Orkland is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Orkdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Orkanger.[4] Other notable population centres in the municipality include Krokstadøra, Selbekken, Ingdalen, Lensvik, Vassbygda, Vernes, Leksa, Kjøra, Geitastrand, Gjølme, Thamshavn, Fannrem, Vormstad, Svorkmo, Hoston, village of Meldal, Løkken Verk, Bjørnli, Å, and Storås.

Orkland Municipality
Orkland kommune
View of the town of Orkanger
View of the town of Orkanger
Trøndelag within Norway
Trøndelag within Norway
Orkland within Trøndelag
Orkland within Trøndelag
Coordinates: 63°18′24″N 9°51′01″E / 63.3067°N 09.8502°E / 63.3067; 09.8502
CountryNorway
CountyTrøndelag
DistrictOrkdalen
Established1 Jan 2020
 • Preceded byAgdenes, Orkdal, Meldal, and most of Snillfjord
Administrative centreOrkanger
Government
 • Mayor (2023)Hanne Nyhus (Ap)
Area
 • Total1,906.28 km2 (736.02 sq mi)
 • Land1,817.77 km2 (701.84 sq mi)
 • Water88.51 km2 (34.17 sq mi)  4.6%
 • Rank#42 in Norway
Population
 (2023)
 • Total18,690
 • Rank#71 in Norway
 • Density10.3/km2 (27/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +6.8%
DemonymOrklending[1]
Official language
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-5059[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

The 1,906-square-kilometre (736 sq mi) municipality is the 42nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Orkland is the 71st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 18,690. The municipality's population density is 10.3 inhabitants per square kilometre (27/sq mi) and its population has increased by 6.8% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]

General information edit

The municipality of Orkland was established on 1 January 2020 after the merger of the old municipalities of Agdenes, Orkdal, Meldal, and most of Snillfjord.[7]

Name edit

The name of the municipality comes from the name of the local river Orkla and the Orkladalen valley in which the river runs. There was another municipality of Orkland that existed from 1920 until 1963, and its area will be part of the new (much larger) municipality.

Coat of arms edit

The coat of arms for the municipality was approved in 2019. It is somewhat of a combination of the old arms for Meldal and Orkdal. The arms are divided horizontally by a wavy line with green above and silver below representing agriculture and forestry (green) and the sea and water (silver). In the centre of the arms there is a gear which represents the industry of the community. The colors of the gear are inverted from the background.[8]

Churches edit

The Church of Norway had eight parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Orkland. It is part of the Orkdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

Churches in Orkland
Parish (sokn) Church Name Location of the Church Year Built
Agdenes Agdenes Church Vernes 1857
Lensvik Church Lensvik 1863
Ingdal Chapel Ingdalen 1960
Geitastrand Geitastrand Church Geitastrand 1859
Løkken Løkken Church Bjørnli 1929
Meldal Meldal Church Meldal 1988
Orkanger Orkanger Church Orkanger 1892
Orkdal Orkdal Church Fannrem 1893
Søvasskjølen Church Svorksjødalen 1981
Orkland Moe Church Vormstad 1867
Snillfjord Snillfjord Church Krokstadøra 1898

Government edit

Orkland Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.[9] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council edit

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Orkland is made up of 43 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Orkland kommunestyre 2023–2027 [10]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 12
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Industry and Business Party (Industri‑ og Næringspartiet) 2
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet) 4
  Red Party (Rødt) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
 Small Town List Orkland (Småbylista Orkland)4
Total number of members:43
Orkland kommunestyre 2020–2023 [11]  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 17
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet) 3
  Red Party (Rødt) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 16
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
 Small Town List Orkland (Småbylista Orkland)3
Total number of members:51

Mayors edit

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Orkland:

  • 2020-2023: Oddbjørn Bang (Sp)
  • 2023-present: Hanne Nyhus (Ap)[12]

Notable people edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^ Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^ Leth-Olsen, Lina (27 October 2016). "Dette blir en del av nye Orkland". Adresseavisen (in Norwegian). Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  5. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  6. ^ Statistisk sentralbyrå (2020). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  7. ^ "Endringer i kommunestrukturen" (in Norwegian). Stortinget. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
  8. ^ "Kommunevåpen - heraldikk" (in Norwegian). Nye Orkland kommune. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  9. ^ Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Trøndelag Trööndelage". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Tall for Norge: Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Trøndelag". Valg Direktoratet. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  12. ^ "Orkland har fått ny ordfører". NRK (in Norwegian). 12 September 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.