Øvre Eiker

Øvre Eiker is a municipality in the traditional and electoral district Buskerud in Viken county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hokksund. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into Øvre Eiker (upper Eiker) and Nedre Eiker (lower) on 1 July 1885.

Øvre Eiker kommune
Municipality
View of the village of Vestfossen
View of the village of Vestfossen
Flag of Øvre Eiker kommune
Flag
Coat of arms of Øvre Eiker kommune
Coat of arms
Official logo of Øvre Eiker kommune
Viken within
Norway
Øvre Eiker within Viken
Øvre Eiker within Viken
Coordinates: 59°46′19″N 9°50′10″E
CountryNorway
CountyViken
DistrictEiker, Lower Buskerud
Administrative centreHokksund
Government
 • Mayor (2009)Knut Kvale (Centre Party (Norway))
Area
 • Total457 km2 (176 sq mi)
 • Land418 km2 (161 sq mi)
 • Rank#223 in Norway
Population
 (2022)
 • Total20,250
 • Rank#62 in Norway
 • Density37/km2 (100/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
Increase +4.3%
DemonymEikværing[1]
Official language
[2]
 • Norwegian formBokmål
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-3048
WebsiteOfficial website
Data from Statistics Norway

As of 2015, more employees worked for the [municipal] government and in the service sector, than in any other field of employment; even fewer—16 %—are employed in construction or in [electrical] power companies and water companies; [13%] work in the manufacturing sector.[3]

General information

Name

The Old Norse form of the name was Eikjar. The name is the plural form of eiki which means "oak wood". The meaning of Øvre Eiker is "(the) upper (part of) Eiker". (The municipality of Eiker was divided in 1885.)

See also: Nedre Eiker

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 24 October 1981. The arms show three silver oak leaves and two acorns on a blue background. The oak is a canting element, since Eik means oak in the Norwegian language.[4]

(See also coat-of-arms of Eigersund, Nedre Eiker, Songdalen and Tingvoll)

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Øvre Eiker by country of origin in 2017[5]
Ancestry Number
 Poland611
 Lithuania267
 Afghanistan110
 Germany101
 Iceland96
 Denmark87
 Thailand84
 Eritrea75
 Iraq70
 Turkey67
Øvre Eiker Townhall at Hokksund

Geography

Øvre Eiker is a lush valley along Drammenselva with Modum to the north and Drammen to the east. To the south flows Eikeren watercourse, which is dominated by the contiguous Lakes Eikeren and Fiskumvannet. Eikeren is 156 Meters deep and is partly located in Holmestrand municipality in the south. The municipality's highest point, Myrehogget, 707 meters above sea level.[6] is located west, between Øvre Eiker and Flesberg municipality.[7]

About half of the municipality's inhabitants live in the municipal center Hokksund, which in 2021 had 9,514 inhabitants, the rest live mainly in the settlements Vestfossen, Skotselv, Ormåsen, and Darbu.[8] [9]

The municipality is part of the Drammen region and Buskerudbyen,[10] which is a collaboration within transport, environment and health.[9]

Energy

Hakavik Power Station, startpoint of 55 kV single phase AC grid for traction current.

Notable residents
Christopher Hornsrud ca.1930
Aage Most, 2006

Sport
  • Randi Thorvaldsen (1925 in Fiskum – 2011) a champion speedskater in the early 1950s
  • Jorunn Horgen (born 1966 in Hokksund) a windsurfer, world champion in 1980s & 90s
  • Mona Bollerud (born 1968 in Fiskum) former biathlete, World Championship medallist
  • Gustav Wikheim (born 1993 in Hokksund) a Norwegian footballer with over 200 club caps

International relations
Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway

Twin towns — Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Øvre Eiker:

  • Bakke Church
    Bakke Church
  • Fiskum Church
    Fiskum Church
  • Haug Church in Hokksund
    Haug Church in Hokksund
  • Øksnevann Dam
    Øksnevann Dam
  • Darbu Station
    Darbu Station
  • Nøstetangen Museum in Hokksund
    Nøstetangen Museum in Hokksund
  • Hokksund Station
    Hokksund Station

References
  1. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  2. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  3. https://snl.no/%C3%98vre_Eiker "Etter offentlig administrasjon og tjenesteyting er bygge- og anleggsvirksomhet/kraft- og vannforsyning den viktigste næringen i Øvre Eiker målt etter sysselsetting. Denne næringen hadde 16 prosent av kommunens arbeidsplasser i 2015, 29 prosent inkludert industri."
  4. Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  5. "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents". ssb.no. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  6. "Myrehogget". www.wikidata.org. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  7. "Øvre Eiker – Store norske leksikon". Snl.no. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  8. "Tettsteders befolkning og areal".
  9. "Kommunefakta".
  10. "Q17760785". www.wikidata.org. Retrieved 2022-07-02.
  11. "Venskabsbyer" (in Danish). Kerteminde kommune. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  12. "Ystävyyskunnat" (in Finnish). Lempäälä. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
  13. "Föreningen Norden" (in Swedish). Ulricehamn kommun. Retrieved 2009-01-10.
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