Flå

Flå kommune
Municipality

Coat of arms
Buskerud within
Norway

Flå within Buskerud
Coordinates: 60°24′31″N 9°29′3″E / 60.40861°N 9.48417°E / 60.40861; 9.48417Coordinates: 60°24′31″N 9°29′3″E / 60.40861°N 9.48417°E / 60.40861; 9.48417
Country Norway
County Buskerud
District Hallingdal
Administrative centre Flå
Government
 • Mayor (2003) Tor Egil Buøen (LL)
Area
 • Total 704 km2 (272 sq mi)
 • Land 670 km2 (260 sq mi)
Area rank #159 in Norway
Population (2008)
 • Total 974
 • Rank #405 in Norway
 • Density 1.5/km2 (4/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years) -12.9%
Demonym(s) Fløværing[1]
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code NO-0615
Official language form Bokmål
Website www.flaa.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

Flå is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Flå. The municipality of Flå was established when it was separated from the municipality of Nes on 1 January 1905. The municipality lies at the most southeasterly point in the valley and traditional region of Hallingdal.

General information

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Flóða sokn (sokn means parish). This is the plural genitive case of flœð meaning "flood" (probably because flooding has been a problem for many farms in the river valley). Prior to 1921, the name was written "Flaa".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 1 March 1985. The arms show a black bear on a gray/silver background. This was chosen because there used to be many bears in the Vassfaret area. Prior to 1985, the municipality used a logo with a bear walking through the area.[2][3]

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Flå by country of origin in 2017[4]
Ancestry Number
 Poland28
 Syria28
 Thailand12

History

Ancient routes went to Vestlandet through Valdres and Hallingdal and down Røldal to Odda. Reflecting this route, Hallingdal and its neighboring valley of Valdres in Oppland to the north were originally populated by migrants from Vestlandet and spoke a western dialect. In recognition of this, Cardinal Nicholas Breakespear, who was in Scandinavia as papal legate in 1153, included Hallingdal in the diocese of Stavanger.[5]

Geography

Flå is the southernmost municipality within Hallingdal and forms the gateway to Hallingdal from the south. Flå is bordered in the north by Sør-Aurdal, in the east by Ringerike, in the south by Krødsherad and Sigdal, in the west by Nore og Uvdal, and in the northwest by Nes. Travelers from the south pass through the 65 m long tunnel Hallingporten on Norwegian National Road 7 (Riksvei 7) just located north of Gulsvik.

Vassfaret is a forested mountain valley bordering Flå. The Norefjell mountain range also includes parts of Flå as well as Nes, Ringerike and Sør-Aurdal municipalities. Lake Krøderen (Krøderfjord) stretches about 41 km north from the village of Krøderen and reaches to Gulsvik. The Hallingdalselva river flows into the lake from the north. The area includes the Vassfaret and Vidalen Conservation area which includes Festningen Nature Reserve and Bukollen Nature Reserve as well as the Inner Vassfaret Conservation area which includes Bringen Nature Reserve.[6] [7].

Attractions

Bjørneparken is located on Vikberget in Flå. The park is a sanctuary featuring various animals including bears, elk, deer, wolf, and lynx.[8]

Map of Flå

Protected areas

  • Bringen Nature Reserve, established 28 June 1985[9]
  • Bukollen Nature Reserve, established 28 June 1985[10]
  • Festningen Nature Reserve, established 28 June 1985[11]
  • Flenten Nature Reserve, established 24 September 1993[12]
  • Stavnselva Nature Reserve, established 13 December 2002[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet. Retrieved 2015-12-01.
  2. ↑ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  3. ↑ "Kommunevåpen for Flå kommune" (in Norwegian). Flå kommune. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  4. ↑ "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population". ssb.no. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  5. ↑ Stagg, Frank Noel (1956). East Norway and its Frontier. George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.
  6. ↑ "Vassfaret og Vidalen landskapsvernområde". naturbase.no. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  7. ↑ "Indre Vassfaret landskapsvernområde". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Om Bjørneparken". Bjørneparken AS. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Bringen naturreservat". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Bukollen naturreservat". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Festningen naturreservat". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Flenten naturreservat". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Stavnselva naturreservat". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
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