Gjøvik is a town and a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Gjøvik.
In 1861, the village of Gjøvik in the municipality of Vardal was granted town status and was separated from Vardal to form a separate municipality. On 1 January 1964, the neighboring rural municipalities of Biri, Snertingdal, and Vardal were all merged into the municipality of Gjøvik.
The town is named after the old Gjøvik farm (Old Norse: DjúpvÃk) since the town is built on its ground. The first element is djúpr which means "deep" and the last element is vÃk which means "inlet".
Gjøvik is one of the three towns bordering on Lake Mjøsa, Norway's biggest lake, along with Hamar and Lillehammer. The town administration of Gjøvik also covers the rural districts of Biri, Snertingdal, and Vardal. The municipal population is about 27,000. About 16,000 people live in the urban area proper.
Gjøvik is bordered on the north by Lillehammer municipality, in the south by Østre Toten and Vestre Toten, and in the west by Søndre Land and Nordre Land. Across Lake Mjøsa to the east lies Ringsaker municipality in Hedmark county.
The highest point is Ringsrudåsen with a height of 842 metres (2,760 ft). |
