The 563-square-kilometre (217 sq mi) municipality is the 193rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Østre Toten is the 83rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 14,896. The municipality's population density is 30.7 inhabitants per square kilometre (80/sq mi) and its population has increased by 0.9% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
The parish of Østre Toten was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1875, there was a border change between Vestre Toten Municipality and Østre Toten Municipality. On 1 January 1896, a small area of Østre Toten (population: 49) was transferred to the neighboring Vardal Municipality. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring Kolbu Municipality (population: 2,909) was merged with Østre Toten to form a new, larger Østre Toten Municipality.[6]
Etymology
The municipality is named Østre Toten after the district of Toten (Old Norse: Þótn). The name is identical with the word Þótn which has an uncertain meaning, but it might be from the word þóttr which means "the pleasant district" or "something one likes". The parish of Toten was divided into two parts (eastern and western) in 1825 and the first word, østre was added to signify that this was the "eastern" part, thus the name was Østre Toten which means "(the) eastern (part of) Toten".[7][8]
Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 27 March 1987. The official blazon is "Vert, a potato plant argent" (Norwegian: I grønt en sølv potetplante). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a potato plant. The potato plant has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The green color in the field symbolizes the importance of agriculture in the municipality and the potato was chosen since that is a particularly important crop that is grown in the municipality. The arms were designed by Arne Løvstand. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9][10][11]
Østre Toten is bordered to the west by Vestre Toten, to the north by Gjøvik, as well as by Hurdal and Eidsvoll in neighboring Akershus county. The highest peak is Torsæterkampen with a height of 841 metres (2,759 ft).
Settlement in Østre Toten is predominantly dispersed. In January 2015, 42.6% of the population lived in areas defined as urban settlements by Statistics Norway,[12] compared to 81% for Norway as a whole.[13] The urban settlements in Østre Toten are Kapp, Kolbu, Lena, Lensbygda, Nordlia, Skreia and Sletta.
In 1021, according to saga, King Olaf (reigned 1015–1028) converted Toten to Christianity. Also, King Håkon IV (reigned 1217–1263) came to Toten around the year 1226 to settle local unrest.[15]
Christian II (1481–1559) was a Danish monarch and King of Denmark and Norway from 1513–1523 and also the King of Sweden from 1520–1521, under the Kalmar Union. Prior to becoming king, Duke Christian was sent to Norway in 1506 by John II (also called Hans), King of Norway (1483–1513) to take charge of the kingdom. In 1507, he became aware of a revolt in Hedmark. In early 1508, he took a force there, routing the rebellion. He then rowed across lake Mjøsa to Toten, capturing residents, imprisoning them in the vaulted cellar of the rectory in Østre Toten and torturing them there. As a result, he determined that Bishop Karl of Hamar had been behind the rebellion. With Bishop Karl as his captive, he was able to suppress the unrest.[15]
The municipal council(Kommunestyre) of Østre Toten is made up of 29 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
Østre Toten has a subarctic climate (Dfc). It is very close to a continental climate as September averages 9.7 °C (49.5 °F) and May averages 9 °C (48 °F). Summer is the wettest time of year and winters are cold and snowy.
Economy
Østre Toten is one of the Innlandet's most productive farming municipalities. Østre Toten is Norway's largest producers of potatoes and onions. This is reflected in the municipality's coat of arms, which displays a potato plant. The KiMs factory (which produces potato chips) is located at Skreia.
Attractions
Among the town's most notable landmarks are the old Hoff Church and the rock carvings at Glemmestad near Kapp, now displayed in the Toten Museum.
Notable people
Public Service
Margit Sandemo, 2010Eldar Vågan, 2010Arne Senstad, 2019
^Statistisk sentralbyrå (2022). "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
^Statistisk sentralbyrå (2022). "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
^Jukvam, Dag (1999). Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
^Rygh, Oluf (1902). Norske gaardnavne: Kristians amt (anden halvdel) (in Norwegian) (4-2 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 49.
^"Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
^"Ostre Toten, Oppland (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
^"Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 27 March 1987. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
^"Population in densely and sparsely populated areas. Municipality. 1 January 2015". ssb.no. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
^"Stable growth in urban settlements". ssb.no. Retrieved 26 May 2016.
^"Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents". ssb.no. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
^ a b c dStagg, Frank Noel (1956). East Norway and its Frontier. George Allen & Unwin, Ltd.
^Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
^"Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Innlandet". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^"Kommunestyrevalg 2019 - Innlandet". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
^ a b c d"Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.