Lesja is a
municipality|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in
Opplandis a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway.- Geography :...
county||-|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 431 municipalities...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
. It is part of the
traditional regionNorway is divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords, plains, or coastlines,...
of
GudbrandsdalGudbrandsdalen is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian fylke of Oppland. The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer at Lake Mjøsa, extending 230 km toward Romsdal...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lesja.
The
parishA parish is a territorial unit that was usually historically served by a local church. This administrative unit is typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches...
of
Lesje was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). The area of
DovreDovre is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Dovre. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dovre....
was separated from Lesja to become a municipality of its own in 1861.
Lesja is bordered in the north by the municipalities of
NessetNesset is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre is the village of Eidsvåg.Nesset was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
,
Sunndalis a municipality in the Nordmøre region located in the northeast part of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is bordered on the west by Nesset and Tingvoll, on the north by Surnadal, on the east by Oppdal, Sør-Trøndelag and on the south by Lesja, Oppland....
, and
Oppdalis a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Dovre region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Aune. Oppdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .-Name:...
; in the east by Dovre; in the south by
VågåVågå is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo....
and
LomLom is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fossbergom....
; in the southwest by
SkjåkSkjåk is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bismo...
; and to the west by
RaumaRauma is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The administrative centre is the village of Åndalsnes....
.
The
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
form of the name was
Lesjar (
pluralPlural, commonly abbreviated pl., is a grammatical number, typically referring to more than one of the referent in the real world. In the English language, singular and plural are the only grammatical numbers.-English:...
form).
Lesja is a
municipality|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...
in
Opplandis a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Sogn og Fjordane, Buskerud, Akershus, Oslo and Hedmark. The county administration is in Lillehammer. Oppland is, together with Hedmark, one of the only two landlocked counties of Norway.- Geography :...
county||-|Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 431 municipalities...
,
NorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country in Northern Europe occupying the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Jan Mayen and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard under the Spitsbergen Treaty...
. It is part of the
traditional regionNorway is divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords, plains, or coastlines,...
of
GudbrandsdalGudbrandsdalen is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian fylke of Oppland. The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer at Lake Mjøsa, extending 230 km toward Romsdal...
. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lesja.
The
parishA parish is a territorial unit that was usually historically served by a local church. This administrative unit is typically found in Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Church of Sweden, United Methodist, and Presbyterian churches...
of
Lesje was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt was the name for a Norwegian local self-government districts put into force in 1838. This system of municipality was created in a bill approved by the Storting and signed into law by King Carl Johan on 14 January 1837...
). The area of
DovreDovre is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Dovre. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dovre....
was separated from Lesja to become a municipality of its own in 1861.
Lesja is bordered in the north by the municipalities of
NessetNesset is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre is the village of Eidsvåg.Nesset was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...
,
Sunndalis a municipality in the Nordmøre region located in the northeast part of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is bordered on the west by Nesset and Tingvoll, on the north by Surnadal, on the east by Oppdal, Sør-Trøndelag and on the south by Lesja, Oppland....
, and
Oppdalis a municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Dovre region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Aune. Oppdal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 .-Name:...
; in the east by Dovre; in the south by
VågåVågå is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vågåmo....
and
LomLom is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fossbergom....
; in the southwest by
SkjåkSkjåk is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bismo...
; and to the west by
RaumaRauma is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region. The administrative centre is the village of Åndalsnes....
.
Name
The
Old NorseOld Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
form of the name was
Lesjar (
pluralPlural, commonly abbreviated pl., is a grammatical number, typically referring to more than one of the referent in the real world. In the English language, singular and plural are the only grammatical numbers.-English:...
form). There are two different interpretations of the meaning of the name. It might derive from
læs meaning "
pasturePasture is land with low-growing vegetation cover used for grazing of livestock as part of a farm, or in ranching or other unenclosed pastoral systems. Prior to the advent of factory farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses...
", or it is a shortened version of "Leirsjøar" meaning "muddy lakes", referring to two relatively large and shallow lakes which occupied the valley bottom until the late 19th century, when both lakes were drained in order to gain more
farmlandIn geography, arable land is an agricultural term, meaning land that can be used for growing crops. It is distinct from cultivated land and includes jungles that are not currently used for human purposes. Arable land covers an area of approximately 12 million square miles...
.
Coat-of-arms
The
coat-of-armsA coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways. Historically, they were used by knights to identify them apart from enemy...
is from modern times. They were granted on 23 January 1987. The form is meant to represent the
spireA spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from Anglo-Saxon, so it is related to "spear," rather than the Romance languages and "spirit."...
of Lesja church which is visible from far away.
