Rauma, Norway

This article is about the Norwegian municipality. For other uses, see Rauma.

Rauma is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Romsdal. The administrative centre is the town of Åndalsnes. Other settlements in Rauma include the villages of Måndalen, Innfjorden, Veblungsnes, Verma, Isfjorden, Eidsbygda, Rødven, Åfarnes, and Mittet. Most settlement in the municipality is located along the fjords and in the Romsdalen valley.

Rauma Municipality Rauma kommune
Municipality
View of Åndalsnes in Rauma
Flag Coat of arms
Møre og Romsdal within Norway
Rauma within Møre og Romsdal
Coordinates: 62°30′17″N 07°46′55″E
Country	Norway
County	Møre og Romsdal
District	Romsdal
Established	1 Jan 1964
• Preceded by	Eid, Grytten, Hen, Voll, & Veøy municipalities
Administrative centre	Åndalsnes
Government
• Mayor (2019)	Yvonne Wold (SV)
Area
• Total	1,449.26 km2 (559.56 sq mi)
• Land	1,389.96 km2 (536.67 sq mi)
• Water	59.30 km2 (22.90 sq mi)  4.1%
• Rank	#61 in Norway
Population  (2023)
• Total	7,046
• Rank	#143 in Norway
• Density	5.1/km2 (13/sq mi)
• Change (10 years)	−5.1%
Demonym	Raumaværing[1]
Official language [2]
• Norwegian form	Neutral
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 code	NO-1539[3]
Website	Official website
Data from Statistics Norway

The municipality surrounds part of the southern end of Romsdalsfjorden and the Isfjorden and it also includes the Romsdalen valley and Romsdalsalpene mountains. In the lower part of the valleys and around Romsdal Fjord and Rødvenfjorden are driven agriculture with emphasis on livestock. The clothing industry has traditionally been a dominant industry in the municipality, especially in Isfjorden. In the summer, Rauma has a fairly large amount of tourist traffic. The top tourist attractions include mountain climbing/hiking, salmon fishing, Trollstigen, and the historic Rødven Stave Church.^[4]

The 1,449-square-kilometre (559 sq mi) municipality is the 61st largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Rauma is the 143rd most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,046. The municipality's population density is 5.1 inhabitants per square kilometre (13/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 5.1% over the previous 10-year period.^[5][6]

General information

View of Marstein in the Romsdalen valley

View of the two churches in Rødven

The municipality of Rauma was established on 1 January 1964 when the old municipalities of Eid (population: 381), Grytten (population: 3,683), Hen (population: 1,663), Voll (population: 1,163), and the southern part of Veøy (population: 1,400) were all merged to form one larger municipality.^[7] On 1 January 2021, the 53-square-kilometre (20 sq mi) Vågstranda area in the northwestern part of Rauma was transferred to the neighboring Vestnes Municipality.^[8]

Name

The municipality is named after the Rauma River (Old Norse: Raumr), which flows through the Romsdalen valley into the Romsdal Fjord. It is uncertain if the fjord is named after the river or the river is named after the fjord. The name Rauma likely comes from the word raum which has an unknown meaning, or it could come from the word raumr which means "roaring waterfall".^[4][9]

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 4 November 1983. The official blazon is "Azure, three piles issuant from base argent" (Norwegian: I blått tre opprette sølv spisser). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is three piles pointing upwards from the base of the shield. 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 was chosen to represent the sky and three local mountains (Vengetindane, Trolltindane and Romsdalshornet). The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.^[10][11][12]

Churches

The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within the municipality of Rauma. It is part of the Indre Romsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre.

