imported>Burjkh at 01:25, 25 October 2025

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{{Short description|Historical province of Sweden}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Härjedalen
| native_name =
| image_caption =
| image_flag = Härjedalen flag.svg
| image_shield = Härjedalens vapen crowned.svg
| shield_size = 100px
| motto =
| image_map = Sverigekarta-Landskap Härjedalen.svg
| mapsize = 250px
| map_alt =
| map_caption =
| coordinates =
| coor_pinpoint =
| coordinates_footnotes =
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{SWE}}
| settlement_type = [[Provinces of Sweden|Historical province]]
| subdivision_type1 = [[Lands of Sweden|Land]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Norrland]]
| subdivision_type2 = Counties
| subdivision_name2 = [[Jämtland County]]<br>[[Dalarna County]]
| unit_pref = Metric
| area_footnotes =
| area_total_km2 = 11,405
| area_land_km2 =
| area_water_km2 =
| area_water_percent =
| area_note =
| population_footnotes = <ref name="population">{{cite web |url=https://www.statistikdatabasen.scb.se/pxweb/sv/ssd/START__BE__BE0101__BE0101A/FolkmangdDistrikt/table/tableViewLayout1/ |title=Folkmängd 31 december; ålder |website=Statistikdatabasen |access-date=1 June 2024 }}</ref>
| population_total = 9,705
| population_as_of = 31 December 2023
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym =
| population_note =
| timezone1 = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1 = +1
| timezone1_DST = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST = +2
| postal_code_type = [[List of postal codes in Sweden|Postal codes]]
| postal_code =
| area_code_type = [[Telephone numbers in Sweden|Area codes]]
| area_code =
| demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
| demographics1_title1 = Language
| demographics1_info1 = [[Swedish language|Swedish]]
| demographics_type2 = Culture
| demographics2_title2 = Flower
| demographics2_info2 = [[Arctic violet]]
| demographics2_title3 = Animal
| demographics2_info3 = [[Bear]]
| demographics2_title4 = Bird
| demographics2_info4 = [[Golden eagle]]
| demographics2_title5 = Fish
| demographics2_info5 = [[Thymallus thymallus|Grayling]]
| website = 
| footnotes =
}}

'''Härjedalen''' ({{IPA|sv|ˈhæ̂rjɛˌdɑːlɛn|lang|Sv-Härjedalen.ogg}}) is a historical [[Provinces of Sweden|province]] (''landskap'') in the centre of [[Sweden]]. It borders the [[Norway|Norwegian]] county of [[Trøndelag]], as well as the provinces of [[Dalarna]], [[Hälsingland]], [[Medelpad]] and [[Jämtland]]. The province originally belonged to [[Norway]], but was ceded to Sweden in the [[Second Treaty of Brömsebro (1645)|Second Treaty of Brömsebro]] in 1645.{{cn|date=August 2023}} The province forms the bulk of [[Härjedalen Municipality]] of which the village of [[Sveg]] is the seat.

==Etymology==
[[File:Björnskalletjärn.jpg|thumb|left|The tarn ''Björnskalletjärn'', with [[Helagsfjället|Mt. Helags]] in the background]]
The name ''Härjedalen'', from [[Old West Norse]] {{lang|non|Herjárdalr}}, literally means the "Valley of the Härje river". A [[Latin]]ized transliteration is Herdalia although that name is hardly encountered in English today. More prominent are derivations such as ''Herjedalen'' or ''Haerjedalen''. The more prosaic explanation of the name is that the word ''her'' or ''har'' means only "mound of stones" and refers to stones in the river {{ill|Härjån|sv}}.<ref>Svenskt ortnamnslexikon 2003</ref>

== History ==
Härjedalen and [[Jämtland]] were provinces of [[Denmark-Norway]]{{failed verification|date=October 2020}} until the mid-17th century. {{Failed verification span|Härjedalen came under the Norwegian king ca. 1100.|date=October 2020}} After the [[Second Treaty of Brömsebro (1645)|Treaty of Brömsebro]] in 1645, Härjedalen and Jämtland were ceded to Sweden. {{Failed verification span|They were commonly spelled Herjedalen and Jemtland until 1660.|date=October 2020}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|first1=Lars|last1=Mæhlum|first2=Sverre Olav|last2=Lundal|url=https://snl.no/H%C3%A4rjedalen|title=Härjedalen|encyclopedia=[[Great Norwegian Encyclopedia]]|language=nb|access-date=August 1, 2019}}</ref>

The first population of Härjedalen is estimated to have migrated there circa 7,000 BC. The population lived from hunting and fishing, close to the inland ice which by then had started to melt. Ruändan, in the [[:sv:Flatruet|Flatruet mountains]] in northwestern Härjedalen, is the location of a large site of rock paintings. The rock paintings at Ruändan consists of some twenty figures depicting people, bear, moose and reindeer. The rock paintings were first reported in 1896 and are estimated to be over 4000 years old.

