Rollag is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Rollag, although the most populated area in the municipality is Veggli. Rollag is bordered in the north by Nore og Uvdal, in the east by Sigdal, in the south by Flesberg, and in the west by Tinn in Telemark.[4]

Rollag Municipality
Rollag kommune
Buskerud within Norway
Buskerud within Norway
Rollag within Buskerud
Rollag within Buskerud
Coordinates: 60°1′2″N 9°14′2″E / 60.01722°N 9.23389°E / 60.01722; 9.23389
CountryNorway
CountyBuskerud
DistrictNumedal
Administrative centreRollag
Government
 • Mayor (2003)Steinar Berthelsen (Ap)
Area
 • Total
449 km2 (173 sq mi)
 • Land430 km2 (170 sq mi)
 • Rank#225 in Norway
Population
 (2021)
 • Total
1,369
 • Rank#369 in Norway
 • Density3/km2 (8/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −0.9%
DemonymRølling[1]
Official language
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC 01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC 02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3336[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

General information

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History

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The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Rollag farm (Old Norse: Roll(u)lag), since the first church was built here. The first element is probably (the genitive case of) a river name Rolla (now called the Troelva river) and the last element is lag which means "fishing place".[5]

The municipality of Rollag was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Nore og Uvdal was separated from Rollag in 1858. The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted in 1993. The arms show two gold-colored lines on a red background. The lines represent an old warning cairn made of timber.

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Rollag by country of origin in 2017[6]
Ancestry Number
  Somalia 31
  Eritrea 17
  Lithuania 15

Geography

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The municipality lies in the heart of the Numedal traditional region and valley, the westernmost valley in southeastern Norway. The river Numedalslågen flows through Rollag and into the Ytre Oslofjord at Larvik. In the northwest of the Rollag lie the Vegglifjell mountains, which are an entryway into the Hardangervidda. The municipality's highest point is Storegrønut at 1,289 metres (4,229 ft) located in the Vegglifjell mountains.[7][8]

 
Rollag stave church

Rollag stave church

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Rollag stave church (Rollag stavkirke) was built around 1150–1200. It is located a few kilometres north of the centre of Rollag. It was extended and windows were added in 1652. A new Apse was added in 1666. The transept was constructed in 1697–1698. A gallery was added in 1702. The sacristy was built in 1739. A Baroque pulpit was added in 1763.[9][10]

Sister cities

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The following cities are twinned with Rollag:[11]

Notable people

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Niels Andreas Vibe

References

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  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (2023-01-26). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ Geir Thorsnæs. "Rollag". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  5. ^ "Rollag. Rollag herad. Buskerud". Matrikkelutkastet av 1950. May 21, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  6. ^ "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.
  7. ^ Geir Thorsnæs. "Numedal". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  8. ^ "Numedalslågen". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  9. ^ "Rollag stavkirke". Riksantikvaren. May 21, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  10. ^ Nina Aldin Thune. "Rollag stavkirke". Store norske leksikon. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  11. ^ "Jokioinen" (in Norwegian). Rollag kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-11.[permanent dead link]
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