is a municipality in the county of Akershus, Norway. Bærum was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the coast west of the city. Sandvika is the administrative centre of Bærum. Bærum is noted for being the most affluent and expensive of Norwegian municipalities, the suburb west of Oslo has a very posh image, and residents are often stereotyped as upper class.

History

The area known today as Bærum was a fertile agricultural area as far back as the Bronze Age, and several archeological finds stem from the Iron Age. The first mention of the name is from the saga of Sverre of Norway, from about 1200. There are ruins of stone churches from the 1100s at Haslum and Tanum.

The pilgrim road to Trondheim that was established after 1030 went through Bærum, and there is evidence that lime kilns were in use in the area in 850. There were shipping ports for the quicklime at Slependen and Sandvika. The lime kiln is the main motif for the municipality's coat of arms.

In the 1600s, iron ore was discovered in Bærum and the iron works at Bærums Verk were founded. Industries such as paper mills, nail factories, sawmills, glassworks, and brick works were established along the rivers Lysakerelven and Sandvikselven in the following centuries. There were orchards and other agricultural concerns throughout the area, remnants of which still exist today.

A number of artists established themselves in Bærum, particularly around the art school run by Johan Fredrik Eckersberg. Among the artists who did much of their work in Bærum are Fritz Thaulow, Christian Skredsvig, Harriet Backer, Kitty Kielland, Otto Sinding, Eilif Pettersen, Gerhardt Munthe, and Erik Werenskiold.

Starting in the mid-20th century, Bærum's agricultural base gradually gave way to residential construction. Still, only a third of the area (64 km²) is built up for residential use; over half is productive forestry, and nearly 17 km² is still agricultural.

Coat-of-arms

The coat-of-arms is from modern times (1976). It shows an old lime kiln. (The export of lime used to be important for the economy of the municipality.)

The name

The name (Norse Bergheimr) is composed of berg n "mountain" and heimr m "homestead, farm". It has probably originally belonged to a farm lying beneath the prominent mountain Kolsås. In Norse times the municipality was often called Bergheimsherað 'the herað ("parish, district") of Bergheimr.'

Geography

The physical geography of Bærum is dominated by a craggy coastline along the Oslofjord and inland, hilly areas rising to the north and east, where there are large forested areas. The mountain of Kolsås forms a natural center, but the municipality also includes the secluded valley of Lommedalen. Four major rivers flow through the municipality: Lysakerelva, Sandvikselva, Lomma, and Øverlandselva, and there are numerous lakes, both in residential and forested areas. The official municipality flower is Anemone ranunculoides.

The geology of Bærum also offers some of the best examples of the distinct diversity of the Oslo region's rocks, formations, and fossil finds.

Bærum's forested surroundings offer great opportunities for outdoor activities, such as skiing, hiking and fishing. Inhabitants are generally eager to use "Marka" - a popular name for the forest belt which starts at Vestmarka, continues through Kroksskogen, Bærumsmarka, Nordmarka and Lillomarka and ends up at Østmarka. Lillomarka, Østmarka and parts of Nordmarka belongs to Oslo. Marka is an area where cars and motorized vehicles are not allowed. The gravel roads through Marka is closed with gates, but there are large car parking areas outside the gates. These car parks are often very full during the weekends.

Administratively, Bærum is divided into 22 sections. The population in each section per January 1, 2005:

Østerås-Eiksmarka : 3927 Hosle north : 2973 Voll : 4896 Grav : 5624 Hosle south : 4677 Jar : 5793 Lysaker : 3439 Snarøya : 2807 Stabekk : 6261 Høvik : 4172 Løkeberg-Blommenholm : 6863 Haslum : 5286

East Bærumsmarka : 1936 Sandvika-Valler : 4742 Jong : 2762 Slependen-Tanum : 7005 Dønski-Rud : 3186 Kolsås : 5185 Rykkinn : 8971 Kirkerud-Sollihøgda : 3449 Bærums Verk : 7565 Lommedalen : 3064 N/A : 107

Economy

Bærum's industrial base has since the 1950s given way to service industries, including retailing, engineering, public services, etc. It derives much of its tax base by being a bedroom community to Oslo. It is one of the most affluent areas in Norway.

Two of Norway's busiest highways (E18 and E16) and one railroad traverse the municipality. There has been considerable development of office parks along E18, especially around Lysaker in the last 20-30 years, reducing some of the pressure on downtown areas of Oslo.

Demographics

Bærum is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Norway. Along the E18 highway, the residential area is continuous with Oslo and continues with some interruption through to the neighboring municipality of Asker.

Bærum is also the most affluent of Norwegian municipalities, with average per capita income (2002 figures) of NOK 370,800, compared with the national average of NOK 262,800, and also has the highest level of education nation-wide.

Famous residents

• Eilif Peterssen (1852-1928), painter
• Herman Bang (1857-1912), Danish writer
• Claude Monet (1840-1926), painter, stayed in Sandvika for two months in the winter of 1895. His most famous painting from his stay is probably one of Sandvika featuring the Løkke bridge, with Kolsås in the background.
• Finn Alnæs (1932–1991), writer
• Harriet Backer (1845-1932), painter
• Jo Benkow (1924), politician
• Gro Harlem Brundtland (1939), politician and former prime minister
• Hans Petter Buraas (1975), Alpine skier
• Jan Tore Sanner (1965), politician
• Ivo Caprino (1920–2001), filmmaker
• Harald Eia (1966), comedian
• Kjell Hallbing (1934–2004), writer
• Arnold Haukeland, sculptor
• Kitty Kielland (1845-1932), painter
• Vebjørn Sand (1966), artist
• Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930), zoologist, polar explorer, humanist
• Anita Skorgan (1958), singer
• Magnus Carlsen (1990), chess player
• Bjørn Einar Romøren (1981), ski jumper

External links

• Municipality of Bærum official web site
• Tourist information from the municipality of Bærum
• IT Fornebu
• Weather forecast and map for Bærum
• Budstikka (local newspaper for Asker and Bærum)
• Page featuring Monet's paintings from Norway

References