Melhus

Melhus is a village and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is part of the Gauldalen region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Melhus. Other villages include Gimse, Gåsbakken, Hovin, Korsvegen, Kvål, Ler, and Lundamo.

Agriculture is important in Melhus, and the extensive lowland areas in the almost flat valley surrounding the Gaula River are dominated by grain fields. Many inhabitants work in the city of Trondheim, a 20 minute drive north from Melhus.

The village of Melhus is located on the shores of the Gaula River in the north part of the municipality. The 2.84-square-kilometre (1.10 sq mi) village has a population (2013) of 5,894. The population density is 2,075 inhabitants per square kilometre (5,370/sq mi). The 100+ year old Melhus Church is located on the south side of the village.

General information

Melhus was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). In 1865, the western district of Høilandet (population: 1,818) was separated from Melhus to form a separate municipality. Then on 1880, the eastern district of Flå (population: 614) was separated to form its own municipality. On 1 January 1964, Melhus (population: 3,978) was merged with Hølonda (population: 1,428), Flå (population: 843), Horg (population: 2,560), and the small Langørgen farm area in Buvik (population: 11) to form a new, larger municipality of Melhus.