Härjedalen | |
|---|---|
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Country |  Sweden |
| Land | Norrland |
| Counties | Jämtland County Dalarna County |
| Area | |
• Total | 11,405 km2 (4,403 sq mi) |
| Population (31 December 2023)[1] | |
• Total | 9,705 |
| • Density | 0.8509/km2 (2.204/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | |
| • Language | Swedish |
| Culture | |
| • Flower | Arctic violet |
| • Animal | Bear |
| • Bird | Golden eagle |
| • Fish | Grayling |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
Härjedalen (Swedish:[ˈhæ̂rjɛˌdɑːlɛn]ⓘ) is a historicalprovince (landskap) in the centre ofSweden. It borders theNorwegian county ofTrøndelag, as well as the provinces ofDalarna,Hälsingland,Medelpad andJämtland. The province originally belonged toNorway, but was ceded to Sweden in theSecond Treaty of Brömsebro in 1645.[citation needed] The province forms the bulk ofHärjedalen Municipality of which the village ofSveg is the seat.
The nameHärjedalen, fromOld West NorseHerjárdalr, literally means the "Valley of the Härje river". ALatinized transliteration is Herdalia although that name is hardly encountered in English today. More prominent are derivations such asHerjedalen orHaerjedalen. The more prosaic explanation of the name is that the wordher orhar means only "mound of stones" and refers to stones in the riverHärjån [sv].[2]
Härjedalen andJämtland were provinces ofDenmark-Norway[failed verification] until the mid-17th century.Härjedalen came under the Norwegian king ca. 1100.[failed verification] After theTreaty of Brömsebro in 1645, Härjedalen and Jämtland were ceded to Sweden.They were commonly spelled Herjedalen and Jemtland until 1660.[failed verification][3]
The first population of Härjedalen is estimated to have migrated there circa 7,000 BC. The population lived from hunting and fishing, close to the inland ice which by then had started to melt. Ruändan, in theFlatruet mountains in northwestern Härjedalen, is the location of a large site of rock paintings. The rock paintings at Ruändan consists of some twenty figures depicting people, bear, moose and reindeer. The rock paintings were first reported in 1896 and are estimated to be over 4000 years old.
According to legend, Härjedalen is named after a powerfulNorseman who had to flee east from the Norwegian court of KingHalfdan Svarte after killing one of the king's men with a horn. Thereafter he was known asHärjulf Hornbrytare (lit. "Härjulf the Hornbreaker"). For a time he entered the service of theSvea KingAnund, until he eloped with that king's sister, Helga, and together they disappeared into the remote location in the region eventually named after him. Today a statue stands dedicated to them in the village ofLillhärdal. Härjulf and Helga were the foreparents to the Icelander,Bjarni Herjólfsson, who was the first Norseman to see the "new world" when he was blown off-course whilst on a voyage toGreenland. His boat is the oneLeif Erikson acquired about 15 years later for Leif's famed landing onVinland.[4]
Christianization of Härjedalen took place after theBattle of Stiklestad in 1030. Agriculture remained Härjedalen's largest industry for a long time, supplemented by ironmaking and trade mainly toRøros inTrøndelag. Extensive forestry also played a major role in Härjedalen resulting of industrialization which occurred in the mid-1850s. A large portion of Härjedalen residents emigrated to America, principally to NorthwesternMinnesota during the late 1800s. More recently, Härjedalen has increasingly taken up the position as a tourist landscape with large mountain facilities inFunäsdalen,Vemdalen, andLofsdalen.[5]
Four-fifths of the province is situated above 500 metres of altitude, constituting a part of theScandinavian mountain range. Sweden's highest villageHögvålen, at 835 metres, is also within the province.
Härjedalen does not have anycities at all. The only village of even modest size is the market townSveg, which used to be the administrative centre of the province.
The provincial flower is theArctic violet. It is prominent on high altitudes in Europe, and is also found in theAlps.
Sånfjället National Park extends through the municipality.
The traditionalprovinces of Sweden serve no current administrative or political purposes, but are historical and cultural entities. In the case of Härjedalen there is amunicipality,kommun,Härjedalen Municipality, which is located in the southern part ofJämtland County. The municipality does not exactly correspond to the province, but is larger.
Härjedalen was historically divided into districts.
The arms is represented with a dukal coronet. Blazon: "Argent a Sledgehammer Sable with Core Gules between Tongs of the second and two Hammers adorsed in pale of the second handled Gules.". It was granted in 1660. Since 1974 Härjedalen Municipality uses the same coat of arms, but without the coronet.
Football in the province is administered byJämtland-Härjedalens Fotbollförbund.
