| Heidal | |
|---|---|
| Heidalen | |
 View of the Heidal valley | |
  Heidal Location of the valley Show map of Innlandet Heidal Heidal (Norway) Show map of Norway | |
| Geology | |
| Type | River valley |
| Geography | |
| Location | Innlandet,Norway |
| Population centers | Bjølstad |
| Coordinates | 61°44′45″N9°19′19″E / 61.74591°N 9.32202°E /61.74591; 9.32202 |
| River | Sjoa |
Heidal orHeidalen is a valley inSel Municipality inInnlandet county,Norway.[1] TheU-shaped valley follows the riverSjoa which begins in the nearbyJotunheimen mountains eastward until it joins theGudbrandsdalslågen river in the main valley which runs through the region,Gudbrandsdalen. The western end of the Sjoa river valley is inVågå Municipality and there, it is called theSjodalen valley. From 1908-1965, the Heidal valley was an independent municipality calledHeidal, and since 1965, it has been a part of Sel Municipality. The main urban area in the valley is the village ofBjølstad.
The valley runs northwest from the village ofSjoa for about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) to the village ofBjølstad where the valley curves to the southwest/south for about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) before entering Vågå municipality. After entering Vågå, the valley becomes much narrower as it enters into the Jotunheimen mountains and heading to the source of the river, the large lakeGjende.[2]
In the year 1177,Ivar Gjæsling was KingMagnus IV'slendmann for theOpplands.Gjesling allied himself with theBirkebeiners (who choseSverre as their king atØreting inNidaros in 1177). In return, King Sverre granted Gjesling the whole Heidal valley.[3]
Heidal is rich in beauty and tradition. It has a high concentration of older protected timber houses and farmsteads. The main industries are agriculture and forestry. Local traditions includes carpentry, wood carving, painting and weaving.[4][2][5]
Heidal Church (Heidal Kyrkje) was built during the period 1937-41 as an exact replica of a 1754 church which was destroyed after being struck by lightning in 1933. Heidal Church is acruciform church as are most of the churches in the Gudbrand Valley. The church was built of wood. It has about 300 seats and three galleries. The church was designed by architectBredo Berntsen (1877–1957). The altarpiece is a work by the Norwegian sculptorJakob Klukstad. Near the church stands the Bjølstad Chapel (Bjølstad-kapellet). Bjølstad Chapel seating 75 and dates from around 1531.[6]
Some locations in the valley allow guided tours, including the Søre Harildstad farm and Bjølstad Chapel. Farms like theBjølstad Farm are not open to the public. At the Bjølstad Farm the newest building was constructed in about 1820 and the farm has been in the same family since the 13th century.[7][2]