Geography
Lesja is highly mountainous, and lies on the east-west watershed, with
LesjaskogsvatnetLesjaskogsvatnet is a lake which serves as the headwaters for Gudbrandsdalslågen . Gudbrandsdalslågen flows through the Gudbrandsdal valley bottom, ending in lake Mjøsa....
lake draining both west to the Rauma river and east to the
GudbrandsdalslågenThe Gudbrandsdalslågen river flows through Norway's Gudbrandsdal valley.The Gudbrandsdalslågen begins in the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet , which lies in Lesja municipality in Oppland. The Lesjavatn is the only lake in Norway which has two outlets; they flow into two of Norway’s more famous rivers...
river. The largest part (82%) of the community area is over above sea level, with the highest mountain peaks reaching above an elevation of in the northeast. The most populated areas lie between along the Gudbrandsdalslågen river and
highway E136European route E 136 as a European highway which goes from Ålesund up through the Romsdal valley and crossing into the upper Gudbrandsdal valley to end at Dombås. All of the road is in Norway....
. Abundant summer farms (
seterTranshumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock over relatively short distances, typically to higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Only the herds travel, with the people necessary to tend them...
or
sæter) are situated close to the treeline, both in the main valley and its tributaries. The summer farms were of major importance for farming until recently, but today only few are used in the traditional way, and mainly as grounds for grazing
dairy cattleDairy cattle are cattle cows bred for the ability to produce large quantities of milk, from which dairy products are made. Dairy cows generally are of the species Bos taurus....
and sheep. More than 400 lakes are situated within the municipality, mainly above treeline. The Norwegian
troutTrout are a number of species of freshwater and saltwater fish belonging to the Salmoninae subfamily of the Salmonidae family. Salmon belong to some of the same genera as trout but, unlike most trout, most salmon species spend almost all their lives in salt water...
is common both in lakes and rivers, even in lakes above above sea level. The landscape is
hummockA hummock is a boss or rounded knoll of ice rising above the general level of an ice-field, making sledge travelling in the Arctic and Antarctic region extremely difficult and unpleasant....
y in general, and owes its appearance mainly to erosion by the Scandinavian Ice Sheet during the last glacial period.
Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park
Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National ParkDovre-Sunndalsfjella National Park is a National Park in Norway. It was founded in 2002 to replace and enlarge the former Dovrefjell National Park, originally founded in 1974...
was founded in 2002 and encompasses part of the former Dovre National Park area, as originally founded in 1974. It is encompassing areas in Lesja and Dovre in Oppland as well as areas in
Sør-Trøndelagis a county in the area Trøndelag in Norway, bordering Nord-Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, Oppland and Hedmark. To the west is the Norwegian Sea , and to the east is Sweden. The county is separated into a northern and southern part by Trondheimsfjorden. Slightly over 200 000 of the population lives in...
and
Møre og Romsdalis a county in the northernmost part of Western Norway. It borders the counties of Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Sogn og Fjordane. The county administration is located in Molde, while Ålesund is the largest city.-The name:...
. It includes the
DovrefjellDovrefjell is a mountain range in central Norway that forms a natural barrier between Eastern Norway, Western Norway and Trøndelag, the area around Trondheim. As a result, it has been heavily trafficked during and probably preceding historical times...
mountain range.
Economy
The community is primarily agricultural. Recent censuses show over 40% of the residents in the community are in farming.
Rail service is provided by the
RaumabanenThe Rauma Line is the long stretch of railway from Dombås to Åndalsnes in Norway. The line is a sidetrack to the main line between Oslo and Trondheim, and it is not electrified. Raumabanen is the only railway extending into Møre og Romsdal county. There are five stations, of which three are...
, connecting with the
DovrebanenThe Dovre Line main line of the Norwegian railway system between Oslo and Trondheim, though the 64 km section south of Eidsvoll is the Gardermo Line, and the only high-speed line in the country. The line between Eidsvoll and Dombås is from old times the Eidsvoll–Dombås Line. The line from Støren...
at
DombåsThe village of lies in the Dovre municipality and serves as an administrative center in the upper Gudbrandsdal, Norway. It lies at an important junction of roads: south leading to the current capital of Norway, Oslo, west via Lesja leading to Åndalsnes on the sea and north to the old capital,...
in Dovre and extending to the terminus in
Åndalsnesis a Norwegian town in the municipality of Rauma, of which it is also the administrative center. Åndalsnes has around 3000 inhabitants, and is located on the shores of the Romsdalsfjord at the mouth of the river Rauma, one of Norway's first rivers to host English fly fishermen in the nineteenth...
on the
fjordGeologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:Fjords are formed when a glacier cuts a v-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Many such valleys were formed during the recent ice age...
in Møre og Romsdal County.
