haðar may relate to one of the many tribes or clans in the area, thus Hadeland would mean land of the haðar. Archaeologists have found a wide variety of weapons in Iron Age burial sites throughout Hadeland. In the late Iron Age, Hadeland was a petty kingdom. One of the more prominent kings of Hadeland was Halfdan Hvitbeinn who lived in the 8th century. According to the Icelandic sagas early Viking Age chieftains enjoyed hunting and entertaining their entourages in the forests and on the lakes in this area. King Halfdan the Black, father of king Harald Fairhair who united Norway, often visited Hadeland. According to historical sources he and his men attended a banquet here in the winter of 860. As they were crossing the ice on Randsfjorden on their way home to Ringerike, the ice gave way and horses, men, and the 40-year-old king himself drowned. The Hadeland Folkemuseum is built around a Viking burial mound at Granavollen which according to folklore contains the torso of King Halvdan. The name Hadeland appears on the Dynna stone, a runestone from about 1040-1050. Norway formally adopted Christianity in 1030, and the Dynna stone, with its scenes from the Nativity is one of the first Christian monuments in Norway. A number of medieval churches survive in Hadeland. Notable among them is the Old Tingelstad Church. This was built in the 13th century. Other churches include Lunner Church and the Sister Churches at Granavollen. The Black Death arrived in Norway in the mid 14th century, and it is estimated that two-thirds of the population of Hadeland was wiped out. Attractions The Sister Churches Granavollen Runestone The Dynna stone Hadeland Glassverk Hadeland Folkemuseum Lunner Church Old Tingelstad Church Harestua Solar Observatory References Districts of Innlandet Petty kingdoms of Norway