[[File:Härjulf Hornbrytare.jpg|thumb|left|Statue of Härjulf Hornbrytare and his wife, Helga, in Lillhärdal]]

According to legend, Härjedalen is named after a powerful [[Norsemen|Norseman]] who had to flee east from the Norwegian court of King [[Halfdan the Black|Halfdan Svarte]] after killing one of the king's men with a horn. Thereafter he was known as [[Härjulf Hornbrytare]] (''lit.'' "Härjulf the Hornbreaker"). For a time he entered the service of the [[Swedes (Germanic tribe)|Svea]] 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, [[Bjarni Herjólfsson]], 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 Erikson]] acquired about 15 years later for Leif's famed landing on [[Vinland]].<ref>[http://lillhardal.se/historia ''Härjulf Hornbrytare'' (Lillhärdals historia)]</ref>

Christianization of Härjedalen took place after the [[Battle of Stiklestad]] in 1030. Agriculture remained Härjedalen's largest industry for a long time, supplemented by ironmaking and trade mainly to [[Røros (town)|Røros]] in [[Trøndelag]]. Extensive forestry also played a major role in Härjedalen resulting of industrialization which occurred in the mid-1850s. A large portion of Härjedalen residents emigrated to America, principally to Northwestern [[Minnesota]] during the late 1800s. More recently, Härjedalen has increasingly taken up the position as a tourist landscape with large mountain facilities in [[Funäsdalen]], [[Vemdalen]], and [[Lofsdalen]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://kommun.herjedalen.se/omkommunen/kommunfakta/kulturhistoria.4.49f66bd711c6b6d655a80002912.html |title= Härjedalens historia - En snabbversion |publisher= kommunfakta/kulturhistoria |access-date= August 1, 2019 |archive-date= August 7, 2019 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190807223522/https://kommun.herjedalen.se/omkommunen/kommunfakta/kulturhistoria.4.49f66bd711c6b6d655a80002912.html |url-status= dead }}</ref>

== Geography ==
[[File:Pulsatilla vernalis, Seiser Alm.JPG|thumb|left|[[Pulsatilla vernalis|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 does not have any [[stad (Sweden)|cities]] at all. The only village of even modest size is the market town [[Sveg]], which used to be the administrative centre 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.

== Administration ==
[[File:Herjedalenold.png|right|thumb|Map of Härjedalen (within the blue line)]]

The traditional [[provinces of Sweden]] serve no current administrative or political purposes, but are historical and cultural entities. In the case of Härjedalen there is a [[Municipalities of Sweden|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.

=== Subdivisions ===
Härjedalen was historically divided into districts.

*[[Hede Court District]]
*[[Sveg Court District]]

== 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.

==Sports==
[[Association football|Football]] in the province is administered by [[Jämtland-Härjedalens Fotbollförbund]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Other sources==
*Bergström-Magnusson-Raihle (1991) ''Härjedalen - Natur och kulturhistoria'' (Östersund: Jämtlands läns museum) {{ISBN|91-7948-065-9}}
{{Commons category}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.herjedalen.se/turism/english.4.1c2eb66911fa755d3678000221.html Municipality site ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100811180549/http://www.herjedalen.se/turism/english.4.1c2eb66911fa755d3678000221.html |date=2010-08-11 }}
*[http://www.harjedalenskulturcentrum.com Härjedalens Culture Center ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180806092028/http://harjedalenskulturcentrum.com/ |date=2018-08-06 }}
*[http://www.jamtland.info/ Jämtland Härjedalen Tourist site] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060106205657/http://www.jamtland.info/ |date=2006-01-06 }}
*[http://www.sverigeguiden.com/landskap/harjkart.htm Härjedalen map]
*[http://swedia.ling.gu.se/Norrland/Harjedalen/index.html Map of Härjedalen]
{{Provinces of Sweden}}
{{Coord|62|15|N|13|57|E|region:SE_type:adm2nd_source:GNS-enwiki|display=title}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Härje Vallley}}
[[Category:Härjedalen| ]]
[[Category:Provinces of Sweden]]
[[Category:Kingdom of Norway (872–1397)]]

Härjedalen - Revision history

imported>Burjkh at 01:25, 25 October 2025