Meråker Municipality

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Municipality in Trøndelag, Norway

title: "Meråker Municipality" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["meråker-municipality", "municipalities-of-trøndelag", "1874-establishments-in-norway", "populated-places-established-in-1874"] description: "Municipality in Trøndelag, Norway" topic_path: "geography/norway" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meråker_Municipality" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Municipality in Trøndelag, Norway ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox kommune"]

Field	Value
name	Meråker
former_name	Meraaker herred
former_name1	Meraker herred
image_skyline	Meråkerdalen jan 2010.JPG
image_caption	View of the Meråker valley
idnumber	5034
county	Trøndelag
district	Stjørdalen
capital	Midtbygda
established	1 Jan 1874
preceded	Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality
demonym	Meråkerbygg
language	Bokmål
webpage	www.meraker.kommune.no
mayor	Kari Anita Furunes
mayor_party	Sp
mayor_as_of	2023
elevation_max_m	1441.36
highest_point_ref
area_rank	80
area_total_km2	1273.94
area_land_km2	1188.06
area_water_km2	85.88
area_water_percent	6.7
population_as_of	2024
population_rank	259
population_total	2454
population_density_km2	1.9
population_increase	-3.9
coordinates
::

Meråker is a municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Stjørdalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Midtbygda which is about 20 km west of Storlien in Sweden and 46 km east of the town of Stjørdalshalsen in neighboring Stjørdal Municipality. Other villages in the municipality include Gudåa, Kopperå, and Stordalsvollen.

The 1274 km2 municipality is the 80th largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Meråker Municipality is the 259th most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 2,454. The municipality's population density is 1.9 PD/km2 and its population has decreased by 3.9% over the previous 10-year period.

The municipality markets itself as a recreational area. The main areas of employment are in industry and agriculture. The municipality is noted for its characteristic dialect.

General information

The municipality of Meråker was established on 1 January 1874 when the old Øvre Stjørdalen Municipality was divided into two: Hegra Municipality (population: 3,409) in the east and Meråker Municipality (population: 1,861) in the west. The municipal borders have not changed since then. On 1 January 2018, the municipality switched from the old Nord-Trøndelag county to the new Trøndelag county.

Name

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Meråker farm (spelled "Mørakre" around 1430) since the first Meråker Church was built there. The meaning of the first element is uncertain (maybe which means "mare" or which means "bog" or "marsh"). The last element is which means "field" or "acre". Historically, the name of the municipality was spelled Meraker. On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Meraaker. On 21 December 1917, a royal resolution enacted the 1917 Norwegian language reforms. Prior to this change, the name was spelled Meraaker with the digraph "aa", and after this reform, the name was spelled Meråker, using the letter å was instead.

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 28 September 1990. The official blazon is "Gules, a cart argent" (). This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is a mining cart. The mining cart has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. This design was chosen to symbolize the fact that mining has traditionally played a major role in the area and has been of great economic importance for Meråker. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.

Churches

The Church of Norway has one parish (sokn) within Meråker Municipality. It is part of the Stjørdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Nidaros.

::data[format=table title="style="font-size:medium"|'''''Churches in Meråker Municipality'''''"]

Parish (sokn)	Church name	Location of the church	Year built
Meråker	Meråker Church	Midtbygda	1874
Kopperå Chapel	Kopperå	1936
Stordalen Chapel	Stordalsvollen	1863
::

History

Meråker Smelter

In 1898, a carbide factory was opened at Kopperå, later this factor was rebuilt as a silicon smelter. The smelter was in operation until June 2006. Its main product was microsilica which is used as an additive to cement.

Geography

Meråker is a landlocked municipality in the central part of Trøndelag county. To the north is Verdal Municipality, to the west is Stjørdal Municipality, to the south is Selbu Municipality and Tydal Municipality, and to the east is Åre Municipality in Sweden.

