Hedmarken


Hedmarken is a traditional district in the county of Innlandet in Eastern Norway.
It consists of the municipalities Stange, Hamar, Løten, and Ringsaker. Formerly, before a process of municipality mergers, it also contained the municipalities Romedal, Vang, Furnes and Nes. Traditionally, it also included Gjøvik, today in Oppland. The county Hedmark is named after the district of Hedmarken but includes other districts as well, namely Østerdalen and Glåmdalen.
The district is dominated by rolling agricultural terrain, hilly green mountains, and pine forests.

Etymology

The Old Norse form of the name was Heiðmǫrk. The first element is heiðnir, the name of an old Germanic tribe and is related to the word heið, moorland. The last element is mǫrk 'woodland, borderland, march'.
"In Hedmarken" is translated på Hedmarken—literally "on Hedmarken".

History

In the early Viking Age, before Harald Fairhair, Hedmarken was a petty kingdom, part of the Eidsivating. Kings of Hedmarken include: