Dovre Municipality

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Dovre farm (Old Norse: Dofrar) since the first Dovre Church was built there. The name belongs to a group of Scandinavian toponyms that the Swedish linguist Elof Hellquist has derived from a Proto-Norse *đuƀra-, and linguists have further derived them from the old Proto-Indo-European root *dʰub-/*dʰup- (cf. PIE *dʰubrós, "deep"^[9]), a root that is also attested in German Topel ("forested valley") and Old Slavic dublŭ ("hole"). There are several place names in Denmark, Norway and Sweden that are identified as related to Dovre:^[10]

Denmark

• Døvregaarde in the narrow valley Døvredal, in Bodilsker parish on Bornholm.^[10]
• Dover a place with steep slopes in Lintrup parish in Haderslev amt.^[10]
• Dovergaard located among deeply cut banks of a small stream, in Skipdsted parish near Aalborg.^[10]
• Dover vestergaard, an old farm name, and the bay Doverkil, with hilly terrain, in Ydby parish, near Thisted.^[10]
• Dover sogn a parish in Hjelmslev hundred in Århus amt. It has a hilly terrain with steep slopes.^[10]

Norway

• Dovre herred. ON Dofrar was originally the name of an old farm and it later became the name for the entire parish and municipality.^[10]
• Dofrar was the name of a lost farm in Biri, but it survives in the name of a local meadow Dåvreænga.^[10]
• Døvre, where the name is derived from dofrar and vin ("meadow").^[10]

Sweden

• Dovra sjöar ("lakes of Dovra"), which are three lakes (Northern/Upper, Middle, and Southern) in a fissure valley in Närke.^[10]
• Ödesdovra, a farm located at the southernmost extension of the valley.^[10]
• Dovern, a long and narrow inlet of the lake Glan in Östergötland, and there is a strait named Doversund and a farm named Doverstorp.^[10]

The name has also been given to giants in Scandinavian legends. The name has been given to the giant Dofri, at Dovrefjell, who was helped by Harald Fairhair and in return assisted him all his life.^[11] In Närke, the Dovra lakes were attributed to the giantess Dovra who wept for her husband.^[12]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 11 July 1986. The official blazon is "Argent, a muskox sable" (Norwegian: I sølv en svart moskus). This means the arms have a field (background) has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The charge is a muskox that is black with yellow horn. It is displayed statant to dexter. The muskox is an animal typical for the northern parts of Canada, Alaska, and Greenland. It is not native to Norway, but in 1932, ten muskoxen were released near Dovre. The number has increased to around 300 (in 2013), and the animal is thus a typical symbol for the municipality. The arms were designed by Einar Skjervold. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.^[13][14][15]

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within Dovre Municipality. It is part of the Nord-Gudbrandsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Dovre Church (Dovre kirke) was built in 1736. The bell tower was added early in the 19th century. It was built based upon designed by Jesper Mikkelson Rusten. It was constructed of wood and has protected status.^[16]

Eystein Church (Eysteinskirka) in Dovre was built in 1969 as a church for pilgrims and travelers on the Pilgrim's Route. The church lies near the juncture of the boundaries of Innlandet and Trøndelag counties. Eystein Church is built of concrete using stone and sand brought from the Hjerkinn. The plans for the church were designed by architect Magnus Poulsson (1881-1958).^[17]

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Dovre 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 political party.

Mayors

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Dovre 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:^[43]

National Parks

• Rondane National Park, which lies partially in Dovre, was the first Norwegian National Park, established on 21 December 1962. In 2003, Rondane National Park was enlarged and smaller areas of nature protection were opened or enlarged.
• Dovre National Park lies primarily in Dovre, although part lies in Folldal Municipality. It was established in 2003. Dovre National Park covers an area of 289 square kilometres (112 mi²) and the altitude varies from the tree line at 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) to the peak of Storhøe. The park is located between Rondane National Park, which lies to its southeast, and Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park on its northwest.
• Dovrefjell-Sunndalsfjella National Park was founded in 2002 and encompasses part of the former Dovrefjell National Park area (as founded in 1974). It is 1,693 square kilometres (654 mi²) and encompasses areas in Dovre as well as in adjacent Lesja municipality plus areas in Trøndelag and Møre og Romsdal. It includes the whole Dovrefjell mountain range.