Lom, Norway
Lom is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Fossbergom. Another village area in Lom is Elvesæter. The municipality is the 38th largest by area out of the 356 municipalities in Norway. Lom is the 266th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,211. The municipality's population density is and its population has decreased by 7.2% over the previous 10-year period. Lom is famous for its extensive history, for Lom Stave Church, one of the few remaining stave churches in Norway. Also for being located in the midst of the highest mountains in Northern Europe. General information The prestegjeld (parish) of Lom was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt law). On 1 January 1866, the western district of Lom (population: 2,691) was separated and established as the new municipality of Skiaker. Afterwards, the remaining part of Lom had 3,299 residents. The boundaries of Lom have not changed since that time. Name The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Lom farm since the first Lom Stave Church was built there. The Old Norse form of the name was (nominative case) and (dative case). The name is derived from the plural form of which means "clearing" or "meadow". Coat of arms The coat of arms was granted on 6 February 1987. The official blazon is "Azure, three shovels argent palewise in fess" (). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is three vertical spades lined up horizontally. 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. These spades () were historically used to scoop water from the irrigation channels typical for the area. The area is one of the driest in Norway, but the soil is good for agriculture. It thus needs irrigation. In the 17th century, a system was developed in which melting water from the mountains was transported to the area using wooden channels or aqueducts. The water was further divided using irrigation channels. The arms were designed by Einar H. Skjervold. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms. Churches The Church of Norway has three parishes () within the municipality of Lom. It is part of the Nord-Gudbrandsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Hamar. History An ancient trade route passed up from Sunnmøre through Lom and Skjåk and down the Gudbrandsdalen valley into Eastern Norway. The trade consisted of fish and salt heading inland, and grain heading to the coast. The Saga of Olaf Haraldson relates that St. Olaf commented as he first looked down on Lom, "What a pity to have to lay waste to such a beautiful valley." In the face of such a clear motivation, the residents of the valley converted (it has since been a recurring discussion whether he looked