There are three major lakes in Meråker: Feren, Fjergen, and Funnsjøen. The river Stjørdalselva runs through the municipality towards the Trondheimsfjord. The river Rotla begins in the southern part of Meråker. The highest point in the municipality is the 1441.36 m tall mountain Fongen, a tripoint on the border of Meråker Municipality, Selbu Municipality, and Tydal Municipality.

Government

Meråker 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 Trøndelag District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Meråker Municipality is made up of 17 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party. |name = Meråker |start = 2023 |end = 2027 |reference = |collapsed = |Total = 17 |Arbeiderpartiet = 4 |Rødt = 1 |Senterpartiet = 5 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1 |otherparty = Meråker Cross-Party Local List |otherparty_no = Meråker Tverrpolitiske Bygdeliste |otherparty_number = 6 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 2019 |end = 2023 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 5 |Fremskrittspartiet = 1 |Senterpartiet = 7 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2 |Venstre = 1 |otherparty = Meråker Cross-Party Local List |otherparty_no = Meråker Tverrpolitiske Bygdeliste |otherparty_number = 5 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 2015 |end = 2019 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 6 |Fremskrittspartiet = 1 |Senterpartiet = 4 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1 |Venstre = 3 |otherparty = Meråker Cross-Party Local List |otherparty_no = Meråker Tverrpolitiske Bygdeliste |otherparty_number = 6 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 2011 |end = 2015 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 7 |Fremskrittspartiet = 1 |Høyre = 2 |Senterpartiet = 3 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1 |Venstre = 4 |otherparty = Meråker Cross-Party Local List |otherparty_no = Meråker Tverrpolitiske Bygdeliste |otherparty_number = 3 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 2007 |end = 2011 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2 |Senterpartiet = 3 |Venstre = 1 |Høyre = 1 |Fremskrittspartiet = 1 |otherparty = Meråker cross-party local list |otherparty_no = Meråker tverrpolitiske bygdeliste |otherparty_number = 2 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 2003 |end = 2007 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 10 |Fremskrittspartiet = 1 |Senterpartiet = 3 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 3 |Venstre = 2 |otherparty = Meråker Cross-party Local List |otherparty_no = Meråker Tverrpolitiske Bygdeliste |otherparty_number = 2 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 1999 |end = 2003 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 10 |Høyre = 1 |Senterpartiet = 4 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1 |Venstre = 1 |otherparty = Meråker Cross-party local list |otherparty_no = Meråker Tverrpolitisk bygdeliste |otherparty_number = 4 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 1995 |end = 1999 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 10 |Høyre = 1 |Senterpartiet = 3 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1 |Venstre = 2 |otherparty = Meråker Cross-party local list |otherparty_no = Meråker Tverrpolitiske bygdeliste |otherparty_number = 4 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 1991 |end = 1995 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |Høyre = 1 |Senterpartiet = 3 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 2 |Venstre = 4 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 1987 |end = 1991 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |Høyre = 1 |Senterpartiet = 3 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1 |Venstre = 5 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 1983 |end = 1987 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 12 |Høyre = 2 |Senterpartiet = 2 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1 |Venstre = 4 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 1979 |end = 1983 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |H/KrF = 1 |Senterpartiet = 1 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 1 |Venstre = 6 |smallparty = Joint list of the New People's Party and independent voters |smallparty_no = Det Nye Folkepartiet og uavhengige velgere |smallparty_number = 1 |smallparty_color = linear-gradient(135deg, 50%, white 50%); |}} |name = Meråker |start = 1975 |end = 1979 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |H/KrF/Sp = 3 |Sosialistisk_Venstreparti = 3 |Venstre = 4 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 1971 |end = 1975 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 13 |Senterpartiet = 2 |Sosialistisk_Folkeparti = 2 |Venstre = 2 |Local_Lists = 2 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 1967 |end = 1971 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 13 |Høyre = 1 |Senterpartiet = 1 |Sosialistisk_Folkeparti = 3 |Venstre = 3 |}} |name = Meråker |start = 1963 |end = 1967 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 15 |NKP = 1 |Venstre = 2 |Borgerlige_Felleslister = 3 |}} |name = Meråker |herad = yes |start = 1959 |end = 1963 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 13 |NKP = 2 |Venstre = 3 |Borgerlige_Felleslister = 3 |}} |name = Meråker |herad = yes |start = 1955 |end = 1959 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 21 |Arbeiderpartiet = 13 |NKP = 3 |Borgerlige_Felleslister = 5 |}} |name = Meråker |herad = yes |start = 1951 |end = 1955 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 20 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |NKP = 4 |Borgerlige_Felleslister = 5 |}} |name = Meråker |herad = yes |start = 1947 |end = 1951 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 20 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |NKP = 5 |Venstre = 4 |}} |name = Meråker |herad = yes |start = 1945 |end = 1947 |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 20 |Arbeiderpartiet = 11 |NKP = 6 |Borgerlige_Felleslister = 3 |}} |name = Meråker |herad = yes |start = 1937 |end = 1941* |reference = |collapsed = yes |Total = 20 |Borgerlige_Felleslister = 5 |Arbeiderpartiet = 12 |NKP = 4 |}}

