Ringerike
Encyclopedia
oskar er kjempe kul

Ringerike is a municipality
Municipalities of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties , and 430 municipalities...

 in Buskerud
Buskerud
is a county in Norway, bordering Akershus, Oslo, Oppland, Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland, Telemark, and Vestfold. The county administration is located in Drammen.-Geography:...

 county
Counties of Norway
Norway is divided into 19 administrative regions, called counties . The counties form the primary first-level subdivisions of Norway and are further divided into 430 municipalities...

, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

. It is part of the traditional region
Districts of Norway
The country Norway is historically divided into a number of districts. Many districts have deep historical roots, and only partially coincide with today's administrative units of counties and municipalities. The districts are defined by geographical features, often valleys, mountain ranges, fjords,...

 of Ringerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Hønefoss
Hønefoss
Hønefoss is a city in Buskerud county, Norway, and the center of the municipality of Ringerike.In 1852, Hønefoss received town status and was separated from Norderhov. Hønefoss celebrated its 150th year of township in 2002...

.

The municipality of Ringerike was created on 1 January 1964 after the merger of the town of Hønefoss
Hønefoss
Hønefoss is a city in Buskerud county, Norway, and the center of the municipality of Ringerike.In 1852, Hønefoss received town status and was separated from Norderhov. Hønefoss celebrated its 150th year of township in 2002...

 and the rural municipalities of Hole
Hole, Norway
Hole is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vik. Hole is located around lake Tyrifjorden and extends to the woodland around Oslo...

, Norderhov
Norderhov
Norderhov is a former municipality in Buskerud county, Norway.-Municipality:Norderhov municipality was established on January 1, 1838 . According to the 1835 census the municipality had a population of 7,234. On 22 April 1852 the city of Hønefoss was separated from Norderhov to constitute a...

, Tyristrand
Tyristrand
Tyristrand is a former municipality in Buskerud county, Norway.-Background:Tyristrand was created by a split from Hole on 1 July 1916. On 1 January 1964 Tyristrand was merged with the municipalities Hole, Hønefoss, Norderhov and Ådal to form the new municipality of Ringerike. Before the merger...

, and Ådal
Ådal
Ådal is a valley in the municipality of Ringerike and was a former municipality in Buskerud County, Norway.The municipality was created in 1857 by a split from Norderhov. At that time Ådal had a population of 2,382. On 1 January 1964 Ådal was merged with Hønefoss, Tyristrand, Hole and Norderhov to...

. However, the area of Hole was removed from the municipality of Ringerike on 1 January 1977 to become a separate municipality once again. The historic area of Ringerike included not just the modern municipality of Ringerike but also Hole and (sometimes) the eastern parts of Modum
Modum
Modum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 .The area has a long tradition of skiing with several famous...

 and Krødsherad
Krødsherad
Krødsherad is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Noresund. The municipality of Krødsherad was established when it was separated from the municipality of Sigdal on 1 January 1901.-Name:The Old Norse form of the name was...

.

Name

The Norse form of the name was Hringaríki. The first element is (probably) the genitive plural
Plural
In linguistics, plurality or [a] plural is a concept of quantity representing a value of more-than-one. Typically applied to nouns, a plural word or marker is used to distinguish a value other than the default quantity of a noun, which is typically one...

 of hringir, the name of an old Germanic
Germanic peoples
The Germanic peoples are an Indo-European ethno-linguistic group of Northern European origin, identified by their use of the Indo-European Germanic languages which diversified out of Proto-Germanic during the Pre-Roman Iron Age.Originating about 1800 BCE from the Corded Ware Culture on the North...

 tribe. The last element is ríki n 'kingdom, reich
Reich
Reich is a German word cognate with the English rich, but also used to designate an empire, realm, or nation. The qualitative connotation from the German is " sovereign state." It is the word traditionally used for a variety of sovereign entities, including Germany in many periods of its history...

'. (See also Romerike
Romerike
Romerike is a traditional district located north-east of Oslo, in what is today south-eastern Norway. It consists of the Akershus municipalities Fet, Lørenskog, Nittedal, Rælingen, Skedsmo, Sørum and Aurskog-Høland in the southern end , and Ullensaker, Gjerdrum, Nannestad, Nes, Eidsvoll and Hurdal...

.)

