OPPLAND COUNTY Welcome to Oppland County and the weather right now! Oppland County is one out of 19 countys in Norway with a area of 25.191 km2 and a population of approximately 186.087. Each County is divided into different municipality. For Oppland County you will find the name of the municipality to your "right" (municipality for the whole country is 429) or read a short story given below. Principal industries are Fishing, agriculture, industry, trade and commerce, public services. National Parks: Dovre, Jotunheimen, Rondane, Ormtjernkampen. Nature reserves: Fokstumyra, Vassfaret. SEE VIDEO WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT US ! Oppland, in the centre of southern Norway, is bordered by seven other counties. The main traffic arteries between the south and the north of the country, the railway and the E-6 highway pass through the county. The key east-west road connections are E 16, RV 15 and RV 9. Fagernes Airport at Leirin in Valdres is the county"s local airport. Oppland has northern Europe´s highest mountain peak, Galdhøpiggen (2.369m), and 56% of the county´s area is more than 900m above sea level. Both Gudbrandsdalen and Valdres are valley and mountain areas, while Toten, Land and Hadeland are level agricultural areas. The county´s two major cities are Gjøvik and Lillehammer. The nature in Oppland is diverse, with a wide variety of flora, fauna and topography. The county has large expanses of forest, mountains, waterways and traditional farming landscapes, as well as four national parks and two nature reserves. The demographic distribution in Oppland varies greatly, with population concentrations in the north and west of Lake Mjøsa and along the main traffic arteries through the valleys. The population is less concentrated in the municipalities north and west of the county. Because of the stable and good climate and very little pollution Oppland County is a good county to grow up and live in. LILLEHAMMER In the years prior to the XVII Olympic Winter Games in 1994, a great deal of money was used to upgrade infrastructure such as water and sewage systems, the energy supply, roads, railway and telecommunications. The area around Lake Mjøsa now has one of the world´s most modern telecommunications networks and is ideally suited for technologically advanced companies. The site that served during the Lillehammer Games as the International Broadcasting Centre is today part of Lillehammer College. Beginning in the autumn 1997, the college will also be able to offer Norway"s first college-level film studies. The number of students at the college has doubled in relation to before the Olympics. And for the county as a whole, the Olympic Winter Games also boosted expertise in the areas of languages, customer service and events organising. VALDRESFLYE The road open from early May and normally well into the month of November. During May and parts of June, the top of Valdresflye (1.389 m.a.s.l.) is an extremely popular starting point for magnificent spring ski trips across the level mountain plateux to the east or up toward the Jotunheimen peaks in the west. The plateux are white, the days are long and you won´t have a care in the world. The road leading across Valdresflye is a journey through a landscape that has evolved over the course of millions of years. Beitostølen lies on the foot of Bitihorn mountain. Bitihorn rises 1.607 meters above sea level. On the top you can view towards Bygdin and a row of pinnacles in Jotunheimen, Valdresflya, Vinstervatnet, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, Øyangen and Slettefjellet. The national road across the Valdresflye plateau passes along the border of Jotunheimen National Park, with Gjende as the key gateway into this heritage-listed nature preserve. The trip across the Valdresflye plateau provides plenty of opportunities for walks in varying landscape, where you yourself select the length and level of difficulty based on time, weather and physical constraints. Among the many ideal starting points for trails marked by the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association (DNT) are Bygdin, the Valdresflye plateau, the Gjende district, Maurvangen and Bessheim. Besseggen near Gjende - where Per Gynt of Ibsen-fame performed his fameous stage-ride is the most popular route among the DNT-marked trails. Primary industries are still significant for employment and living patterns in Oppland. The rural districts are fundamental for the business community, supplying raw materials to the wood and wood-processing industries, and meat, dairy products and vegetables to the foodstuffs industry. The structure in the processing industry is characterised by small and mid-sized companies. With its fish farming, companies in the Valdres area have been able to specialise in supplying products such as fermented trout and smoked salmon and trout. Oppland is Nonrway´s largest travel destination, both in terms of the number of travel-related companies and bed-nights. The travel