Askim kommune | |
|---|---|
Municipality | |
) Coat of arms ) Østfold within Norway | |
) Askim within Østfold | |
| Coordinates: 59°35′10″N 11°10′12″E / 59.58611°N 11.17000°E | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Østfold |
| District | Smaalenene |
| Administrative centre | Askim |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2011) | Thor Hals (H) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 69 km2 (27 sq mi) |
| • Land | 66 km2 (25 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 409 in Norway |
| Population (30. June 2014) | |
| • Total | 15,511[1] |
| • Rank | 71 in Norway |
| • Density | 225/km2 (580/sq mi) |
| • Change (10 years) | 9.0% |
| Demonym(s) | Askiming[2] |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-0124 |
| Official language form | Bokmål[3] |
| Website | www |
Askim is a town and a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Askim. Askim was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt).
Askim is the largest population centre in Indre Østfold with 15,315 inhabitants as of 2012, and serves as a regional center for nine municipalities in Indre Østfold. It lies next to the longest river in Norway, Glomma, which forms the border with Spydeberg to the north and west, and Skiptvet to the south. Askim also borders Trøgstad to the northeast and Eidsberg to the southeast.
Askim produces large amounts of hydroelectricity at three dams. From upstream to downstream: Solbergfoss, Kykkelsrud, then Vamma. There was nickel mining at Kykkelsrud at the turn of the 20th century. These mines are also one of the few places where "Spheroidal Norite" is found.
An industrial city for most of the 20th century, the main employer, Viking, shut down its rubber product production in 1991. Glava was the main employer by the 2010s.
History
Askim has always been a strategic point in wars due to its relative easy crossing of the river. The last battle between Norway and Sweden was fought at the crossing over Glomma on 9 August 1814. There is a yearly historical reenactment, as well as a stone monument at Langnes to commemorate this event.
During the Norwegian Campaign of World War II, a battle occurred at Fossum Bridge when the Norwegian Army defended the crossing against invading Germans in April 1940.
Name
The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the old Askim farm (Old Norse: Askheimr), since the first church was built here. The first element is askr which means "ash tree" and the last element is heimr which means "home", "homestead", or "farm".
Coat-of-arms
The coat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 1 November 1963. The arms symbolize the three large waterfalls in the municipality, the Solbergfoss, Kykkelsrudfoss, and Vammafoss. The rivers and waterfalls are also partially harnessed for hydroelectric power.[4]
Transportation
European route E18 used to go through the city centre, however, since the upgrade to four-lane highway in 2005, its route now runs outside the centre. Vy's Eastern Østfold Line serves the municipality with stops at Langnes Station and Næringsparken and Askim Station in between.
Government
The municipal council runs the government of Askim. The 2007 election results are as follows:[5]
| Ancestry | Number |
|---|---|
 Poland | 399 |
 Iraq | 312 |
 Vietnam | 288 |
 Bosnia-Herzegovina | 163 |
 Philippines | 140 |
 Somalia | 131 |
 Kosovo | 126 |
 Lithuania | 123 |
 Syria | 118 |
 Croatia | 113 |
Attractions
- Østfoldbadet (in Norwegian)
- Askim videregående skole
- Askimtorget (in Norwegian)
- Askim Golf Course
Twin towns — sister cities
The following cities are twinned with Askim:[7]
- Huddinge, Stockholm County, Sweden
- Lyngby-Taarbæk Kommune, Region Hovedstaden, Denmark
- Nuuk, Nuuk Municipality, Greenland
- Rapla, Rapla County, Estonia
- Seyðisfjörður, Seyðisfjarðarkaupstaður, Iceland
- Vantaa, Uusimaa, Finland
Notable people
References
- ^ http://www.askim.kommune.no/fakta-om-askim.215527.no.html
- ^ "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
- ^ "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
- ^ Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2008-12-13.
- ^ Norwegian Government. "2007 Askim election results" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2008-06-04.
- ^ "Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, by immigration category, country background and percentages of the population". ssb.no. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
- ^ "Askims vennskapskommuner" (in Norwegian). Askim kommune. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
External links
- Municipal fact sheet from Statistics Norway
- Municipal website (in Norwegian)