| Vinje kommune | |||
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| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates (city): 59°48′5″N 7°46′45″E / 59.80139°N 7.77917°ECoordinates: 59°48′5″N 7°46′45″E / 59.80139°N 7.77917°E | |||
| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Telemark | ||
| District | Vest-Telemark | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-0834 | ||
| Administrative centre | Åmot | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2003) | Arne Vinje (SV) | ||
| Area (Nr. 12 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 3,106 km2 (1,199.2 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 2,732 km2 (1,054.8 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2004) | |||
| - Total | 3,756 | ||
| - Density | 1/km2 (2.6/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | -6.8 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 238 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Nynorsk | ||
| Norwegian demonym | Vinbygg Vinbygge (male) Vinbyggje (female)[1] |
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| Website | www.vinje.kommune.no | ||
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Vinje is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark. The administrative center of the municipality is the village of Åmot.
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General information
Name
The municipality of Vinje (originally the parish) is named after the old Vinje farm (Old Norse: Vinjar), since the first church was built here. The name is the plural form of vin which means "meadow" or "pasture".[2]
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 16 November 1990. The arms show a silver goat on a blue background. It is a symbol for the goat- and sheep farming in the municipality.[3]
History
Vinje was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area of Rauland was separated from Vinje in 1860 to become a municipality of its own. On 1 January 1964 Rauland was merged back into the municipality of Vinje. Rauland has since been part of the larger Vinje municipality. The local traditions of arts and crafts have been well maintained, and Rauland hosts a national academy for arts, crafts and traditional music.
Vinje became a site of heavy battles during World War II, at the Battle of Vinjesvingen when Norwegian forces held out for over a month against superior German forces.
Geography
Vinje is situated on both the Hardangervidda plateau and parts of the Setesdalsheiene mountain plateaus. European route E134 passes through Vinje, which is located halfway between Oslo and Haugesund, which is on Norway’s west coast.
The locally renowned mountain ski resort Haukelifjell is also found nearby. The isolated and sparsely populated area is known for its rugged, mountainous terrain that supports a wide variety of outdoor activities, amongst them hiking, mountain biking, snowboarding, skiing, fishing, and canoeing.
Arabygdi lies on Lake Totak in the western part of Rauland. Its famous attraction is the "Urdbøuri", the largest stone scree in Northern Europe, with huge boulders scattered on the floor of the valley.
Notable people from Vinje
- Arve Moen Bergset, folk singer and classical violinist
- Aslak Brekke, kveder and folk singer
- Terje Håkonsen, snowboarder
- Sven Erik Kristiansen, internationally acclaimed musician
- Myllarguten (Torgeir Agundson Øygarden), Master fiddler
- Odd Nordstoga, popular musician
- Aslaug Vaa, author
- Dyre Vaa, sculptor - his works are found in Oslo and Vinje
- Tarjei Vesaas, author
- Aasmund Olavsson Vinje, author
Attractions
- The home of Myllarguten is now a small museum. (The cotters place Kosi in Arabygdi.)
- The monument of Myllarguten, the 19th century musician, who played for kings and who inspired Edvard Grieg . It is located on the roadside vis-a-vis Kosi.
References
- ^ "Personnemningar til stadnamn i Noreg" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. http://www.sprakrad.no/Sprakhjelp/Rettskriving_Ordboeker/Innbyggjarnamn.
- ^ Rygh, Oluf (1914) (dokpro.uio.no). Norske gaardnavne: Bratsbergs amt (7 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. pp. 436. http://www.dokpro.uio.no/perl/navnegransking/rygh_ng/rygh_bla.prl?enhid=130437&avid=29594. (Norwegian)
- ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/v/vinje.htm. Retrieved 2009-01-18.
External links
Media related to Vinje at Wikimedia Commons
The Wiktionary definition of Vinje- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
- Telemark travel guide from Wikitravel
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