Drammen () is a city and municipality in Viken,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the south-eastern and most populated part of Norway. Drammen municipality also includes smaller towns and villages such as

Konnerud Konnerud is a village located south of the city of Drammen in Viken, Norway. Konnerud has a population of 10 314 (2019) History Etymology One of the local farms gave its name to the entire area. Many of the farms located on Konnerud have names t ...

Svelvik Svelvik is a town in Drammen municipality, Viken county. It is also a former municipality, which was a part of former Vestfold county. The town of Svelvik was separated from the rural municipality of Strømm to become a municipality of its own ...

Mjøndalen Mjøndalen is a built up area in Drammen municipality in Viken county (formerly Buskerud county), Norway. It is situated south of the Drammenselva River opposite of Krokstadelva. History Mjøndalen has traditionally been a railway site most k ...

and

Skoger Skoger is a village located on the border between Buskerud and Vestfold counties, Norway. Of its population of 1,082 as of 2005, 654 were registered as residents of Drammen whereas 428 live in Sande in Vestfold county, Norway. History Histor ...

Location

Drammen is located west of the Oslofjord and is situated approximately 44 km South-west of Oslo. There are more than 101 000 inhabitants in the municipality, but the city is the regional capital of an area with 82 000 inhabitants. Drammen and the surrounding communities are growing more than ever before. The city makes good use of the river and inland waterway called

Drammensfjord Drammensfjord ( en, Drammen Fjord) is a fjord in Norway that connects to Ytre Oslofjord on the west side. It stretches to the north and northeast. The Drammenselva river discharges into the head of the fjord. The municipality and city of Drammen ...

, both for recreation, activities and housing.

Name and coat of arms

The

Old Norse Old Norse, Old Nordic, or Old Scandinavian, is a stage of development of North Germanic languages, North Germanic dialects before their final divergence into separate Nordic languages. Old Norse was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and t ...

form of the city's name was ''Drafn'', and this was originally the name of the inner part of

. The

fjord In physical geography, a fjord or fiord () is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Alaska, Antarctica, British Columbia, Chile, Denmark, Germany, Greenland, the Faroe Islands, Ice ...

is, however, probably named after the river Drammenselva (Norse ''Drǫfn''), and this again is derived from ''drǫfn'' f '

wave In physics, mathematics, and related fields, a wave is a propagating dynamic disturbance (change from equilibrium) of one or more quantities. Waves can be periodic, in which case those quantities oscillate repeatedly about an equilibrium (res ...

'. The

coat-of-arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its w ...

is from modern times. They were granted on 17 November 1960. The arms has a silver-colored column on top a silver-colored bedrock crossed with a silver-colored key and sword against a blue background. It is based upon the old seal dating from 1723 for Bragernes, one of the central parts of Drammen. The

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

for Bragernes (in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

) was ''In Fide Et Justitia Fortitudo'' ( en, in faith and justice is strength), and the items in the seal are referring to this: key = faith, sword = justice, column on rocks = strength.

Governance

On January 1, 2020, the municipalities of Svelvik, Nedre Eiker and Drammen merged to form «The New Drammen Municipality». The new municipality, which is now called Drammen, is located in Viken County and is Norway's seventh largest with over 100,000 residents. The main seat of the Greater Municipality is located in the city of Drammen. Drammen city had a population of 82.875 inhabitants in 2021, but serves as a regional centre for an area that had a population of 110.236 inhabitants in 2021. The city is the country's record champion in environment and urban development, 21 prices since 2003 with 16 national and 5 international.

Districts

After the merger of the municipalities Drammen, Nedre Eiker and Svelvik in 2020, the municipality was then divided into ten municipal regions: Drammen kommunedelene blå-grå

History

Rock carvings at Åskollen and Austad are 6000 to 7000 years old, and are the first signs of human activity in the area. The largest rock carving at Åskollen depicts a

moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...

