Finnskogen

Finnskogen ("Forest of the Finns") is an area of Norway situated in the county of Hedmark, named so because of immigration of Finnish people in the 17th century, the so-called Skogfinner/"Forest Finns".

The core area of Finnskogen lies in the eastern part of a small region known as Solør, on the border with Sweden. It consists of a forested belt of land, about 32 km (20 mi) wide. It is adjacent to the Swedish region with similar Finnish immigration, named Finnskogarna. There are also similar forested areas in other parts of eastern Norway, Brandval, Vinger Finnskog of Kongsvinger (Austmarka), Søre Osen, Finnemarka near the city of Drammen and in Nordmarka just outside Oslo.

Finns, or Finnish people, were encouraged to migrate from the Finnish part of the Kingdom of Sweden to Sweden proper, where they were initially well received by the Duke of Södermanland (who became King Karl IX (1604–1611). At the time, the kingdom of Sweden covered both Sweden and Finland as we know them today. The migrants were settled on crown lands in Värmland and Dalsland to occupy the area immediately adjacent to the border with Denmark-Norway.

More were encouraged to come to Sweden during the reign of Gustavus Adolphus (1611–1632).

The local Swedish peasants did not appreciate the immigrants, who lived by slash-burn agriculture (svedjebruk), and tensions led to persecution. In 1636 a Swedish decree evicted all Finns who were not registered as taxpayers, which in practice amounted to an expulsion of most of the Finns. Most moved across the Norwegian border into Solør, forming a colony at Grue. The 1686 census indicates many there were born in Finland, but had been living in Sweden before eventually settling in Norway.

...
Wikipedia