Churches in Rauma

Parish (sokn)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Eid og Holm	Eid Church	Eidsbygda	1796
	Holm Church	Holm	1907
	Rødven Church	Rødven	1907
	Rødven Stave Church	Rødven	c. 1200
Grytten	Grytten Church	Veblungsnes	1829
Hen	Hen Church	Isfjorden	1831
Kors	Kors Church	Marstein in Romsdalen	1797
Voll	Voll Church	Måndalen	1896
	Innfjorden Chapel	Innfjorden	1976
Øverdalen	Øverdalen Church	Verma	1902

Geography

View of Åndalsnes from the top of Trollstigen

The municipality surrounds the eastern part of Romsdal Fjord, Isfjorden, and Rødvenfjorden, and it is south of the Langfjorden. It also surrounds the Romsdalen valley and the Rauma River from the mouth to the Innlandet county border.

The Kyrkjetaket and Gjuratinden mountains lie in the northeastern part of the municipality. The mountains Romsdalshornet, Store Trolltind, Trollryggen, Store Venjetinden, and the Troll Wall are all in the central part of the municipality in the Romsdalsalpene mountain range. The mountains Karitinden and Puttegga are located in the southwestern part of the municipality. Part of Reinheimen National Park lies within the municipality.

Transportation

View of the Trollstigen road

European Route E136, Norwegian County Road 63, and Norwegian County Road 64 all pass through the municipality. The Trollstigen road is part of County Road 63 in Rauma, and it is a famous tourist attraction due to the many hairpin turns on the steep road.

The Rauma railway line also runs through the municipality, over the Kylling Bridge, and terminates at Åndalsnes Station. The nearest airports are Ålesund Airport, Vigra which is 135 kilometres (84 mi) by road from Åndalsnes and Molde Airport which is 55 kilometres (34 mi) by road plus a road ferry.

Government

Rauma 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.^[13] The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Møre og Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Rauma is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Rauma kommunestyre 2023–2027 ^[14]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	2
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	4
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	3
	Industry and Business Party (Industri‑ og Næringspartiet)	1
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	5
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	12
Total number of members:		27

Rauma kommunestyre 2019–2023 ^[15]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	5
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	1
	Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne)	1
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	6
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	1
	Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet)	1
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	5
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	7
Total number of members:		27

Rauma kommunestyre 2015–2019 ^[16]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	5
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	8
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	2
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	7
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	1
Total number of members:		27

Rauma kommunestyre 2011–2015 ^[17]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	4
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	6
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	1
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
Total number of members:		27

Rauma kommunestyre 2007–2011 ^[16]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	4
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	3
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	6
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
	Rauma Party (Raumapartiet)	1
Total number of members:		27

Rauma kommunestyre 2003–2007 ^[16]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	6
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	5
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	3
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	3
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	5
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	3
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
Total number of members:		27

Rauma kommunestyre 1999–2003 ^[16]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	11
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	4
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	6
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	6
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	7
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
Total number of members:		37

Rauma kommunestyre 1995–1999 ^[18]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	11
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	2
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	5
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	10
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
Total number of members:		37

Rauma kommunestyre 1991–1995 ^[19]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	11
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	3
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	7
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	7
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	9
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	5
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
Total number of members:		45

Rauma kommunestyre 1987–1991 ^[20]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	15
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	4
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	9
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	7
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	5
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
Total number of members:		45

Rauma kommunestyre 1983–1987 ^[21]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	15
	Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet)	3
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	8
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	8
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	6
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	3
Total number of members:		45

Rauma kommunestyre 1979–1983 ^[22]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	14
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	10
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	9
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	8
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	4
Total number of members:		45

Rauma kommunestyre 1975–1979 ^[23]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	14
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	7
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	10
	New People's Party (Nye Folkepartiet)	1
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	9
	Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti)	2
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	2
Total number of members:		45

Rauma kommunestyre 1971–1975 ^[24]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	17
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	9
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	10
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	4
Total number of members:		45

Rauma kommunestyre 1967–1971 ^[25]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	15
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	5
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	9
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	9
	Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti)	3
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	4
Total number of members:		45

Rauma kommunestyre 1963–1967 ^[26]  

