Hedmarken | |
|---|---|
 View of parts of Hedmarken from Vang, nearHamar. | |
 Interactive map of Hedmarken | |
| Coordinates:60°48′04″N11°16′50″E / 60.8012°N 11.2806°E /60.8012; 11.2806 | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Innlandet |
| Region | Austlandet |
| Urban centre | Hamar |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,725 km2 (1,052 sq mi) |
| Population (2015) | |
• Total | 91,015 |
| • Density | 33.40/km2 (86.51/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Hemarking Heimarking Hedmarking[1] |
Hedmarken[2] (Urban East Norwegian:[ˈhêːdmɑrkn̩],locally[ˈhɛ̂mɑrkɑ]; known asHedemarken[ˈhêːdəmɑrkn̩] until 2003)[2][3] is atraditional district inInnlandet county inEastern Norway.
Hedmarken consists of the municipalitiesStange,Hamar,Løten, andRingsaker. In the past, it also contained the former municipalities ofRomedal,Vang,Furnes, andNes, but those municipalities were merged into Hamar, Stange, and Ringsaker during the 20th century.[4] Traditionally, it also includedGjøvik Municipality on the other side of the lake, but this is no longer the case.[5] The old county ofHedmark was named after the district of Hedmarken, but the county included several other districts as well, namelyØsterdalen andGlåmdalen (Solør,Odalen andVinger).[6]
The district is dominated by rolling agricultural terrain, hilly green mountains, andpine forests.
TheOld Norse form of the name wasHeiðmǫrk. The first element isheiðnir, the name of an oldGermanic tribe and is related to the wordheið which means "moorland". The last element ismǫrk which means "woodland", "borderland", or "march".[6] "In Hedmarken" is translatedpå Hedmarken which literally means "on Hedmarken".[7]
In the earlyViking Age, beforeHarald Fairhair, Hedmarken was apetty kingdom, part of theEidsivating. Kings of Hedmarken included: