Øvre Eiker
Encyclopedia
Øvre Eiker 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 Eiker
Eiker
Eiker is a traditional district in the county of Buskerud, Norway.-History:Eiker consists of the municipalities of Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker . The area is located in the southern part of Buskerud county....

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Hokksund
Hokksund
Hokksund is a town in the municipality of Øvre Eiker in the county of Buskerud in Norway.-History:Hokksund is the administrative centre, and largest town in Øvre Eiker, with a population of around 8,000. The river Drammenselva flows through the town, 500m from the centre. Hokksund has developed on...

. The old municipality of Eiker
Eiker
Eiker is a traditional district in the county of Buskerud, Norway.-History:Eiker consists of the municipalities of Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker . The area is located in the southern part of Buskerud county....

 was divided into Øvre Eiker and Nedre Eiker
Nedre Eiker
Nedre Eiker is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mjøndalen. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker on 1 July 1885.-Name:The Old Norse form of...

on 1 July 1885.

Name

The Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 form of the name was Eikjar. The name is the 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...

 form of eiki which means "oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...

 wood". The meaning of Øvre Eiker is "(the) upper (part of) Eiker". (The municipality of Eiker was divided in 1885.)

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 24 October 1981. The arms show three silver oak leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....

 and two acorn
Acorn
The acorn, or oak nut, is the nut of the oaks and their close relatives . It usually contains a single seed , enclosed in a tough, leathery shell, and borne in a cup-shaped cupule. Acorns vary from 1–6 cm long and 0.8–4 cm broad...

s on a blue background. The oak is a canting element
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 –...

, since Eik means oak in the Norwegian language
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...

.

(See also coat-of-arms of Eigersund
Eigersund
Eigersund is a municipality in Rogaland county, Norway. Egersund landdisstrikt was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Augne was separated from Eigersund in 1839. Helleland and the town of Egersund were merged with Eigersund on 1 January 1965.-Location:Eigersund extends from the...

, Nedre Eiker
Nedre Eiker
Nedre Eiker is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mjøndalen. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker on 1 July 1885.-Name:The Old Norse form of...

, Songdalen
Songdalen
Songdalen is a municipality in Vest-Agder county, Norway. Songdalen was created as a new municipality on 1 January 1964 through the merger of the former municipalities of Finsland, Greipstad and a small part of Øvrebø. The administrative center is the village of Nodeland. The central market area...

 and Tingvoll
Tingvoll
Tingvoll is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Nordmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Tingvoll. Other villages include Meisingset, Kvisvik, and Torjulvågen.-General information:...

)

Geography

The municipality is located in the southern part of Buskerud county and is bordered by the municipalities of Kongsberg
Kongsberg
is a town and municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is located at the southern end of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kongsberg....

, Flesberg
Flesberg
Flesberg is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Numedal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lampeland....

, Sigdal
Sigdal
Sigdal is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Prestfoss. -Background:...

, 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...

, Lier
Lier, Norway
Lier is an affluent municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Lier. The municipality of Lier was established on 1 January 1838...

, Nedre Eiker
Nedre Eiker
Nedre Eiker is a municipality in Buskerud county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Eiker. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Mjøndalen. The old municipality of Eiker was divided into Nedre Eiker and Øvre Eiker on 1 July 1885.-Name:The Old Norse form of...

, and Hof.

The administrative center of Hokksund is the largest town in this municipality, with about 8,000 inhabitants. The remaining 7,000 inhabitants live in the villages of Vestfossen
Vestfossen
Vestfossen is a village in the municipality of Øvre Eiker, in the county of Buskerud, Norway.-History:Vestfossen is a former industrial town with traditions dating back to...

, Skotselv
Skotselv
Skotselv is a village in the municipality of Øvre Eiker, Norway. Its population is 684, of which 8 people live within the border of the neighbouring municipality of Modum. It has a railway station on the Randsfjord Line.- History :...

, Ormåsen
Ormåsen
Ormåsen is a village in the municipality of Øvre Eiker, Norway. It is a residential area located west of Hokksund, built as late as 1986. , the population is 809.Ormåsen has a private weather station which is located approximately above sea level....

, and Darbu
Darbu
Darbu is a village within the parish of Fiskum, in the municipality of Øvre Eiker, Buskerud County, Norway.Darbu is located on the Sørland Line Railway, 81.61 km from Oslo, about midway between Kongsberg and Hokksund. The rail station was opened in 1871 when the railway branch line Hokksund -...

.

Energy

Hakavik Power Station
Hakavik Power Station
Hakavik Power Station is a hydroelectric power plant in Øvre Eiker, Norway with a power of 7 MW inaugurated in 1922.It generates only single phase AC for railway purpose and is the startpoint of a 55 kV- single phase AC powerline for traction current to Sande and an other to Sundhaugen Switching...

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

Notable residents

  • Per Olaf Lundteigen
    Per Olaf Lundteigen
    Per Olaf Lundteigen is a Norwegian farmer and politician for the Centre Party.-Career:He was born in Vestfossen, took his secondary education in Hokksund in 1972 and the cand.agric. degree at the Norwegian College of Agriculture in 1977. From 1977 to 1979 he worked as a secretary in the Norwegian...

     (born 1953), politician for the Centre Party
  • Jonas Lie
    Jonas Lie
    Jonas Lauritz Idemil Lie was a Norwegian novelist, poet, and playwright who is considered to have been one of the Four Greats of 19th century Norwegian literature, together with Henrik Ibsen, Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and Alexander Kielland.-Background:Jonas Lie was born at Hokksund in Øvre Eiker, in...

     (1833–1908), novelist, poet, and playwright
  • Christopher Hornsrud
    Christopher Hornsrud
    Christopher Andersen Hornsrud served as Prime Minister of Norway from January to February 1928. He combined the post of prime minister with that of minister of finance. Although his tenure as Prime Minister was brief, his list of political accomplishments is not...

     (1859–1960), Prime Minister of Norway
  • Nikolai Eilertsen
    Nikolai Eilertsen
    Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen is a Norwegian bass guitarist. He is primarily known as a member of BigBang and The National Bank . Eilertsen also participates in the bands Lester, Needlepoint and Elephant9....

     (born 1978), Norwegian bassist

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 Øvre Eiker: Kerteminde
Kerteminde municipality
Kerteminde Municipality is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark on the northeast coast of the island of Funen in central Denmark. The municipality includes the island of Romsø, and it covers an area of 203 km². It has a total population of 23,630...

, 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...

 Lempäälä
Lempäälä
Lempäälä is a municipality in southwestern Finland with inhabitants . Lempäälä is located south of the city of Tampere. The municipality covers an area of of which is water...

, Western Finland
Western Finland
Western Finland was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2010. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland.- 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...

 Ulricehamn
Ulricehamn Municipality
Ulricehamn Municipality is a municipality in Västra Götaland County in western Sweden. Its seat is located in the city of Ulricehamn....

, Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County
Västra Götaland County is a county or län on the western coast of Sweden.The county is the second largest of Sweden's counties and it is subdivided into 49 municipalities . Its population of 1,550,000 amounts to 17% of Sweden's population...

, 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....


External links

  • Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
    Statistics Norway
    Statistics Norway is the Norwegian statistics bureau. It was established in 1876.Relying on a staff of about 1,000, Statistics Norway publish about 1,000 new statistical releases every year on its web site. All releases are published both in Norwegian and English...

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