Heidal

Heidal is a former municipality in Gudbrandsdalen valley, in the county of Oppland, Norway.

Heidal was separated from Vågå as a municipality of its own January 1, 1908. It was merged with Sel January 1, 1965.

Heidal is rich in beauty and tradition, lying along the narrow valley of the Sjoa River. It has the highest concentration of older protected timber houses and farmsteads in Norway (~1/5 of the buildings are from the 18th century and many are older).

The church was built in 1938 but is an exact replica of a 1754 church struck by lightning in 1933. It is surrounded by a cemetery designated as a Commonwealth War Grave.

Some locations allow guided tours, including Søre Harildstad farm and Bjølstad chapel. Farms like Bjølstad, which is not open to the public, are also located there; at Bjølstad the newest building was constructed in about 1820 and the farm has been in the same family since the 13th century. [cite book|author=Welle-Strand, Erling |title=Adventure Roads in Norway |publisher=Nortrabooks|year=1996|id=ISBN 82-90103-71-9]

History

1177 - Ivar Gjesling (or "Ivar Gjæsling") was King Magnus IV's lendmann for the Opplands. Gjesling, allied himself with the Birchlegs (Birkebeinerne) — who chose Sverre as their king at Øreting in 1177. In return Sverre granted him the valley of Heidal.cite book|author=Stagg, Frank Noel|title=East Norway and its Frontier|publisher=George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.|year=1956|id=ISBN none]

References and notes