industry in the county had 15% of the total number of bed-nights in Nonrway in 1995. The travel industry is a major employer and contributes a large number of jobs for women. It also provides spin-off effects for local businesses and the transport industry. Tourist traffic has been on the rise both before and after the Lillehammer Games, and today the travel industry is our most important export product, with an emphasis on high-quality tourism, culinary traditions, culture and attractions. Organises charter tours to Oppland via Fagernes Airport in Leirin. Each year Oppland is host to a large number of courses and conferences. Facilities for hosting courses and conferences are located throughout the county, but with most concentrated around Gjøvik and Lillehammer / Øyer. Oppland has many public sector jobs, in the municipalities, the county municipality, the regional governmental departments, the postal service, the telephone company and the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). "Build on the past, live in the present, shape the future." Oppland has rich traditions in the fields of music, dance, literature, wood-carving, architecture and handicrafts. The locals are very aware of the tremendous value of this rich culture and take good care of it. Folk music traditions have deep roots in Valdres and the Gudbrandsdal Valley, both among individuals and groups. Local groups and individuals have won prizes at a number of music competitions and festivals. The prestigious "Spelemannsprisen" has several times been won by folk musicians from Oppland. The Harding fiddle dominates folk music in the Valdres district, while the ordinary fiddle is more common in the Gudbrandsdal Valley. On the west side of Lake Mjøsa, the traditions are different, even though folk music has become more popular in recent years. But here there is especially great interest in string bands, big bands and small ensembles, not to mention choir. Gjøvik in particular has a good music education programme for youth, and this has laid the groundwork for a wealth of musical experiences. Seen as a whole, Oppland today has a vibrant music community, in which traditional music lives side by side with the latest international trends. LITERATURE Oppland has been the home of many famous authors. The three Norwegian authors who have received the Nobel Prize in Literature all have bonds to Oppland. Knut Hamsun was born at Garmo in Lom, but moved later with his parents to Nordland. Later in life he returned, and lived for periods of his life in Valdres and at Toten. Sigrid Undset purchased Bjerkebæk in Lillehammer in 1921, and lived there until her death in 1950. Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson bought the farm Aulestad in Gausdal in 1874, and it is still in the family"s possession. Other famous Oppland authors are Olav Aukrust, Tore Ørjasæter, Tor Jonsson, Jan Magnus Bruheim, Hans Aanrud, Mikkjel Fønhus, Vera Henriksen, Kirsten Langbo and Ragnhild Magerøy. ART Many painters have since the last century and up to today lived and worked in Lillehammer. This includes, for example, Thorvald Erichsen, Lars Jorde, Fredrik Collett, Alf Lundeby, Kristen and Halvdan Holbø. Several others lived in Lillehammer either permanently or for periods of their lives. Many of these found their motifs in the Gudbrandsdal Valley. Today, Jakob Weidemann lives and works in Lillehammer In addition, we have significant painters such as Reidun Tordhol, Solveig Hiorth Andersen, Einar Sigstad, Arne Paus, Ole Kr. Reinsbu, as well as handicraftsmen and women such as Liv Blåvarp, Torbjørn Kvasbø, Johan Mæhlum, Marit Hosar and Ragnhild Enge. The Lillehammer Art Museum, which has one of the country´s best collections of Norwegian pictorial art, houses many works by Oppland painters. CULTURAL MONUMENTS Oppland has a very rich cultural heritage, and is one of the country´s leading counties when it comes to architecture and other types of cultural monuments. Of the country"s approx. 2500 preserved buildings, around 500 are located in Oppland. The country"s largest concentration of heritage listed farm courtyards is located in Heidal in Sel municipality. Of the 30 stave churches heritage listed in Norway today, nine of them are located in Oppland. Garmo stave church, which originally stood at Garmo in Lom, is now on display at Maihaugen in Lillehammer. There is also a Norwegian stave church in Slask, Polen. This stave church originally stood in Vang in Valdres, and was purchased by the Prussian Kaiser Wilhelm Friedrich IV in 1841. Oppland has a network of well-developed, cultural-historical museums. The largest is The Sandvig Collections, Maihaugen, which is the country´s largest outdoor museum with around 150 buildings. Similar, but smaller museums include Valdres Folk Museum, Toten Ecological Museum, Eiktunet at Gjøvik, Lands Museum, Hadeland Folk Museum and the Museums in Nord-Gudbrandsdalen. There are also special museums such as the Norwegian Museum of Historical Vehicles, Norwegian