Mære

For the spirit of folklore, see Mare (folklore).

Mære
—  Village  —
Mære Location in Nord-Trøndelag
Coordinates: 63°56′14″N 11°25′26″E / 63.93722°N 11.42389°E / 63.93722; 11.42389Coordinates: 63°56′14″N 11°25′26″E / 63.93722°N 11.42389°E / 63.93722; 11.42389
Country	Norway
Region	Trøndelag
County	Nord-Trøndelag
District	Innherred
Municipality	Steinkjer
Area[1]
– Total	0.47 km2 (0.2 sq mi)
Elevation[2]	23 m (75 ft)
Population (2011)[1]
– Total	452
– Density	962/km2 (2,491.6/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+01:00)
– Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+02:00)
Post Code	7710 Sparbu

Mære is a village in the municipality of Steinkjer in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located along the European route E6 highway and the Nordlandsbanen railway line, about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) south of the town of Steinkjer. The village of Sparbu lies about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) south of Mære. Mære Church is located in this village.^[3]

The 0.47-square-kilometre (120-acre) village has a population (2011) of 452. The population density of Mære is 962 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,490 /sq mi).^[1]

History

In the early Viking Age, according to the Sagas, Mære was one of the most important religious ceremonial places, with sacrifices to the Norse gods. Under the medieval church at Mære, traces of preceding heathen hof were found in archeological investigations during the 1960s, the only case in Norway so far of a pre-Christian building being found to have existed on the site of a church.

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 January 2011). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality.". http://www.ssb.no/english/subjects/02/01/10/beftett_en/tab-2011-06-17-01-en.html. 
2. ^ "Mære" (in Norwegian). yr.no. http://www.yr.no/place/Norway/Nord-Tr%C3%B8ndelag/Steinkjer/M%C3%A6re~223267/. Retrieved 2011-07-17. 
3. ^ Store norske leksikon. "Mære. – tettsted" (in Norwegian). http://snl.no/M%C3%A6re./tettsted. Retrieved 2011-07-17.