Gudbrands Valley
valley, Norway
Otta
Gudbrands Valley, Norwegian Gudbrandsdalen, valley, south-central Norway. Comprising the valley of the Lågen (river), it extends for about 100 miles (160 km) from the famed Dovre Mountains and Lake Lesjaskogen on the north to Lake Mjøsa on the south and is flanked on the west by the Jotunheim Mountains and on the east by the Rondane Mountains. At the southern end, Lillehammer, site of the 1994 Winter Olympics, is a thriving town. Other communities, such as Tretten, Fåvang, Ringebu, Vinstra, Otta, and Dombås, are small. Stock raising, lumbering, and dairying are the chief occupations, and some slate is quarried. Like other Norwegian valleys, Gudbrands Valley has developed its own culture and dialect. A historic trade route and site of ancient graves, it is associated with several sagas and legends, including that of Peer Gynt. A local folk museum, Maihaugen, is in Lillehammer. The Oslo–Trondheim railroad passes through the valley.
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