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...

 is from modern times. They were granted on 16 June 1967. The arms show a gold ring
Circle
A circle is a simple shape of Euclidean geometry consisting of those points in a plane that are a given distance from a given point, the centre. The distance between any of the points and the centre is called the radius....

 on a red background. The colours red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...

 and gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

 represent royalty and are the royal colors of Norway. The ring is a canting
Canting arms
Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name in a visual pun or rebus. The term cant came into the English language from Anglo-Norman cant, meaning song or singing, from Latin cantāre, and English cognates include canticle, chant, accent, incantation and recant.Canting arms –...

 symbol and at the same time symbolises the unity of the area, which has been a separate entity (even considered a petty kingdom
Petty kingdom
A petty kingdom is one of a number of small kingdoms, described as minor or "petty" by contrast to an empire or unified kingdom that either preceded or succeeded it...

) since medieval times.

History

There are many archaeological remains in the area, dating from the earliest times as well as from the medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 period. Ringerike has been mentioned in Norwegian history since the earliest times. Ringerike style
Ringerike style
The Ringerike style is a Scandinavian animal style from the late 10th century and the 11th century, which evolved out of the earlier Mammen style. It has received its name from a group of runestones with animal and plant motifs in the Ringerike district north of Oslo. The most common motifs are...

, a historic Scandinavian animal art form, was first discovered on the rune stone
Rune stone
A runestone is typically a raised stone with a runic inscription, but the term can also be applied to inscriptions on boulders and on bedrock. The tradition began in the 4th century, and it lasted into the 12th century, but most of the runestones date from the late Viking Age...

 in Ringerike, including the Alstad stone (Alstadsteinen), a rune stone was found on the farm Nedre Alstad in Østre Toten
Østre Toten
Østre Toten is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lena.-Name:...

. Both Ulvøya an island near Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

  and Ringerike are mentioned in the text. Probably also Dynna rock (Dynnasteinen), a rune stone was found on Nordre Dynna in the traditional region of Hadeland
Hadeland
Hadeland is a traditional district in the south-eastern part of Norway. It is located around the southern part of lake Randsfjorden in Oppland county, and consists of the municipalities of Gran, Jevnaker and Lunner. Hadeland occupies the area north of the hills of Nordmarka close to the Norwegian...

 at Gran
Gran, Norway
is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hadeland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Jaren. There is also a village of Gran located within the municipality....

 and are of the same type of red sandstone, typical of Ringerike.

Dagling
Dagling
The Dagling or Dögling dynasty was a legendary clan of the petty kingdom Ringerike what today is Norway. It was descended from a Dag the Great....

 or Dögling was a legendary clan of the petty kingdom Ringerike. It was descended from a Dag the Great. One of the sons of Dag the Great according to Hversu Noregr Byggðist was Óli, who was the father of Dag, the father of Óleif the father of Hring (the old king Ring of Frithiof's Saga), the father of Olaf, the father of Helgi, the father of Sigurd Hjort, the father of Ragnhild, who was the mother of Harald Fairhair.

In the early Viking Age
Viking Age
Viking Age is the term for the period in European history, especially Northern European and Scandinavian history, spanning the late 8th to 11th centuries. Scandinavian Vikings explored Europe by its oceans and rivers through trade and warfare. The Vikings also reached Iceland, Greenland,...

, before Harald Fairhair
Harald I of Norway
Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair , , son of Halfdan the Black, was the first king of Norway.-Background:Little is known of the historical Harald...

 became the first king of Norway, Ringerike was a petty kingdom. Sigurd Hjort
Sigurd Hart
Sigurd Hart or Sigurd Hjort was a legendary king of Ringerike in Norway, who appears in Ragnarssona þáttr and in Halfdan the Black's saga....

, king of Ringerike, was the father of Ragnhild Sigurdsdotter
Ragnhild Sigurdsdotter
Ragnhild Sigurdsdotter was the daughter of Sigurd Hart of the Dagling clan.-Family :According to the Ragnarssona þáttr, Ragnhild was a daughter of Sigurd Hart and his wife Ingeborg . Her paternal grandparents were Helgi the Sharp and Aslaug. Her maternal grandfather was Harald Klak. The identity of...

, the mother of Harald Fairhair. Following Harald's consolidation of Norway in the late 800s, the kingdom appears to have been ruled by a series of local jarls and client kings. One, Harald's son Halfdan Haleg, met his end in Orkney at the hands of Jarl Torf-Einarr
Torf-Einarr
Einarr Rögnvaldarson, Torf-Einarr or Turf-Einar was one of the Norse Earls of Orkney. His rise to power is related in sagas which apparently draw on verses of Einarr's own composition for inspiration...

.

A later sub-king of Ringerike, Sigurd Syr
Sigurd Syr
Sigurd Syr Halfdansson was a petty king in northern Ostlandet in Norway.Sigurd was subking of Ringerike, an ancient territory in the county of Buskerud, southern Norway. Through his marriage with Åsta Gudbrandsdatter, he was the stepfather of King Olav II of Norway and father of King Harald III...

