Denmark and Norway from 1513 to 1523 and also the King of Sweden from 1520 to 1521, under the Kalmar Union. Prior to becoming king, Duke Christian was sent to Norway in 1506 by John II, King of Norway to take charge of the kingdom. In 1507, he became aware of a revolt in Hedmark. In early 1508, he took a force there, routing the rebellion. He then rowed across lake Mjøsa to Toten, capturing residents, imprisoning them in the vaulted cellar of the rectory in Østre Toten and torturing them there. As a result, he determined that Bishop Karl of Hamar had been behind the rebellion. With Bishop Karl as his captive, he was able to suppress the unrest.
Toten was a part of Akershus county until 1756, when it became part of Christians county. Lauritz Weidemann, Corporal Peder Balke, and Nels Dyhren from Toten attended the 1814 constitutional convention at Eidsvoll Manor.

Government

Vestre Toten 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 Vestre Toten Municipality is made up of 31 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 Vestre Toten 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:
  • 1838–1843: Peder Tollefsen Hallingstad
  • 1844–1845: Johannes Johannessen Westrum
  • 1846–1847: Hans Lemmich Juell
  • 1848–1853: Wilhelm Christian Magelssen
  • 1854–1855: Christian Eilert Heyerdahl
  • 1856–1857: Johannes Johannessen Westrum
  • 1858–1865: Christian Grønland
  • 1866–1871: Lars Christiansen Blilie
  • 1872–1885: Ole Christian Præstesæter
  • 1886–1890: Peder Olsen Hohle
  • 1890–1891: L. A. Grefsrud
  • 1892–1893: Anton Jørgensen Røstøen
  • 1894–1895: Ole Christian Præstesæter
  • 1896–1901: Anton Jørgensen Røstøen
  • 1902–1907: Mathias Blilie
  • 1908–1916: Olav Larsson Gjørvad
  • 1917–1922: Peder Markus Hansen Nauf
  • 1923–1940: Severin Olsen
  • 1940–1942: Hans Henrik Petersen
  • 1942–1945: Ole Thorsrud
  • 1945–1945: Severin Olsen
  • 1946–1951: Helge Sunde
  • 1952–1955: Hans J. Kjelsberg
  • 1956–1979: Sigurd Østlien
  • 1980–1995: Svein Erik Strandlie
  • 1995–2011: Stein Knutsen
  • 2011–2019: Leif Waarum
  • 2019–2023: Stian Olafsen
  • 2023–present: Tonje Bergum Jahr

Economy

Farming and industry are important. Raufoss Aluminum is a major employer in the community. The Gjøvikbanen railway line passes through the community.

Notable people