Drammen originally consisted of three small seaports: Bragernes (on the northern side of the Drammenselva river) and

Strømsø Strømsø is a borough of Drammen, Viken, Norway. Strømsø is located at the southern side of the river Drammenselva. Until about 1600, Stømsø was an island surrounded by the Drammenselva, but was later made landfast. In 1728 Strømsø was gr ...

and

Tangen Tangen is a village in Stange Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located near the shores of the large lake Mjøsa, about south of the village of Stangebyen. The small village of Espa lies about to the south of Tangen. ...

(both on the southern side of the river). For trade purposes, small seaports were placed under market towns. Despite their geographical proximity, Bragernes was placed under Christiania and Strømsø under Tønsberg. For this reason, cooperation between the adjacent seaport towns was almost impossible. In 1662, a merger was proposed to unite Strømsø and Bragernes to form a market town with the name Frederiksstrøm. The proposal was rejected by

Frederick III of Denmark Frederick III ( da, Frederik; 18 March 1609 – 9 February 1670) was King of Denmark and Norway from 1648 until his death in 1670. He also governed under the name Frederick II as diocesan administrator (colloquially referred to as prince-bi ...

. Bragernes received limited market town rights in 1715, and merged with Strømsø to gain status as a single

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

on 19 June 1811. Its geographical location made the city favorable for seafaring,

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

, log driving, timber trade. During the 19th century, paper and pulp industries were developed. Large parts of the city were ruined in the great fire of 12–13 July 1866, which led to the reconstruction of the city centre, including the characteristic town square and Bragernes church. The Drammen Line (''Drammenbanen'' ) opened in 1872 providing rail service between Drammen and Oslo. In 1909, Drammen got the first

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

system in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

, the Drammen trolleybus. The lines ran until 1967. For many years the centre of Drammen suffered from heavy traffic. In 1970, Drammen Bridge with two lanes on European route E18 was built (expanded to four lanes in 2006) and in 1999 the opening of the Bragernes tunnel (''Bragernestunnelen'') diverted additional traffic away from the centre of the city. In recent years, the city centre has seen the introduction of new housing, shopping facilities, restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as a public pathway along the Drammenselva river. In 2011, Drammen observed its 200th anniversary with many citywide jubilee celebrations. Drammen's district heating system was upgraded to use water-sourced heat pumps, drawing on local fjord water, to support population growth in the city.

Geography

Drammen is one of the larger cities in Norway, and lies about from the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

of Norway,

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

. The city centre lies at the end of a

valley A valley is an elongated low area often running between Hill, hills or Mountain, mountains, which will typically contain a river or stream running from one end to the other. Most valleys are formed by erosion of the land surface by rivers ...

, on both sides of the Drammenselva river, and where the river meets the

. The Holmen island in Drammen is also the main harbor for car and fruit import in Norway. The Drammen region is part of the metropolitan region around

and the country's fifth largest urban area, it extends far beyond the municipal boundaries; into the municipalities of Lier, Asker, Øvre Eiker and Holmestrand. The total population of the settlement is 110,236 inhabitants as of 1 January 2021. In 2008 Drammen won the prestigious prize for the best city development in Europe.

Climate

Drammen has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

(Dfb). Located at a sheltered location at the head of a narrow fjord branch of innermost Oslofjord, Drammen is among the warmest cities in Scandinavia in summer. The warmest month on record was July 2018 with mean , average daily high and 11 days with highs at or above . The all-time high was recorded August 3, 1982, and is a tie with the national high for the month. The September record high is the national record. The all-time low was recorded in January 1987, which is the coldest month on record with mean and average daily low . In more recent years, December 2010 was almost as cold. The average date for first overnight freeze (low below ) in autumn is 13 October (1981-2010 average). The Drammen-Berskog weather station has been operating since 2004. An earlier weather station named Drammen-Marienlyst (3 m) operated from 1966 to 2003.

Demographics

Percentage Immigrants and Norwegian-born with immigrant parents in Drammen is 28 per cent, of which 25 per cent are Norwegian-born with immigrant parents.

Attractions

Aass Brewery

Aass Brewery is the oldest surviving

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...

in Norway, and has won acclaim for both its

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

and its well-conserved building. Founded in 1834, the brewery's primary products are soft drinks, beer and aquavit.