Road Museum in Lillehammer and the Norwegian Mountain Museum in Lom. MONUMENTAL BUILDINGS In connection with the XVII Olympic Winter Games in 1994, several large monumental buildings and athletic facilities were built in the Lillehammer area. At Maihaugen, a major cultural centre was built, with a hall seating up to 730 persons. In connection with the earlier Lillehammer By"s Malerisamling, a large, new art museum was built, and the institution is now called the Lillehammer Art Museum. The old magnificent building that earlier housed Lillehammer Sparebank was restored and established as the Banken Cultural Centre. For the 1994 Olympics, two large sports halls were built, Kristin and Håkon Halls, the latter with a seating capacity of 10.OOO Two modern ski jumping hills were also built at Lysgards bakkene, and a ski arena for Cross-country and Biathlon. For Alpine events, Hafjell in Øyer and Kvitfjell in Ringebu were expanded and upgraded. And a Bobsleigh and Luge Track was built north of Lillehammer at Hunderfossen. NATURE Health-giving mountain air, and sanatoriums for chest patients and convalescents, provided the initial basis for Oppland"s tourist industry. Of the older sanatoriums located here at the end of the last century and beginning of this century were Tonsåsen, Breidablikk, Fossheim and Maristuen in Valdres; in the Gudbrandsdal Valley, the oldest is Gausdal Høyfjellshotell, built as a sanatorium as early as 1878. Granheim Lung Centre in Follebu in the same municipality has a similar history. Pure air and water, beautiful and unspoiled uplands are today a resource in great demand. Recreation and peace and quiet as a part of the health programme are still very important — and become constantly more important for those who live in densely populated areas with a high degree of pollution. But nature has its limits, and it is important to ensure that animals and plants are not subject to excessive amounts of tourist traffic. Environmental protection and "green tourism" are important concepts. We must use nature for recreation, and at the same time also preserve it as an invaluable resource. Landscape protection, preservation of mountain areas, forests and nature reserves, as well as preservation of cultural history in all building and planning activities are important tools when used in combination with the monitoring of water and air quality. In certain areas of the county, the population doubles during the winter and summer holidays and Easter. The tremendous number of tourists travelling to the region are also in need of health services, and the county municipality operates two somatic county hospitals and three special hospitals. EVENTS ORGANISER Oppland has long traditions in organising conferences, cultural festivals, folk music events and not least of all sports events. There is considerable events organising experience, not least of all when it comes to large and demanding sports events such as World Cup competitions, Olympics and other major championships. Among the typical annual athletic events worth mentioning are Birkebeinerrennet, Ridderrennet, Olympic Day Run, in addition to various World Cup competitions in Nordic and Alpine ski disciplines, "Villmannen over Valdresflya" and the mountain marathon at the same site. In the sphere of culture, we have the annual Kristin Days at Jørundgard in Sel, the Peer Gynt Festival at Vinstra, with a performance of " Peer Gynt" at Galavannet lake, the Jørn Hilme-festival at Fagernes, the "Landskappleiken" folk music festival which from time to time is held in Oppland, the Sigrid Undset Festival and various other festivals with plenty of music and dancing. After the 1994 Olympics, Lillehammer and Gjøvik have plenty of indoor events capacity, which can also be used for seminars, conferences, concerts, etc. The county also has several national sports facilities, as well as county-wide facilities for various ski disciplines, track and field, ice hockey, bobsleigh/luge, motor sports, rafting and hang-gliding. Oppland is ideally suited for leisure activities, sports and recreation, both summer and winter. LOCAL DIRECTORY In every municipality you will find links to Local Directory. This will give you information ON whats happen localy in the municipality even Job vacancy. JOB OPPORTUNITY GoNorway will present companies which have challenging job, development and career prospects in their organizations. In every municipality you will find links to companies offer Job opportunity. ADVENTURES The choice of different activities in Norway such as Golf, Skiing, Cycling, Cruising, Fishing, Stave churches etc. VIDEO You can see Video from Norway and from all the Countys. In order that you may get the best out of your visit Norway we recommend that you visit the Tourist Information. Dovre Etnedal Gausdal Gjøvik Gran Jevnaker Lesja Lillehammer Lom Lunner Nord-Aurdal Sør-Aurdal Nord-Fron Sør-Fron Nordre Land Søndre Land Ringebu Sel Skjåk Vang Øystre Slidre Vestre Slidre Østre Toten Vestre Toten Vågå Øyer