Editing Gauldal

{{Short description|Valley and district in Trøndelag, Norway}}
{{Infobox valley
|name            = Gauldalen
|other_name      = Gauldal
|photo           = Gaula River at Kotsøy.jpg
|photo_width     = 
|photo_caption   = View of the Gaula River at [[Kotsøy]] in Midtre Gauldal
|map_image       = {{Infobox mapframe|wikidata=yes|zoom=7|marker=natural}}
|map_caption     = Interactive map of the valley
|coordinates     = {{coord|62.9681|10.9675|region:NO_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
|location        = [[Trøndelag]], [[Norway]]
|elevation_m     = 
|elevation_ref   = 
|direction       = 
|length          = {{convert|145|km}}
|width           = 
|area            = 
|depth           = 
|type            = River valley
|watercourses    = [[Gaula (Trøndelag)|Gaula]]
|age             = 
|boundaries      = 
|topo            = 
|towns           = 
|traversed       = 
}}

'''Gauldal''' or '''Gauldalen''' ({{langx|en|Gaula River valley}}) is a [[valley]] and [[Districts of Norway|traditional district]] in [[Trøndelag]] county, [[Norway]].  The river [[Gaula (Trøndelag)|Gaula]] runs through the {{convert|145|km|adj=on}} long valley from the mountains in [[Røros Municipality]] near the lake [[Aursunden]] to the [[Trondheimsfjorden]]. The narrow valley runs northwards from Røros to the [[Haltdalen]] area, where it widens some, turns and heads generally to the west to the village of [[Støren]]. At Støren it turns again and heads north through what is now a wide, agricultural valley until it reaches the sea just south of the city of [[Trondheim (city)|Trondheim]]. The [[Rørosbanen]] and [[Dovrebanen]] railway lines follow the Gauldalen valley on their way to Trondheim. The [[European route E6]] highway and the [[Norwegian County Road 30]] also follow the valley.<ref name="snl">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://snl.no/Gauldalen|title=Gauldalen|editor-first=Morten|editor-last=Haugen |access-date=2018-01-20|date=2017-12-12|encyclopedia=[[Store norske leksikon]]|publisher=[[Kunnskapsforlaget]]|language=no}}</ref>

The traditional district of Gauldal includes [[Holtålen Municipality]], [[Midtre Gauldal Municipality]], and [[Melhus Municipality]]. [[Røros Municipality]] is often (traditionally) counted as a part of the district, even though it lies outside the actual [[Gaula (Trøndelag)|Gaula]] river valley.<ref name="snl" />

==History==
[[File:No-nb digibok 2008041613001 0053.jpg|thumb|left|Map of the valley and flooded areas. The blue areas were flooded by the dammed river and the brown areas were flooded after the dam broke]]
In September 1345, there was a landslide just north of the village of [[Støren]]. The landslide was at a very narrow point in the valley and possibly {{convert|45000000|m3|yd3}} of gravel and dirt from the mountainside fell and blocked the valley and [[Gaula (Trøndelag)|Gaula]] river below creating a [[dam]] on the river that was possibly {{convert|30|to|40|m}} high. This tremendous landslide then created a quickly rising lake that began to flood the valley up to {{convert|15|km}} upstream from the dam. This newly formed lake flooded and destroyed 25 upstream farms in the narrow valley. The vast amount of water building up behind the earthen dam from the landslide did not hold long and, when it burst, the water rushed though the dam and caused a major flood downstream, killing about 500 people and destroying another 25 farms as well as several churches. The downstream flash flood continued to just past the village of [[Melhus (village)|Melhus]], not far from the mouth of the river Gaula. This was one of the worst natural disasters ever in Norway.<ref>{{cite journal|title=The 1345 slide and flood disaster in the Gauldalen valley, Mid-Norway|first1=Kåre|last1=Rokoengen|first2=Martin Nørman|last2=Jespersen|first3=Rolf Arne|last3=Kleiv|first4=Einar|last4=Sæterbø|journal=Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift - Norwegian Journal of Geography|volume=55|issue=2|year=2001|doi=10.1080/00291950121138}}</ref>

==Media gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
Gauldalen Valley, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway.jpg|Gauldalen valley
Gauldalen Valley, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway (6171262017).jpg|Gauldalen valley
Gauldalen Valley, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway (6331095613).jpg|Gauldalen valley
Gauldalen Valley, Sør-Trøndelag, Norway (6262695961).jpg|Historic farm in the valley
Gaula, viewed from Haga bru (002).jpg|Gaula river
Gaula, viewed from Haga bru (001).jpg|Gaula river
Støren sentrum (01).JPG|Støren village
Støren kirke.jpg|Støren Church
Melhus sentrum.JPG|Melhus village
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{authority control}}
[[Category:Districts of Trøndelag]]
[[Category:Holtålen]]
[[Category:Midtre Gauldal]]
[[Category:Melhus]]
[[Category:Røros]]
[[Category:Valleys of Trøndelag]]