Bridges

*Øvre Sund Bridge (''Øvre Sund bru'') – crosses Drammenselva in the center of Drammen *Drammen City Bridge (''Drammensbrua bybro'') – concrete bridge connecting the two centers of the town, built 1936 * Drammen Bridge (''Drammensbrua'') – motorway box girder bridge on E18 that crosses Drammenselva, built 1971 * Ypsilon Bridge (''Ypsilon bru'') – cable-stayed pedestrian bridge over Drammenselva, built 2007 *Holmen bridges (''Holmenbruene'') – two railway bridges on the Drammen Line *Nedre Eiker Bridge – (Nedre Eiker bru) crosses Drammenselva up the river connecting the towns

Krokstadelva Krokstadelva is a town in Drammen municipality, part of the Viken county in Norway. It is situated north of the Drammenselva river and opposite Mjøndalen. Industry and commerce Historically Krokstadelva was known for its industry; including paper ...

. *Mjøndalsbrua – The old bridge between Mjøndalen and Krokstadelva, built for crossing of horse-drawn carriages in 1910.

Drammen Museum

The Drammen Museum of Art and Cultural History includes Marienlyst, a manor house from ca. 1770, museum building from 1930 with the museum's administration, permanent exhibitions and collections, and Lyche pavilion from 1990 with the gallery, temporary exhibitions and museum café, Halling yard, with 5 old buildings, the oldest from 1760s. The museum also includes the two largest preserved like farms in Drammen, Gulskogen Manor and Austad farm.

Drammen Spiral

The '' Drammen Spiral'' is a road tunnel that allows access to the Skansen Ridge, above the town. It opened in 1961 on the site of a former quarry.

Drammen Theater

Drammen Theater in Bragernes was built in 1869 and was designed by architect

Emil Victor Langlet Emil Victor Langlet (26 February 1824 – 10 March 1898) was a Swedish architect. He is most commonly associated with his design for the Norwegian Parliament Building in Oslo, Norway. Background Langlet was born in Borås, Sweden. He was educat ...

. The theater was the first modern theater in the country. It was designed in a complex Renaissance style with symmetrical facades and round arched windows. After Drammen Theater suffered total destruction by fire in December 1993, a new theater was rebuilt on the model of the original house. It was finished during February 1997.

Drammensbadet

Drammensbadet is a public swimming and training facility located in Marienlyst, Drammen. It was one of the largest in Norway when it opened 1 September 2008. They have five indoor and four outdoor pools.

Bragernes Torg (town square)

Bragernes Torg is the largest town square in Norway and one of the largest in the Nordics.

Sport clubs

* Strømsgodset IF and their elite football section

Strømsgodset Toppfotball Strømsgodset Toppfotball is a Norwegian professional association football, football club based in Gulskogen, Drammen, that competes in the Eliteserien (football), Eliteserien. It is the elite football section of the multi-sports club Strømsgods ...

. Founded 10 February 1907. Five

Norwegian Cup The Norwegian Football Cup ( no, Norgesmesterskapet i fotball for herrer) is the main knockout cup competition in Norwegian football. It is run by the Football Association of Norway and has been contested since 1902, making it the oldest football ...

s in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

(1969, 1970, 1973, 1991, 2010). Winner of the Norwegian football league in 1970 and 2013. Won six Norwegian championships in

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two teams wearing ice skates on a large ice surface (either indoors or outdoors) while using sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal. The international governing body for bandy is ...

. * Drammen golfklubb. Founded in 1988.

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

club with 18-hole course situated in the southern part of Drammen, on the border to Sande in

Vestfold Vestfold is a traditional region, a former county and a current electoral district in Eastern Norway. In 2020 the county became part of the much larger county of Vestfold og Telemark. Located on the western shore of the Oslofjord, it bordered th ...

. *

Drammen HK Drammen HK is a team handball club from Drammen, Norway. Currently, Drammen HK competes in the Norwegian First League of Handball. The club was founded on March 3, 1992. The foundation was the result of a long going project where handball cl ...

