Tinn

General information

Administrative history

The formannskapsdistrikt law of 1837 created a system of local government in Norway by establishing each town (ladested or kjøpstad) and each Church of Norway prestegjeld as a civil municipality. On 1 January 1838, Tinn prestegjeld was established as Tind Municipality (later spelled Tinn). In 1860, the southeastern area of the municipality around the village of Hovin (population: 815) was separated from Tinn Municipaltiy to become part of the newly created Gransherad Municipality. On 24 March 1903, an unpopulated area of Tinn Municipality was transferred to the neighboring Hovin Municipality.

During the 1960s, there were many municipal mergers across Norway due to the work of the Schei Committee. On 1 January 1964, Tinn Municipality was enlarged when the areas of Hovin Municipality that were located east of the lake Tinnsjå (population: 461) were merged into Tinn Municipality. (The rest of the old Hovin Municipality became part of the neighboring Notodden Municipality).

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 old Tinn prestegjeld. The prestegjeld was named after an either old name for the area (Old Norse: Tinnr) or an old name for the local lake Tinnsjå. The name is possibly derived from the word tjǫrn which means "small lake" or "pond". Historically, the name was spelled Tind.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 25 November 1994. The official blazon is "Argent, five gouttes de larmes, three and two" (Norwegian: I sølv fem blå dråper, 3-2). This means the arms have a field (background) 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 charge is a set of five gouttes (droplets) of water. This design was chosen to represent the five rivers in the municipality and the hydropower plants near Rjukan. The arms were designed by Halvor Holtskog. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has two parishes (sokn) within Tinn Municipality. It is part of the Øvre Telemark prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Agder og Telemark.

History

The Rjukan Falls, located on the Måna river, allowed construction of Vemork, the largest power station in the world in 1911. The station has become a museum where one can explore the history of the energy and see exhibits about the industrial development in Norway and in the town of Rjukan.

The museum at Vemork is most famous for its presentation of Rjukan's war history. During World War II, Vemork was the site of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage, when Norwegian saboteurs prevented the Germans from producing nuclear weapons from the heavy water which was produced here. The exhibit Atomkappløpet ("The nuclear race") presents the four heavy water sabotages and the allied efforts to develop a nuclear bomb.

Government

Tinn 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 Øvre Telemark District Court and the Agder Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Tinn Municipality is made up of 25 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 (Norwegian: ordfører) of Tinn Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. The following people have held this position:

Geography

Most of Tinn Municipality is quite rural. The town of Rjukan is the largest settlement. It is located in the Vestfjorddalen valley, through which the Måna river flows. There are several large lakes in Tinn, including Tinnsjå and Kalhovdfjorden.

Tinn stretches deeply into the Hardangervidda plateau. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,882.12-metre (6,174.9 ft) tall mountain Gaustatoppen, which is climbed by 30,000 people each year. On clear days it is possible to see one-sixth of Norway from its summit. Other areas include the Blefjell mountains, with Bletoppen being the highest mountain in that area and also the Vegglifjell mountains, with Skirveggen being the highest mountain in that area.

Nore og Uvdal Municipality (in Buskerud county) is located to the north; Rollag Municipality (also in Buskerud) is located to the east, Flesberg Municipality (in Buskerud) is located to the eastsoutheast; Notodden Municipality is located to the southeast, Hjartdal Municipality is located to the south, Seljord Municipality to the southwest, and Vinje Municipality is located to the west.

Notable people

WWII heavy water saboteurs

Arne Kjelstrup MM (1913 in Rjukan – 1995), a Norwegian resistance member during WWII who participated in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage in 1942–1943

Knut Lier-Hansen (1916 in Rjukan – 2008), a Norwegian resistance member during WWII and Army sergeant who participated in the sinking of SF Hydro as a part of the Norwegian heavy water sabotage

Jens-Anton Poulsson (1918 in Tinn – 2010), a military officer and Norwegian resistance member who participated in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage in 1942–1943

Claus Helberg (1919 in Rjukan – 2003), a Norwegian resistance member and mountain guide who participated in the Norwegian heavy water sabotage

Other public Service

Sam Eyde (1866–1940), an engineer and industrialist who developed Rjukan Falls to produce hydro electrical power

Albert Sund (1884–?), a trade union leader, Labour politician, and chairman of the Øst-Telemark faglige Samorg for three years

Knut Haugland DSO, MM, (1917 in Rjukan – 2009), a WWII resistance fighter and explorer who accompanied Thor Heyerdahl on his famous 1947 Kon-Tiki expedition

Einar-Fredrik Ofstad (1916 in Rjukan – 1998), a Norwegian diplomat

Gunnar Sønsteby DSO (1918 in Rjukan – 2012), a member of the Norwegian resistance movement and Norway's most highly decorated citizen

Petter Graver (1920 in Tinn – 1995), a jurist, diplomat from 1947 to 1988, and a lawyer

Gunnar Odd Hagen (1921–1997), a politician and a dentist in Tinn

Reidun Røed (1921 in Rjukan – 2009), a female Norwegian resistance member

Bjørn Bruland (1926 in Rjukan – 2014), a Norwegian admiral and politician

Reidar Engell Olsen (born 1933), a politician and Mayor of Tinn

Jostein Børtnes (born 1937 in Hovin, Telemark), a literary historian and Slavist

Signe Howell (born 1942 in Tinn), a social anthropologist and academic

Bernt Ivar Eidsvig (born 1953 in Rjukan), a prelate of the Catholic Church and Bishop of Oslo

The Arts

Knut Luraas (1782 in Tinn – 1843), a Hardingfele fiddler and artist

Thomas Luraas (1799 in Tinn – 1886), a rose painter and clarinetist

Else Poulsson (1909 in Rjukan – 2002), a painter and textile artist

Jørn Lande (born 1968 in Rjukan), a hard rock and heavy metal singer and songwriter

Linnea Dale (born 1991 in Tinn), a singer

Sport

Snowshoe Thompson (born 1827 in Austbygdi, Telemark as Jon Torsteinsson Rue – 1876), a Norwegian-American who was considered the father of California skiing

Jon Terje Øverland (born 1944 in Rjukan), an alpine skier who competed at the 1964 Winter Olympics and 1968 Winter Olympics