Roverud

Roverud is a village (in Norwegian a "tettsted") of 840 people (as of 2008) in the municipality of Kongsvinger. It lies about 8 km north of the municipality center for Kongsvinger where Riksvei 205 meets Riksvei 20 on the east side of the river Glomma. The village has a church, a grocery, a grade school, offices and elder care facilities.

History

The area around Roverud had little significance apart from the medieval Berga kirke which was constructed at the place with the same name (today "Vestre Berger"). In 1651 the church was relocated further north to Brandval.

The road between Kongsvinger and Elverum went along the west side of the Glomma opposite Roverud until it reached Brandval, but that changed when a bridge was built at Kongsvinger in 1855, after which traffic also went up the east side of the river. Roverud became a central point for moving timber out of the Finnskogen region, The road from Svullrya over the mountains to Lundersæter was constructed in the period 1866–1870, and shortly thereafter that road from Lundersæter to Øyermoen on the Swedish border was completed.

The arrival of the railroad breathed life into Roverud. The Roverud station on the Solørbanen was operational from 1893, and became one of the most important stations for handling of timber from the Finnskogen area.

In 1936 Johannes Een came from Voss to Roverud. He established his firm, Brødrene Een A/S, there which produced his own patented lathwork shutters ("forskalingslemmer"). These shutters were a great success and were shipped throughout the country. Brødrene Een A/S then became one of the countries first producers of ready-made buildings. After World War II they became producers of ready-made housing as well.

Well-known people from Roverud

*Bjørge Stensbøl, former head of the Norwegian Olympic sport program
*Even Pellerud, soccer coach