Gudbrandsdalen

Gudbrandsdalen
Dovre, in the northern part of the valley
Dovre, in the northern part of the valley
Location of Gudbrandsdalen
CountryNorway
CountyInnlandet
RegionAustlandet
Urban centerLillehammer
Area
 • Total15,340 km2 (5,920 sq mi)
Population
 (2016)
 • Total71,038
 • Density4.6/km2 (12/sq mi)
DemonymGudbrandsdøl

Gudbrandsdalen (Urban East Norwegian: [ˈɡʉ̂ː(d)brɑnsˌdɑːɳ]; English: Gudbrand Valley[1][2][3]) is a valley and traditional district in the Norwegian county of Innlandet (formerly Oppland).[4] The valley is oriented in a north-westerly direction from Lillehammer and the lake of Mjøsa, extending 230 kilometers (140 mi) toward the Romsdalen valley. The river Gudbrandsdalslågen (Lågen) flows through the valley, starting from the lake Lesjaskogsvatnet and ending at the lake Mjøsa. The Otta river which flows through Otta valley is a major tributary to the main river Lågen. The valleys of the tributary rivers such as Otta and Gausa (Gausdal) are usually regarded as part of Gudbrandsdalen. The total area of the valley is calculated from the areas of the related municipalities.[5] Gudbrandsdalen is the main valley in a web of smaller valleys. On the western (right hand) side there are long adjacent valleys: Ottadalen stretches 100 kilometers (62 mi) from Otta village, Gausdal some 50 kilometers (31 mi) from Lillehammer and Heidal some 40 kilometers (25 mi) from Sjoa.[6] Gudbrandsdalen runs between the major mountain ranges of Norway including Jotunheimen and DovrefjellRondane.[5]

Together with the Glomma river and the Østerdalen valley, the river Lågen and the Gudbrandsdalen valley form Norway's largest drainage system covering major parts of Eastern Norway. Gudbrandsdalen is home to Dovre Line railway and the European route E6 highway. The valley is the main land transport corridor through Eastern Norway, from Oslo and central eastern lowlands to Trondheim and Møre og Romsdal.

The valley is divided into three parts: Norddalen (Northern valley; the municipalities of Lesja, Dovre, Skjåk, Lom, Vågå and Sel), Midtdalen (middle valley; the municipalities of Nord-Fron, Sør-Fron and Ringebu), and Sørdalen (Southern valley; the municipalities of Øyer, Gausdal and Lillehammer). The municipalities within the valley fall under the Vestre Innlandet District Court.[5] Until 2016, the valley was also a police district.[7] The Gudbrandsdalen district covers about 60% of the former Oppland county.[6]

The invention of the modern, firm, fatty variant of Brunost cheese is commonly attributed to the milkmaid Anne Hov from the rural valley.

The main character in Henrik Ibsen's play Peer Gynt was inspired by a real or legendary person living in the valley in the 18th or 17th century.[8] Ibsen travelled through the valley in 1862 and collected local stories, legends and poems.[9] Ibsen also made drawings from his trip, including "Elstad in Gudbrandsdalen".[6]

  1. ^ Jenkins, J. Geraint (1972). "The Use of Artifacts and Folk Art in the Folk Museum". In Dorson, Richard M. (ed.). Folklore and Folklife: An Introduction. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 497–516.
  2. ^ Hesse, David (2014). Warrior Dreams: Playing Scotsmen in Mainland Europe. Manchester: Manchester University Press. p. 147.
  3. ^ Art of California. Saint Helena, CA: Greg Saffell Communications. 1990. p. 59.
  4. ^ moderniseringsdepartementet, Kommunal- og (7 July 2017). "Regionreform". Regjeringen.no. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  5. ^ a b c Thorsnæs, Geir (14 February 2018), "Gudbrandsdalen", Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian), retrieved 5 December 2018
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Slik blir politireformen". 31 May 2015.
  8. ^ Meyer, Michael. 1974. Ibsen: A Biography. Abridged edition. Pelican Biographies ser. Harmondsworth: Penguin. ISBN 0-14-021772-X.
  9. ^ Østvedt, Einar (1967). Med Henrik Ibsen i fjellheimen. Skien: Oluf Rasmussens forlag.

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