Vestre Slidre is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Slidre. Other villages in Vestre Slidre include Lomen and Røn. The 457 km2 municipality is the 219th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Vestre Slidre is the 275th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,091. The municipality's population density is 5 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 5.8% over the previous 10-year period.

General information

The municipality of Vestre Slidre was established in 1849 when the old municipality of Slidre was divided into two municipalities: Vestre Slidre (population: 3,130) and Øystre Slidre (population: 2,406). On 1 January 1899, a small unpopulated part of Øystre Slidre was transferred to Vestre Slidre. On 1 January 2021, the Skjelgrenda area of Vestre Slidre was transferred to Øystre Slidre.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Slidre farm since the old Slidredomen church was built there. The name is probably derived from the word which means "sheath" (which is probably referring to a long depression near the church). In 1849, the municipality (and parish) was divided into two separate municipalities. The word (meaning "western") was added to the beginning of the name. Thus, the meaning of the name Vestre Slidre is "(the) western (part of) Slidre".

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted by royal decree on 20 November 1987. The official blazon is "Azure, a sea-leaf within a tressure invected on the outer edge and engrailed on the inner edge argent". This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is a heart-shaped seeblatt design with a tressure border around the edge of the escutcheon. The charge 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 design is based on a heraldic decoration found in the local Slidredomen church that dates back to the year 1170. The design was originally part of a seal that belonged to a medieval nobleman from the area. The arms were designed by Kari Ruud Flem. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has three parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Vestre Slidre. It is part of the Valdres prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar.

History

High above the village of Slidre, there is an ancient burial ground called the Gardberg site. At this site, there is a runestone which reads I Godguest wrote the runes. This stone is known as the Einang stone. Vestre Sildre figures prominently in the Norse Sagas:

Government

Vestre Slidre 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 Vestre Innlandet District Court and the Eidsivating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Vestre Slidre 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 mayors of Vestre Slidre (incomplete list):

Geography

Vestre Slidre is bordered to the northwest by Vang Municipality, to the northeast by Øystre Slidre Municipality, to the east by Nord-Aurdal Municipality, and to the southwest by Hemsedal Municipality (in Buskerud county). Vestre Slidre is part of the Valdres region in south-central Norway. It is situated between Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal. The municipality is located along the river Begna and its surrounding valley. There are several lakes in the municipalities including Helin, Øyangen, Slidrefjorden, and Strondafjorden.

Notable people