Gjøvik

Gjøvik  is a town and a municipality in Innlandet (formerly Oppland) [3] county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Gjøvik.

Gjøvik kommune
Municipality
Central Gjøvik
Coat of arms
Innlandet within
Norway
Gjøvik within Innlandet
Coordinates: 60°47′33″N 10°41′42″E
CountryNorway
CountyInnlandet
DistrictVest-Oppland
Administrative centreGjøvik
Government
 • Mayor (2014)Bjørn Iddberg
Area
 • Total672 km2 (259 sq mi)
 • Land630 km2 (240 sq mi)
Area rank165 in Norway
Population
 (2014)
 • Total30,063
 • Rank28 in Norway
 • Density44/km2 (110/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
2.8%
Demonym(s)Gjøvikenser
Gjøvikensar[1]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3407
Official language formBokmål[2]
Websitewww.gjovik.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

In 1861, the village of Gjøvik in the municipality of Vardal was granted town status and was separated from Vardal to form a separate municipality. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring rural municipalities of Biri, Snertingdal, and Vardal were all merged into the municipality of Gjøvik.

Etymology

The town is named after the old Gjøvik farm (Old Norse: Djúpvík), consisting of the elements djúpr "deep" and vík "inlet".[4]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms were granted on 2 September 1960. The arms show a white swan (Cygnus cygnus).

The former coat of arms, adopted in 1922, was a linden tree, with the statement Vis et voluntas (meaning "Force and will") on the lower part of the shield. The following design was a so-called "potpourri" vase, the most significant design of the glassworks that was the funding industry of the town.[5]

See also: Coats-of-arms of Eide and Høylandet

Demographics
Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Gjøvik by country of origin in 2017[6]
Ancestry Number
 Poland439
 Somalia283
 Iraq243
 Bosnia-Herzegovina197
 Iran194
 Syria178
 Eritrea171
 Lithuania156
 Sweden143
 China125
 Vietnam114
 Kosovo106

Geography

Along with Hamar, Lillehammer, Brumunddal and Moelv, Gjøvik is one of the many towns bordering Norway's biggest lake, Mjøsa. The town administration of Gjøvik also covers the suburb area Hunndalen and the rural districts of Biri, Snertingdal, and Vardal. The municipal population is 28,807 (2010). About 16,000 people live in the urban area proper.

Gjøvik is bordered on the north by Lillehammer municipality, in the south by Østre Toten and Vestre Toten, and in the west by Søndre Land and Nordre Land. Across Lake Mjøsa to the east lies Ringsaker municipality in Hedmark.

The highest point is Ringsrudåsen with a height of 842 metres (2,762 ft).

Economy

Gjøvik owes much of its early growth to the local glassworks, which were established there by Caspar Kauffeldt in 1807. In the early 19th century, there was considerable immigration there from Valdres and Western Norway, aiding Gjøvik's growth. It was granted a town charter in 1861. Later, O. Mustad & Son became one of the world's largest manufacturers of fish hooks.[7]

Today Hoff Potetindustrier, Hunton Fiber and Natre Vinduer are some of the industrial companies operating from Gjøvik. The town is also a port for the former traffic ship, Skibladner, which is now a tourist ship.

The local paper is the Oppland Arbeiderblad. It was formerly a Labour Party newspaper. Defunct newspapers include Oplændingen and Velgeren (Labour Democrat/Liberal), Samhold (Liberal, later Agrarian) and Ny Dag (Communist).

Gjøvik has two notable hotels, the Grand hotel and the Strand hotel.

There have been three notable concerts held in Gjøvik's history, which starred Toto, Robbie Williams and Bryan Adams (June 2011).

Gjøvik Church

Gjøvik Church

Gjøvik Church (Gjøvik kirke) was designed by architect Jacob Wilhelm Nordan. The wooden structure was built between 1881-82. Both the church buildings and fixtures are designed in Gothic Revival architecture. The exterior of the church has contrasting colors on wall surfaces and bearing structures. The altarpiece was painted by artist, Asta Nørregaard. The churchyard has a monument dedicated to the memory of Lutheran missionary, Paul Olaf Bodding. The church was restored during 1927, 1960, 2004-2005 and in 2009.[8][9]

Attractions

Notable people from Gjøvik
Baltazar Mathias Keilhau, 1857
Paul Olaf Bodding, 1925

Public Service & public thinking

The Arts
Per Elvestuen, 2015

Sport
Ingvild Flugstad Oestberg, 2019

Twin towns – sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway

Gjøvik is twinned with:[12]

A panorama of Gjøvik
  • Gjøvik City Hall
  • Park at the Gjøvik farm
  • Skibladner boathouse, Gjøvik

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. moderniseringsdepartementet, Kommunal- og (7 July 2017). "Regionreform". Regjeringen.no. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  4. Rygh, Oluf (1900). Norske gaardnavne: Kristians amt (Anden halvdel) (in Norwegian) (4 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 40.
  5. Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-01.
  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 26 June 2017.
  7. Stagg, Frank Noel (1956). East Norway and its Frontier. George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.
  8. Anne Wichstrøm. "Asta Nørregaard". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  9. Torstein Jørgensen. "Paul Olaf Bodding". Norsk biografisk leksikon. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  10. IMDb Database retrieved 15 January 2021
  11. IMDb Database retrieved 15 January 2021
  12. "Vennskapsbyer". gjovik.kommune.no (in Norwegian). Gjøvik Kommune. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
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