Hamar is a town and municipality in the county of Hedmark, Norway.

Hamar is located on the shores of Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake, and is the principal city of the Hedmark county.

History

Between year 500 and 1000, the farm Aker was probably one of the most important power centres in Norway, located just a few kilometres outside today's Hamar. After the christening of Norway in year 1030, Hamar began to gain influence as a centre for trade and religion, until the episcopal representative Nikolaus Breakspear in 1152 founded Hamar Kaupangen as one of five dioceses in medieval Norway. It remained an important religious and political centre in Norway, organized around the cathedral and the bishop's manor until the reformation in 1536, when it lost its status as a bishopric. The cathedral and manor were destroyed in the Seven Years' War with Sweden in 1567, and in 1568 the market was disbanded, under pressure from citizens of Oslo. Since then, Hamar Kaupangen gradually lost importance. The site of the medieval city fell into disrepair and was taken over by a farm.

The modern city

The modern city of Hamar was founded a kilometer or so south of the old medieval city in 1849 by King Oscar as a trading center.

The Hedmark museum, located on Domkirkeodden is an important historical landmark in Hamar, an out-door museum with remains of the medieval church, in a protective glass housing, the episcopal fortress, and a collection of old farm houses. The museum is a combined medieval, ethnological and archeological museum and has received architectural prizes for its approach to conservation and exhibition. It also houses a vast photography archive for the Hedmark region.

Hamar is also known for its indoor speed skating arena, the Olympia Hall, better known as Vikingskipet ("The Viking ship") for its shape. It was built to host the speed skating competitions of the 1994 Winter Olympics that were held in nearby Lillehammer.

The centre of Hamar is the pedestrian walkway in the middle of town, with the library, cinema and farmer's market on Stortorget (the big square) on the western side, and Østre Torg (the eastern square) on the eastern side.

Hamar is an important railway junction between two different lines to Trondheim. Rørosbanen, the old railway line, branches off from the mainline Dovrebanen. Hamar also has a railway museum.

External links

• Hamar Pictorial click-through
• The Hedmark Museum