Øyer

Øyer is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Tingberg. The two largest villages in the municipality are Granrudmoen and Tretten.

The 640 km2 municipality is the 182nd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Øyer is the 180th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 5,161. The municipality's population density is 8.4 PD/km2 and its population has increased by 1.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information
The parish of Øier (later spelled Øyer) was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1867, a small area of Øier (population: 40) was transferred to the neighboring municipality of Gausdal. The borders of Øyer have not changed since that time.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Øier farm (Øyja / accusative case and dative case) since the first Øyer Church had been located there for centuries. The name comes from the word øyi (nominative case). Two lakes in Norway had the name Øyi(r) in Old Norse times (now called Øymark and Øyeren), and these names are derived from the word which means "flat and fertile land along the edge of the water". This name is probably given to this area because the Gudbrandsdalslågen river widens out in the central part of the municipality and creates two river-lakes (called the Jemnefjorden and Gildbusfjorden). Øyi was probably the old name of one (or both) of these "fjords". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Øier. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Øyer.

Coat of arms
The coat of arms was granted on 29 April 1983. The official blazon is "Vert, a wooden staple argent" (I grønt ei sølv helder). This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is a wooden staple hegd or helder). The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This is a type of ring or staple that was historically made of wood and it was used to fasten a tree trunk to a rope in order to haul it over the land. Similar devices were used all over Norway, but this particular shape is typical for this area. The arms were designed by Ola T. Rybakken. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms, but the staple design is off-center on the flag.

Churches
The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Øyer. It is part of the Sør-Gudbrandsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

History
The Black Death reached Norway in the winter of 1349-1350. Øyer was one of the parishes that was most severely impacted. Estimates based on tax payments suggest that between 66 and 75% of all residents died. Many of the farms there became deserted farms (ødegårder), which remained vacant until the late 17th century. The Tretten Church parish (which had been a separate parish from Øyer) was merged with the Øyer Church parish after the Black Death, because the decimated population of Tretten no longer could maintain their own priest.

Economy
Øyer has traditionally been a farming and logging municipality.

Recreation is increasingly important economically. Since it opened in 1989, Øyer's Hafjell Alpine Ski Center has grown to include 15 lifts (with an additional in construction) and 28 runs as wells as extensive cross-country skiing runs. It is located about 15 km from the town of Lillehammer, making it very accessible to a larger population. Tobogganing, luge, and bobsled racing (on the 1994 Olympic course) are also found in the area.

Government
Øyer 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. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Øyer 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.

Mayors
The mayors (ordfører) of Øyer (incomplete list):


 * 1838-1854: Amund Tande
 * 1884-1886: Ole Moe
 * 1897-1901: Ole Torgersen Gillebo (V)
 * 1902-1910: Christian Mageli
 * 1911-1916: Ole Torgersen Gillebo (V)
 * 1917-1919: Kristian Bjørnstad
 * 1920-1922: M. Lunke (Bp)
 * 1923-1925: Ole Torgersen Gillebo (V)
 * 1926-1931: O. Hageløkken (AD)
 * 1932-1934: John Vedum (Bp)
 * 1935-1941: Tor Mageli (Bp)
 * 1945-1946:	Tor Mageli (Bp)
 * 1946-1947: Ole Hageløkken (V)
 * 1948-1955: Erl. Skjønsberg (Bp)
 * 1956-1959: Einar Bræin (V)
 * 1960-1975: Lars Bjerke (Sp)
 * 1976-1979: Geir Korslund (Ap)
 * 1980-1983: Einar Moe (Sp)
 * 1984-1987: Arne Bueie (Ap)
 * 1988–1995: Ola Prestegarden (Sp)
 * 1996-1999: Rigmor Aarø Spiten (Sp)
 * 1999-2007: Ole Hageløkken (Ap)
 * 2007-2015: Mari Botterud (H)
 * 2015–2019: Brit Kramprud Lundgård (Ap)
 * 2019–2023: Jon Halvor Midtmageli (Sp)
 * 2023-present: Anne Marie Sveipe (H)

Geography
Øyer municipality is bordered by Ringebu Municipality to the north, Stor-Elvdal Municipality to the east, Ringsaker Municipality to the southeast, Lillehammer Municipality to the south, and Gausdal Municipality to the west. The municipality is divided into two parishes: Øyer in the south and Tretten in the north.

The municipality is located in the Gudbrandsdal valley, through which the Gudbrandsdalslågen river flows. The lake Losna is partially located in the municipality.

Notable people

 * Anders Lysgaard (1756 in Tretten – 1827), a farmer, sheriff, and representative at the Norwegian Constituent Assembly
 * Johannes Skar (1837 in Øyer - 1914), a Norwegian educator and folklorist
 * Matias Skard (1846 at Øyer - 1927), a philologist, educator, psalmist, and essayist
 * Anton Kraabel (1862 in Øyer – 1934), the 11th Lieutenant Governor of North Dakota in the USA
 * Simon Johnson (1874 in Øyer – 1970), a Norwegian-American newspaper editor and author
 * Ottar Grepstad (born 1953 in Øyer), a Norwegian Nynorsk writer
 * Kjetil-Vidar Haraldstad (born 1973 in Øyer), a drummer in black metal bands Satyricon and 1349

Sport

 * Ole Stenen (1903 in Øyer – 1975), a Nordic skier and silver medallist at the 1932 Winter Olympics
 * Erling Jevne (born 1966), a skier who was a team gold and silver medallist at the 1998 Winter Olympics
 * Roger Hjelmstadstuen (born 1979 in Øyer), a retired snowboarder who competed at the 1998 Winter Olympics
 * Aleksander Melås (born 1998 in Øyer), a retired Norwegian luger

Twin towns – sister cities
Øyer has sister city agreements with the following places:
 * 🇸🇪 Färgelanda, Sweden
 * 🇫🇮 Muhos, Finland