| Selbu | |
| Idnumber: | 5032 |
| County: | Trøndelag |
| District: | Neadalen |
| Capital: | Mebonden |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1838 |
| Preceded: | none |
| Demonym: | Selbygg |
| Language: | Neutral |
| Webpage: | www.selbu.kommune.no |
| Mayor: | Ole Morten Balstad |
| Mayor Party: | Ap |
| Mayor As Of: | 2015 |
| Area Rank: | 86 |
| Area Total Km2: | 1234.86 |
| Area Land Km2: | 1139.94 |
| Area Water Km2: | 94.90 |
| Area Water Percent: | 7.7 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Rank: | 199 |
| Population Total: | 4144 |
| Population Density Km2: | 3.6 |
| Population Increase: | 2.8 |
| Coordinates: | 63.1983°N 11.1403°W |
| Utm Zone: | 32V |
| Utm Northing: | 7009503 |
| Utm Easting: | 0607659 |
| Geo Cat: | adm2nd |
Selbu is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mebonden. Other villages in Selbu include Flora, Fossan, Hyttbakken, Innbygda, Selbustrand, Trøa, Tømra, and Vikvarvet.
The 1235km2 municipality is the 86th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Selbu is the 199th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,144. The municipality's population density is and its population has increased by 2.8% over the previous 10-year period.[1] [2]
The municipality (originally the parish) of Selbu was established on 1 January 1838 (see Formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1901, the eastern part of the municipality was separated to form the new municipality of Tydal. This left Selbu with 4,607 inhabitants. The borders of Selbu have not changed since that date.[3]
On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Sør-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.
The municipality (originally the parish) is named "Selbu" (Norse, Old: Selabú) after a nearby lake since the first Selbu Church was built near its southeastern shore. The first element is the genitive case of the old name of the lake Selbusjøen (Norse, Old: Seli). The old name of the lake is probably derived from the word Norse, Old: seli which means "harness" since the lake is long and narrow. The last element is Norse, Old: bú which means "rural district".[4]
The coat of arms was granted on 31 May 1991. The official blazon is "Argent, 24 lozenges sable in three rosettes two over one" (Norwegian: I sølv 24 svarte spissruter samlet i tre rosetter, 2-1). This means the arms have a field (background) 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 charge is a three selburoses made out of 8 rhombus shapes each. The selburose design is a typical pattern used in the local lusekofte (traditional Norwegian sweaters) and other woollen garments. Home knitting has been a long tradition in the municipality. The arms were designed by John Digernes. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[5] [6] [7] [8]
The Church of Norway has one parish (Norwegian: sokn) within the municipality of Selbu. It is part of the Stjørdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.
| Selbu | Selbu Church | Mebonden | 1150 |
| Selbustrand Church | Selbustrand | 1901 | |
| Flora Chapel | Flora | 1936 |
Traditionally, Selbu has been an agricultural and forest managing community. The area is well known for its special knitting techniques. The last decades have led to efforts in business such as high technology, electronics, and mechanics. The newspaper Selbyggen has been published in Selbu since 1889.[9]
Selbu 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.[10] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council (Norwegian: Kommunestyre) of Selbu is made up of 25 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Selbu:[11] [12]
Selbu borders nine municipalities. The municipalities of Trondheim, Malvik, and Stjørdal are to the north; Meråker and Tydal are to the east; Tydal, Holtålen, and Midtre Gauldal are to the south; and Melhus and Klæbu are to the west.
The largest lake in Selbu is Selbusjøen with an area of about . It is located above sea level. Another lake in the municipality is Sørungen. The highest mountain in Selbu is the 1441m (4,728feet) tall mountain Fongen, located inside Skarvan and Roltdalen National Park. The Nea River and Rotla River both flow through the municipality. The municipality covers a total of which consists of:
| Land type | Area | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| square kilometres | square miles | percentage | ||
| Freshwater lakes[13] and rivers | 85km2 | 6.8 | ||
| Agriculture | 31km2 | 2.5 | ||
| Woodlands | 308km2 | 14.7 | ||
| Swampland and mountains | 830km2 | 66.0 | ||
| Note: | ||||
Located inland in the Trøndelag region at relatively low altitude, Selbu has a humid continental climate (Dfb), but with a relatively mild winter for this climate type, as the sea is not that far away. The all-time low was recorded Februar 2010 and January record low is also from 2010, all the other record lows are from 1983 or older. The all-time high is from June 2020. Recent decades have tended to be warmer than earlier decades; 8 of the 12 record highs are from after 2010.
The main road through Selbu is Norwegian County Road 705 that runs between Stjørdal, Selbu, and Tydal. Selbu is located near important destinations:
| Destination | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| kilometres | miles | |
| Stjørdalshalsen | 45km (28miles) | |
| Trondheim Airport, Værnes | 40km (30miles) | |
| Trondheim | 70km (40miles) | |
| Ås (Tydal) | 45km (28miles) | |
| Røros | 120km (80miles) | |