Ringsaker kommune

History

The name Ringsaker often been explained as ”the field of the god Hringir” supposed to be another name for the god Ull. Eivind Vågslid, who has "killed" many such myths about gods' names on farms, thinks that the name probably comes from the ring-shaped inlet in Mjøsa.

Ringsaker has substantial growing of grain and potatoes, fruit and berries and livestock production. A considerable part of the woods are common land. Food industry and wood work make up the largest places of employment. The employment in the industry sector is about 28 % of total employment in the municipality. For the country as a whole the percentage is 13. Most of the industry is located in the villages Brumunddal and Moelv.

In Ringsaker there are many relics from the cultural growth throughout thousands of years. We have burial mounds from the bronze age on headlands and from the iron age, in large areas and as solitary large mounds. There are fortifications from the turbulent age of migration on hills in the landscape. Ringsaker church, erected in stone in 1170, has a famous triptych from the late middle ages.

There are also many estates of interest as to cultural history. Former summer mountain farm areas are now large cabin areas - among others Sjusjøen and the upper part of the valley Åstadalen.

The museum Prøysenhuset opened in 1997. It is located at Rudshøgda, at a walking distance from the cottage Prøysenstua; Alf Prøysens childhood home.

Coat-of-arms

Ringsaker's coat-of-arms is designed by the painter Arne Løvstad.

The motif is taken from rock carvings of moose on a rock near the farm Stein in Ringsaker. It shows that there has been moose-hunting in the area since prehistoric times. However, the moose could not be represented in the coat-of-arms in the way it is shown in the rock carvings. Therefore, it has been given a dateless style.

The colours are chosen for esthetical reasons, with the cool silver against the warm red.

Mjøskastellet

The ruins of the citadel Mjøskastellet lies on the islet Stein. It was built 1233-1236 because of a property dispute between king Håkon Håkonsson (1204-1263) and the bishop of Hamar, Pål (d. 1253). The core of the matter was among other things the island Helgøya and some other territories around the lake Mjøsa. The end of the dispute was that the king kept Helgøya, and the bishop other territories in compensation.

Mjøskastellet has been the largest of the sort with a base of 360 m2, and the building can have been over 10 metres high. The cellar had prison cells where murderers from the area were placed if they escaped death penalty. Over the cellar, there was a banquet hall for the king, where he and his men and other prominent persons could gather for food and beverages. We know that this hall was used in 1261, when king Haakon met Arch Bishop Einar. In 1289, when Eirik Magnusson "priest hater" and the Icelandic bishop Arne went on a pilgrimage to Nidaros, the regional official Jon Brynjulvsson gave a banquet for them here. After 1300 Mjøskastellet decayed and collapsed completely. Nobody knows, however, exactly when.

From road 213 a little south of Moelv a road marked "Moelv vannskiklubb" turns off. Follow this road and turn off to the left where it divides after the gate. Proceed around the inlet and out to the point in the direction of the Stein islet. When the water is low, it is possible to walk out to the islet, otherwise you must use a boat.

Mo farm

Mo farm was chosen to be the Thousand Years place of Ringsaker. The farm has given name to the village Moelv. The farm belonged to the episcopal residence of Hamar in the middle agens, with the first known resident from 1514. It is situated centrally in the area. From the 1700s and until about 1880 it was a transport station. In 1822 Mo got the privilege of ferry traffic over the lake Mjøsa, and from 1840 it was guest house. From 1837, the local council held their meetings here. Parts of the main building can be dated back to about 1700. The way the building appears today, it has been since about 1860. Most of the village Moelv is built on the Mo land. The history, buildings and farmyard trees form a grand cultural monument.

The Twelve Stones Ring

About 2 km north of Moelv you find Ringsaker's Stonehenge, The Twelve Stones Ring. The circle of 12 stones with a diameter of 25 m is one of the most famous historic monuments of the region. The stones are of almost the same shape and size, so they are evidently selected with the utmost care. It dates back to the early Iron Age (2000-2500 years ago), and you can only guess what a resource-demanding work it was to erect such a monument with the limitations of the age. This could indicate that the living conditions in the community were good, as they could spare people to work that was not exactly useful. During the restorations in 1895 there were found three smaller stone circles near by. Som years later the archaeologist Gustav Mørch found carbonized rests of bones in the main ring. This could indicate that is has been a burial site. Throughout the years, it may also have been a place where people met to honour their ancestors. Whether it has been used as a place for worship and local councils is more uncertain.

North of Moelv, by road 213, a narrow lane turns off opposite a service station. About 50 m from the road you see the Twelve Stones Ring.

The rock carvings near Stein

West of Ringsaker church, near the islet Stein, there is a large boulder with rock carvings. it is possible to identify as many as 16 figures, but there must have been more of them. They were made in the early Stone Age, about 4-5000 years ago and depict animals, mostly moose. It was probably to get in touch with the "spirit" of the animal, and in that way to secure the result of the hunt, that the Stone Age people made these carvings. The rite was most likely carried out by shamans, and similar carvings have been found all over the northern Scandinavia. We know that similar religious performances have been carried out as far east as in Siberia. There, too, the moose was an important animal. The carving itself is simple, but notice that both heart and skeleton are sketched. This is because the Stone Age people believed that the hidden power of the animal was located in the heart and the skeleton. During the rites before and after the hunt, certain requirements had to be met. The bones of the killed animal should not be broken; they must be buried together after the meal, so that a new animal could rise from the dead remains. In the area around the carvings, burial mounds from the Bronze Age have been found.
Photo: Dag A. Gustavsen
From road 213 a little south of Moelv a road marked "Moelv vannskiklubb" turns off. Follow this road by foot and turn off to the left where it divides after the gate. Proceed around the inlet and out to the point in the direction of the Stein islet. The boulder is easily spotted near the shore, being fenced in and covered with a protecting roof.