Lesja is located in a mountain region, comprising the south-westerly portion of the
DovrefjellDovrefjell is a mountain range in central Norway that forms a natural barrier between Eastern Norway, Western Norway and Trøndelag, the area around Trondheim. As a result, it has been heavily trafficked during and probably preceding historical times...
range. It is the site of the Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park, lies just north of Jotunheimen National Park and lies just west of
Rondane National ParkRondane National Park is the oldest national park in Norway, established on 21 December 1962. The park contains ten peaks above , with the highest being Rondeslottet at an altitude of . The park is an important habitat for herds of wild reindeer....
, so
tourismTourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel to and stay in places outside their usual environment for more than twenty-four hours and not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other...
and outdoor sports such as
skiingSkiing is a group of sports using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
are also important. The Bjorli ski area lies in Lesja.
History
Since it is located on a pass providing access to the Gudbrandsdalen,
Lesja lies on an important trade route used in prehistoric times. The area is first mentioned in the written chronicle of the
HeimskringlaHeimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...
(The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway) by
Snorri SturlusonSnorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
. The account of
King OlafOlaf Haraldsson was king of Norway from 1015 to 1028, . His mother was Åsta Gudbrandsdatter, and his father was Harald Grenske, great-grandchild of Harald Fairhair...
's (A.D. 1015-1021) conversion of Dale-Gudbrand to
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
is popularly recognized. King Olaf's success was short-lived, for in 1029 the Norwegian nobles, seething with discontent, rallied round the invading
Knut the GreatCnut the Great , also known as Canute or Knut or Cnut Sweynsson, was a Viking king of England and Denmark, Norway, and parts of Sweden...
, and Olaf had to flee. To avoid engaging a fleet of 25 ships, 400 of King Olav's men and 100 loyal peasant farmers from
RomsdalRomsdal is the name of a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal. It is located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre...
built a road up from the Romsdalfjord which passed through the area that became known as Lesjaverk. His men fled along this road and across Gudbrandsdal. There he was not warmly received since he had killed King Thorer of Gudbrandsdal, so he went on to
Hedmark° is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Akershus. The county administration is in Hamar.Hedmark makes up the northeastern part of Østlandet, the southeastern part of the country. It includes a long part of the borderline with Sweden, Dalarna County and Värmland County. The...
. From there he proceeded to Sweden and on to Russia. On his return a year later he fell at the
Battle of StiklestadThe Battle of Stiklestad in 1030 is one of the most famous battles in the history of Norway. In this battle King Olaf II of Norway was killed...
.
Iron smelting is recorded in Lesja municipality at
LesjaverkLesjaverk is a village in Lesja municipality in the upper Gudbrandsdal valley of Oppland county, Norway. It lies approximately 25 miles north of Dombås on the Raumabanen railway line. European route E136 goes from Ålesund up through the Romsdal valley and passes through Lesjaverk to end at Dombås...
(Lesja Iron Works) as early as 1614, when
King Christian IV of Denmark and NorwayChristian IV was the king of Denmark and Norway from 1588 until his death. He is sometimes referred to as Christian Firtal in Denmark and Christian Kvart or Quart in Norway.-Biography:...
authorized the Romsdal Market at Devold on the
RaumaThe Rauma is a river in the counties of Oppland and Møre og Romsdal in Norway. It runs for 68 km from Lesjaskogsvatnet in Lesja to Åndalsnes in the Rauma Municipality. The river, which is dammed at the Verma hydroelectric plant, is famous for its salmon-fishing.The meaning of the name Rauma is...
river 4 miles upstream of
Åndalsnesis a Norwegian town in the municipality of Rauma, of which it is also the administrative center. Åndalsnes has around 3000 inhabitants, and is located on the shores of the Romsdalsfjord at the mouth of the river Rauma, one of Norway's first rivers to host English fly fishermen in the nineteenth...
. With this change,
MoldeMolde is a city and municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Romsdal region.Molde is the administrative center of Møre og Romsdal county, the commercial hub of Romsdal, and the host of the bishop of Møre....
assumed the role as principal market town for
RomsdalRomsdal is the name of a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal. It is located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre...
formerly held by
VeøyVeøya is an island outside Molde, Norway, located at junction of the three main branches of Romsdalsfjord between Sekken and the mainland. It consists of one larger and two smaller islands. The name Veøy is from old Norse ve, 'holy'; and øy, Norwegian for 'island'.This was a strategic location for...
. This change was made to provide the ironworkers at
Lesjaverk with a convenient outlet for their products as well as providing them a market to purchases goods and food supplies such as
stockfishStockfish is unsalted fish, especially cod, dried by sun and wind on wooden racks on the foreshore called flakes, or in special drying houses. The drying of food is the world's oldest known preservation method, and dried fish has a storage life of several years...
and grain.