, was the father of Harald Hardråde and the step father of Olav den hellige, both kings of Norway. According to the Heimskringla
Heimskringla
Heimskringla is the best known of the Old Norse kings' sagas. It was written in Old Norse in Iceland by the poet and historian Snorri Sturluson ca. 1230...

, "(When) King Olaf Tryggvason came to Ringerike to spread Christianity, Sigurd Syr and his wife allowed themselves to be baptized".

Geography

The municipality of Ringerike is bordered on the north by the municipalities of Sør-Aurdal
Sør-Aurdal
Sør-Aurdal is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Valdres. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Bagn....

 and Søndre Land
Søndre Land
Søndre Land is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Land. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hov....

; on the east by Gran
Gran, Norway
is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hadeland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Jaren. There is also a village of Gran located within the municipality....

, Jevnaker
Jevnaker
Jevnaker is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Jevnaker with a population of 4,302.The parish of Jævnaker was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838...

, Lunner
Lunner
Lunner is a municipality in Oppland county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hadeland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Roa...

, and Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

; in the south by Bærum
Bærum
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandvika. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the west coast of the city....

, Hole
Hole, Norway
Hole is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Ringerike. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Vik. Hole is located around lake Tyrifjorden and extends to the woodland around Oslo...

, and Modum
Modum
Modum is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Hallingdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Vikersund. The municipality of Modum was established on 1 January 1838 .The area has a long tradition of skiing with several famous...

; and in the west by Krødsherad
Krødsherad
Krødsherad is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Noresund. The municipality of Krødsherad was established when it was separated from the municipality of Sigdal on 1 January 1901.-Name:The Old Norse form of the name was...

 and Flå
Flå
Flå is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Flå. The municipality of Flå was established when it was separated from the municipality of Nes on 1 January 1905...

.

Lakes in the region include:
  • Samsjøen
  • Øyangen
  • Samsjøen
    Samsjøen, Ringerike
    Samsjøen is a lake in the municipalities of Ringerike in Buskerud county and Jevnaker in Oppland county, Norway....

  • Sperillen
    Sperillen
    Sperillen is Norway's 33rd largest lake.Sperillen is located in Ådal in Ringerike municipality in the county of Buskerud. The lake has an area of 37 km², has a volume of 13 km³ , is 123 meters deep at its deepest, and lies 150 meters above sea levelThe rivers Begna from the valley of...

  • Ullerentjernet
    Ullerentjernet
    Ullerentjernet is a lake in the municipality of Ringerike in Buskerud county, Norway....

  • Vestre Bjonevatnet
    Vestre Bjonevatnet
    Vestre Bjonevatnet is a lake in the municipalities of Ringerike in Buskerud county and Søndre Land and Gran in Oppland county, Norway....



Economy

Ringerike is famous for two agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 products; Ringerike potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...

 (Ringerikspotet) and Ringerike pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...

 (Ringeriksert). Jens Aabel first started production of Ringerike potato around 1867. Ringerike pea has obtained PDO (protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...

). The Ringerike potato has applied for the same protection, and is waiting for the result from the Agriculture department (2003). In June 2007, the potato got "protected geographical indication" (PGI) under the name Ringerikspotet fra Ringerike. Six farmers are now producing and packing this special potato at Ask in Ringerike. Most of the potatoes are sold in the Oslo area.

Notable residents

  • Karsten Alnæs
    Karsten Alnæs
    Karsten Alnæs Norwegian author, historian, and journalist, received advanced dual degrees in history and literature from the University of Oslo. Before becoming a fulltime author, he worked as a journalist and taught at the Norwegian School of Journalism...

    , writer
  • Frode Andresen
    Frode Andresen
    Frode Andresen is a Norwegian biathlete and a cross-country skier. He now resides in Hønefoss, and trains with the Ringkollen Skiklubb.-Early life:...

    , Norwegian biathlete
    Biathlon
    Biathlon is a term used to describe any sporting event made up of two disciplines. However, biathlon usually refers specifically to the winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting...

  • Anders Andersen
    Anders Andersen (Norway)
    Anders Andersen was a saw mill worker who participated in forming the Norwegian Labour Party. He lived in Arendal when he became the first party leader in 1887....

