Meldal (village)

Meldal Meldal Sentrum
Village
Orkla river ir Meldal
Meldal Show map of Trøndelag Meldal Show map of Norway
Coordinates: 63.0472°N 09.7139°E / 63.0472; 09.7139
Country	Norway
Region	Central Norway
County	Trøndelag
District	Orkdalen
Municipality	Orkland Municipality
Area [1]
• Total	0.8 km^2 (0.3 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	143 m (469 ft)
Population  (2024)[1]
• Total	628
• Density	785/km^2 (2,030/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	meldaling, meddaling,
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
Post Code	7336 Meldal

Meldal[3] is a village in Orkland Municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway.[4] The village is located in the Orkdalen valley, along the river Orkla. The village of Å lies about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to the south, the village of Løkken Verk lies about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) to the north, and the village of Storås lies about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) to the northwest.

The 0.8-square-kilometre (200-acre) village has a population (2024) of 628 and a population density of 785 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,030/sq mi).[1]

The village is the site of a school and preschool, and Meldal Church. There are many popular areas for outdoor activities in Meldal or close by, and there are more than 1,300 holiday cabins in the area. Agriculture is the main industry in the area around Meldal.

History

The village was the administrative centre of the old Meldal Municipality which existed from 1838 until 2020 when it became part of the new Orkland Municipality.[5]

Name

The village (originally the parish) is named Meldal (Old Norse: Meðaldalr) after its location in the Orkdalen valley. The first element is meðal which means "middle". The last element is dalr which means "valley" or "dale". Thus the name means "the middle of the valley".[6] Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Meldalen. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Meldal, removing the definite form ending -en.[7]

Notable people

Notable people that were born or lived in Meldal (Norwegian: Meldalinger) include:

• Edvarda Lie (1910–1963), an artist
• Jan Egil Storholt (born 1949), a speed skater and Olympic champion

References

1. Statistisk sentralbyrå (1 October 2024). "Urban settlements. Population and area, by municipality".
2. "Meldal (Trøndelag)". yr.no. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
3. "Informasjon om stadnamn". Norgeskart (in Norwegian). Kartverket. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
4. Haugen, Morten O., ed. (26 November 2024). "Meldal (tettsted)". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
5. Stokkan, John, ed. (22 January 2023). "Meldal (tidligere kommune)". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
6. Rygh, Oluf (1901). Norske gaardnavne: Søndre Trondhjems amt (in Norwegian) (14 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 149.
7. "Norsk Lovtidende. 2den Afdeling. 1917. Samling af Love, Resolutioner m.m". Norsk Lovtidend (in Norwegian). Kristiania, Norge: Grøndahl og Søns Boktrykkeri: 1057–1065. 1917.