Rauland

Rauland is a former municipality in Telemark county, Norway. The 1830 km2 municipality existed from 1860 until its dissolution in 1964. The area is now part of Vinje Municipality. The administrative centre was the village of Raulandsgrend (also known as Rauland) which is where Rauland Church is located. The municipality was a very mountainous, rural area, with about 90% of its area at elevations of 900 m above sea level or higher.

History
In 1860, the northern part of Vinje Municipality (population: 745) was merged with the Øyfjell area in Laardal Municipality (population: 243), together they formed the new municipality of Rauland with a total population of 988. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Rauland Municipality (population: 1,656) was merged with Vinje Municipality (population: 2,565) to form a new, larger Vinje Municipality.

Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Rauland farm (Rauðaland) since the first Rauland Church was built there. The first element is rauði which means "bog iron". The last element is which means "land" or "district". The many marshlands in the area are filled with bog iron and for centuries its production was an important local resource.

Government
While it existed, this municipality was responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. During its existence, this municipality was governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elected a mayor.

Municipal council
The municipal council (Herredsstyre) of Rauland was made up of 21 representatives that were elected to four year terms. The tables below show the historical composition of the council by political party.

Notable people

 * Sveinung Svalastoga (1772–1809), Norwegian rose painter, poet and woodcarver
 * Rikard Berge (1881–1969), Norwegian folklorist, museologist, and magazine editor
 * Aslaug Vaa (1889–1965), Norwegian poet and playwright
 * Olav Aslakson Versto (1892–1977), Norwegian politician for the Norwegian Labour Party
 * Dyre Vaa (1903–1980), Norwegian sculptor and painter