     (1846-1931), politician and the Norwegian Labor Party's first chairman
  • Trygve Brodahl
    Trygve Brodahl
    Trygve Brodahl was a Norwegian cross country skier who competed during the 1930s.He won a silver medal at the 1930 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in 17 km and a silver in the 4 x 10 km relay as well as a bronze at 50 km in 1935. In 1939, Brodahl won the 18 km cross country...

     (1905-1996), actress
  • Sverre Brodahl
    Sverre Brodahl
    Sverre Brodahl was a Norwegian Nordic skier who competed in the 1930s. He won two medals at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen with a silver in the 4 x 10 km, and a bronze in the Nordic combined....

     (1909-1998), cross country running and Nordic combined skier
  • Erik Hagen
    Erik Hagen
    Erik "Panzer" Hagen is a Norwegian international football player, formerly playing on with Hønefoss. He is a center back. During his time in Vålerenga he was nicknamed "Panzer" by the fans...

    , Norwegian soccer player
  • Arild Hiim
    Arild Hiim
    Arild Hiim is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party.He was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Buskerud in 1989, and was re-elected on one occasion. He had previously served in the position of deputy representative during the term 1985–1989.Hiim was a member of Ringerike...

    , former member of parliament
  • Anders Jacobsen
    Anders Jacobsen (ski jumper)
    Anders Jacobsen is a Norwegian ski jumper, representing Ringkollen Skiklubb, and the youngest Norwegian to have won the Four Hills Tournament. He has competed since 2003.-Early career:...

    , Norwegian ski jumper
    Ski jumping
    Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...

    .
  • Bjørn Kjos
    Bjørn Kjos
    Bjørn Kjos is a Norwegian aviator, lawyer, author and businessperson. He is the largest owner and CEO of Norwegian Air Shuttle, Scandinavia's second largest airline.-Background:...

     CEO and founder of Norwegian Air Shuttle
    Norwegian Air Shuttle
    Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA , trading as Norwegian, is the second-largest airline in Scandinavia. In 2010, it transported 13.0 million people. As of October 2011, Norwegian operates a total fleet of 62 aircraft; 17 Boeing 737-300s and 45 Boeing 737-800s...

    .
  • Bjørn Skogmo
    Bjørn Skogmo
    Bjørn Skogmo is a Norwegian diplomat.He was born in Namsos, and is a cand.polit. by education. He started working for the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1969...

    , writer
  • Randi Thorvaldsen
    Randi Thorvaldsen
    Randi Thorvaldsen was a former Norwegian speedskater, silver medalist from the allround World Championship, and a previous World Record holder in 1,500 metres. She was the dominating female speedskater in Norway from the end of the Second World War to 1954...

    , actor

Twin towns — Sister cities

The following cities are twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with Ringerike: Aabenraa
Aabenraa Municipality
Aabenraa Municipality or Åbenrå Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark in south-western Denmark. It has existed in its current form since 1 January 2007 following a merger of several smaller municipalities. The municipality has an area of 951 km² and a total population...

, Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

 Lohja
Lohja
Lohja , is a town and municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Southern Finland and is part of the Uusimaa region. The town has a population of and covers an area of ofwhich is water...

, Southern Finland
Southern Finland
Southern Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Western Finland and Eastern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Finland and Russia.- History :...

, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...

 Noordoostpolder
Noordoostpolder
Noordoostpolder is a municipality in the Flevoland province in the central Netherlands. Formerly, it was also called Urker Land. Emmeloord is the administrative center, located in the heart of the Noordoostpolder. The municipality has the largest land area in the Netherlands...

, Flevoland
Flevoland
Flevoland is a province of the Netherlands. Located in the centre of the country, at the location of the former Zuiderzee, the province was established on January 1, 1986; the twelfth province of the country, with Lelystad as its capital...

, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 Skagaströnd, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...

 Växjö
Växjö Municipality
Växjö Municipality is a municipality in Kronoberg County in southern Sweden, where Växjö is the seat.The municipality was created in 1971 by the amalgamation of the City of Växjö with the surrounding municipalities...

, Kronoberg County
Kronoberg County
Kronoberg County is a County or län in southern Sweden. It borders the counties of Skåne, Halland, Jönköping, Kalmar and Blekinge. Its capital is the city Växjö.- Province :For History, Geography and Culture see: Småland...

, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

 Vera
Vera, Spain
-External links: - Sistema de Información Multiterritorial de Andalucía - Diputación Provincial de Almería - Vera town information....

, Almería
Almería
Almería is a city in Andalusia, Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea. It is the capital of the province of the same name.-Toponym:Tradition says that the name Almería stems from the Arabic المرية Al-Mariyya: "The Mirror", comparing it to "The Mirror of the Sea"...

, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 in 1989

External links

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