Flå

Flå is a municipality in Viken 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.

For other uses, see Flå (disambiguation).
Flå kommune
Municipality
Coat of arms
Viken within
Norway
Flå within Viken
Coordinates: 60°24′31″N 9°29′3″E
CountryNorway
CountyViken
DistrictHallingdal
Administrative centreFlå
Government
 • Mayor (2003)Tor Egil Buøen (LL)
Area
 • Total704 km2 (272 sq mi)
 • Land670 km2 (260 sq mi)
Area rank159 in Norway
Population
 (2008)
 • Total974
 • Rank405 in Norway
 • Density1.5/km2 (4/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
−12.9%
Demonym(s)Fløværing[1]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3039
Official language formBokmål[2]
Websitewww.flaa.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

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.[3][4]

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Flå by country of origin in 2017[5]
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.[6]

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.[7] .[8]

Notable people

Attractions

Bjørneparken is located on Vikberget in Flå. The park is a sanctuary featuring various animals including bears, elk, deer, wolf, and lynx.[10]

Protected areas
  • Bringen Nature Reserve, established 28 June 1985[11]
  • Bukollen Nature Reserve, established 28 June 1985[12]
  • Festningen Nature Reserve, established 28 June 1985[13]
  • Flenten Nature Reserve, established 24 September 1993[14]
  • Stavnselva Nature Reserve, established 13 December 2002[15]

See also
  • Vidalen
  • Bukollen
  • Stavnselva
  • Lake Krøderen
  • Flå Church
  • Hallingporten road tunnel
  • Bjørneparken

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  4. "Kommunevåpen for Flå kommune" (in Norwegian). Flå kommune. Archived from the original on 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2009-01-06.
  5. "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.
  6. Stagg, Frank Noel (1956). East Norway and its Frontier. George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.
  7. "Vassfaret og Vidalen landskapsvernområde". naturbase.no. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  8. "Indre Vassfaret landskapsvernområde". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  9. IMDb Database retrieved 15 August 2020
  10. "Om Bjørneparken". Bjørneparken AS. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  11. "Bringen naturreservat". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  12. "Bukollen naturreservat". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  13. "Festningen naturreservat". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  14. "Flenten naturreservat". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  15. "Stavnselva naturreservat". naturbase.no. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
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