Vinje
The title of this article is ambiguous. For other meanings, see Vinje (disambiguation).
Vinje is a municipality in the Telemark county in the Norwegian Vestfold og Telemark county. It borders Nore og Uvdal to the north, Tinn and Seljord to the east, Tokke and Bykle to the south, and Suldal and Ullensvang to the west. The highest elevation is Nupsegga at 1674 moh. In terms of area, Vinje is the second largest municipality in southern Norway (after Rendalen) and is larger than the entire former Fylke Vestfold. With 1.21 inhabitants/km², the municipality is very sparsely populated (national average: 14 p./km²). Only 15% of the population lives in closed settlement areas. The municipality is the highest in Telemark and stretches along the Hardangervidda National Park. It owns a 90 km² area in the national park, Berunuten Vest, with six cabins for free use.
The economy flourished for many years. In 2002, the average income per inhabitant was 33,478 crowns (national average 24,771 crowns). The municipality owes much of this to the revenue generated by the development of the Tokke River in the 1960s and 1970s. Residents also benefit from low electricity prices. On the other hand, large mountain areas on the edge of Hardangervidda have been irretrievably destroyed by dam projects such as the Songa Dam and Møsvatn.
The largest employer in Vinje is the municipality. The rehabilitation centre in Rauland is the largest private employer. 39.4% of the employees work in the public administration. Other important employers include the engineering company Nemek.
The well-known winter resort Rauland is located in Vinje and attracts many tourists every year.
Sons and daughters of the community
- Aasmund Olavsson Vinje (1818-1870), writer
- Albert E. Rice (1845-1921), US-American banker, newspaper journalist and politician
- Aslaug Vaa (1889-1967), writer (Aslaug Vaa was born in Vinje but grew up in Kviteseid and is actually located there).
- Tarjei Vesaas (1897-1970), writer
- Aslak Versto (1924-1972), mayor, member of the Storting, resistance fighter
- Sondre Bratland (* 1938), musician
- Olav Versto (* 1950), journalist, editor
- Astrid Versto (* 1953), journalist, press officer at the castle
- Stein Versto (* 1957), writer
- Åshild Lofthus (* 1971), snowboarder
- Odd Nordstoga (* 1972), singer and composer
- Terje Håkonsen (* 1974), snowboarder
