Meråker Municipality

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Meråker is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Midtbygda which is about Template:Convert west of Storlien in Sweden and Template:Convert east of the town of Stjørdalshalsen in neighboring Stjørdal Municipality. Other villages in the municipality include Gudåa, Kopperå, and Stordalsvollen.

The Template:Convert municipality is the 80th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Meråker is the 259th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,454. The municipality's population density is Template:Convert and its population has decreased by 3.9% over the previous 10-year period.<ref name="ssb pop">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ssb area">Template:Cite web</ref>

The municipality markets itself as a recreational area. The main areas of employment are in industry and agriculture. The municipality is noted for its characteristic dialect.

General information

The municipality of Meråker was established on 1 January 1874 when the old Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality was divided into two: Hegra Municipality (population: 3,409) in the east and Meråker Municipality (population: 1,861) in the west. The municipal borders have not changed since then.<ref name="Dag">Template:Cite web</ref> On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Meråker farm (spelled "Mørakre" around 1430) since the first Meråker Church was built there. The meaning of the first element is uncertain (maybe Template:Wikt-lang which means "mare" or Template:Wikt-lang which means "bog" or "marsh"). The last element is Template:Wikt-lang which means "field" or "acre".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Meraker. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Meraaker.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Meraaker with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Meråker, using the letter å was instead.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, a cart argent" (Template:Langx). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a mining cart. The mining cart has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This design was chosen to symbolize the fact that mining has traditionally played a major role in the area and has been of great economic importance for Meråker. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:See also

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (Template:Lang) within Meråker Municipality. It is part of the Stjørdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

**Churches in Meråker**
Parish (Template:Lang)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Meråker	Meråker Church	Midtbygda	1874
	Kopperå Chapel	Kopperå	1936
	Stordalen Chapel	Stordalsvollen	1863

History

Meråker Smelter

In 1898, a carbide factory was opened at Kopperå, later this factor was rebuilt as a silicon smelter. The smelter was in operation until June 2006. Its main product was microsilica which is used as an additive to cement.

Geography

Meråker is a landlocked municipality in the central part of Trøndelag county. To the north is Verdal Municipality, to the west is Stjørdal Municipality, to the south is Selbu Municipality and Tydal Municipality, and to the east is Åre Municipality in Sweden.

There are three major lakes in Meråker: Feren, Fjergen, and Funnsjøen. The river Stjørdalselva runs through the municipality towards the Trondheimsfjord. The river Rotla begins in the southern part of Meråker. The highest point in the municipality is the Template:Convert tall mountain Fongen, a tripoint on the border of Meråker Municipality, Selbu Municipality, and Tydal Municipality.<ref name="elev" />

Government

Meråker 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.<ref name="ks">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

Mayors

The mayor (Template:Langx) of Meråker is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Template:Div col

1874–1877: Christian Erlandsen
1878–1885: John Johnsen
1886–1887: Iver Lie
1888–1893: Fredrik Rø (V)
1894–1897: O. Hugdahl
1898–1907: Fredrik Rø (V)
1908–1910: Carl Olaf Iversen (H)
1911–1913: Olav Stubban (Ap)
1914–1916: Ole E. Wollan (Ap)
1917–1922: Peder J. Myrmo (Ap)
1923–1925: Arne Bergsaas (Ap)
1926–1937: Kristian Rothaug (Ap)
1938–1939: Joar Eimhjellen (Ap)
1939–1941: Alf Karlsen (Ap)
1942-1942: Arild Solberg (NS)
1943–1945: Alf Hembre (NS)
1945–1966: Alf Karlsen (Ap)
1967–1973: Johnny Stenberg (Ap)
1973-1995: Svein Brækken (Ap)
1995-2015: Bård Langsåvold (Ap)
2015-2019: Kari Anita Furunes (Sp)
2019–2023: Kjersti Kjenes (LL)
2023-present: Kari Anita Furunes (Sp)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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Transportation

The European route E14 highway runs east to west through the municipality connecting to Trondheim Airport, Værnes about Template:Convert to the west. The Meråker Line railway follows the E14 through the municipality also, with stops at Kopperå Station, Meråker Station, and Gudå Station.

Media

The newspaper Meråkerposten has been published in Meråker since 1982.<ref name="snl3">Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref>

Notable people

File:Bård Langsåvold.JPG

Bård Langsåvold, 2013

Anton Johnson Fridrichsen (1888 in Meråker – 1953), a Swedish theologian
Helge Ingstad (1899 in Meråker - 2001), an author, explorer, and archeologist
Arne Braa Saatvedt (1922 in Meråker – 1945), a Norwegian police official and member of the Nasjonal Samling; executed in 1945
Bård Langsåvold (born 1952), a Norwegian politician and Mayor of Meråker from 1995 to 2015
Dag Lyseid (1954–2012), a footballer and politician and deputy Mayor of Meråker from 1999 to 2008
Vebjørn Selbekk (born 1969), a newspaper editor and author who was brought up in Meråker

Sport

Magnar Lundemo (1938 in Meråker - 1987), a cross country skier and track and field athlete who competed at the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics
Frode Estil (born 1972), a retired cross country skier who lives in Meråker
Kine Beate Bjørnås (born 1980), a retired cross country skier
Simen Raaen Sandmæl (born 1990 in Meråker), a Norwegian footballer with over 130 club caps

Media gallery

Meråker, Norway

Meråker, Norway
Meråker smelteverk Kopperå

Meråker smelteverk Kopperå
Elven Kopperåa i Kopperå, Meråker

Elven Kopperåa i Kopperå, Meråker
Grønbergdammen in Meråker

Grønbergdammen in Meråker

References

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