Os is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Os i Østerdalen. The municipality is located to the west of the municipality of Røros and to the south of the municipalities of Midtre Gauldal and Holtålen in Trøndelag county. In Innlandet county, Os is located to the west of the municipality of Tolga and to the north of the municipality of Engerdal. The 1040 km2 municipality is the 110th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Os is the 288th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 1,844. The municipality's population density is 1.8 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 9.4% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The parish of Os was historically part of Tolga Municipality. On 1 July 1926 the parish of Os (population: 1,936) was separated from Tolga to become a separate municipality. In 1927, a small area of Tolga (population: 18) was transferred to the municipality of Os. During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1966, the municipality of Os (population: 2,015) was merged with the municipality of Tolga (population: 1,944) to form the new municipality of Tolga-Os. This arrangement was not well-liked by the local residents so after a few years, the municipalities began to ask to undo the merger. On 1 January 1976, the merger was reversed and the municipalities of Os (population: 1,859) and Tolga (population: 1,865) were re-established using their old boundaries.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Os farm since the first Os Church was built there in 1703. The name is identical with the word which means "mouth of a river" (here it is referring to the Vangrøfta river running out into the Glomma river).

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 9 July 1993. The official blazon is "Vert, three bells Or". This means the arms have a green field (background) and the charge is three cowbells (two over one). The charge has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used. The design symbolizes both traditional and modern business life in the mountain municipality of Os. At the same time, the design is intended to signal hope for the future. The three bells are an image of unity and cooperation between the three main parts of the municipality. The arms were designed by Kjell Akeren. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms, although the bells are slightly off centre, closer to the flagpole.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Os. It is part of the Nord-Østerdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

Government

Os Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council. The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Østre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Os is made up of 15 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 mayors of Os:

Geography

Lakes in the region include Flensjøen, Femunden, and Siksjøen. The mountains Forollhogna and Håmmålsfjellet are located in Os. The large river Glomma runs through the northern part of the municipality.

Notable people

Sport