Handball club competing in Men's European Champions League (07/08) * IF Hellas *

IF Sturla Idrettsforeningen Sturla is a Norwegian sports club from Drammen, founded in 1923. It has sections for athletics, orienteering and skiing. The athletics uses Marienlyst stadion as their home field. Among its most prominent members are long-dista ...

* Konnerud IL Sport club most famous for its

cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

facilities. *

SBK Drafn Ski- og Ballklubben Drafn is a Norwegian multi-sports club from Drammen, founded in 1910. The club, which takes its name from the Norse name of Drammen, was founded as a merger of the clubs Ulf (founded 1905) and Njord (founded 1906). In 1916 it ...

Founded 15 September 1910, 21 Norwegian Championships in bandy, 1 lost cup final in football (1927). One World Champion ski jumper, Hans Bjørnstad 1950. Ole Olympic Gold medallist, Thorleif Haug 1924 (three gold, one bronze). * SBK Skiold * Drammen Bandy plays in the highest division. * Drammen FK. Founded 23 August 2008.

Notable residents

Public service & business

Thorbjørn Jagland (30366602783) (cropped)

Niels Treschow Niels Nicolas Treschow (5 September 1751 – 22 September 1833) was a Norwegian philosopher, educator and politician. Biography Treschow was born in Strømsø, now part of Drammen in Buskerud. He was the son of Peter Treschow (1718-1773) ...

(1751 in Strømsø – 1833) a philosopher, educator and politician *

Jørgen Herman Vogt Jørgen Herman Vogt (21 July 1784 – 12 January 1862) was a Norwegian politician who served as First Minister of Norway from 1856 to 1858, during the personal union between Sweden and Norway. The first minister was subordinated to the gover ...

(1784 in Bragernes – 1862) First Minister of Norway, 1856 to 1858 *

Christen Smith Christen Smith (17 October 1785 – 22 September 1816) was an early 19th-century Norwegian physician, economist and naturalist, particularly botanist. He died, only 30 years old during a dramatic expedition to the Congo River in 1816, leaving a ...

(1785 in Skoger – 1816 at Congo River) physician, economist and botanist *

Erik Børresen Erik Børresen (17 September 1785 – 14 January 1860) was a Norwegian ship owner, merchant and philanthropist. Biography Erik Andreas Børresen as born in the Bragernes neighborhood of Drammen in Buskerud, Norway. He was the son of Lars Børrese ...

(1785 in Bragernes – 1860) owned the first Norwegian ships to sail to China *

Bent Salvesen Bent Salvesen (born 20 October 1787 at Hesnes in Grimstad, died 17 September 1820 in Santander, Spain) was a Norwegian ship's captain, Lieutenant (navy), lieutenant in the Royal Danish Navy (1510–1814), Royal Danish Navy and privateer authorized ...

(1787-1820) a ship's captain and

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

; sailed from Drammen *

Bernhard Pauss Bernhard Cathrinus Pauss (born 6 April 1839 at Tangen, Drammen, died 9 November 1907 in Christiania) was a Norwegian theologian, educator, author and humanitarian and missionary leader, who was a major figure in girls' education in Norway in his ...

(born 1839 at Tangen - 1907) theologian, educator, author and humanitarian *

Gustav Jensen Gustav Margerth Jensen (July 13, 1845 – November 2, 1922) was a Norwegians, Norwegian priest, hymnologist, hymnwriter, seminary instructor, and liturgist. He is best known for his liturgy revision and hymnal publication. Gustav Jensen was born ...

(1845 in Drammen – 1922) priest, hymnwriter, seminary instructor and liturgist * Anthon B. Nilsen (1855 in Svelvik – 1936) businessman, politician and author * Urban Jacob Rasmus Børresen (1857 in Drammen – 1943) a rear admiral and industrialist *

Betzy Kjelsberg Betzy Aleksandra Kjelsberg (née Børresen) (1 November 1866 – 3 October 1950) was a Norwegian women's rights activist, suffragist and a member of the feminist movement. She was a politician with the Liberal Party and the first female board mem ...