Jakob Bersveinson Klukstadthumb|right|300px|An example of his work, the altarpiece at Lesja Church Jakob Bersveinson Klukstad, who was born 1705 in Lom, died 1773. He spent most of his career on Klukstad farm in Lesja, and at the time was the foremost Norwegian sculptor and painter.In 1734 he married Anne Knutsdatter from...
(1710 to 1773), who was born in
LomLom is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fossbergom....
spent most of his career on Klukstad farm in Lesja. Klukstad was the foremost Norwegian sculptor and painter of his generation. His work can still be seen in churches at Lesja,
SkjåkSkjåk is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bismo...
, and
HeidalHeidal is a former municipality in Gudbrandsdalen valley, in the county of Oppland, Norway.Heidal was separated from Vågå as a municipality of its own January 1, 1908. It was merged with Sel January 1, 1965....
.
The Lesja area in the
GudbrandsdalGudbrandsdalen is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian fylke of Oppland. The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer at Lake Mjøsa, extending 230 km toward Romsdal...
was source of numerous emigrants to America. According to Du Chaillu, "...during the great famine of 1867; a year memorable in the annals of Northern Europe, when, in consequence of an early and heavy frost in summer, the crops were destroyed, and desolation and death spread over vast districts. The lichen and the bark of the birch tree, mixed with a little flour, became the food of the people after the cattle had been eaten up and nothing else was left. The year following a strong tide of emigration set out for America."
After the German invasion of April 1940, while
King HaakanHaakon VII , known as Prince Carl of Denmark until 1905, was the first king of Norway after the 1905 dissolution of the personal union with Sweden. He was a member of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg...
and the Norwegian government were moving from
Elverumis a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Elverum...
to the west coast, the King and Crown Prince Olaf arrived in
OttaOtta may refer to:* A preliminary name of the yotta SI unit prefix.* In Norse mythology, Hildisvini, also known as "Otta the Simple", who was Freya's lover.* Otta, Norway, a Norwegian town in Gudbrandsdal.* The Otta River in Norway....
on the night of April 13. The prime minister and his colleagues, who were then in Lesja, were summoned and a communiqué, ending "God save Norway," and urging resistance to the unprovoked attack was issued. They now intended to relocate to the west coast, but the Germans had dropped paratroopers higher in the Gudbrandsdalen, at Dombås, cutting off the rail route. It was not until the evening of the 21st that the King was able to travel by road from Otta to Lesja on the east-west watershed and then down the narrow
RomsdalRomsdal is the name of a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county Møre og Romsdal. It is located between Nordmøre and Sunnmøre...
to Åndalsnes.
During the war a British fighter squadron (flying 'Gloster Gladiators') flew from the icebound surface of lake
LesjaskogsvatnetLesjaskogsvatnet is a lake which serves as the headwaters for Gudbrandsdalslågen . Gudbrandsdalslågen flows through the Gudbrandsdal valley bottom, ending in lake Mjøsa....
.
No. 263 Squadron RAFNo 263 Squadron was an Royal Air Force fighter squadron formed in Italy towards the end of World War I. After being disbanded in 1919 it reformed in 1939 flying mainly strike and heavy fighter aircraft until becoming No 1 Squadron in 1958.-First World War:...
operated with 18
Gloster GladiatorThe Gloster Gladiator was a British-built biplane fighter, used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy and was exported to a number of other air forces during the late 1930s. It was the RAF's last biplane fighter aircraft and was rendered obsolete by newer monoplane designs even as it was...
biplane fighters in late April 1940 as part of the
Norwegian CampaignThe Norwegian Campaign was the name used by the Allies United Kingdom and France for their first direct land confrontation with the military forces of Nazi Germany in World War II. The conflict occurred in Norway between 9 April and 10 June 1940, making Norway the nation - aside from the Soviet...
.
Famous residents
- Jakob Klukstad
thumb|right|300px|An example of his work, the altarpiece at Lesja Church Jakob Bersveinson Klukstad, who was born 1705 in Lom, died 1773. He spent most of his career on Klukstad farm in Lesja, and at the time was the foremost Norwegian sculptor and painter.In 1734 he married Anne Knutsdatter from...
, artist
- Lars Berger
Lars Berger is a Norwegian biathlete and cross country skier. Berger's family moved to Lesja, Oppland in 1985. At the age of six, Berger started cross-country skiing, but during his teens he decided to try out the biathlon.Berger joined the national biathlon team in 2001...
, biathlete
- Tora Berger
Tora Berger is a World Cup level biathlete and a member of the Norwegian national biathlon women's team since 1999. She has 2 victories in the World Cup. She is the sister of biathlete and cross-country skier Lars Berger...
, biathlete
External links