Mayors

The mayor () of Meråker Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:

1874–1877: Christian Erlandsen
1878–1885: John Johnsen
1886–1887: Iver Lie
1888–1893: Fredrik Rø (V)
1894–1897: O. Hugdahl
1898–1907: Fredrik Rø (V)
1908–1910: Carl Olaf Iversen (H)
1911–1913: Olav Stubban (Ap)
1914–1916: Ole E. Wollan (Ap)
1917–1922: Peder J. Myrmo (Ap)
1923–1925: Arne Bergsaas (Ap)
1926–1937: Kristian Rothaug (Ap)
1938–1939: Joar Eimhjellen (Ap)
1939–1941: Alf Karlsen (Ap)
1942–1942: Arild Solberg (NS)
1943–1945: Alf Hembre (NS)
1945–1966: Alf Karlsen (Ap)
1967–1973: Johnny Stenberg (Ap)
1973–1995: Svein Brækken (Ap)
1995–2015: Bård Langsåvold (Ap)
2015–2019: Kari Anita Furunes (Sp)
2019–2023: Kjersti Kjenes (LL)
2023–present: Kari Anita Furunes (Sp)

Transportation

The European route E14 highway runs east to west through the municipality connecting to Trondheim Airport, Værnes about 40 km to the west. The Meråker Line railway follows the E14 through the municipality also, with stops at Kopperå Station, Meråker Station, and Gudå Station.

Media

The newspaper Meråkerposten has been published in Meråker since 1982.

Notable people

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Bård_Langsåvold.JPG" caption="Bård Langsåvold, 2013"] ::

Anton Johnson Fridrichsen (1888 in Meråker – 1953), a Swedish theologian
Helge Ingstad (1899 in Meråker - 2001), an author, explorer, and archeologist
Arne Braa Saatvedt (1922 in Meråker – 1945), a Norwegian police official and member of the Nasjonal Samling; executed in 1945
Bård Langsåvold (born 1952), a Norwegian politician and Mayor of Meråker from 1995 to 2015
Dag Lyseid (1954–2012), a footballer and politician and deputy Mayor of Meråker from 1999 to 2008
Vebjørn Selbekk (born 1969), a newspaper editor and author who was brought up in Meråker

Sport

Magnar Lundemo (1938 in Meråker - 1987), a cross country skier and track and field athlete who competed at the 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympics
Frode Estil (born 1972), a retired cross country skier who lives in Meråker
Kine Beate Bjørnås (born 1980), a retired cross country skier
Simen Raaen Sandmæl (born 1990 in Meråker), a Norwegian footballer with over 130 club caps

Media gallery

Meråker, Norway - panoramio.jpg|Meråker, Norway Meråker smelteverk Kopperå 01.jpg|Meråker smelteverk Kopperå Juni 2011 041.jpg|Elven Kopperåa i Kopperå, Meråker Grønbergdammen 01.jpg|Grønbergdammen in Meråker

References

References

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