Gol, Norway

Golⓘ is a municipality in Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Gol which is also the population center. Gol was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area of Hemsedal was separated from Gol in 1897 to become a separate municipality. The municipality of Gol is bordered to the north by the municipality of Nord-Aurdal (in Oppland county), to the east by Sør-Aurdal (in Oppland county), to the south by Nes, and to the west by Ål and Hemsedal.[3]

Gol kommune
Municipality
Flag of Gol kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Gol kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Gol kommune
Viken within
Norway
Gol within Viken
Gol within Viken
Coordinates: 60°45′1″N 8°59′5″E
CountryNorway
CountyViken
DistrictHallingdal
Administrative centreGol
Government
 • Mayor (2003)Jan-Halvard Brekko (Ap)
Area
 • Total533 km2 (206 sq mi)
 • Land514 km2 (198 sq mi)
 • Rank#200 in Norway
Population
 (2004)
 • Total4,372
 • Rank#218 in Norway
 • Density8/km2 (20/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +1.4%
DemonymGoling[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formNynorsk
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3041
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

General information

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Gǫrð. This is probably an old river name (for the lower part of Hemsil river). The name of the river maybe derived from the word garðr m 'fence; border' - and the meaning is then 'the border river'.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 13 September 1985. The arms are gold with three black keys in the center. The keys are derived from the key for Gol stave church.[4][5]

See also: Coat-of-arms of Sør-Odal

Transport

The Bergen Line from Bergen to Oslo runs through Gol Station which opened in 1907. Gol is connected to Norwegian National Road 7, 50 and 52 as well as Norwegian county road 51. There are daily bus connections to Gjøvik and Lillehammer.[6]

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Gol by country of origin in 2017[7]
Ancestry Number
 Poland131
 Somalia77
 Lithuania56
 Syria46
 Iraq30
Gol Church

Gol Church

Gol Church (Gol kirke) was constructed during 1882 based upon a design by architect Henrik Nissen. The church is characterized by neo-Gothic style with gables and small towers with crosses. It was built of wood and has 500 seats.[8]

The mediaeval Gol stave church (built ca. 1216) was due for demolition after the construction of the larger and new church. Gol stave church was saved from destruction by the Society for the Preservation of Ancient Norwegian Monuments (Fortidsminneforeningen), which bought the materials with the intention of re-erecting the church elsewhere. Financial problems were solved when King Oscar II decided to pay for its relocation and restoration as the central building of his private open-air museum near Oslo.[9]

The restoration was overseen by architect Waldemar Hansteen. It was completed in 1885. In 1907, the royal museum was merged with the Norsk Folkemuseum, which now manages the stave church, still nominally belonging to the reigning monarch.[10]

Gol Stave Church replica

Attractions
  • Gordarike Familiepark is a theme park located in downtown Gol. The theme and environment are built to reflect the Viking Era and Middle Ages. A modern replica of Gol stave church has been built as a tourist attraction at the park. The replica was built in the 1980s and consecrated in 1994.[11]
  • Gol Bygdetun is an open-air museum located in the village of Gol. It was built around the old Skaga farm. It is dedicated to the cultural history of Gol, and contains farm buildings of nearly all types. Barns, lofts and wooden stables are all featured together with a millhouse, a school house and a log cabin. The oldest building dates back to 17th century. Gol Bygdetun is a subsidiary of Hallingdal Museum which operating in association with Buskerudmuseet.[12][13]
Johan Willoch Erichsen

Notable residents

Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Gol:

  • Tisleifjorden Dam
    Tisleifjorden Dam
  • Gol Train Station
    Gol Train Station
  • Hemsil II Kraftverk
    Hemsil II Kraftverk
  • Gol Police Station
    Gol Police Station

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Geir Thorsnæs. "Gol". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  4. Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  5. "Kommunevåpenet" (in Norwegian). Gol kommune. Archived from the original on 2009-02-18. Retrieved 2009-01-07.
  6. "Gol in Hallingdal". Innovation Norway. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  7. "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population". ssb.no. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  8. Sigrid Marie Christie, Håkon Christie. "Gol kirke". Norges Kirker. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  9. Lars Roede. "Foreningen til norske Fortidsminnesmerkers Bevaring". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  10. Bjørn Cappelen. "Waldemar Hansteen". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  11. "Gol Stave Church at Gordarike Familiepark, Gol". Innovation Norway. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  12. Gol Bygdemuseum (Hallingdal Museum)
  13. "Buskerudmuseet". Stiftelsen Buskerudmuseet. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
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