Norddal
Encyclopedia
Norddal is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal
county
, Norway
. It covers the easternmost part of the Sunnmøre
region
along the border with Oppland
county. The municipal center of the municipality is the village of Sylte
in Valldal
.
Norddal covers an area with several distinct valley
s and villages: Eidsdal
and Norddal (Dalsbygda) in the south; Tafjord
in the east; and Fjørå/Selboskarbygda and Sylte
in the Valldal
valley in the north. The Norwegian National Road 63
traverses the municipality from south to north.
). Historically, the district of Sunnylven
was part of Norddal, but it was created as a separate municipality in 1838.
form of the name was just Dalr, identical with the word dalr which menas "valley" or "dale". The first element Nord- meaning "northern" was added around the year 1600. The parish church is still called Dale church. Before 1918, the name was written Norddalen.
is from modern times. They were granted on 1990. The arms show a red twig of a strawberry
plant on a yellow background. Norddal has a tradition for producing fruit
s and berries
, notably strawberries.
has one parish with two churches, within the municipality of Norddal. It is part of the Diocese of Møre
and the Rural Deanery
(Prosti) of Austre Sunnmøre.
. While escaping the Danish army, Olav Haraldsson
, later to become St. Olav, went ashore in Valldal during the winter 1028/1029. Here, he supposedly came across a troublesome sea worm which he tossed onto the mountainside and can today be seen as a lighter rock pattern above the town centre Sylte
. On his journey up the valley towards Trollstigen
, he received help from the farmers at Grønning to pass a rocky section called Skjærsura. For this help he deemed that the seed crop would never suffer from frost. Also, a natural spring in Valldal is named after St. Olav and is said to have a healing effect.
In 2008, a memorial stone was erected at the farm Døving, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) up the valley from the sea, where the first church and cemetery is believed to have been located.
and the Tafjorden
which flow west to east. The main Valldal
valley runs to the northeast from the fjord. The valleys are surrounded by the Tafjordfjella
mountain range. The mountains Puttegga
, Karitinden
, and Tordsnose
sit on the eastern border of the municipality. Reinheimen National Park
is located partially in the municipality of Norddal.
Møre og Romsdal
is 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:...
county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It covers the easternmost part of the Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal, Sande, Skodje, Haram, Stordal, Stranda, Sula, Sykkylven, Ulstein, Vanylven, Volda, Ørskog,...
region
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically 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,...
along the border with Oppland
Oppland
is 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....
county. The municipal center of the municipality is the village of Sylte
Sylte, Norddal
Sylte is a village and the municipal center of the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is situated at the southern end of the Valldalen valley along the shore of the Norddalsfjorden near the mouth of the Valldøla river, just west of the entrance to the Tafjorden. The ...
in Valldal
Valldal
Valldal is a valley in the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. It is located north of the Norddalsfjorden. The village of Sylte is located at the end of the valley along the fjord...
.
Norddal covers an area with several distinct valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
s and villages: Eidsdal
Eidsdal
Eidsdal is a village and valley in the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located along the south side of the Norddalsfjorden, about southwest of Sylte. Eidsdal has approximately 400 inhabitants....
and Norddal (Dalsbygda) in the south; Tafjord
Tafjord
Tafjord is a village in the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The village is located at the end of the Tafjorden, about southeast of Sylte, and just west of the borders of Reinheimen National Park...
in the east; and Fjørå/Selboskarbygda and Sylte
Sylte, Norddal
Sylte is a village and the municipal center of the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is situated at the southern end of the Valldalen valley along the shore of the Norddalsfjorden near the mouth of the Valldøla river, just west of the entrance to the Tafjorden. The ...
in the Valldal
Valldal
Valldal is a valley in the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. It is located north of the Norddalsfjorden. The village of Sylte is located at the end of the valley along the fjord...
valley in the north. The Norwegian National Road 63
Norwegian national road 63
Norwegian County Road 63 is a Norwegian county road in Møre og Romsdal and a very small part in Oppland county, Norway. It begins at Langvatnet at Norwegian National Road 15 in the municipality of Skjåk in Oppland county and it heads north where it ends at the junction with the E136 near...
traverses the municipality from south to north.
General information
Norddal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistriktFormannskapsdistrikt
Formannskapsdistrikt 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...
). Historically, the district of Sunnylven
Sunnylven
Sunnylven is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is located in the present-day municipality of Stranda. It encompassed the areas around the Sunnylvsfjorden and Geirangerfjorden. The villages of Hellesylt and Geiranger were part of Sunnylven.-History:The municipality of...
was part of Norddal, but it was created as a separate municipality in 1838.
Name
The Old NorseOld Norse
Old 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 just Dalr, identical with the word dalr which menas "valley" or "dale". The first element Nord- meaning "northern" was added around the year 1600. The parish church is still called Dale church. Before 1918, the name was written Norddalen.
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is from modern times. They were granted on 1990. The arms show a red twig of a strawberry
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
plant on a yellow background. Norddal has a tradition for producing fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
s and berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
, notably strawberries.
