Hamar Arbeiderblad

Hamar Arbeiderblad (often referred to locally as "HA") is local newspaper published in Hamar, Norway by Hamar Media. The paper is edited by Carsten Bleness. HA was one of the first newspapers to place the internet edition of a newspaper behind a paywall. Access to the internet edition is free for annual subscribers to the print edition. Access to the internet edition costs the same as the print edition.

History

The first edition of Hamar Arbeiderblad was published on 30 March 1925 with a print run of 1200 copies. Local branches of the Labour Party in Hamar, Vang, Stange, Romedal, Løten, Ringsaker and Nes were behind the founding of the newspaper. It was considered that Hamar and the surrounding areas needed their own newspaper. The paper's first editor was Nils Hønsvald. The paper got its own printing press in 1927.

The paper was originally distributed to municipalities around Hedmarken. In 1932 distrubition was extended to include Østerdalen.

The paper is now the largest newspaper in Hedmark. It has also grown from being a party organ of the Norwegian Labour Party to being a politically independent local newspaper, but it kept its original name all the same.

Hamar

Hamar [ˈhɑːˈmɑr]  ( listen) is a town and municipality in Hedmark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hedmarken. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hamar. The municipality of Hamar was separated from Vang as a town and municipality of its own in 1849. Vang was merged back into Hamar on 1 January 1992.

The town is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake, and is the principal city of Hedmark county. It is bordered to the northwest by the municipality of Ringsaker, to the north by Åmot, to the east by Løten, and to the south by Stange.

General information

Name

The municipality (originally the town) is named after the old Hamar farm (Old Norse: Hamarr), since the medieval town was built on its ground. The name is identical with the word hamarr which means "rocky hill".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms shows a Black Grouse sitting in the top of a pine tree on a white background. It was first described in the anonymous Hamarkrøniken (The Hamar Chronicle) written in 1553.