The 1,504.84-square-kilometre (581.02 sq mi) municipality is the 55th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Vang Municipality is the 299th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,648. The municipality'spopulation density is 1.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (2.8/sq mi) and its population has increased by 2.7% over the previous 10-year period.[5][6]
View of the Øye areaDrawing from 1820 of locals in their traditional clothingHøre Stave Church
On 1 January 1838, theprestegjeld of Vang was established as a civil municipality (seeformannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1882, a small area of Vang Municipality (population: 31) was transferred into the neighboringØystre Slidre Municipality. The municipal boundaries have not changed since that time.[7]
Historically, the municipality was part of the oldOppland county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formedInnlandet county (afterHedmark andOppland counties were merged).[8]
The municipality (originally theparish) is named after the oldVang farm (Old Norse:Vangr) since the firstVang Church was built there. The name is identical to the wordvangr which means "field" or "meadow".[9]
Thecoat of arms was granted by royal decree on 26 June 1987. The officialblazon is"Azure, within atressure floury three swordsbendwiseOr" (Norwegian:På blå grunn tre skråstilte gull sverd omgjevne av gull liljebord). This means the arms have a bluefield (background) and thecharge is three diagonalswords. The arms also have a border line withfleur-de-lis designs (tressure floury) going around the edge of the arms. The charge and border have atincture ofOr which means they are commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The arms are based on historic descriptions and depictions of the personal arms the a localmedieval nobleman Sigvat of Leirhol. He was named as one of the members of the delegation that followed KingHåkon V Magnusson toCopenhagen in 1309. Later, he became the local governor ofValdres andHallingdal (Vang is part of the Valdres region). He played a major role in the development of the region and the arms can be seen on different places, including in the localVang Church. The arms were designed by Stein Davidsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.[10][11][12][13]
The ancientVang Church was the site of a legal court(thing) held by KingHaakon VI in 1368. Here, he settled a boundary dispute. The boundary stone which resulted stands to this day.[14]
Smeddalen (Smith's Valley) immediately to the west of Nystuen, was for centuries the site of the church ofSt. Thomas på Filefjell. The earliest reference to it is in 1615, but it was apparently astave church, so would have been much older. According to F.N. Stagg "It was reconditioned (c. 1615)… the priest at Vang preached there once a year–on July 2nd… many sought cures for their ailments in the miraculous powers possessed by splinters from its timbers…"[14] Amarket grew up near the church as a result of the 2 July service. "Horses were traded, races run, heavy drinking indulged in and many a fight ensued."[14] Markets continued to be held near the church until the 19th century, but as a result of fighting and general unrest in connection with the market days the church was torn down in 1808. A new church was built on the site in 1971.[14]
Themunicipal council(Kommunestyre) of Vang Municipality is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by politicalparty.
Themayor (Nynorsk:ordførar) of Vang Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:[38]
Vang is part of theValdres region in central, southern Norway. This region is situated between theGudbrandsdal andHallingdal valleys.
Vang Municipality is 56 kilometres (35 mi) on a north–south axis and 47.3 kilometres (29.4 mi) on an east–west axis. The highest point isKalvehøgde with a height of 2,208 metres (7,244.1 ft) above sea level.[1]
Three-quarters of the region is above 900 metres (3,000 ft). About 13 percent of the municipality is covered by water, including LakesFleinsendin,Slettningen andVangsmjøsa. The lowest point is 363 metres (1,191 ft) above sea level. The riverBegna has its headwaters in the Filefjell area of Vang.
The Veblen and Bunde farmsteads were the homes of the parents ofThorstein Bunde Veblen, from where they emigrated a year before the birth of their son.
^Mæhlum, Lars; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 November 2024)."Innlandet".Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved8 June 2025.
^Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024)."kommunestyre".Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved31 December 2024.