(1866 in Svelvik – 1950) politician, women's rights activist and suffragist * Johan Aschehoug Kiær (1869 in Drammen – 1931) a paleontologist and geologist * Johan Berger Mathiesen (born 1872 in Drammen - 1923) surgeon, worked in

Eau Claire, WI Eau Claire (; ) (French for "clear water") is a city mostly located in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, of which it is the county seat, and with a small portion in Chippewa County, Wisconsin. It had a population of 69,421 in 2020, making it the state' ...

Arnold Maria Hansson Arnold Maria Hansson (10 November 1889 – 5 September 1981) was a New Zealand forestry administrator and consultant. He was born in Drammen, Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, ...

(born 1889 in Drammen - 1981) New Zealand forestry administrator and consultant *

Konrad Knudsen Konrad Gustav Knudsen (19 August 1890 - 16 June 1959) was a Norwegian painter, journalist, and parliamentarian. Knudsen is perhaps best known for inviting Leon Trotsky to live at his house when the Norwegian government granted Trotsky political as ...

(1890 in Drammen - 1959) painter and journalist, host to

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein. ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky; uk, link= no, Лев Давидович Троцький; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trotskij'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky''. (), was a Russian ...

1935/6 *

Henning Bødtker Henning Bremer Bødtker (14 August 1891 – 19 November 1975) was a Norwegian jurist and civil servant. He was the Attorney General of Norway from 1945 to 1962. Personal life He was born in Svelvik as a son of ship captain Jacob Bødtker (1847� ...

(1891 in Svelvik – 1975) lawyer,

Attorney General of Norway Established in 1816, the Office of the Attorney General of Norway ( no, Regjeringsadvokatembetet) is the legal advisor to the government. The attorney general assists the executive branch of government with judicial questions and to conduct civil le ...

, 1945 to 1962 *

Odd Dahl Odd Dahl (3 November 1898 – 2 June 1994) was a Norwegian engineer and explorer. He is particularly remembered for his contributions to research in nuclear physics. Biography He was born at Drammen in Buskerud, Norway, the son of businessman ...

(1898 in Drammen – 1994) engineer, nuclear physics researcher and explorer * Arnfinn Vik (1901 in Drammen – 1990) politician. Mayor of Oslo, 1945 to 1947 *

Henry Wilhelm Kristiansen Henry Wilhelm Kristiansen (12 February 1902 – 16 January 1942) was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Communist Party. He served as party chairman from 1931 to 1934, and then as editor-in-chief of the party organ ''Arbeideren'' f ...

(1902 in Drammen – 1942) politician, chairman of the

Communist Party of Norway The Communist Party of Norway ( no, Norges Kommunistiske Parti, NKP) is a communist party in Norway. The NKP was formed in 1923, following a split in the Norwegian Labour Party. It was Stalinist from its establishment and, as such, supported t ...

1931-1934 *

Asbjørn Bryhn Asbjørn Johan Bryhn (24 August 1906 – 21 January 1990) was a Norwegian police officer, known for his resistance work during World War II, and later head of the Norwegian Police Surveillance Agency. Personal life Bryhn was born in Drammen as th ...

(1906 in Drammen – 1990) head of the Norwegian Police Security Service *

Thorstein Treholt Thorstein Treholt (13 April 1911 – 17 March 1993) was a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. He was the father of convicted Norwegian spy Arne Treholt. He was born in Skoger. An agronomist by education, Treholt was state secretar ...

(1911 in Skoger – 1993) politician and father of convicted spy

Arne Treholt Arne Treholt (born 13 December 1942) is a Norwegian-born, Russia-based convicted felon and former KGB agent who was convicted of treason and espionage on behalf of the Soviet Union against Norway during the Cold War and sentenced to 20 years in p ...

Lars Korvald (29 April 1916 – 4 July 2006) was a Norway, Norwegian educator and school headmaster. He became associated with the Kristelig Folkeparti, Christian Democratic Party and was elected to the Norwegian Parliament. He served as the 27th prime minis ...

(1916 in Mjøndalen – 2006) politician, Prime Minister of Norway 1972 to 1973 *

Astrid Bjellebø Bayegan Astrid Sonja Bjellebø Bayegan (born 22 February 1943) became the first female dean in Norway when she was appointed to head the provostship of Drammen on 28 May 1989. She was ordained in 1975 by Bishop Georg Hille in Hamar Cathedral. She served ...

