Wikipedia

Asker

This article is about geographical Asker and the former municipality in Akershus. For the four times larger administrative municipality established in 2020, seeAsker (municipality).

Asker(Norwegian:Asker), also calledAsker proper(Askerbygdaorgamle Askerin Norwegian), is a district and formermunicipalityinAkershus,Norway,located approximately 20km southwest of Oslo. From 2020 it is part of the larger administrative municipalityAsker(also known as Greater Asker[5]) together with the traditionalBuskeruddistrictsRøykenandHurum;Asker constitutes the northern fourth and is part of theGreater Oslo Region.The administrative center was the town of Asker, which remains so for the new larger municipality. Asker was established as a parish in the Middle Ages and as a municipalityon 1 January 1838.

Asker Municipality
Asker kommune
Former municipality
Coat of arms of Asker Municipality
Coat of arms
Akershus within Norway
Akershus within Norway
Asker within Akershus
Asker within Akershus
Coordinates:59°50′7″N10°26′6″E/ 59.83528°N 10.43500°E/59.83528; 10.43500
CountryNorway
CountyAkershus
Administrative centreAsker
Government
• Mayor(2007)Lene Conradi (H)
Area
(upon dissolution)
• Total
101 km2(39 sq mi)
• Land97 km2(37 sq mi)
• Rank#385 in Norway
Population
(30 September 2019)
• Total
61,906Increase
• Rank#11 in Norway
• Density585/km2(1,520/sq mi)
• Change(10 years)
Increase+15.7%
DemonymAskerbøring[1]
Official language
[2]
•Norwegian formBokmål
Time zoneUTC+01:00(CET)
• Summer (DST)UTC+02:00(CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-0220[3]
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway
Historical population
YearPop.±%
195113,625—
196117,755+30.3%
197131,702+78.6%
198135,977+13.5%
199141,903+16.5%
200149,661+18.5%
201155,284+11.3%
201459,037+6.8%
2021?63,381+7.4%
2031?69,296+9.3%
Source:Statistics Norway.[4]

History

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Since the Middle Ages, the Asker parish consisted of the later municipalities Asker and Bærum. In the 19th century, Bærum became the Vestre Bærum and Østre Bærum parish and Asker and Bærum were also established as separate municipalities.

In 2020, Asker merged withRøykenandHurumto formAsker Municipality,a larger administrative region than traditional/geographical Asker. The newly-formed Asker Municipality was made part ofViken Countyimmediately following the 2020 merge. However, Viken dissolved on 1 January 2024, returning Asker (with the addition of Røyken and Hurum) to the county ofAkershus.[6]

Name

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The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the oldAskerfarm since the first church was built here. The name (Old Norse:Askar) is thepluralform ofaskwhich means "ash tree".

Coat-of-arms

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Thecoat-of-armsis from modern times. They were granted on 7 October 1975. The arms show a green background with three silver-colored treetrunks(Norwegian:askekaller) and are thuscanting arms.The trees areashes,which were cropped every year to provide food for the animals. The trees thus developed after many years a very typical shape, which was characteristic for the area.[7][8]

Place of the Millennium

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In 1998, just before the millennium, the 'Askerbøringer' (the inhabitants of Asker) elected the beautiful area ofSemsvannetincluding the mountain ridgeSkaugumsåsen– to be theirPlace of the Millennium.

Geography

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Its main parts are Asker, Gullhella,Vollen,Vettre,Blakstad, Bleiker, Borgen, Drengsrud, Dikemark, Vardåsen, Engelsrud, Holmen,Høn,Hvalstad,Billingstad,Nesøya,Nesbru, andHeggedal.Asker is a coastal place with many beaches, but also contains hills and woods. The district is known for many important businesses. It is also known for gardening. TheSkaugumestate, whereCrown Prince Haakon of Norwaylives with his family, is situated here. The firstIKEAstore outside ofSwedenopened at Slependen in Asker in 1963. There are many hiking/ sightseeing spots around Asker; such as Semsvannet lake[9]and Drengsrud cultural path[10]around the area.

Municipality reform

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As part of the municipality reform process instigated byMinister of Local GovernmentJan Tore Sannerthe municipalities of Asker, Hurum, and Røyken evaluated if they should merge into a new common municipality during the first half of 2016. A tentative agreement was reached and on 16 June 2016 the Municipal Council ofRøykenapproved the merger with Asker and Hurum with 24 votes for and 3 against.[11]On 14 June 2016 the Municipal Council of Asker also approved the merger with 42 votes for and 5 against.[12]A few days later the Municipal Council ofHurumfollowed suit and approved the merger. The proposed merger date was 1 January 2020 and the new name will be Asker.[11]Asker was merged with the municipalities ofRøykenandHurumas of 1 January 2020.

Minorities

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Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Asker by country of origin in 2017[13]
Ancestry Number
Poland 1,870
Sweden 846
Somalia 562
India 506
Pakistan 486
Lithuania 461
Iran 451
Denmark 435
United Kingdom 348
Philippines 346
Germany 343
Iraq 307
Afghanistan 287
Russia 267
Eritrea 230

Culture

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Although Asker is principally a rural municipality, the expansion of Oslo has resulted in its becoming an affluent suburb. Thus numerous celebrities now reside in the area. According to SSB (Statistics Norway), Asker ranks as the 2nd wealthiest municipality in Norway based on median household income.

Sports

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Asker is also the home of the sports clubIF Frisk Asker;the club won the Norwegian Hockey championship in 1975, 1979, 2002, and 2019.Asker Skiklubbis the largest sports club in Norway. It has a long history dating back to 1889. Many of Asker's famous people have been successful individuals associated with the sports club.

