Gol, Norway

Infobox_Kommune
name=Gol
idnumber=0617
county=Buskerud
landscape=Hallingdal
capital=Gol
governor=Jan-Halvard Brekko (Ap)
governor_as_of=2003
arearank=200
area=533
arealand=514
areapercent=0.16
population_as_of=2004
populationrank=218
population=4,372
populationpercent=0.10
populationdensity=8
populationincrease=1.4
demonym=Goling
language=Nynorsk
lat_deg=60| lat_min=45| lat_sec=1| lon_deg=8| lon_min=59| lon_sec=5
utm_zone=32V| utm_northing=6734977 |utm_easting=0499179| geo_cat=adm2nd




munwebpage=www.gol.kommune.no
Audio|Gol.ogg|Gol is a municipality in the county of Buskerud, Norway.

Gol was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). Hemsedal was separated from Gol in 1897.

The municipality is bordered to the north by Nord-Aurdal, Oppland, in the east by Sør-Aurdal, Oppland, in the south by Nes, and in the west by Ål and Hemsedal.

The name

The Norse form of the name was "Gorð". This is probably an old river name (for the lower part of Hemsil).

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1985). It shows the old key of Gol stave church duplicated three times symbolizing the three main roads (R7 Oslo-Bergen, R51 Valdres, R52 Hemsedal-Lærdal)

(See also the coat-of-arms of Sør-Odal.)

History

The mediaeval Gol stave church (built 1216) was due for demolition after the construction of a larger new church around 1880. It was saved from destruction by the Norwegian Society for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments, which bought the materials with the intention of re-erecting the church elsewhere. Financial problems were solved when king Oscar II decided to pay for its relocation and restoration as the central building of his private open air museum near Oslo, where it was completed in 1885. In 1907 the royal museum was merged with the Norsk Folkemuseum, which now manages the stave church, still nominally belonging to the reigning monarch. A modern replica has been built as a tourist attraction in a theme park in downtown Gol; the replica is far from the original site of the mediaeval church.

What to see

Gol Bygdetun, is an open air museum built around the old farm "Skaga", located in the village of Gol. It is dedicated to the cultural history of Gol, and contains farm buildings of nearly all types. The oldest building dates back to 17th century.