(born 1943) first female dean in Norway, at Drammen since 1989 * Svein Rennemo (born 1947 in Drammen) a businessperson and chair of

Statoil Equinor ASA (formerly Statoil and StatoilHydro) is a Norwegian state owned enterprise, state-owned multinational energy company headquartered in Stavanger. It is primarily a petroleum company, petroleum company, operating in 36 countries with ad ...

Thorbjørn Jagland Thorbjørn Jagland (born Thorbjørn Johansen; , 5 November 1950) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. He served as the secretary general of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2019. He served as the 32nd prime minister of Norway from ...

(born 1950 in Drammen) Prime Minister of Norway, 1996 to 1997 *

Per-Erik Burud Per-Erik Burud (15 October 1962 – 13 July 2011) was a Norwegian billionaire and head of the grocery chain Kiwi. He joined Kiwi in 1991, and by 2007 he was Norway's 134th richest man with a fortune of NOK 1.1 billion. Early life As a five-yea ...

(1962 in Drammen – 2011) Norwegian billionaire, head of grocery chain

Kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), a nickname for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible berry * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of currency Kiwi or KIWI may also refe ...

The Arts

* Hanna Winsnes (1789 in Bragernes – 1872) a poet, novelist and cookbook writer *

Martinus Rørbye Martinus Christian Wesseltoft Rørbye (; 17 May 1803 – 29 August 1848) was a Danish painter, known both for genre works and landscapes. He was a central figure of the Golden Age of Danish painting during the first half of the 19th century. Th ...

(1803 in Drammen – 1848) a

Danish Golden Age The Danish Golden Age ( da, Den danske guldalder) covers a period of exceptional creative production in Denmark, especially during the first half of the 19th century.Kulturnet DanmarkGuide to the Danish Golden Age Although Copenhagen had suffered ...

painter, worked in Skagen *

Peter Nicolai Arbo Peter Nicolai Arbo (18 June 1831 – 14 October 1892) was a Norwegian historical painter, who specialized in portraits and allegorical scenes from Norwegian history and the Norse mythology. He is most noted for ''The Wild Hunt of Odin'', a d ...

(1831 in Drammen – 1892) painter of history motifs and Norse mythology *

Christian Cappelen Christian Cappelen (26 January 1845 – 11 May 1916) was a Norwegian organist and composer. Biography Cappelen was born in Drammen, Norway. He studied under Ludvig Mathias Lindeman and at the Leipzig Conservatoire. In 1887, after 20 yea ...

(1845 in Drammen – 1916) a Norwegian organist and composer * Hans Heyerdahl (1857-1913) realist painter, portraits and landscapes; grew up in Drammen *

Johan Halvorsen Johan Halvorsen (15 March 1864 – 4 December 1935) was a Norwegian composer, conducting, conductor and violinist. Life Born in Drammen, he was an accomplished violinist from a very early age and became a prominent figure in Norwegian musical ...

(1864 in Drammen – 1935) a Norwegian composer, conductor and violinist *

Barbra Ring Barbra Mathilde Ring (4 July 1870 – 6 May 1955) was a Norwegian novelist, short story writer, children's writer, biographer, memoirist, literary critic and theatre critic. She made her literary début in 1904 with the girl's novel ''Babbens Da ...

(1870 in Drammen – 1955) novelist, short story writer and theatre critic *

Herman Wildenvey Herman Wildenvey (20 July 1885 – 27 September 1959), born Herman Theodor Portaas, was one of the most prominent Norwegian poets of the twentieth century. During his lifetime he published 44 books of his own poetry, in addition to translati ...

(1885 at Mjøndalen – 1959) a distinguished Norwegian poet *

Lalla Carlsen Lalla Carlsen (née Haralda Petrea Christensen) (17 August 1889 – 23 March 1967) was a Norwegian singer and actress. She is regarded as one of the most legendary female revue artists in Norway. Personal life Lalla Carlsen was born in Svelvik ...

