Lom, Norway

Infobox_Kommune
name=Lom
county=Oppland
idnumber=0514
landscape=Gudbrandsdalen
capital=Fossbergom
governor=Simen Bjørgen (Sp)
governor_as_of=2004
arearank=31
area=1969
arealand=1889
areapercent=0.61
population_as_of=2004
populationrank=303
population=2,496
populationpercent=0.05
populationdensity=1
populationincrease=-5.0
demonym=Lomver
language=Nynorsk
lat_deg=61| lat_min=48| lat_sec=39| lon_deg=8| lon_min=38| lon_sec=21
utm_zone=32V| utm_northing=6853164 |utm_easting=0480994| geo_cat=adm2nd




munwebpage=www.lom.kommune.no

Lom is a municipality in the county of Oppland, Norway.

Lom was established as a municipality January 1 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Skjåk was separated from Lom as a municipality of its own in 1866.

Lom is famous for its extensive history, for having one of the few remaining stave churches in Norway, and for lying in the midst of the highest mountains in Northern Europe.

Name

The Norse forms of the name was "Lóar" (nominative) and "Lóm" (dative). The name is the plural form of "ló" f 'meadow'.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from 1987. It shows three "skjeltrekor", a special spade used to throw water out over fields.

Geography

Lom is the "gateway" to the Jotunheimen Mountains and to Jotunheim National Park. The municipality contains the two highest peaks in Norway, Galdhøpiggen (2469 m) and Glittertind (2464 m), which lie within the park.

'Lom' is bordered on the northwest by Skjåk, in the north by Lesja, in the east and southeast by Vågå, in the south by Vang municipalities in Oppland. In the southwest it is bordered by Luster municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county. The village of Lom is situated in a valley 382 meters above sea level. The climate is very continental by Norwegian standards. Average annual precipitation is 321 mm, and monthly 24-hr averages range from -10 °C in January to 14 °C in July ( [http://met.no/observasjoner/oppland/normaler_for_kommune_514.html?kommuner ] ). Summers are often sunny with daytime temperatures typically from 14 to 25°C. The large mountain areas in Lom are much colder; snowy weather is possible even in summer at altitudes above 2,000 m.

Economy

Agriculture has long been important in Lom.

The natural beauty and extended history of this mountainous region makes Lom an important tourist destination.

History

An ancient trade route passed up from Sunnmøre through Lom and Skjåk and down the Gudbrandsdal into the Østlandet. The trade consisted of fish and salt heading inland, and grain heading to the coast.

The Saga of Olaf Haraldson relates that St. Olaf commented as he first looked down on Lom, “What a pity to have to lay waste to such a beautiful valley.” In the face of such a clear motivation, the residents of the valley converted. St. Olafs-stuggu, a building were St. Olaf is reported to have spent a night in 1021, can still be found here. The building is part of the Presthaugen District Museum.

Lom stave church, which is located at Lom center, is believed to have been built in 1158, making 2008 the 850th anniversary. It was extended in 1634, with further addition of two naves in 1667. It is believed that the church was originally surrounded by a circumambolatory passage, like many other Norwegian stave churches, but that this passage was removed when the two side wings were added. A few Runic inscriptions can be still be seen in the church. The church also contains numerous paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries with religious motifs. Many of the paintings were made by local artist Eggert Munch, a distant relation of the famous Edvard Munch. The church also contains numerous examples of local woodcarving, as seen in the elaborate acanthus scrolls adorning the pulpit. Carved dragon figures on the roof are old symbols of protection against evil.It is still in use as the local church.

The Garmo stave church, which was built around 1150, has been relocated from Lom municipality and is now at Maihaugen in Lillehammer.

Famous residents

*Lom was the birthplace of the novelist Knut Hamsun, winner of the 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature. His birthplace can be seen 12 kilometers to the east of Lom center.
*The poet Olav Aukrust was born and lived in Lom. There is a memorial to him near the church.
* Tor Jonsson (1916 - 1951), poet and author and winner of The Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature was born and lived in Lom. His childhood cottage is part of the Lom District Museum on the sunny-side road ("solsidevegen").
* Morten Schakenda
* Anal Bros

What to See in Lom

* Lom Stave Church
* Jotunheim National Park
*Norsk Fjellmuseum, the Norwegian Mountain Museum and information center for Jotunheim National Park
*Lom District Museum in Presthaugen - an open-air museum
* Fossheim Stone/Mineral Center
* Route 55 from Lom over the Sognefjell (the highest mountain pass in Northern Europe)
*Knut Hamsun's cottage located at Garmostrædet
*The Sagasøyla Column in Bøverdalen
*Lom’s irrigation canals

External links

* [http://www.visitlom.com/ Visit Lom]

References