| Lillehammer kommune | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: 61°7′48″N 10°25′57″E / 61.13000°N 10.43250°ECoordinates: 61°7′48″N 10°25′57″E / 61.13000°N 10.43250°E | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Oppland | ||
| District | Gudbrandsdal | ||
| Administrative centre | Lillehammer | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor (2011) | Espen Johnsen (Ap) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 477 km2 (184 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 450 km2 (170 sq mi) | ||
| Area rank | 211 in Norway | ||
| Population (2011) | |||
| • Total | 26,639 | ||
| • Rank | 33 in Norway | ||
| • Density | 56/km2 (150/sq mi) | ||
| • Change (10 years) | 5.0 % | ||
| Demonym | Lillehamring[1] | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| ISO 3166 code | NO-0501 | ||
| Official language form | Bokmål | ||
| Website | lillehammer.kommune.no | ||
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Lillehammer (Norwegian pronunciation: [ˈlɪləˈhɑmər] (
listen)) is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was 26,639. The city centre is a late 19th century concentration of wooden houses, which enjoys a picturesque location overlooking the northern part of lake Mjøsa and the river Lågen, surrounded by mountains. Lillehammer hosted the 1994 Winter Olympics and will host the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.[2]
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Name [edit]
The municipality (originally the parish) was named after the old Hamar (Norse Hamarr) farm, since the first church was built there. The name is identical with the word hamarr 'rocky hill'. To distinguish it from the nearby town and bishopric of Hamar, it began to be called "little Hamar": Lilþlæ Hamar and Litlihamarr and finally Lillehammer.
It is also mentioned in the Old Norse sagas as Litlikaupangr ("Little Trading Place").[3][4]
Coat-of-arms [edit]
The coat-of-arms was granted in 1898. The arms show a birkebeiner, carrying a spear and a shield, who is skiing down a mountainside. It symbolizes the historical importance of when the Birkebeiners carried the to-be-King Haakon from Lillehammer to Rena on skis.[5]
History [edit]
The area has been settled since the Norwegian Iron Age. It is also mentioned as a site for council in 1390. It had a lively market by the 1800s, and obtained rights as a merchant city on 7 August 1827, at which point there were 50 registered residents within its boundaries.
The town of Lillehammer was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838.
The rural municipality of Fåberg was merged into the municipality of Lillehammer on 1 January 1964.
Lillehammer was the site of the Lillehammer affair in 1973 where operatives of the Israeli Mossad shot and killed a Moroccan waiter they mistakenly thought was involved in the Munich Massacre.
Lillehammer was host city of the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is known for being a typical venue for winter sporting events. Lillehammer will host the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.
In 2005, the popular British automotive show Top Gear aired its "Winter Olympics special", an episode of various Olympic event-themed challenges involving cars, set in the surrounding area of Lillehammer.
Education [edit]
A number of schools are located in Lillehammer including the Hammartun Lower Secondary School Lillehammer High School, Mesna High School, Vargstad High School are the three high schools in Lillehammer.
The 14th World Scout Jamboree was held July 29 to August 7, 1975 and was hosted by Norway at Lillehammer.
Geography [edit]
Lillehammer is located to the south of the municipality of Øyer, to the southeast of Gausdal, northeast of Nordre Land, and to the north of Gjøvik, all in Oppland county. To the southeast, it is bordered by Ringsaker municipality in Hedmark county. Lillehammer has a subarctic inland climate. It has moderate precipitation, higher in summer and autumn. To the northwest is the mountain Spåtind.
Climate [edit]
| Climate data for Lillehammer | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −6 (21) |
−4 (25) |
1 (34) |
6 (43) |
13 (55) |
18 (64) |
19 (66) |
17 (63) |
12 (54) |
7 (45) |
0 (32) |
−4 (25) |
7 (45) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −9 (16) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
1.5 (34.7) |
8 (46) |
13 (55) |
14 (57) |
12.5 (54.5) |
8 (46) |
4 (39) |
−3 (27) |
−7 (19) |
4.3 (39.7) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −12 (10) |
−11 (12) |
−8 (18) |
−3 (27) |
3 (37) |
8 (46) |
9 (48) |
8 (46) |
4 (39) |
1 (34) |
−6 (21) |
−10 (14) |
−1.5 (29.3) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 46 (1.81) |
35 (1.38) |
40 (1.57) |
37 (1.46) |
58 (2.28) |
77 (3.03) |
89 (3.5) |
90 (3.54) |
86 (3.39) |
85 (3.35) |
68 (2.68) |
50 (1.97) |
761 (29.96) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 16 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 16 | 182 |
| Source: World Weather Information Service[6] | |||||||||||||
Economy [edit]
The basis for the city's commerce is its position as the northernmost point of the lake Mjøsa and as the gateway for the Gudbrandsdal region, through which the historical highway to Trondheim passes. The Mesna river has provided the basis for several small industries through the years, but Lillehammer is now all but industry-less.
