| Etnedal | |
| Former Name: | Etnedalen herred |
| Idnumber: | 3450 |
| County: | Innlandet |
| District: | Valdres |
| Capital: | Bruflat |
| Established: | 1 Jan 1894 |
| Preceded: | Nord-Aurdal Municipality and Sør-Aurdal Municipality |
| Demonym: | Etnedøl |
| Language: | Neutral |
| Webpage: | www.etnedal.kommune.no |
| Mayor: | Linda Mæhlum Robøle |
| Mayor Party: | Sp |
| Mayor As Of: | 2019 |
| Elevation Max M: | 1413.84 |
| Highest Point Ref: | [1] |
| Area Rank: | 215 |
| Area Total Km2: | 459.14 |
| Area Land Km2: | 442.77 |
| Area Water Km2: | 16.37 |
| Area Water Percent: | 3.6 |
| Population As Of: | 2025 |
| Population Rank: | 318 |
| Population Total: | 1254 |
| Population Density Km2: | 2.7 |
| Population Increase: | -3 |
| Coordinates: | 60.9672°N 9.6536°W |
Etnedal is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bruflat.[2]
The 459.14km2 municipality is the 215th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Etnedal Municipality is the 318th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,254. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 3% over the previous 10-year period.[3] [4]
Etnedal Municipality was established on 1 January 1894 after the eastern Nordre Etnedal valley area (population: 362) from Nord-Aurdal Municipality and the Søndre Etnedal valley area (population: 1,331) from Sør-Aurdal Municipality were merged. On 1 January 1979, there was a border adjustment in an unpopulated area where part of Etnedal Municipality was transferred to Nord-Aurdal Municipality and another unpopulated part of Nord-Aurdal Municipality was transferred to Etnedal Municipality.[5]
Historically, this municipality was part of the old Oppland county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Innlandet county (after Hedmark and Oppland counties were merged).[6]
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Etnedalen valley (non|Etnardalr) since it was a central geographic feature of the municipality. The first element is the genitive case of local Etna river Norse, Old: Etn. The meaning of the river name is uncertain but it is possibly derived from which means to "push forward" or from which means to "eat". The last element is which means "valley" or "dale".[7] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Etnedalen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Etnedal, removing the definite form ending -en.[8]
The coat of arms was granted by royal decree on 14 July 1989. The official blazon is "Azure, an arched bridge Or" (no|På blå grunn ei gull kvelvingsbru). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is an arched bridge. The bridge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms were designed to symbolize the old Lunde bridge (Norwegian: Lundebru) which is one of the best preserved stone bridges in Norway. The bridge is now a national monument. It is also Northern Europe's largest dry stone-arch bridge. The bridge was built in 1829 on the Old King's Road connecting the cities of Oslo and Bergen. A portion of the king's road was refurbished and turned into a footpath in 1992 and is now a natural and cultural walking path. The arms were designed by Ivar Aars. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[9] [10] [11] [12]
The Church of Norway has two parishes (Norwegian: sokn) within Etnedal Municipality. It is part of the Valdres prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.
| Etnedal | Bruflat Church | Bruflat | 1750 | |
| Nord-Etnedal | Nord-Etnedal Church | Brøtahaugen | 1866 |
Etnedal Municipality is part of the traditional district of Valdres in central, southern Norway, situated between the Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal valleys. Valdres also includes the municipalities of Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, and Vang.
Etnedal Municipality is bordered to the east by Nordre Land Municipality, to the south by Sør-Aurdal Municipality, and on the west and north by Nord-Aurdal Municipality. The river Etna flows through the municipality, then into Nordre Land Municipality and then down into Randsfjorden. The highest point in the municipality is the 1413.84m (4,638.58feet) tall mountain Spåtind, in the northern part of the municipality.
Etnedal 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.[13] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestoppland og Valdres District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.
The municipal council Norwegian: (Kommunestyre) of Etnedal Municipality is made up of 15 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.
The mayor (no|ordfører) of Etnedal Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:[14] [15] [16]
| Ancestry | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | ||
 Eritrea | 22 | |
 Netherlands | 18 |
. Norske gaardnavne: Kristians amt (anden halvdel) . 1902 . W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri . 4-2 . Kristiania, Norge . 242 . no . Oluf Rygh.
