Våler, Viken

Våler is a municipality in Viken county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is Kirkebygden. The parish of Vaaler was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt).

Våler kommune
Municipality
Våler church
Våler church
Flag of Våler kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Våler kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Våler kommune
Viken within
Norway
Våler within Viken
Våler within Viken
Coordinates: 59°28′21″N 10°55′1″E
CountryNorway
CountyViken
Administrative centreKirkebygden
Government
 • Mayor (2011)Reidar Kaabbel (Sp)
Area
 • Total257 km2 (99 sq mi)
 • Land239 km2 (92 sq mi)
 • Rank#298 in Norway
Population
 (2016)
 • Total5,335
 • Density21/km2 (54/sq mi)
DemonymVålersokning[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formBokmål
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3018
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

General information

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Válir. This is the plural form of váll which means "a clearing in the woods". Prior to 1921, the name was written "Vaaler".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 20 June 1986. The arms are based on the arms of the local Bolt family, who held several high functions in the 13th and 14th centuries. The arms are already seen in the seal of Agmund Berdorsson Bolt from 1400. The arms show a blue background divided in half vertically. On the left is half of a silver fleur-de-lis and on the right there are two yellow chevrons.[3][4]

Våler Church

Våler Church (Våler kirke) is a medieval era church. The church was built in Romanesque style between 1150 and 1200. Over the years the church has been rebuilt and remodeled several times. One of the church's bells are probably cast before 1160. The altarpiece was given to the church in 1636. The octagonal font and ceiling above originates from 1697 and is carved in wood. The paintings hanging on the west and north walls of the nave is from around 1790.[5]

Minority population
Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Våler by country of origin in 2017[6]
Ancestry Number
 Poland235
 Lithuania75
 Sweden42
 Bosnia-Herzegovina38
 Vietnam36

Notable people
  • The Bolt family an aristocratic family in The Kingdom of Denmark-Norway from Østfold; it lasted from 1333 to 1580
  • Albert Nordengen (1923 in Våler – 2004) a banker and well liked Mayor of Oslo, 1976 to 1990
  • Dennis Olsen (born 1996 in Våler) a Norwegian racing driver
  • Mads Østberg (born 1987 in Våler) a Norwegian rally driver
  • Svinndal kirke
    Svinndal kirke

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  4. "Kommunevåpenet" (in Norwegian). Våler kommune. Archived from the original on October 22, 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-15.
  5. Sigrid Marie Christie, Håkon Christie. "Våler kirke". Norges Kirker. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  6. "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population". ssb.no. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
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