Transport [edit]
One of the major Norwegian rail lines, the Dovrebanen, runs from Hamar to the north through Lillehammer on its way up the Gudbrandsdal, to terminate in Trondheim.
European route E6 passes through Lillehammer.
Attractions [edit]
In addition to the Olympic site, Lillehammer offers a number of other tourist attractions:
- Maihaugen, centrally located in Lillehammer, is the largest open air museum in Norway, with 185 buildings, mostly from Lillehammer and the valley of Gudbrandsdalen.
- Garmo stave church (built around 1150)
- The Norwegian Olympic Museum is the only museum in Northern Europe that shows whole the Olympic history from the ancient times and up to today, including all Summer- and Wintergames. The museum also houses the Norwegian Sports Hall of Fame and a special section about the Lillehammer `94 Olympic Wintergames. The museum is located in the Håkons Hall.
- The art museum, "Flygelet" -> "The Grand Piano"
- The PS Skibladner is the world's oldest paddle steamer in scheduled service, launched in 1856. Summer sailings around lake Mjøsa: Lillehammer, Moelv, Gjøvik, Hamar, and Eidsvoll.
- The ski jump at Lysgårdsbakkene.
- Sjusjøen is a skiing destination with forest and mountain terrain only 20 km away (east) from the centre of Lillehammer in the municipality of Ringsaker.
- The Sambandets Utdanning og Kompetansesenter is an army unit located in the camp Jørstadmoen 3–4 km northwest of Lillehammer.
- The rock carvings at Drotten, Fåberg, west of Gudbrandsdalslågen about 1.5 km above Brunlaug bridge.
- Nansen Academy - the Norwegian Humanistic Academy - The Nansen Academy is an educational institution for adult students with different political, religious and cultural backgrounds. The Academy is founded on the inheritance of humanism and aims at strengthening the knowledge about this inheritance.
Sport [edit]
Sportclubs in Lillehammer [edit]
- Lillehammer Icehockey Club (The team competes in Norway's major hockey league, the GET-League.)
- Lillehammer Orienteeringclub
- Lillehammer Skiclub
- Lillehammer Speedskating club
- Faaberg Fotball Lillehammer
- Roterud Idrettslag
- Lillehammer Fotballklubb
Notable residents [edit]
- Sigrid Undset lived in Lillehammer at her home "Bjerkebæk" from 1919 through 1940. She brought her children with her for a short rest, planning on returning to Oslo. However, she chose to remain in Lillehammer. She wrote her most famous works there: the three-volume Kristin Lavransdatter, the six-volume Sverkholt tales, and the four-volume Olav Audunssønn. In 1940, because she had expressed strong anti-Nazi sentiments since the early 1930s, she fled Lillehammer before the invading German army reached the town. She returned to Lillehammer after the war and died there in 1949. She is buried at the cemetery in Mesnali, a nearby village.
- Atle Antonsen, Norwegian comic and actor, born in Lillehammer.
In popular culture [edit]
The Norwegian-American television series, Lilyhammer takes place in Lillehammer. The show stars Steven Van Zandt who plays Giovanni "Johnny" Henriksen, a New York mobster who moves to Lillehammer after being inspired by the 1994 Winter Olympics.
The British automotive television series Top Gear had its Top Gear Winter Olympics special in Lillehammer.
The fictional character Toki Wartooth from the Adult Swim program, Metalocalypse, originates from an abandoned village near Lillehammer.
International relations [edit]
Twin towns — Sister cities [edit]
The following cities are twinned with Lillehammer:[7]
- Autrans, Isère, France
- Hayward, Wisconsin, United States
- Hørsholm, Region Hovedstaden, Denmark
- Leksand, Dalarna County, Sweden
- Minakami, Gunma Prefecture, Japan
- Oberhof, Thuringia, Germany
- Oulainen, Oulu Province, Finland
- Sarajevo, Sarajevo Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina- - Shiozawa, Niigata Prefecture, Japan
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Personnemningar til stadnamn i Noreg" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
- ^ Lillehammer awarded 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games
- ^ Rygh, Oluf (1900). Norske gaardnavne: Kristians amt (4 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 219. (Norwegian)
- ^ "Lillehammers historie". Lillehammer kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-04. (Norwegian)
- ^ "Historiske Linjer". National Archives of Norway. Retrieved 2009-01-04. (Norwegian)
- ^ "Weather Information for Lillehammer". World Weather Information Service. Retrieved 19 September 2009.
- ^ "Lillehammers vennskapsbyer" (Microsoft Word). Lillehammer kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-04. (Norwegian)
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lillehammer |
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Look up Lillehammer in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
Lillehammer travel guide from Wikivoyage- Oppland travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Lillehammer Tourist Office
- Gudbrandsdalen Region
- Lillehammer University College
- Lillehammer Icehockey Club (Norwegian)
- Olympic Park in Lillehammer
- Pictures from the Olympic games in 1994¨
- Norwegian Olympic Museum
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