From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hedmark (help·info) is a county in Norway, bordering Sør-Trøndelag, Oppland and Akershus. The county administration is in Hamar.

Hedmark fylke

County	NO-04
Region	Østlandet
Administrative centre	Hamar
County mayor	Arnfinn Nergård
Area  - Total  - Percentage	Ranked 3 27,397 km² 8.57 %
Population  - Total (2004)  - Percentage  - Change (10 years)  - Density	Ranked 11 188,326 4.11 % 0.5 % 7/km²
Gross Regional Product  - Total (2001)  - Percentage  - GRP/capita	Ranked 11 38,387 million NOK 2.52 % 204,205 NOK

Hedmark makes up the northeastern part of Østlandet, the southeastern part of the country. It includes a long part of the borderline with Sweden, Dalarna County and Värmland County. The largest lakes are Femunden and Mjøsa. It also includes parts of Glomma. Geographically, Hedmark is in the traditional sense divided in the following areas: Hedemarken, east of Mjøsa, Østerdalen, north of Elverum, and Glåmdalen, south of Elverum. Hedmark and Oppland are the only ones of the Norwegian counties with no coastline. Hedmark also hosted some of the 1994 Winter Olympic Games

In the county are the well-known towns and built-up places Hamar, Kongsvinger, Elverum and Tynset. Hedmark is one of the less urbanized areas in Norway, as about half of the inhabitants live on rural land. Population is mainly concentrated in the rich agricultural district adjoining Mjøsa to the southeast. The county's extensive forests supply much of Norway's timber; logs were previously floated down Glomma to the coast but are now transported by truck and train.

The county is divided into three traditional districts. These are Hedmarken, Østerdalen and Solør (with Odalen and Vinger).

In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hedmark was a petty kingdom. Kings of Hedmark include:

• Halfdan Hvitbeinn
• Sigtryg Eysteinsson
• Eystein Eysteinsson, brother of Sigtryg
• Halfdan the Black, King Harald's father, was king of half of Hedmark after defeating rulers Sigtryg and his brother, Eystein.

Hedmark was originally a part of the large Akershus amt, but in 1757 Oplandenes amt was separated from it. Some years later, in 1781, this was divided into Kristians amt (now Oppland) and Hedemarkens amt.

The Norse form of the name was Heiðmörk. The first element is heiðnir, the name of an old Germanic tribe. The last element is mörk f 'woodland, borderland'. (See also Telemark and Finnmark)

Until 1919 the county was called Hedemarkens amt.

The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1987). It shows three barkespader (axes/spades to remove the bark from timber logs).

Municipalities of Hedmark

• Alvdal
• Eidskog
• Elverum
• Engerdal
• Folldal
• Grue
• Hamar
• Kongsvinger
• Løten
• Nord-Odal
• Os
• Rendalen
• Ringsaker
• Stange
• Stor-Elvdal
• Sør-Odal
• Tolga
• Trysil
• Tynset
• Våler
• Åmot
• Åsnes

• Official homepage

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Hedmark

v • d • e Counties of Norway
Akershus · Aust-Agder · Buskerud · Finnmark · Hedmark · Hordaland · Møre og Romsdal · Nordland · Nord-Trøndelag · Oppland · Oslo · Østfold · Rogaland · Sogn og Fjordane · Sør-Trøndelag · Telemark · Troms · Vest-Agder · Vestfold