Hole kommune

The municipality of Hole was established in 1838, but it has played an important role in Norwegian history.  The four gold crowns on the shield represent the four kings of Norway who called Hole home.

King Halvdan the Black married Ragnhild from Hole.  When he died after falling through the ice on the Randsfjord, there was an argument among the territories he ruled about where he should be buried.  To resolve the conflict, his body was quartered and his head was buried in Hole.  His wife Ragnhild was the mother of the first king of a united Norway, Harald Håfagre (Fairhair).  Sigurd Syr was a descendant of Harald Fairhair, and took the throne during the 11th century.  He lived on his large farm in Hole.  Sigurd's wife Asta was a pregnant widow when he married her. Asta's son Olav Haraldssen was probably born in Hole and grew up to become St. Olav.  His half-brother Harald Hårdråde fought at the battle of Stiklestad as a teen-ager, and became king in 1046.

Utøya is a small island in the Tyrifjorden, and was the site of a terrible mass shooting. 69 people (33 of whom were students) lost their lives on July 22, 2011, while attending a summer camp held by the Worker's Youth League (AUF).