, is a historical
province or
landskap in the centre of
Sweden. It borders the country of
Norway as well as the provinces of
Dalarna,
Hälsingland,
Medelpad, and
Jämtland.
The name
Härjedalen, from
Old West Norse Herjárdalr, literally means the "Valley of the Härje river". A
Latinized transliteration is Herdalia, although that name is hardly encountered in the
English language today. More prominent are derivations such as
Herjedalen or
Haerjedalen.
The province originally belonged to
Norway, but was ceded to Sweden in the
Treaty of Brömsebro, 1645.
Administration
The traditional
provinces of Sweden serve no administrative or political purposes, but are historical and cultural entities. In the case of Härjedalen there is a
municipality,
kommun,
Härjedalen Municipality, which is located in the southern part of
Jämtland County. The municipality does not exactly correspond to the province, but is larger.
Heraldry
The arms is represented with a dukal coronet. Blazon: "Argent a Sledgehammer Sable with Core Gules between Tongs of the second and two Hammers adorsed in pale of the second handled Gules.". It was granted in 1660. Since 1974 Härjedalen Municipality uses the same coat of arms, but without the coronet.
Geography
Arctic violet.
Four-fifths of the province is situated above 500 metres of altitude, constituting a part of the
Scandinavian mountain range. Sweden's highest village
Högvålen, at 835 metres, is also within the province.
Härjedalen is strange in that there is no town at all. The only village of even modest size is the market town
Sveg, which used to be the administrive center of the province.
The provincial flower is the
Arctic violet. It is prominent on high altitudes in Europe, and is also found in
the Alps.
Sånfjället National Park extends through the municipality.
The tarn
Björnskalletjärn, with Mt.
Helags in the background.
History
Jämtland and Härjedalen were originally provinces of
Norway, but in early 1645 they were both ceded by
Denmark-Norway to Sweden by the
Treaty of Brömsebro. The province of Härjedalen is named, according to the legend, after a powerful Norseman who had to flee east from the Norwegian court of king
Halfdan Svartes after killing one of the king's men (with a horn). Thereafter he was known as "Härjulf Hornbrytaren." For a time he entered the service of the Svea (Swedish today) king Anund, until he eloped with that king's sister, Helga, and together they disappeared into the remote location in the region eventually named after him. Today a statue stands dedicated to them in the village of Lillhärdal. Härjulf and Helga were the foreparents to the Icelander, Barne Härjulfsson, who was the first Norseman to see the "new world" when he was blown off-course whilst on a voyage to Greenland. His boat is the one Leif Eriksson acquired about 15 years later for Leif's famed landing on Vineland. A large portion of Harjedalen residents emigrated to Northwestern Minnesota in America in the late 1800s.
The more prosaic explanation of the name says that the word
her or
har just means "mound of stones" and refers to stones in the river
Härjån. .
Subdivisions
Härjedalen was historically divided into districts.
