The 1,248-square-kilometre (482 sq mi) municipality is the 85th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Ringebu is the 195th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 4,416. The municipality'spopulation density is 3.6 inhabitants per square kilometre (9.3/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 1.8% over the previous 10-year period.[4][5]
Theprestegjeld of Ringebu was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (seeformannskapsdistrikt law). In 1864, the northern part of Ringebu (population: 386) was separated to become the new municipality ofSollia. (In 1890, Sollia switched fromOppland county toHedmark county.) On 1 January 1899, an unpopulated part of Ringebu (in Oppland county) was transferred to the neighboring municipality ofSollia (in Hedmark county).[6]
The municipality (originally theparish) is named after the oldRingebu farm (Old Norse:Ringabú orHringabú) since the oldRingebu Stave Church was built there. The first element was probably derived from the wordringr which means "ring" (but in what context is unknown). The last element isbú which means "farm", "estate", or "rural area".[7]
Thecoat of arms was granted on 24 April 1992. The officialblazon is"Gules, a three-tongued flame Or" (Norwegian:I rødt en oppvoksende tretunget gull flamme). This means the arms have a redfield (background) and thecharge is a three-tonguedflame offire. The charge has atincture ofOr which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. This represents the municipality's three valleys and threeparishes: Ringebu,Fåvang, andVenabygd. Fire was chosen to represent the need for heat and light by all people. The arms were designed by Inge Rotevatn. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[8][9][10][11]
Thestave church at Ringebu was built around the year 1220 and it is one of fewer than 30 survivingstave churches in Norway and is one of the largest.
About 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of the church lies the oldHundorp farm which is the legendary home ofDale-Gudbrand. Dale-Gudbrand is mentioned in theHeimskringla (English:The Chronicle of the Kings of Norway) bySnorri Sturluson. The account ofKing Olaf's (A.D. 1015-1021) conversion of Dale-Gudbrand toChristianity is popularly recognized.
Ringebu is bordered to the west bySør-Fron municipality, to the southwest byGausdal municipality, to the southeast byØyer municipality, and to the east and north byStor-Elvdal municipality.
The administrative center of Ringebu municipality is the village ofVålebru which is located at an elevation of 182 metres (597 ft) above sea level in the valley along the riverGudbrandsdalslågen, but 50% of the area within the municipal borders lies at an elevation greater than 900 metres (3,000 ft) above sea level. From Ringebu, twomountain passes provide road access into theØsterdal valley to the northeast; one of these is closed during the winter. Because these mountain areas reliably provide good snow conditions, the area is a populartourist destination. TheKvitfjell ski area in Ringebu was expanded to serve as a downhill venue for the1994 Winter Olympics.
Themunicipal council(Kommunestyre) of Ringebu 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 politicalparty.