Hole Municipality
Hole kommune | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Buskerud within Norway | |
 Hole within Buskerud | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Buskerud |
| District | Ringerike |
| Administrative centre | Vik |
| Government | |
| • Governor (2003) | Per R. Berger (H) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 198 km2 (76 sq mi) |
| • Land | 134 km2 (52 sq mi) |
| • Rank | #329 in Norway |
| Population (2004) | |
| • Total | 5,199 |
| • Rank | #187 in Norway |
| • Density | 39/km2 (100/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) |  +13.6% |
| Demonym | Holeværing[1] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Bokmål |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-0612[3] |
| Website | Official website |
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Hole is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vik.
The municipality of Hole was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area of Tyristrand was separated from Hole on 1 July 1916 to become a municipality of its own. The municipality of Hole was merged into the neighboring municipality of Ringerike in 1964, however, this merger ended in 1977 when Hole was restored as a separate municipality.
The municipality is considered as part of the traditional district of Ringerike, not to be confused with the municipality of Ringerike. Hole is located around lake Tyrifjorden and extends to the woodland around Oslo. The soil is fertile, excellent for growing fruit, berries and other agricultural products.
General information
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Hole farm (Old Norse: Hólar), since the first church was built here. The name is the plural form of hóll which means "round (and isolated) hill".
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 24 May 1985. The arms show four gold crowns on a red background. They are a symbol for the four Norwegian Kings who lived in the municipality in the 9th-11th centuries:[4][5]
- Halfdan the Black lived during the 800s got married to Ragnhild, who was the daughter of Sigurd Hart. Berserkers killed Sigurd Hart and subsequently kidnapped his daughter Ragnhild. Halfdan the Black saved Ragnhild and married her. King Halfdan the Black ended his life in 860 by going through the ice on Randsfjorden with his men, his horse, and sledge. His body-or some part thereof-was possibly buried at the Stein farm on Halvdanshaugen ("The Mound of Halvdan").
- Sigurd Syr lived during the 1000s. He was the great-great grandchild of Harald Hårfagre (900-940). Although a king, Sigurd Syr was mainly interested in agricultural matters, which was quite exceptional for a king at that time. His nickname Syr meant: "The one who is digging in the field." He was known as a peaceful and very wise man. Sigurd Syr married the widow Åsta Gudbrandsdatter, who had a little son, Olav, today known as St. Olaf. Åsta and Sigurd Syr were the parents of Harald Hårdråde.
- St. Olav (or Olav Haraldsson) reigned from 1015 to 1030. His mother was the above-mentioned Åsta and his stepfather was King Sigurd Syr. However, Olaf Haraldsson's real father was Harald Grenske, who had been killed in 995. His widow, Åsta, gave birth to Olaf at the same year, but we do not know for sure if Olaf was born at Harald Grenske's place in Vestfold or in Hole. Olaf Haraldsson is one out of four saints in Norwegian history and world known.
- Harald Hårdråde reigned from 1046 to 1066 and was the half brother of Olaf Haraldsson. He was born at King Syr's farm. As a king he was known for his tough rule. He was only 15 years old when he fought in the battle of Stiklestad in 1030 and experienced the death of his half brother.
History
Hole has an extensive and important role in Norwegian history. Archeological finds from the Roman and Migration periods are numerous. Hole is also known as one of the traditional landscapes from the Viking age and plays a prominent role in the Norse sagas.
King Halfdan the Black of Vestfold conquered the Ringerike traditional district, including Hole, in about 830 AD. According to saga, when he died he was so popular that every district wanted his body. As a result his body was quartered; his head was buried in the mound at the Stein estate in Hole. Halfdan the Black’s second wife, Ragnild from Hole, was the mother of the first king of Norway, Harald I of Norway (also known as Harold Fairhair).
Saint Olaf (king of Norway from 1015 to 1028) was born in Hole, near where the 12th century Bønsnes church is located, to Harold Grenske (a grandson of Harald I of Norway) and his wife Asta. Asta later remarried to Sigurd Syr, chieftain of Hole, and had a son born there named Harold,(Harald Hårdråde) who later became Harald III Sigurdsson (king of Norway from 1046 to 1066) . [6]
Ringerkike’s famous poet, Jørgen Moe, was brought up on the Mo (or Moe) farm in Hole. Many of the fairy tales gathered by Asbjørnsen and Moe were collected in this area. Frognøya and Størøya are also important historical places in Hole.
Geography
The municipality of Hole is bordered on the north by Ringerike municipality, in the east by Bærum municipality and in the south by Lier municipality. South of the lake Tyrifjorden it also borders on Modum municipality. Most of the residents live in the villages of Sundvollen, Vik, Kroksund, Helgelandsmoen, Steinsåsen, Røyse, and Sollihøgda.
From the viewpoint "Kongens utsikt" which lies on Krokskogen, there is a spectacular view of the landscape in Hole. The main road between Oslo and Bergen, European route E16, runs through the community.
Måltrostlia in Kroksund: in folk terms the place is usually referred to as Dollar Hills (Dollar-Åsen) - mainly for its high percentage of right wing rich people. The average income of a typical inhabitant tends to be much higher than the standard wages in the district.
Government
The current mayor is Per Ragnvald Berger (born 18 October 1952), representing Høyre, the right-wing Conservatives in a coalition with Senterpartiet and Kristelig Folkeparti. Elected for 2007-2011, he is in for his third term and was first elected in 1999.
Attractions
In Hole there are good opportunities for outdoor activities. During the winter there are numerous skiing tracks, and the rest of the year hiking, boat trips, swimming, and fishing are readily available.
Storøen golf course lies along Lake Tyrifjorden. It is said to be one of the finest and best courses in Norway.
Notable residents
- Jørgen Moe (1813-1842), collector of folk tales
Sister cities
The following cities are twinned with Hole:[7]
- Faaborg-Midtfyn, Region Syddanmark, Denmark
- Hólmavík, Strandabyggð, Iceland
- Kustavi, Länsi-Suomi, Finland
- Tanum, Västra Götaland County, Sweden
References
- ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
- ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
- ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (2023-01-26). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
- ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-07.
- ^ "Om bruk av våpenet". Hole kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-07. Template:No icon
- ^ A Current Look at Bønsnes Church (by Bjørn Geirr Harsson; Elsie Sevig, translator. Ringerike-Drammen District Lag. Volume 23, Number 3. August 2009)
- ^ "Hole kommune har fem nordiske vennskapskommuner". Hole kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-07. Template:No icon
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
- Template:Wikitravel
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