Verdal
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| Verdal kommune | |||
| — Municipality — | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | Norway | ||
| County | Nord-Trøndelag | ||
| District | Innherad | ||
| Municipality ID | NO-1721 | ||
| Administrative centre | Verdal | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor (2003) | Bjørn Iversen (Ap) | ||
| Area (Nr. 48 in Norway) | |||
| - Total | 1,548 km² (597.7 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 1,479 km² (571 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008) | |||
| - Total | 14,094 | ||
| - Density | 9/km² (23.3/sq mi) | ||
| - Change (10 years) | 0.3 % | ||
| - Rank in Norway | 73 | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| Official language form | Neutral | ||
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| Website: www.verdal.kommune.no | |||
Verdal is a municipality in the county of Nord-Trøndelag, Norway.
Verdal was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). It is one of very few municipalities in Norway with unchanged borders since that date.
The village of Verdal (sometimes referred to as Verdalsøra) declared township in 1998.
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[edit] History
The most famous battle in Norwegian history, the Battle of Stiklestad, took place at Stiklestad in Verdal 1030 AD.
In the early night of 19 May 1893, the most deadly landslide in modern Norwegian history, known as Verdalsraset, took place in Verdal, killing 116 people and at least 500 animals as approximately 100 farms were swept away. A wet winter and several spring floods in the river made the clay in a large area of the valley turn into a fluid ([1]). The slide encompassed about 60 million cubic meter.
[edit] Name
The Old Norse form of the name was Verdalr (from *Verardalr). The first element is the genitive case of a rivername *Ver (now Verdalselva), the last element is dalr m 'valley, dale'. The meaning of the rivername is probably 'the quiet one'.
(See also the name of Verran.)
[edit] Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from 1972, but is taken from a Middle Age painting where it is depicted on the shield of Saint Olaf.
[edit] Economy
Main ways of living include offshore industry (Aker Kværner Verdal) and agriculture. Verdal is despite its small size a city with great personality and cultural integrity. After several grand lottery prices received in Verdal by some lucky inhabitants, it is also known as one of the great "Lotto-bygds" of Norway (Small places with high concentration of lottery wins in the national game of Lotto.)
[edit] Culture
Verdal is also famous for the cultural phenomenon of "råner" subculture. This culture is known for young people interested in cars, spending most of their time improving, enhancing and styling their cars, and driving them for display on a particular route around the town centre.
Cultural events include the grand Olavsfestival every July, commemorating Saint Olaf who fell here in the Battle of Stiklestad on July 29, 1030.
[edit] External links
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