Ringebu

 Ringebu  is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vålebru.

The municipality of Ringebu was established on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The area of Sollia was separated from Ringebu municipality to become a municipality of its own in 1864.

General information

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Ringabú or Hringabú. The first element is probably derived from ringr which means "ring" (but in what context is unknown). The last element is bú which means "rural district".

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted in 1992. The arms show three orange flames on a red background. This represents the three valleys and three parishes of Ringebu, Fåvang, and Venabygd. Fire was chosen to represent mankind's need for heat and light.

History

The stave church at Ringebu, built around the year 1220, is one of fewer than 30 surviving stave churches and is one of the largest.