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'Hemsedal' is a municipality in the county of Buskerud, Norway.
Hemsedal was separated from Gol in 1897.
The municipality is bordered in the north by Vang and Vestre Slidre in Oppland county, in the east by Nord-Aurdal, Oppland and Gol, in the south by Ål and Hol, and in the west by Lærdal in Sogn og Fjordane county.
Hemsedal is the second largest ski resort in Norway and has the largest number of millionaires per capita.
From the museum farm ''Øvre Løkji'' there are several trails up into the mountains.

Contents

The name

Coat-of-arms

What to see

History

Trivia

The name

The Norse form of the name was ''Hemsudalr''. The first element is the genitive case of a rivername ''Hemsa'' (now Hemsil), the last element is ''dalr'' m 'valley, dale'. The meaning of the rivername is unknown.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1992). It shows the head of a lynx.
(See also the coat-of-arms of Bygland and Hamarøy.)

What to see

Hemsedal Bygdetun located at ''Øvre Løkji'' in the village Ulsok. The museum has houses and artifacts from the first part of the 18th century and all the way to modern times. The farm is located in the middle of an agricultural landscape formed by old methods.

History

One of the last stave churches to be dismantled was Hemsedal stave church, dismantled in 1882. After the dismantling of this church the interest changed and the remaining churches in Hallingdal survived.

Trivia

The word hems ('bed built in a small loftroom') is named (ironically) after the valley Hemsedal.