| Tokke | |
| Idnumber: | 4034 |
| County: | Telemark |
| District: | Vest-Telemark |
| Capital: | Dalen |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1964 |
| Preceded: | Lårdal and Mo |
| Demonyms: | Daling, Eidsboring, Lårdøl, Skafsåing, Tokkebu |
| Language: | Nynorsk |
| Coatofarms: | Tokke komm.svg |
| Webpage: | www.tokke.kommune.no |
| Mayor: | Jarand Felland |
| Mayor Party: | Sp |
| Mayor As Of: | 2015 |
| Area Rank: | 117 |
| Area Total Km2: | 984.58 |
| Area Land Km2: | 904.65 |
| Area Water Km2: | 79.93 |
| Area Water Percent: | 8.1 |
| Population As Of: | 2023 |
| Population Rank: | 268 |
| Population Total: | 2198 |
| Population Density Km2: | 2.4 |
| Population Increase: | -3.8 |
| Coordinates: | 59.4172°N 7.9786°W |
| Utm Zone: | 32V |
| Utm Northing: | 6586978 |
| Utm Easting: | 0442033 |
| Geo Cat: | adm2nd |
Tokke is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Vest-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Dalen. Other villages in Tokke include Åmdals Verk, Eidsborg, Høydalsmo, Lårdal, and Øvre Byrte. The Eidsborg Stave Church is one of Norway's old stave churches and it is located in Eidsborg, just north of Dalen.[1]
The 985km2 municipality is the 117th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Tokke is the 268th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,198. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 3.8% over the previous 10-year period.[2] [3]
During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring municipalities of Lårdal (population: 1,929) and Mo (population: 1,658) were merged to form the new municipality of Tokke.[4]
The municipality is named after the local river Tokke (Norse, Old: Þotka). The name is related to the name of the lake Totak (from which the river originates). The river name is probably derived from the Old Norse word Norse, Old: þot meaning "roaring", "rushing", or "howling".[5]
The coat of arms was granted on 6 February 1987. The official blazon is "Or a bear passant sable" (Norwegian: På gulll grunn ein gåande svart bjørn). This means the arms have a field (background) with a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The charge is a bear which is displayed with a tincture of sable which means it is black. The bear symbolizes the rich nature in the forests in the municipality. The bear also plays a major role in many local legends and stories. The arms were designed by Stein Davidsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[6] [7] [8]
The Church of Norway has two parishes (Norwegian: sokn) within the municipality of Tokke. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.
| Eidsborg, Mo, og Skafså | Eidsborg Stave Church | Eidsborg | 1200s |
| Mo Church | Mo | 1839 | |
| Skafså Church | Skafså | 1839 | |
| Høydalsmo og Lårdal | Høydalsmo Church | Høydalsmo | 1747 |
| Lårdal Church | Lårdal | 1831 |
Tokke Municipality is located in the Vest-Telemark region. It borders the municipalities of Vinje, Kviteseid, Seljord, Fyresdal (in Telemark) and the municipalities of Valle and Bykle (in Agder). The highest peak is Urdenosi which is above sea level. Other mountains in Tokke including Brandsnutene, Gråsteinsnosi, Sæbyggjenuten, Stølsdalsnutane, and Svolhusgreini. The river Tokke and the lakes Bandak, Botnedalsvatn, and Byrtevatn are all located in the municipality as well.
Tokke 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.[9] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
The municipal council Norwegian: (Kommunestyre) of Tokke is made up of 21 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 Nynorsk; Nynorsk, Norwegian: ordførar) of Tokke:[10]
. Norske gaardnavne: Bratsbergs amt . 1914 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 7 . Kristiania, Norge . 39 . no . Oluf Rygh.