Lom, Norway

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Lom kommune

County	Oppland
District	Gudbrandsdalen
Municipality	NO-0514
Administrative centre	Fossbergom
Mayor (2004)	Simen Bjørgen (Sp)
Official language form	Nynorsk
Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage	Ranked 31 1,969 km² 1,889 km² 0.61 %
Population  - Total (2004)  - Percentage  - Change (10 years)  - Density	Ranked 303 2,496 0.05 % -5.0 % 1/km²
Coordinates	61°48′N 8°38′E
www.lom.kommune.no Data from Statistics Norway

Coordinates: 61°48′N 8°38′E

Lom is a municipality in the county of Oppland, Norway. It is famous for its extensive history, for having one of the few remaining stave churches in Norway, and for lying in the midst of the highest mountains in Northern Europe.

Lom stave church

[edit] The name

The Norse forms of the name was Lóar (nominative) and Lóm (dative). The name is the plural form of ló f 'meadow'.

[edit] Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1987). It shows three skjeltrekor (a special spade used to throw water out over the fields).

[edit] Geography

Lom is the "gateway" to the Jotunheimen Mountains and to Jotunheim National Park. The municipality contains the two highest peaks in Norway, Galdhøpiggen (2469 m) and Glittertind (2464 m), which lie within the park.

'Lom' is bordered on the northwest by Skjåk, in the north by Lesja, in the east and southeast by Vågå, in the south by Vang municipalities in Oppland. In the southwest it is bordered by Luster municipality in Sogn og Fjordane county.

[edit] Economy

Agriculture has long been important in Lom.

The natural beauty and extended history of this mountainous region makes Lom an important tourist destination.

[edit] History

An ancient trade route passed up from Sunnmøre through Lom and Skjåk and down the Gudbrandsdal into the Østlandet. The trade consisted of fish and salt heading inland, and grain heading to the coast.

The Saga of Olaf Haraldson relates that St. Olaf commented as he first looked down on Lom, “What a pity to have to lay waste to such a beautiful valley.” In the face of such a clear motivation, the residents of the valley converted. St. Olafs-stuggu, a building were St. Olaf is reported to have spent a night in 1021, can still be found here. The building is part of the Presthaugen District Museum.

Lom stave church, which is located at Lom center, was built around 1150 - 1200. It was extended in 1634, with further addition of two naves in 1667. It is believed that the church was originially surrounded by a circumambolatory passage, like many other Norwegian stave churches, but that this passage was removed when the two side wings were added. A few Runic inscriptions can be still be seen in the church. The church also contains numerous paintings from the 17th and 18th centuries with religious motifs. Many of the paintings were made by local artist Eggert Munch, a distant relation of the famous Edvard Munch. The church also contains numerous examples of local woodcarving, as seen in the elaborate acanthus scrolls adorning the pulpit. Carved dragon figures on the roof are old symbols of protection against evil. It is still in use as the local church.

The Garmo stave church, which was built around 1150, has been relocated from Lom municipality and is now at Maihaugen in Lillehammer.

[edit] Famous residents

• Lom was the birthplace of the novelist Knut Hamsun, winner of the 1920 Nobel Prize in Literature. His birthplace can be seen 12 kilometers to the east of Lom center.
• The poet Olav Aukrust was born and lived in Lom. There is a memorial to him near the church.
• Tor Jonsson (1916 - 1951), poet and author and winner of The Norwegian Critics Prize for Literature was born and lived in Lom. His childhood cottage is part of the Lom District Museum on the sunny-side road (solsidevege).

[edit] What to See in Lom

Lom stave church from a different viewpoint. Duplicate photos seem fitting, as the Lom stave is one of the most photographed motifs in the area.

• Lom Stave Church
• Jotunheim National Park
• The Norwegian Mountain Museum and information center for Jotunheim National Park
• Lom District Museum in Presthaugen - an open-air museum
• Fossheim Stone/Mineral Center
• Route 55 from Lom over the Sognefjell (the highest mountain pass in Europe)
• Knut Hamsun's cottage located at Garmostrædet
• The Sagasøyla Column in Bøverdalen
• Lom’s irrigation canals

[edit] External link

• Visit Lom

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lom, Oppland

Municipalities of Oppland
Dovre | Etnedal | Gausdal | Gjøvik | Gran | Jevnaker | Lesja | Lillehammer | Lom | Lunner | Nord-Aurdal | Nord-Fron | Nordre Land | Ringebu | Sel | Skjåk | Søndre Land | Sør-Aurdal | Sør-Fron | Vang | Vestre Slidre | Vestre Toten | Vågå | Østre Toten | Øyer | Øystre Slidre