Party name (in Norwegian)		Number of representatives
	Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet)	18
	Conservative Party (Høyre)	4
	Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti)	10
	Centre Party (Senterpartiet)	9
	Liberal Party (Venstre)	4
Total number of members:		45

Mayors

View of Trollveggen

The mayors (Norwegian: ordfører) of Rauma:

• 1964-1971: Peder Mork (KrF)^[27][28]
• 1972-1973: Lars Ramstad (H)
• 1974-1985: Oddvar Morstøl (KrF)
• 1986-1987: Knut Hauge^[29]
• 1988-1989: Nils Valde (KrF)^[30]
• 1990-1991: Ole S. Dahle^[31]
• 1992-1993: Nils Valde (KrF)^[32]
• 1994-1999: Torbjørn Ådne Bruaset (Sp)^[33]
• 1999-2011: Torbjørn Rødstøl (Sp)
• 2011-2019: Lars Olav Hustad (H)
• 2019–present: Yvonne Wold (SV)

Attractions

Rauma is frequently visited by tourists, especially due to the major sights:

• Trollveggen in Romsdalen valley
• Trollstigen road to Geiranger
• Rødven Stave Church (built around the year 1200)

Notable people

Ida Nilsson, 2016

• Mathias Soggemoen (1847 in Rauma – 1929), a railway worker and mountain climbing pioneer
• Kirsten Utheim Toverud (1890 in Veblungsnes – 1949), a Norwegian pediatrician
• Arne Randers Heen (1905 in Hen, Møre og Romsdal – 1991), a Norwegian mountain climber and member of the Norwegian resistance during WWII
• Nils Bølset (1928 in Veøy – 2015), a Norwegian diplomat in Germany, Turkey, and Australia
• Oddgeir Bruaset (born 1944 in Rauma), a Norwegian journalist and non-fiction writer
• Ida Nilsson (born 1981), a Swedish long-distance runner, also competes in ski mountaineering
• Aksel Berget Skjølsvik (born 1987 in Åndalsnes), a Norwegian former footballer with over 250 club caps
• Karoline Bjerkeli Grøvdal (born 1991 in Rauma), a Norwegian middle-, long- and steeplechase runner
• Leo Skiri Østigård (born 1999 in Rauma), a Norwegian professional footballer

References

1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
3. Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (9 January 2024). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon.
4. Store norske leksikon. "Rauma" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2 June 2013.
5. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
6. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
7. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
8. "Vedtak om grensejustering mellom kommunane Rauma og Vestnes, Møre og Romsdal". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). 21 June 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
9. Rygh, Oluf (1908). Norske gaardnavne: Romsdals amt (in Norwegian) (13 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 239.
10. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
11. "Rauma, Møre og Romsdal (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
12. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 7 January 1984. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
13. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (20 September 2022). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 October 2022.
14. "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
15. "Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
16. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
17. "Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
18. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
19. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
20. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
21. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
22. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
23. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
24. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
25. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
26. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
27. "Peder Mork gjenvalgt til ordfører i Rauma". Tidens Krav (in Norwegian). 31 December 1965. p. 1.
28. "Peder Mork gjenvalgt til ordfører". Tidens Krav (in Norwegian). 16 November 1967. p. 1.
29. "Ordfører". Romsdal Folkeblad (in Norwegian). 25 November 1985. p. 4.
30. "Valde er valgt til ordfører i Rauma". Romsdals Budstikke (in Norwegian). 30 December 1987. p. 6.
31. "Ny ordfører i Rauma". Romsdals Budstikke (in Norwegian). 3 January 1990. p. 26.
32. "Ordfører i Rauma". Sunnmørsposten (in Norwegian). 7 November 1991. p. 15.
33. "Raumas ordfører". Åndalsnes Avis (in Norwegian). 11 November 1993. p. 2.

External links

• Media related to Rauma, Norway at Wikimedia Commons
• Møre og Romsdal travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway (in Norwegian)