The Ludden hut

Ludvig "Ludden" Olestadengen (1887-1955) was the name of the man who lived in this miserable shelter most of his life. The hut was originally an old hunting and fishing cottage belonging to Ludvig's father. Ludvig started using it as it stood, and he never did anything to isolate the draughty walls. They say that you could feel the wind almost as well inside the hut as outside. Ludvig himself chose a life in the hills, for better and for worse. When he died in 1955, it was his wish that the hut should remain the way it was when he died. His wish was fulfilled, the interior is exactly as it was when he was alive. For Ludvig freedom meant most, and he lived in agreement with the laws of nature. Every bush and stone was important, the hills were his larder. Many thought of him as a stupid countryside nitwit. He was certainly eccentric, but far from stupid! He read a lot, gladly books by the great Norwegian authors Falkberget, Fønhus and Bjørnson, and he liked to keep himself informed of what was going on in the community. Though poor, he was still the richest person many have met.
	Photo: Dag A. Gustavsen
Follow signs from Moelv to Sjusjøen. The Ludden hut lies to the right, at some distance from the road, at Kuåsen after Kroksjøen. Follow the path marked with red T's.

The Prøysen cottage The smallholding Prøysen, the childhood home of Alf Prøysen, is from the 1860'ies. It has been restored during the last years, and the cowshed and the barn are rebuilt as they were when Alf Prøysen was born, July 23rd 1914. Like his parents and grandparents, Alf Prøysen was born to be a smallholder, but it did not turn out that way. The smallholder's son Alf became a well-known poet and artist in post-war Norway. Through innumerable performances in radio, recordings, theatrical performances and books, he became very popular. Like nobody else he depicted everyday life, he gave voice to working people and children. Beneath the warmth and the humour there was often criticism of society and a sharp eye for injustice. The milieu of the smallholders was a distinct feature in all of his life and work.
The heritage after Alf Prøysen has become public property. New generations meet him in books and in childrens' programmes on radio. Others can relive and find new things over and over again. The understanding of how many-sided he was is increasing. The Prøysen cottage is situated at Rudshøgda, half way between Brumunddal and Moelv. Follow the signs marked "Prøysen" from E6. It is open from middle of May to September.

© Prøysenhuset ”A glimpse of the lake Mjøsa”

Sjuguttsteinen

The Seven Boys Stone

Out on "Sjuguttmyra", a marsh between Storstilen and Steinstilen, there is a large boulder, called "Sjuguttsteinen" - The Seven Boys Stone. According to an old legend, it is the site of an argument over pasture rights between seven shepherd boys. To reach an agreement, they decided to fight a duel. As weapons they chose juniper twigs which they cut an placed in the sunshine to dry until they were as hard as bone. On the day of the duel, they met on the marsh. One of the boys was chosen leader of the fight. His name was Zacharias, and he was the oldest of the boys. The fought three against three, and soon the situation got out of hand. All except one were killed, and he accused Zacharias of being a bad commander. Soon they too were fighting for their lives. Zacharias was the weakest and was killed. The legend says that the surviving shepherd boy came crawling out to Steinstilen with his guts wrapped in his shirt tails. He eventually died there from his injuries.

Photo: Rune Anderson

Follow the signs to Sjusjøen and continue past Kuåsen and Elgåsen to the crossroads at Storstilen. Turn right towards Ljøsheim. On the left before Steinstilen the stone is easily spotted close to the road.

Finnish Immigrants

In the early 1600s many Finns moved to the area around the Swedish-Norwegian border. They settled in the forests and lived off slash-and-burn agriculture. Tracts of the forest were cut down and then burned, and rye was sown in the ashes. The fields could only be cultivated for a few years, so new areas were continually being cut and burned. This way of farming eventually came into conflict with the Norwegian farmers' use of the forest and outlying wilderness. During the 1700s the Finns gradually gave up slash-and-burn farming practices, but they held on to their special customs and architectural traditions. In addition to the border area, Finns also settled in other forested areas as far west as Buskerud.

Finnskogen 1957. Photo: Gunnar Vold

Finnish Immigrant House, Ampiansbråten, Kolbjørnsrud, Vinger, ca. 1800

The house is similar to Norwegian three room houses, but the antechamber here is narrower. A large smoke stove of cemented stone dominates the living room. This type of stove differs from the west Norwegian røykovn; it is much bigger and only needed to be lighted once a day. A hollowed tree trunk acts as a flue, leading the smoke through the ceiling and out the smoke vent in the roof. One side of the stove is covered with panel and against this wall stood the bed. The kitchen also had a fireplace. The use of the log flue is one of many indications that the builders of the house came from eastern Finland, from Savolaks, and had a Karelian background.

The House at Ampiansbråten at original location. 1926.

Two Finnish brothers, Mattis and Johan, came to Vinger with their families in 1681, and leased part of Kolbjørnsrud farm. In 1700 the farm changed hands and each brother was able to have his own holding instead; Mattis leased Hammer and Johan leased Ampianstorpet. Five generations of Johan's descendants lived at Ampianstorpet. The last was Guttorm Johannessen who died in 1900.

Shoes made of birck bark from Finnskogen.