Økern was a farm in the former municipality of

Aker Aker may refer to: Places * Aker, Norway, a geographic area in Oslo and a former municipality in Norway * Vestre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Nordre Aker, a district of Oslo within former Aker municipality * Aker Br ...

, Norway, and is currently a district in the borough of Bjerke in the city of Oslo. It includes the neighborhoods of Refstad, Risløkka, Brobekk, Nordre Hovin, Aker Sykehus,

Bjerkebanen Bjerkebanen, often simply called Bjerke, is a neighborhood in the Økern district of the Bjerke borough in northeastern Oslo, Norway. It lies in the Grorud Valley. The area is dominated by the Bjerke Race Track, a harness racing track (estab ...

, and Økern Senter.

Infrastructure

The district is served by the

Grorud Line The Grorud Line ( no, Grorudbanen) is a line on the Oslo Metro between Tøyen and Vestli in Oslo, Norway. Built as a mix of underground, at ground level and as an elevated line, it runs through the northern part of Groruddalen, serving such ...

of the Oslo Metro. A larger business centre is located near the Økern Station. Among the institutions at Økern is the headquarters of the Norwegian State Educational Loan Fund. The

Alna Line The Alna Line ( no, Alnabanen) is a railway line between Alnabru and Grefsen in Oslo, Norway. The single track line allows direct access between the Trunk Line and the Gjøvik Line, without having to pass via Oslo Central Station. The line is el ...

, used for freight trains between the Trunk Line and the Gjøvik Line, from Alnabru to Grefsen, passes through Økern, close to the business centre of ''Økernsenteret''.

History

The farm of Økern was among the oldest in the former municipality of Aker. The earliest preserved document where Økern is mentioned dates back to 1279. In the 13th century the farm was owned by landowner Audun Hugleiksson, and it later became a property of the Church. Among the owners from the 17th century onwards were

Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, Count of Laurvig (20 July 1638 – 17 April 1704) was Governor-general of Norway (''Stattholdere i Norge'') from 1664–1699. He was the leading general in Norway during the Scanian War, whose Norwegian leg is conventio ...

(from 1679), Lauritz Jacobsssøn Falch, Paul Peterssøn Vogt,

Ole Christopher Wessel Ole Christopher Wessel (12 January 1744 – 26 December 1794) was a Norwegian jurist, civil servant and landowner. He was born in Vestby in Akershus as the son of parish priest Jonas Wessel (1707-1785) and Helene Marie Schumacher (1715-1789) ...

Peter Collett Peter Collett may refer to: * Peter Collett (judge) Peter Collett (8 August 1766 – 27 July 1836) was a Norwegian judge, businessman and property owner. Peter Collett was born at Modum in Buskerud, Norway. He was the eldest son of landowner Pe ...

and

Ludvig Mariboe Ludvig Mariboe (12 October 1781 – 19 June 1841) was a Norway, Norwegian businessman, publisher and politician. References

1781 births 1841 deaths Norwegian businesspeople 19th-century Norwegian politicians {{Norway-business-bio-stub ...

(who lived at the farm until his death in 1841). ''Økernveien'', an old road to the former city border, was named after the farm in 1879. In the 19th century the farm was split off into several smaller units, and from 1910 onwards small residential houses were built in the northern part of Økern. Land owner

Anton Tschudi Anton Tschudi (12 April 1848 – 1914) was a Norwegian landowner. He was born in Tønsberg and was of Swiss descent. His father, Peter Tschudi (1812–1900) owned the farm Valløe in Sem outside Tønsberg city. His sister Clara was a well-known wr ...

parceled out both parts of the farm of Økern and other properties in Aker. The road ''Anton Tschudis vei'' at Økern was named after him in 1925. Standard Telefon- og Kabelfabrikk 1952

In 1915 the factory ''Skandinaviske Kabel- og Gummifabriker'' was established at Økern, and production started in 1919. The factory was eventually acquired by the

ITT Corporation ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three businesses ...

and renamed Standard Telephones and Cables from 1934. Cable manufacturing in Oslo was terminated in 1992. The municipality of Oslo bought the rest of the farm in 1938. After World War II the property was further developed with apartments, business and industry. Central participants in the development of Økern in the 1950s were architect

Gunnar Schultz Gunnar is a male first name of Nordic origin (''Gunnarr'' in Old Norse). The name Gunnar means fighter, soldier, and attacker, but mostly is referred to by the Viking saying which means Brave and Bold warrior (''gunnr'' "war" and ''arr'' "warrio ...

and building contractor

Nils Stian Stiansen Nils Stian Stiansen (16 August 1900 – 25 July 1974) was a Norwegian building contractor. He was born in Fevik, a son of Peder Stiansen and Inga Marie Knudsen. He operated as building contractor in Oslo from 1924, and constructed a number of res ...

. Økernbråten I had 385 apartments plus kindergarten, and Økernbråten II consisted of eleven blocks with 290 apartments; constructed between 1955 and 1959. In ''Brobekkveien'' a nine-floor block with shops, offices and apartments was finished in 1957. The

housing cooperative A housing cooperative, or housing co-op, is a legal entity, usually a cooperative or a corporation, which owns real estate, consisting of one or more residential buildings; it is one type of housing tenure. Housing cooperatives are a distinc ...

of Kroklia Borettslag, ten terraced houses with a total of forty apartments, was completed in 1960. In 2021 Kloden, a theatre for children and youth, opened.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okern Neighbourhoods of Oslo Farms in Norway