Rennebu


Rennebu is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Orkdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Berkåk, located along European route E6. The majority of the population lives in the villages of Berkåk, Innset, Stamnan, Ulsberg, Voll, and Nerskogen.
The municipality is the 123rd largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Rennebu is the 252nd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,486. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 5.2% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Rennebu was established in 1839 when it was separated from the municipality of Meldal. Initially, the population was 2,368. On 1 January 1966, the parish of Innset was transferred from Kvikne municipality to Rennebu. Then on 1 January 1970, the Garlia area was transferred from Tynset to Rennebu. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Sør-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Rennabú. The first element is, maybe, the plural genitive case of renna which means "journey", "march", or "road". Probably because two old important roads cross the municipality: one follows the Orkla river from the Orkdalsfjord to the village of Berkåk where it connects with the road from the Gudbrandsdalen valley and Oppdal to Gauldalen and Trondheim. The last element is bú which means "rural district".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 19 February 1982. It shows the outline of the local church, Rennebu kirke, which is one of the oldest churches in Norway based on a Y-shaped outline.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes within the municipality of Rennebu. It is part of the Gauldal prosti in the Diocese of Nidaros.
Parish Church NameLocation of the ChurchYear Built
BerkåkBerkåk ChurchBerkåk1878
InnsetInnset ChurchInnset2000
RennebuRennebu ChurchVoll1669
RennebuNerskogen ChapelNerskogen1962

Geography

Rennebu mainly consists of uncultivated areas of mountains, lakes, moors, and forests. The highest point is the tall Svarthetta. The mountain Ilfjellet is located in the northeastern part of the municipality.
The Orkla River flows through the municipality from south to north in the Orkdalen valley. The northeasternmost part of the Trollheimen mountain range also lies within the municipality of Rennebu.
The municipality is surrounded by the municipalities of Oppdal and Rindal to the west, Meldal to the north, Midtre Gauldal to the east, and Tynset to the south. The Forollhogna National Park lies in the extreme southeastern part of the municipality.

Government

All municipalities in Norway, including Rennebu, are responsible for primary education, outpatient health services, senior citizen services, unemployment and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of elected representatives, which in turn elect a mayor. The municipality falls under the Sør-Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council of Rennebu is made up of 21 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The party breakdown of the council is as follows: