Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 15, 2026

Rauma Municipality

Rauma is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Romsdal. The administrative centre is the town of Åndalsnes. Other settlements in Rauma include the villages of Måndalen, Innfjorden, Veblungsnes, Verma, Isfjorden, Eidsbygda, Rødven, Åfarnes, and Mittet. Most settlement in the municipality is located along the fjords and in the Romsdalen valley.

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Rauma Municipality
Rauma kommune
View of Åndalsnes in Rauma
View of Åndalsnes in Rauma
Møre og Romsdal within Norway
Møre og Romsdal within Norway
Rauma within Møre og Romsdal
Rauma within Møre og Romsdal
Coordinates: 62°30′17″N 07°46′55″E / 62.50472°N 7.78194°E / 62.50472; 7.78194
CountryNorway
CountyMøre og Romsdal
DistrictRomsdal
Established1 Jan 1964
 • Preceded byEid, Grytten, Hen, Voll, & Veøy municipalities
Administrative centreÅndalsnes
Government
 • Mayor (2019)Yvonne Wold (SV)
Area
 • Total
1,449.26 km2 (559.56 sq mi)
 • Land1,390.18 km2 (536.75 sq mi)
 • Water59.08 km2 (22.81 sq mi)  4.1%
 • Rank#61 in Norway
Highest elevation1,998.73 m (6,557.5 ft)
Population
 (2024)
 • Total
7,299
 • Rank#141 in Norway
 • Density5/km2 (13/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Decrease −2.1%
DemonymRaumaværing2
Official language
 • Norwegian formNeutral
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-15394
WebsiteOfficial website

Rauma is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the traditional district of Romsdal. The administrative centre is the town of Åndalsnes. Other settlements in Rauma include the villages of Måndalen, Innfjorden, Veblungsnes, Verma, Isfjorden, Eidsbygda, Rødven, Åfarnes, and Mittet. Most settlement in the municipality is located along the fjords and in the Romsdalen valley.

The municipality surrounds part of the southern end of Romsdalsfjorden and the Isfjorden and it also includes the Romsdalen valley and Romsdalsalpene mountains. In the lower part of the valleys and around Romsdal Fjord and Rødvenfjorden are driven agriculture with emphasis on livestock. The clothing industry has traditionally been a dominant industry in the municipality, especially in Isfjorden. In the summer, Rauma has a fairly large amount of tourist traffic. The top tourist attractions include mountain climbing/hiking, salmon fishing, Trollstigen, and the historic Rødven Stave Church.5

The 1,449-square-kilometre (559 sq mi) municipality is the 61st largest by area out of the 357 municipalities in Norway. Rauma Municipality is the 141st most populous municipality in Norway with a population of 7,299. The municipality's population density is 5 inhabitants per square kilometre (13/sq mi) and its population has decreased by 2.1% over the previous 10-year period.67

General information

The municipality of Rauma was established on 1 January 1964 when the following neighboring municipalities were merged together: 8

On 1 January 2021, the 53-square-kilometre (20 sq mi) Vågstranda area in the northwestern part of Rauma Municipality was transferred to the neighboring Vestnes Municipality.9

View of Marstein in the Romsdalen valley source ↗
View of the two churches in Rødven source ↗

Name

The municipality is named after the Rauma River (Old Norse: Raumr), which flows through the Romsdalen valley into the Romsdal Fjord. It is uncertain if the fjord is named after the river or the river is named after the fjord. The name Rauma likely comes from the word raum which has an unknown meaning, or it could come from the word raumr which means "roaring waterfall".510

Coat of arms

The coat of arms was granted on 4 November 1983. The official blazon is "Azure, three piles issuant from base argent" (Norwegian: I blått tre opprette sølv spisser). This means the arms have a blue field (background) and the charge is three piles pointing upwards from the base of the shield. The charge has a tincture of argent which means it is commonly colored white, but if it is made out of metal, then silver is used. The design was chosen to represent the sky and three local mountains (Vengetindane, Trolltindane and Romsdalshornet). The arms were designed by Jarle Skuseth. The municipal flag has the same design as the coat of arms.111213

Churches

The Church of Norway has six parishes (sokn) within Rauma Municipality. It is part of the Indre Romsdal prosti (deanery) in the Diocese of Møre.

Churches in Rauma Municipality
Parish (sokn) Church name Location of the church Year built
Eid og Holm Eid Church Eidsbygda 1796
Holm Church Holm 1907
Rødven Church Rødven 1907
Rødven Stave Church Rødven c. 1200
Grytten Grytten Church Veblungsnes 1829
Hen Hen Church Isfjorden 1831
Kors Kors Church Marstein in Romsdalen 1797
Voll Voll Church Måndalen 1896
Innfjorden Chapel Innfjorden 1976
Øverdalen Øverdalen Church Verma 1902

Geography

View of Åndalsnes from the top of Trollstigen source ↗

The municipality surrounds the eastern part of Romsdal Fjord, Isfjorden, and Rødvenfjorden, and it is south of the Langfjorden. It also surrounds the Romsdalen valley and the Rauma River from the mouth to the Innlandet county border.

The Kyrkjetaket and Gjuratinden mountains lie in the northeastern part of the municipality. The mountains Dønttinden, Mannen, Romsdalshornet, Store Trolltinden, Trollryggen, Store Venjetinden, and the Troll Wall are all in the central part of the municipality in the Romsdalsalpene mountain range. The mountains Karitinden, Høgstolen, and Puttegga are located in the southwestern part of the municipality. Part of Reinheimen National Park lies within the municipality. The highest point in the municipality is the 1,998.73-metre (6,557.5 ft) tall mountain Puttegga.1

Climate

The municipality has a varied climate thanks to its complicated terrain. Places along the fjord have a temperate oceanic climate (Cfb in the Köppen climate classificaton), the inland valleys have a humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfb) and the mountains have a wet turndra climate (Köppen: ET).14

Åndalsnes

Åndalsnes has an temperate oceanic climate (Cfb in the Köppen climate classification), with relatively mild winters, cool summers and precipitation year round.15 Late spring/early summer is the time of the year with the least precipitation, while the winter is the wettest. As Ånsdalsnes is sheltered in the fjord, it receives less precipitation than places further out to the coast like Molde. Åndalsnes experiences large temperature swings during the winter. Days with temperatures of below -10°C due to temperature inversions can quickly be followed up by temperatures exceeding 10°C and even 15°C due to Föhn winds from the south-west.

Climate data for Åndalsnes - Kamshaugen 1991–2020 (3 m)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.1
(34.0)
0.8
(33.4)
2.7
(36.9)
6.1
(43.0)
9.2
(48.6)
12.1
(53.8)
14.9
(58.8)
14.5
(58.1)
11.4
(52.5)
7.0
(44.6)
3.9
(39.0)
1.2
(34.2)
7.1
(44.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 123
(4.8)
109
(4.3)
106
(4.2)
67
(2.6)
68
(2.7)
84
(3.3)
79
(3.1)
92
(3.6)
130
(5.1)
129
(5.1)
112
(4.4)
149
(5.9)
1,248
(49.1)
Source: yr.no history16

Transportation

View of the Trollstigen road source ↗

European Route E136, Norwegian County Road 63, and Norwegian County Road 64 all pass through the municipality. The Trollstigen road is part of County Road 63 in Rauma, and it is a famous tourist attraction due to the many hairpin turns on the steep road.

The Rauma railway line also runs through the municipality, over the Kylling Bridge, and terminates at Åndalsnes Station. The nearest airports are Ålesund Airport, Vigra which is 135 kilometres (84 mi) by road from Åndalsnes and Molde Airport which is 55 kilometres (34 mi) by road plus a road ferry.

Government

Rauma Municipality is responsible for primary education (through 10th grade), outpatient health services, senior citizen services, welfare and other social services, zoning, economic development, and municipal roads and utilities. The municipality is governed by a municipal council of directly elected representatives. The mayor is indirectly elected by a vote of the municipal council.17 The municipality is under the jurisdiction of the Nordmøre og Romsdal District Court and the Frostating Court of Appeal.

Rauma joined Nordmøre Interkommunale Renovasjonsselskap to handle its waste management in 1999. It switched to Romsdalshalvøya Interkommunale Renovasjonsselskap in 2019. Since the 1980s, the operations waste collection in Rauma has been subcontracted to J.O. Moen.18

Municipal council

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Rauma Municipality is made up of 27 representatives that are elected to four year terms. The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.

Rauma kommunestyre 2023–2027 19  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 2
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Industry and Business Party (Industri‑ og Næringspartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 12
Total number of members:27
Rauma kommunestyre 2019–2023 20  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 1
  Green Party (Miljøpartiet De Grønne) 1
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 1
  Pensioners' Party (Pensjonistpartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 7
Total number of members:27
Rauma kommunestyre 2015–2019 21  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 5
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 2
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 1
Total number of members:27
Rauma kommunestyre 2011–2015 22  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 1
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:27
Rauma kommunestyre 2007–2011 21  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
 Rauma Party (Raumapartiet)1
Total number of members:27
Rauma kommunestyre 2003–2007 21  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 6
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 5
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 3
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 3
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:27
Rauma kommunestyre 1999–2003 21  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 6
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 6
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 7
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:37
Rauma kommunestyre 1995–1999 23  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 2
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 5
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 10
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:37
Rauma kommunestyre 1991–1995 24  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 11
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 5
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:45
Rauma kommunestyre 1987–1991 25  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 15
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 4
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 9
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 7
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 5
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:45
Rauma kommunestyre 1983–1987 26  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 15
  Progress Party (Fremskrittspartiet) 3
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 8
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 8
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 6
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 3
Total number of members:45
Rauma kommunestyre 1979–1983 27  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 14
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 10
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 9
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 8
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:45
Rauma kommunestyre 1975–1979 28  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 14
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 7
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 10
  New People's Party (Nye Folkepartiet) 1
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
  Socialist Left Party (Sosialistisk Venstreparti) 2
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 2
Total number of members:45
Rauma kommunestyre 1971–1975 29  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 17
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 9
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 10
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:45
Rauma kommunestyre 1967–1971 30  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 15
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 5
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 9
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
  Socialist People's Party (Sosialistisk Folkeparti) 3
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:45
Rauma kommunestyre 1964–1967 31  
Party name (in Norwegian) Number of
representatives
  Labour Party (Arbeiderpartiet) 18
  Conservative Party (Høyre) 4
  Christian Democratic Party (Kristelig Folkeparti) 10
  Centre Party (Senterpartiet) 9
  Liberal Party (Venstre) 4
Total number of members:45
Note: On 1 January 1964, Eid Municipality, Grytten Municipality, Hen Municipality, Voll Municipality, and part of Veøy Municipality were merged to form the new Rauma Municipality.

Mayors

View of Trollveggen source ↗

The mayor (Norwegian: ordfører) of Rauma Municipality is the political leader of the municipality and the chairperson of the municipal council. Here is a list of people who have held this position:32

  • 1964–1971: Peder Mork (KrF)3334
  • 1972–1973: Lars Ramstad (H)
  • 1974–1985: Oddvar Morstøl (KrF)
  • 1986–1987: Knut Hauge35
  • 1988–1989: Nils Valde (KrF)36
  • 1990–1991: Ole S. Dahle37
  • 1992–1993: Nils Valde (KrF)38
  • 1994–1999: Torbjørn Ådne Bruaset (Sp)39
  • 1999–2011: Torbjørn Rødstøl (Sp)
  • 2011–2019: Lars Olav Hustad (H)
  • 2019–present: Yvonne Wold (SV)

Attractions

Rauma is frequently visited by tourists, especially due to the major sights:

Notable people

Ida Nilsson, 2016 source ↗
References

References

  1. "Høgaste fjelltopp i kvar kommune" (in Norwegian). Kartverket. 16 January 2024.
  2. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  3. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  4. Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (9 January 2024). "Kommunenummer". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon.
  5. Thorsnæs, Geir; Askheim, Svein; Een de Amoriza, Silje, eds. (28 May 2024). "Rauma". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  6. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "Table: 06913: Population 1 January and population changes during the calendar year (M)" (in Norwegian).
  7. Statistisk sentralbyrå. "09280: Area of land and fresh water (km²) (M)" (in Norwegian).
  8. Jukvam, Dag (1999). "Historisk oversikt over endringer i kommune- og fylkesinndelingen" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Statistisk sentralbyrå. ISBN 9788253746845.
  9. "Vedtak om grensejustering mellom kommunane Rauma og Vestnes, Møre og Romsdal". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). 21 June 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  10. Rygh, Oluf (1908). Norske gaardnavne: Romsdals amt (in Norwegian) (13 ed.). Kristiania, Norge: W. C. Fabritius & sønners bogtrikkeri. p. 239.
  11. "Civic heraldry of Norway - Norske Kommunevåpen". Heraldry of the World. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  12. "Rauma, Møre og Romsdal (Norway)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  13. "Godkjenning av våpen og flagg". Lovdata.no (in Norwegian). Norges kommunal- og arbeidsdepartementet. 7 January 1984. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  14. Beck, Hylke E.; McVicar, Tim R.; Vergopolan, Noemi; Berg, Alexis; Lutsko, Nicholas J.; Dufour, Ambroise; Zeng, Zhenzhong; Jiang, Xin; van Dijk, Albert I. J. M.; Miralles, Diego G. (23 October 2023). "High-resolution (1 km) Köppen-Geiger maps for 1901–2099 based on constrained CMIP6 projections". Scientific Data. 10 (1): 724. doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02549-6. ISSN 2052-4463. PMC 10593765. PMID 37872197.
  15. Beck, Hylke E.; McVicar, Tim R.; Vergopolan, Noemi; Berg, Alexis; Lutsko, Nicholas J.; Dufour, Ambroise; Zeng, Zhenzhong; Jiang, Xin; van Dijk, Albert I. J. M.; Miralles, Diego G. (23 October 2023). "High-resolution (1 km) Köppen-Geiger maps for 1901–2099 based on constrained CMIP6 projections". Scientific Data. 10 (1): 724. doi:10.1038/s41597-023-02549-6. ISSN 2052-4463. PMC 10593765. PMID 37872197.
  16. "Yr historikk".
  17. Hansen, Tore; Vabo, Signy Irene, eds. (25 November 2024). "kommunestyre". Store norske leksikon (in Norwegian). Foreningen Store norske leksikon. Retrieved 31 December 2024.
  18. Skiri, Hans (13 March 2018). "Renovasjon i Rauma – fremtidig samarbeidspartner". Åndalsnes Avis (in Norwegian). Retrieved 20 June 2026.
  19. "Kommunestyrevalg 2023 - Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
  20. "Kommunestyrevalg 2019 – Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  21. "Table: 04813: Members of the local councils, by party/electoral list at the Municipal Council election (M)" (in Norwegian). Statistics Norway.
  22. "Kommunestyrevalg 2011 – Møre og Romsdal". Valgdirektoratet. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  23. "Kommunestyrevalget 1995" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1996. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  24. "Kommunestyrevalget 1991" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1993. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  25. "Kommunestyrevalget 1987" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1988. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  26. "Kommunestyrevalget 1983" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo-Kongsvinger: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1984. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  27. "Kommunestyrevalget 1979" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1979. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  28. "Kommunevalgene 1975" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1977. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  29. "Kommunevalgene 1972" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1973. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  30. "Kommunevalgene 1967" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1967. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  31. "Kommunevalgene 1963" (PDF) (in Norwegian). Oslo: Statistisk sentralbyrå. 1964. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
  32. Fiva, Jon H; Sørensen, Rune J.; Vøllo, Reidar, eds. (2024). "Local Candidate Dataset" (PDF).
  33. "Peder Mork gjenvalgt til ordfører i Rauma". Tidens Krav (in Norwegian). 31 December 1965. p. 1.
  34. "Peder Mork gjenvalgt til ordfører". Tidens Krav (in Norwegian). 16 November 1967. p. 1.
  35. "Ordfører". Romsdal Folkeblad (in Norwegian). 25 November 1985. p. 4.
  36. "Valde er valgt til ordfører i Rauma". Romsdals Budstikke (in Norwegian). 30 December 1987. p. 6.
  37. "Ny ordfører i Rauma". Romsdals Budstikke (in Norwegian). 3 January 1990. p. 26.
  38. "Ordfører i Rauma". Sunnmørsposten (in Norwegian). 7 November 1991. p. 15.
  39. "Raumas ordfører". Åndalsnes Avis (in Norwegian). 11 November 1993. p. 2.
External links