Rauland
| Rauland herred | |
|---|---|
| Former Municipality | |
 | |
| Adm. Center | Rauland |
| Created from | Vinje, Lårdal, Seljord and Tinn in 1859 |
| Incorporated into | Vinje in 1964 |
Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark County, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Vest-Telemark.
It was created in 1860 from the districts of Rauland in Vinje and Øyfjell in Lårdal as a border adjustment. The new municipality had a population of 988. On 1 January 1964, Rauland was incorporated into Vinje. Prior to the merger Rauland had a population of 1,656.
Rauland is known for hiking, recreation and skiing. Telemark University College has a campus in Rauland. Well-known snowboarding celebrity, Terje Håkonsen, started his career in Rauland.
Notable residents
- Sveinung Svalastoga (1772–1809), Norwegian rose painter, poet and woodcarver
- Olav Aslakson Versto (1892–1977), Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party
- Aslaug Vaa (1889–1965), Norwegian poet and playwright
- Rikard Berge (1881–1969), Norwegian folklorist, museologist, and magazine editor
The name
The municipality (originally a parish) is named after the old farm, Rauland (Norse Rauðaland), since the first church was built there. The first element is the genitive case of rauði m 'bog-iron', the last element is land n 'land, farm'. (The many marshlands in the parish are filled with bog-iron, and for centuries its production was an important local resource.)
External links
- Dag Jukvam / Statistics Norway (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF).
Coordinates: 59°44′N 8°00′E / 59.733°N 8.000°E