Talk:Våler, Hedmark

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Love to see so much attention dedicated to this page (or any Norway page). Williamborg 21:49, 16 May 2005 (UTC)

I noticed, too. Why Våler, of all places? Not that I'm complaining....--Leifern 22:39, May 16, 2005 (UTC)
That's easy to answer. Gwydion1 (Bengt Olav Olsen) comes from Braskereidfoss in Våler, Hedmark, Norway. He's done us the courtesy of translating much of the Norwegian entry on Våler into English. So now the challenge is to see what one can add! Williamborg 00:48, 17 May 2005 (UTC)
Added a little bit. Who can add more? Williamborg 02:48, 17 May 2005 (UTC)
Hi! Fun to see that my work has been noticed. I'm rather new at Wikipedia, so I thought it would be a good idea to start with something as close as my homeplace. I'm currently working with the norwegian version, and I thought I could just as well translate it to english too, as I go along. History is the first part, but more will come. Bengt Olav Olsen 12:36, 18 May 2005 (UTC)
  • Truly appreciate your work here. Was intrigued to find that there is a substantial amount of information available on a location such as Våler. Now if we can get folks with similar interest for all of Hedmark, the Wikipedia will be the top source for all such information. Williamborg
Yes, that'd be great. :) Våler celebrated its 150th anniverary last year, and celebrated by making a book about Våler. Most of the information was found there. Bengt Olav Olsen 14:46, 18 May 2005 (UTC)
Any mention of the Anders Wiborg who commanded the fortress in Elverum in about 1718 in the Våler book? Think some of his descendents settled in Våler. Williamborg
Not that I've come over yet, but I haven't read the whole book yet, and it's about 230 pages. I'll let you know if I find something. Bengt Olav Olsen 19:38, 18 May 2005 (UTC)


I wondered if the sentence about Johannes Skraastad is necessary. It's ok to mention him, but maybe the rest could be made into an article about him? Bengt Olav Olsen 13:37, 18 May 2005 (UTC)

Done. Williamborg 14:01, 18 May 2005 (UTC)
  • What would you think about moving "After 1837, Våler was a part of Hof municipality. In 1848, Åsnes was split out as its own municipality with Våler as a part of it. Later, in 1854, Våler became an independent municipality, after a hard struggle mainly led by parliament member Christian Svenkerud." back to the 19th Century?
A good idea. Done.

I've tried to do something similar about Oppdal, where I was born. Perhaps we can coordinate and develop some standards for articles on municipalities. We could list them as benchmark articles in the Wikiproject Norway page. --Leifern 18:58, May 18, 2005 (UTC)

Yes, that would be a good idea! The parts I've planned to include in the article about Våler is the following: History, Geography, Industries and communication, Culture and notable places, Education and Politics. Additionally, I've noticed that in some articles, famous people from the place is listed. I'm not sure wether I want to include that or not, but I won't resist it if someone really wants it. I instead think it's better to include notable persons in the text, and if that doesn't feel natural, they're probably not worth mentioning anyway. And of course sections with external links and references. Bengt Olav Olsen 19:38, 18 May 2005 (UTC)
  • Oppdal is indeed well done. And I rather liked Gwydion1's list of topics, including notable folks born or living there. Other things that make the article useful or enjoyable include:
  • pictures (Leifern - your Oppdal & Skjåk photos are excellent examples),
  • adjacent municipality links (really helpful for those of us who aren't natives of Norway), and
  • if possible a good local map. Williamborg 00:46, 19 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Summary

Perhaps someone would care to put a summary of the above discussion in Wikipedia:WikiProject_Norway as a guide to how an ideal municipality article might look like? -- Egil 12:13, 19 May 2005 (UTC)

Yeah, that'd be a good idea. But I'd like to finish the article about Våler first. Bengt Olav Olsen 15:05, 19 May 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Church history

I collected the spread parts about church history, and added some more to it. The rest of the 19th century part then became so short that I removed it, and moved the part about the municipality-splitting back to the top. Two questions:

  • I'd like to write more about the baptismal font, but I can't translate the norwegian text. Can anyone help me? And
  • how can I explain in english what Olavsspenningen is?

Bengt Olav Olsen 15:11, 19 May 2005 (UTC)

Do not know what Olavsspenningen is, but can take a partially-educated guess. Fonnaas-spænden is a famous brooch (an ornament that is held by a pin or clasp and is worn at or near the neck) found at Fonnaas in Øvre Rendalen in 1877. And draktspenne is a clothing brooch or buckle (a fastening for two loose ends that is attached to one and holds the other by a catch). So perhaps Olavsspenningen was St. Olaf's brooch or St. Olaf's buckle. Williamborg 19:20, 19 May 2005 (UTC)
Yes, brooch or buckle may be the words to use. If I've guessed correctly, you're a norwegian, so you can read the norwegian version of the article. I've written a paragraph on relics in norwegian, that explains a bit more. Bengt Olav Olsen 20:19, 19 May 2005 (UTC)
Pretty sure, after looking at the Norwegian version, that buckle is the correct translation. Took the liberty of revising your English version to more closely match my read of the Norwegian. And it is most kind of you to suggest I'm Norwegian - my Bestefar and Bestemor were, but I'm only Norwegian at heart. :) Williamborg 01:42, 20 May 2005 (UTC)
I must say then, that your heart reads Norwegian very well! ;) It is a great translation, so many thanks to you! I've read some place that there are more Norwegians and Norwegian descendants living outside of Norway than there are people in Norway. Most of them lives in the USA, so then my new guess is that you live in one of the northern states in USA. :)
It is far easier to read than to speak or write in a language that is not your native tongue - so your work in putting up both the Norwegian and English versions is quite notable! Tusen takk! And you are right on location. Although there are Norwegian-Americans as far south as Texas, I do live in the north - Minnesota.