Welcome to Nesbyen

The old town in Hallingdal and the mountain areas Nesfjella

Nes Municipality is in Hallingdal in Buskerud County, 170 km northwest of Oslo and 300 km easy of Bergen. The municipality covers an area of 809,6 km2. 14 km2 of this are cultured agricultural land and app. 300 km2 are productive forest. 70% of the area of the municipality is mountain areas. There are almost 500 km2 of uncultured land, high mountain and waters. Nesbyen railway station is situated at 168 masl.

The population of the municipality was 3.459 by January 1st 2008. That is between four and five people per km2. More than 65% of the population lives in Nesbyen town centre. Nes municipality is famous for its high summer temperatures and holds the official heat record in Norway with 36.6 degrees in 1970.

Nes in Hallingdal
Nes Municipality is part of the Hallingdal region, consisting of the municipalities of Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Hol and Ål. The valley is about 150 km long and stretches from Gulsvik to Lake Krøderen to the boarders to the counties Hordaland and Sogn og Fjordane. Hallingdal is one of the few rural districts in the country where the population is on the increase, and the prognoses predict a stable population in the future. The population increase is mainly caused by the tourist industry. The combination of summer and winter activities makes the tourist season last all year in Hallingdal. The development of the tourist industry has had a positive impact on commerce, the service industry and manufacturing in Hallingdal.

Employment in agriculture has been halved in the last 25 years. However, actively cultured agricultural land has increased with 10%. The smallest farms are no longer active, whereas bigger farm units become the norm all through the valley. Several manufacturing companies ensure varied employment in Hallingdal. Nesbyen is home to the largest manufacturing company in Hallingdal, Defa, with 1000 employees as of 2009.
Nes municipality benefits from the development of the tourist industry. Hemsedal, Hol (Geilo) and Nes are at the moment the municipalities where the development is strongest. This is primarily because of massive construction of mountain cabins.

Huge, beautiful mountain areas with pleasant hiking terrain both in the summer and the winter, plus Nesbyen Alpine Centre, Nesbyen GolfAlpin golf course and attractions such as Hallingdal Museum, Langedrag Nature Park and Gardnos Meteorite Crater and events such as Nesbyen Festival and the market days Gubbetorget and Kjerringtorget make Nes an attractive destination for both Norwegian and foreign tourists. 2009 will make Nesbyen the horse capital in Hallingdal with the development of Nesbyen Riding School and Horse Centre and the new Natten Horse Centre.