Nome (; ) is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Midt-Telemark and historically part of the Grenland region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Ulefoss. Other villages include Bjervamoen, Ulefoss, Helgja, Flåbygd, and Svenseid.
The municipality is the 229th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Nome Municipality is the 150th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of . The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 0.1% over the previous 10-year period.
Nome is a large agricultural and forestry municipality. The agricultural area in Nome is approximately . Forest harvesting averaged annually in the five-year period 2017–2021. Just over half was spruce, the rest was pine.
General information Administrative history During the 1960s, there were many municipal changes across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. The municipality of Nome was established on 1 January 1964 when the following areas were merged to form an the new municipality: all of Lunde Municipality (population: ) most of Holla Municipality (population: ), except for the Valebø area east of the lake Norsjø which became part of Skien Municipality
The borders of the municipality have not changed since that time (which is pretty rare among municipalities in Norway).
In 2020, there were many municipal and county mergers across Norway due to the work of the Solberg cabinet. Historically, this municipality was part of Telemark county. On 1 January 2020, the municipality became a part of the newly-formed Vestfold og Telemark county (after Telemark and Vestfold counties were merged). The merger was shortlived, and on 1 January 2024, the merger was undone and this municipality became part of Telemark county once again.
Name The municipality is named after the lake Nomevatnet which is at the start of the river Eidselva. The meaning of the name is uncertain. It may be related to the first element in the name Numedal.
Coat of arms The coat of arms was granted on 10 March 1989. The official blazon is "Per bend sinistre dancetty argent and azure" (). This means the arms are divided with a diagonal line that is dancetty (in the shape of steps). The field (background) below the line has a tincture of blue. Above the line, the field 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 meant to represent the Telemark Canal and its locks to raise and lower boats. The canal was built in the 19th century and it runs through the municipality, connecting the lake Bandak to the North Sea. The arms were designed by Øyvind Larsen. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.
Churches The Church of Norway has two parishes () within Nome Municipality. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.
Churches in Nome MunicipalityParish ()Church nameLocation of the churchYear builtHolla og HelgenHelgen ChurchHelgja1735Holla ChurchUlefoss1867Romnes ChurchRomnes1100sLunde og FlåbygdFlåbygd ChurchFlåbygd1822Landsmarka ChapelLandsmarka1895Lunde ChurchBjervamoen1822
Romnes Church (Romnes kirke) is a Romanesque stone church that was built between 1150 and 1250. The church was constructed of stone joined with lime, while the corners consist of limestone. The apse and nave has a flat ceiling, while the choir has vaulted wood ceilings. The entrance portal to the west is of decorated stone. The church also had an entrance on the south wall in the choir. The pulpit and baroque altarpiece are from the 1700s. The square bell tower dates to the end of the 1800s. The church currently has curved red bricks on the roof. During the restoration in 1921, murals from the late Middle Ages were restored. Additional restoration was conducted between 1966 and 1967.
Geography The highest point in the municipality is the tall mountain Knarren, a tripoint on the border between Nome Municipality, Kviteseid Municipality, and Drangedal Municipality.
Midt-Telemark Municipality is located to the north, Skien Municipality is located to the east, Drangedal Municipality is located to the south, and Kviteseid Municipality is located to the west.
Government Nome 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 Nedre Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.
Municipal council The municipal council of Nome Municipality is made up of 21 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 mayor () of Nome Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:
1964–1967: Olav Haugane (Ap) 1967–1970: Finn Solvold (Ap) 1970–1973: Jens Hvilen (Ap) 1975–1983: Elna Kabbe (Ap) 1983–1991: Ole Moen (Ap) 1991–1995: Miklos Vassanyi (H) 1995–1999: Ole Moen (Ap) 1999–2011: Jan Thorsen (Sp) 2011–2023: Bjørg Tveito Lundefaret (Ap) 2023–present: Linda Therese Thorstensen (Ap)
Notable people
Baron Herman Severin Løvenskiold (1815 in Ulefoss – 1870), a composer August Cappelen (1827–1852), a painter of melancholic, dramatic, and romantic landscapes who was brought up in Holla Gisle Straume (1917 in Holla – 1988), an actor and theatre director. Retrieved 24 January 2021. Inge Grødum (born 1943 in Ulefoss), an illustrator Knut Ragnar Mikkelsen (born 1951 in Lunde), a police chief Odd Einar Haugen (born 1954 in Lunde), a University of Bergen professor of Old Norse philology Liv Mildrid Gjernes (born 1954 in Lunde), an artist; eponym for a contemporary style of decoration, sculpture, and furniture design - Gjernes Atle Skårdal (born 1966 in Lunde), a former World Cup and Olympic alpine ski racer Jon Anders Halvorsen (born 1968 in Lunde), a folk singer and physician Erland Dahlen (born 1971 in Ulefoss), a drummer and percussionist Torun Eriksen (born 1977 in Lunde), a jazz singer
Media gallery
See also Fen Complex (a reserve of rare-earth metals)
References
External links Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway