Ål Explained

Ål
Idnumber:3328
County:Buskerud
District:Hallingdal
Capital:Ål
Language:Nynorsk
Coatofarms:Ål komm.svg
Flag:Flag of Ål.gif
Demonym:Åling
Munwebpage:www.aal.kommune.no
Mayor:Solveig Vestenfor
Mayor Party:Labour Party
Mayor As Of:2015
Area Rank:85
Area Total Km2:1171
Area Land Km2:1081
Area Water Percent:0.36
Population As Of:2015
Population Rank:207
Population Total:4716
Populationpercent:0.10
Population Density Km2:4
Coordinates:60.6303°N 8.5611°W
Utm Zone:32V
Utm Northing:6726742
Utm Easting:0476886
Geo Cat:adm2nd

Ål is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ål.The parish of Aal was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area of Hol was separated from the municipality of Aal in 1877 to become a separate municipality.

Geography

80% of Ål municipality is at least 900m (3,000feet) above sea level. The highest point is Raudbergnuten at 1819m (5,968feet).[1] Reineskarvet, the significant mountain of Ål has a summit of 1791m (5,876feet). In the winter, Ål has over 400km (200miles) of maintained cross country ski trails.[2]

Ål borders the municipalities of Hol, Gol, Hemsedal, Nes, Nore og Uvdal, and Lærdal.

The Bergen Line, the rail line between Oslo and Bergen runs through Ål. Ål Station has an elevation of 436m (1,430feet) and is the halfway station on the Bergen Line.

Hallingdalselva runs in the bottom of the main valley, forming Strandafjorden, a long, narrow lake for several kilometers. Ål has several hydroelectric dams. Hallingdalselva runs partly in a tunnel from here to Nes municipality, where it drives a large turbine power plant.

Mountains

General information

Approximately 5,000 inhabitants spread over several smaller villages including Ål, Torpo, Leveld, Vats, Trillhus, Granhagen, Breie and Strand. There is a strong cultural tradition, with folk music being a big part of people's identity. Folkemusikkveka is held every May for a week.

The traditional industry of Ål is mostly small-farming. Many livestock farms are still in operation with small herds of sheep, dairy cattle, and goats. Crop growing is difficult because of the steep valley walls, but wheat, barley, rye, and potatoes have all been grown in the past.

The award-winning local paper Hallingdølen has offices in the village of Ål. It comes on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Ål has a Videregående school and a Folkehøyskole for deaf students.

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Áll. The name is identical with the word áll which means "ditch" or "gully". In 1921, the spelling of the name was changed from "Aal" to "Ål".[3]

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. The arms were granted on 30 November 1984 and show three silver diamond shapes in a vertical line on a red background. The designs are taken from an old and common pattern used in hand-woven tapestries in the area. They also symbolize the three churches in the municipality: Ål, Torpo, and Leveld.[4] [5]

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Ål by country of origin in 2020[6]
AncestryNumber
166
68
Denmark18
Somalia16
16

Attractions

Notable people from Ål

Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Ål:[7]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kultur- og helsekommunen Ål . Ål Turistinformasjon . no . 11 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150512060516/http://www.al.no/no/html/om_aal/ . 12 May 2015 . live.
  2. Web site: Cross-country . Ål Turistinformasjon . 11 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084359/http://www.al.no/en/html/aktiviteter/vinter/crosscountry/ . 4 March 2016 . live.
  3. Web site: Kommunenavn i Buskerud . Terra Buskerud . 5 January 2009 . Knappen . Audun . no . https://web.archive.org/web/20111004223651/http://www.historieboka.no/Modules/historiebok_tidsepoke_emne_artikkel.aspx?ObjectType=Article&Article.ID=1986&Category.ID=1287 . 4 October 2011 . live.
  4. Web site: Norske Kommunevåpen . 1990 . Nye kommunevåbener i Norden . 5 January 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070715084730/http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/a/al.htm . 15 July 2007 . dead.
  5. Web site: Kommunevåpen . Ål kommune . 5 January 2009 . no . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20091222151152/http://www.aal.kommune.no/Knappar-framsida/Om-Al-kommune/Presentasjon-av-kommunen/Kommunevapen/ . 22 December 2009 .
  6. Web site: Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20150702101705/https://www.ssb.no/statistikkbanken/selectvarval/Define.asp?subjectcode=&ProductId=&MainTable=FolkInnvkatLand&nvl=&PLanguage=1&nyTmpVar=true&CMSSubjectArea=befolkning&KortNavnWeb=innvbef&StatVariant=&checked=true. 2 July 2015. 3 October 2020. ssb.no.
  7. Web site: Venskap Ål-Sololá . Ål kommune . 5 January 2009 . no . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724180559/http://www.aal.kommune.no/Tjenester/Natur-og-miljo/Venskap-Al-Solola/ . 24 July 2011 .

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