(1889 in Svelvik – 1967) a Norwegian singer and actress *

Kai Fjell Kai Breder Fjell (; March 2, 1907 – January 10, 1989) was a Norwegian painter, printmaker and scenographer. Personal life Fjell was born on a farm in the village Skoger near Drammen. His father was a farmer and a painter, Conrad Bendiks ...

(1907 in Skoger - 1989) painter, printmaker and scenographer * Jens Gunderssen (1912 in Drammen – 1969) singer, songwriter, actor and theatre director *

Eivind Lund Eivind Lund (May 15th 1914 in Drammen - May 27th 1984) was a Norwegian painter. He started his education in 1935 at Kunst und Dekorationsfachschule in Hamburg and Schule Reimann and Erno Wacklawek in Berlin. In 1951 he went to Paris and became a ...

(1914 in Drammen - 1984) a Norwegian painter *

Solveig Christov Solveig Beda Christov ( née Fredriksen; 29 October 1918 – 16 May 1984) was a Norwegian novelist, writer of short stories, and playwright. Early and personal life Solveig Fredriksen was born in Drammen as a daughter of electrician Fredrik ...

(1918 in Drammen – 1984) writer of short stories, novels and plays *

Sverre Holm Sverre Holm Gundersen (24 July 1931 – 17 March 2005) was a Norwegian stage and film actor. He is probably best known for playing "Benny" in the Olsenbanden-movies (1969–1999), and as station master O. Tidemann the Norwegian children's progr ...

(1931 in Drammen – 2005) a Norwegian stage and film actor * Triztán Vindtorn (1942 in Drammen – 2009) a poet and

performance art Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...

ist *

Lars Klevstrand Lars Klevstrand (born 30 September 1949) is a Norwegian singer, guitarist, composer and actor. He was born in Drammen, Buskerud, the son of Olav Klevstrand and Grethe Sofie Larsen, and was brought up in Bærum. Career His debut album was ''Vi ...

(born 1949 in Drammen) a singer, guitarist, composer and actor *

Herodes Falsk Kim Bård Hansen (born 9 July 1954), better known by his stage name Herodes Falsk, is a Norwegian comedian, actor, author, and songwriter. Falsk is probably best known for his work with the musical comedy trio Prima Vera alongside Jahn Teigen and ...

(born 1954 in Drammen) comedian, actor, author, and songwriter *

Katharina Nuttall Katharina Nuttall (born 14 July 1972) is an artist, film composer and music producer who was born in Drammen, Norway. Nuttall lives in Stockholm, Sweden but is a Norwegian citizen with a Norwegian mother and a father from the UK. Her debut album ...

(born 1972 in Drammen) an artist, film composer and music producer *

Todd Terje Terje Olsen (born 1981), known professionally as Todd Terje, is a Norwegian DJ, songwriter, and record producer. His stage name is a homage to house music producer Todd Terry. Called "King of the summer jams" by ''Mixmag'', "one third of the Ho ...

(born 1981 in Mjøndalen) a Norwegian DJ, songwriter, and record producer

Sport

* Thorleif Haug (1894 in Lier – 1934) three Nordic skiing gold medals at

1924 Winter Olympics The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games (french: Iers Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Chamonix 1924 ( frp, Chamôni 1924), were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France ...

Charles Mathiesen Charles Mathiesen (12 February 1911 – 7 November 1994) was a speed skater who was active from 1930 to 1948. Biography Mathiesen was born in Drammen, Norway. Skating for ''Drammens Skøyteklubb'' (Drammen's Skating Club – the same club I ...

(1911 in Drammen – 1994) speed skater gold medal

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games (german: IV. Olympische Winterspiele) and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936 ( bar, Garmasch-Partakurch 1936), were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 ...

Johan Haanes Johan Clausen Haanes (30 April 1912 – 21 March 2000) was a Norwegian tennis player, ski jumper, bandy player and track and field athlete. He was among Norway's best tennis players of all time. Early and personal life Haanes was born in Dra ...