Churches
The Church of NorwayChurch of Norway
The Church of Norway is the state church of Norway, established after the Lutheran reformation in Denmark-Norway in 1536-1537 broke the ties to the Holy See. The church confesses the Lutheran Christian faith...
has one parish with two churches, within the municipality of Norddal. It is part of the Diocese of Møre
Diocese of Møre
The Diocese of Møre is a diocese in the Church of Norway which geographically consists of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Its bishop and cathedral are located in the county administrative center of Molde...
and the Rural Deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
(Prosti) of Austre Sunnmøre.
| Parish (Sokn) | Church Name | Year Built | Location of the Church |
|---|---|---|---|
| Norddal | Norddal kyrkje | 1782 | Norddal |
| Sylte kyrkje | 1863 | Sylte Sylte, Norddal Sylte is a village and the municipal center of the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is situated at the southern end of the Valldalen valley along the shore of the Norddalsfjorden near the mouth of the Valldøla river, just west of the entrance to the Tafjorden. The ... |
History
Valldal is mentioned in the historical books of Snorri SturlusonSnorri Sturluson
Snorri Sturluson was an Icelandic historian, poet, and politician. He was twice elected lawspeaker at the Icelandic parliament, the Althing...
. While escaping the Danish army, Olav Haraldsson
Olaf II of Norway
Olaf II Haraldsson was King of Norway from 1015 to 1028. He was posthumously given the title Rex Perpetuus Norvegiae and canonised in Nidaros by Bishop Grimkell, one year after his death in the Battle of Stiklestad on 29 July 1030. Enshrined in Nidaros Cathedral...
, later to become St. Olav, went ashore in Valldal during the winter 1028/1029. Here, he supposedly came across a troublesome sea worm which he tossed onto the mountainside and can today be seen as a lighter rock pattern above the town centre Sylte
Sylte, Norddal
Sylte is a village and the municipal center of the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is situated at the southern end of the Valldalen valley along the shore of the Norddalsfjorden near the mouth of the Valldøla river, just west of the entrance to the Tafjorden. The ...
. On his journey up the valley towards Trollstigen
Trollstigen
Trollstigen is a mountain road in Rauma, Norway, part of Norwegian National Road 63 connecting Åndalsnes in Rauma and Valldal in Norddal. It is a popular tourist attraction due to its steep incline of 9% and eleven hairpin bends up a steep mountain side...
, he received help from the farmers at Grønning to pass a rocky section called Skjærsura. For this help he deemed that the seed crop would never suffer from frost. Also, a natural spring in Valldal is named after St. Olav and is said to have a healing effect.
In 2008, a memorial stone was erected at the farm Døving, about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) up the valley from the sea, where the first church and cemetery is believed to have been located.
Geography
The municipality lies around the NorddalsfjordenNorddalsfjorden
Norddalsfjorden is a branch of Storfjorden in Norddal and Stranda municipalities in the Sunnmøre region of Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The fjord is long, when you include the Tafjorden that stretches further east, it is in total....
and the Tafjorden
Tafjorden
Tafjorden is a branch of the Norddalsfjorden/Storfjorden in the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. The fjord is located southeast of Sylte, the municipal center of Norddal...
which flow west to east. The main Valldal
Valldal
Valldal is a valley in the municipality of Norddal in Møre og Romsdal, Norway. It is located north of the Norddalsfjorden. The village of Sylte is located at the end of the valley along the fjord...
valley runs to the northeast from the fjord. The valleys are surrounded by the Tafjordfjella
Tafjordfjella
Tafjordfjella or Tafjordfjellene is a mountain range in Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties, Norway. It is located in the municipalities of Norddal, Stranda, Rauma, and Skjåk. The area takes its name from the village of Tafjord and the Tafjorden, the main entry point...
mountain range. The mountains Puttegga
Puttegga
Puttegga is the highest mountain in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It lies on the border of the municipalities of Norddal and Rauma. It is located just northwest of the mountain Karitinden, inside Reinheimen National Park. The nearest village is Tafjord, to the west...
, Karitinden
Karitinden
Karitinden is a mountain in the Tafjordfjella mountain range, just southeast of Puttegga on the border of Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties in Norway. The top of the mountain is a tripoint border junction for the municipalities Skjåk , and Norddal and Rauma...
, and Tordsnose
Tordsnose
Tordsnose is a mountain in the municipalities of Norddal and Skjåk in Norway. The tall mountain lies within the Tafjordfjella mountain range, about southwest of Karitinden and south of Puttegga. The lake Grønvatnet sits south of the mountain and the lake Tordsvatnet lies straight east of...
sit on the eastern border of the municipality. Reinheimen National Park
Reinheimen National Park
Reinheimen National Park was established in 2006. The park consists of a continuous protected mountain area. It is located in Møre og Romsdal and Oppland counties in Norway. The park includes parts of the municipalities of Lesja, Skjåk, Vågå, Lom, Norddal, and Rauma...
is located partially in the municipality of Norddal.
External links
- Destinasjon Geirangerfjord - Trollstigen
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics NorwayStatistics NorwayStatistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...