Rendalen in Norway covers a area of 3.179,7 km2 and approximately 2.100 inhabitants. Rendalen is the biggest municipality in South Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Østerdalen. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bergset. The primary occupations are in farming and logging, but tourism is also important. The Renåfjellet mountain area provides for excellent alpine hiking. The highest mountain is Sølen (Midtre) at 1,755 metres (5,758 ft).

Rendalen municipality encompasses most of the Rendalen valley, a side valley of the Østerdalen. In addition, the municipality encompasses the northern part of Storsjø, a mountainous area in the east of Rendalen and a small part of Østerdalen itself. It also comprises lake Sølensjøen.

Rendalen have more than enugh of mountain, forest and lakes. The Council centre is split in two and lies in Otnes and Upper Rendalen. The third crowded place in the municipality is Åkrestrømmen. Norske Moseprodukter the largest export industries in the Österdalen district lies also in Åkrestrømmen. North Europes biggest canyon Jutulhogget, lies in Rendalen and Norway´s only inland fishingvillage Fiskevollen, at Sølensjøen.

THE BULL MUSEUM

Bull museum lies on National Route 30, just south of Upper Rendalen. The museum was opened in 1964, and is largely dedicated to the work of author Jacob Breda Bull. It was the priest C.W. Schultze, who began the work of building Rendalen’s parsonage in 1747. He was unable to finish the work before he died. Jacob B. Bull was born in Rendalen, and lived there until 1869, when his father became the priest in Botne in Vestfold and the family moved there. In many of his narration’s Jacob Bull describes his childhood in the parsonage. The best known is possibly “Vesleblakken and Ulveslaget”.

Later there was built a new parsonage in Rendalen in 1880, and the old one was sold to a private buyer. The house fell into bad repair and most of it was torn down. Just the main building from 1747 and some of the older storehouses on pillars, together with the pigeon house made by “Tusenmikkel”, were left standing when the council bought the property in 1920. The main building was used as a teachers house until 1960, when it was decided to build up Bull museum.

Later one has tried to build up the courtyard as it looked in the time that Bull lived there, but as yet has not been completed. Nearer to the main building stands a building from the first half of the 1700’s, where in Bulls time stood “Nysalen”, with amongst other things an apartment for the Bishop on the first floor. Those who know Bulls stories will have much pleasure to visit the Bull museum. The collection has an ordinary historic cultural interest for those who are not so well known with Bull’s work.

FISHING

Norway´s only inland fishingvillage Fiskevollen lies at Lake Sølensjøen.