The city is the home ofAsker svømmeklubb.Asker women's football club has been home to many international players including four who played in the2007 FIFA Women's World Cupin China.

Politics

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Asker is politically dominated by the conservatives, and the mayor isLene Conradiwho represents theConservative Party of Norway(Høyre).

Church

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Asker Church

Asker Church (Asker Kirke) is located not far fromSkaugumin Asker. The neo-Gothic red brick church was built in 1879 based upon designs by architectJacob Wilhelm Nordan.The church renovation in 1930 was led by the architectsGudolf BlakstadandHerman Munthe-Kaas.ArchitectArnstein Arnebergwas in charge of the renovation in the 1950s. The church was the sight of the wedding ofPrincess RagnhildandErling Lorentzenin 1953. The statue ofCrown Princess Märthain front of the church was designed by sculptorDyre Vaain 1957.[14]

Maud

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Maud at Vollen on 18 August 2018
Main article:Maud (ship)

In 1916 (or 1917) the Arctic expedition shipMaudwas built in nearbyVollenand launched intoOslofjord.The ship was designed and built especially forRoald Amundsenand sailed through theNortheast Passagebetween 1918 and 1924. Sold to theHudson's Bay Companyas the supply vesselBaymaudshe sank atCambridge Bay,Northwest Territories(nowNunavut), Canada in 1930. In 1990, the ship was sold by the Hudson's Bay Company to Asker town with the expectation that she would be returned there; however, the export permit expired due to the 230 millionkroner() cost to repair and move the ship.[15][16][17]In 2011 a new project was commenced to salvageMaudand transport her to a new museum to be built at Vollen.[18]

On 31 July 2016 it was reported that the hull ofMaudhad been raised to the surface and placed on a barge in preparation for shipment to Norway.[19]In August 2017Maudbegan the journey back to Norway; she was towed through theNorthwest Passage.In September 2017 she arrived in Greenland to stay for the winter.[20][21]Maudarrived in Bergen on 6 August 2018, finally returning to Norway nearly a century after her departure with Amundsen. She was then towed along the Norwegian coast, and arrived at Vollen on 18 August.[22]

Media

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Magazines

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Notable residents

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Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, 2012

Royalty

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Public service

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Berit Ås, 2004

Art

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Nini Roll Anker, 1892
Kåre Conradi, 2018

Sport

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Halvard Hanevold, 2009

Twin towns

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See also:List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway

Asker istwinnedwith:[29]

References

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  1. ^"Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn"(in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. ^"Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar"(in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. ^Bolstad, Erik; Thorsnæs, Geir, eds. (26 January 2023)."Kommunenummer".Store norske leksikon(in Norwegian).Kunnskapsforlaget.
  4. ^Projected population – Statistics Norway
  5. ^Johnsen, Morten Gisle (25 May 2016)."Nå er alt klart for" Stor-Asker "– også Ap vil sammen med Røyken og Hurum".budstikka.no.
  6. ^Thorsnæs, Geir; Askheim, Svein; Kilhavn, Håvard (4 January 2024), Bolstad, Erik (ed.),"Asker",Store norske leksikon(in Norwegian),retrieved9 January2024.
  7. ^Norske Kommunevåpen (1990)."Nye kommunevåbener i Norden".Retrieved17 December2008.
  8. ^"Askers kommunevåpen"(in Norwegian). Asker kommune. Archived fromthe originalon 25 January 2009.Retrieved17 December2008.
  9. ^"Semsvannet lake – walk".akershus.Retrieved24 December2017.
  10. ^"Drengsrud cultural path – walk".akershus.Retrieved24 December2017.
  11. ^ab"Røyken sier ja til sammenslåing"(in Norwegian). Røyken kommune. 16 June 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 21 August 2016.Retrieved16 June2016.
  12. ^"Kommunestyret vedtok sammenslåing"(in Norwegian). Asker kommune. 14 June 2016. Archived fromthe originalon 15 August 2016.Retrieved16 June2016.
  13. ^"Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population".ssb.no. Archived fromthe originalon 2 July 2015.Retrieved25 June2017.
  14. ^"Asker kirke".Kulturminnesøk.Retrieved1 March2018.
  15. ^"Underwater Treasure of Cambridge Bay".Archivedfrom the original on 8 January 2009.Retrieved17 December2008.
  16. ^"Saving the Maud".Nunavut News/North Monday.20 August 2007.
  17. ^"Cambridge Bay at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre".Archived fromthe originalon 9 August 2007.
  18. ^Norway wants Amundsen’s Maud back from Nunavut
  19. ^CBC News: The Maud floats again: Norwegians bring long-sunken ship to surface
  20. ^"Ship that sank in Cambridge Bay 87 years ago finally on the journey home to Norway | CBC News".CBC News.30 August 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 6 December 2022.
  21. ^"Cambridge Bay prepares to bid adieu to the Maud as Norwegian mayor visits community | CBC News".CBC News.10 August 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 7 January 2022.
  22. ^"Maud Returns to Norway".The Maritime Executive. 6 August 2018.Retrieved7 August2018.
  23. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 27 February 2021
  24. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 27 February 2021
  25. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 25 February 2021
  26. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 26 February 2021
  27. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 26 February 2021
  28. ^IMDb Databaseretrieved 27 February 2021
  29. ^"Vennskapskommuner"(in Norwegian). Asker kommune. Archived fromthe originalon 8 August 2009.Retrieved17 December2008.
  30. ^"Sister cities of Jakobstad".jakobstad.fi.Archived fromthe originalon 2 August 2014.Retrieved26 April2014.
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