Askim

Askim (pronunciation) 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).

This article is about the municipality is Østfold, Norway. For other uses, see Askim (disambiguation).
Askim kommune
Municipality
Coat of arms
Østfold within
Norway
Askim within Østfold
Coordinates: 59°35′10″N 11°10′12″E
CountryNorway
CountyØstfold
DistrictSmaalenene
Administrative centreAskim
Government
 • Mayor (2011)Thor Hals (H)
Area
 • Total69 km2 (27 sq mi)
 • Land66 km2 (25 sq mi)
Area rank409 in Norway
Population
 (30. June 2014)
 • Total15,511[1]
 • Rank71 in Norway
 • Density225/km2 (580/sq mi)
 • Change (10 years)
9.0%
Demonym(s)Askiming[2]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
ISO 3166 codeNO-0124
Official language formBokmål[3]
Websitewww.askim.kommune.no
Data from Statistics Norway

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]

Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Askim by country of origin in 2015[6]
Ancestry Number
 Poland399
 Iraq312
 Vietnam288
 Bosnia-Herzegovina163
 Philippines140
 Somalia131
 Kosovo126
 Lithuania123
 Syria118
 Croatia113

Attractions

Twin towns — sister cities
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway

The following cities are twinned with Askim:[7]

Notable people
See also: Indre_Østfold_municipality § Notable_people

References
  1. http://www.askim.kommune.no/fakta-om-askim.215527.no.html
  2. "Navn på steder og personer: Innbyggjarnamn" (in Norwegian). Språkrådet.
  3. "Forskrift om målvedtak i kommunar og fylkeskommunar" (in Norwegian). Lovdata.no.
  4. Norske Kommunevåpen (1990). "Nye kommunevåbener i Norden". Retrieved 2008-12-13.
  5. Norwegian Government. "2007 Askim election results" (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  6. "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.
  7. "Askims vennskapskommuner" (in Norwegian). Askim kommune. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
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