(1912 in Drammen – 2000) tennis player, ski jumper and track and field athlete *

Finn Helgesen Finn Helgesen (25 April 1919 – 3 September 2011) was a speed skater from Norway. Career Competing in the 500 m he won the national title in 1947 and 1949 and an Olympic gold medal in 1948. In 1948 he set a new Olympic record at 43.1 seconds ...

(1919 in Drammen – 2011) speed skater, gold medalist

1948 Winter Olympics The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games (german: V. Olympische Winterspiele; french: Ves Jeux olympiques d'hiver; it, V Giochi olimpici invernali; rm, V Gieus olimpics d'enviern) and commonly known as St. Moritz ...

* Arne Bergodd (born 1948 in Drammen) rower, team silver medallist at

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

* Arne Dokken (born 1955 in Drammen) footballer with 190 club caps and 24 for

Svend Karlsen Svend 'Viking' Karlsen (born 6 October 1967) is a Norway, Norwegian former Strongman (strength athlete), strongman, powerlifter, and International Federation of BodyBuilders, IFBB professional bodybuilder. Being a winner of the World's Strongest ...

(born 1967 in Drammen) former strongman, powerlifter and bodybuilder * Johann Olav Koss (born 1968 in Drammen) speed skater with four Olympic gold medals * Glenn Solberg (born 1972 in Drammen) handball coach, former player, 122 caps for

Heidi Tjugum Heidi Marie Tjugum (born 5 September 1973) is a Norwegian team handball player and goalkeeper, and World Champion from 1999. She was born in Drammen. She received a silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

(born 1973 in Drammen) team handballer, twice Olympic team medallist *

Ole Einar Bjørndalen Ole Einar Bjørndalen () (born 27 January 1974) is a retired Norwegian professional Biathlon, biathlete and coach, often referred to by the nickname, the "King of Biathlon". With 13 Winter Olympic Games medals, he is second on the List of multip ...

(born 1974 in Drammen) retired biathlete, 13 Winter Olympics medals *

Adnan Haidar Adnan Mahmoud Haidar ( ar, عدنان محمود حيدر, ; born 3 August 1989) is a professional football player and coach. A midfielder, he is a player-assistant coach for Norwegian club . Born and raised in Norway, Haidar represented them ...

(born 1989 in Drammen) footballer with over 150 club caps and 36 for

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

* Martin Ødegaard (born 1998) footballer with 200+ club caps, captain of

with 25 caps and the captain of

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

Kristian Krogh Johannessen Kristian Krogh Johannessen (born 3 March 1995) is a Norwegian professional golfer who has played on the European Tour and the Challenge Tour. He played in the 2020 Summer Olympics and won the 2022 Italian Challenge Open. Amateur career Johanness ...

(born 1995) Professional golfer, qualified to represent Norway at the 2021 Olympics. *

Hakon Lagerqvist Hakon is the Danish spelling of the Norwegian name Håkon or Haakon. The name is also related to the Danish form Hagen (given name) and Hagen (surname).''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'' ed. Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges - 2006 "H ...

(1970 in Drammen – Present) Local skier. First documented ski decent of the Kjøsterudjuvet and skied 10000 vertical meters in one day at Norefjell ski area.

Twin towns – sister cities

Drammen is twinned with: * Kolding, Denmark * Lappeenranta, Finland *

Örebro Örebro ( , ) is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, sixth-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Örebro Municipality, and capital of the Örebro County. It is situated by the Närke Plain, near the lake Hjälmaren, a few kilometers in ...

, Sweden *

Stykkishólmur Stykkishólmur () is a town and municipality situated in the western part of Iceland, in the northern part of the Snæfellsnes peninsula. It is a center of services and commerce for the area. Most of the people make their living from fishing and ...

, Iceland

Gallery - Churches & Tunnels

File:Skoger kirke 2018 (1).jpg, Skoger Church File:Bragernes kirke fra sør 2018.jpg, Bragernes Church File:Strømsgodset kirke TRS 070724 017.jpg, Strømsgodset church File:Konnerud kirke.jpg, Konnerud church File:St Laurentius Drammen.jpg, St. Laurentius church (Roman Catholic) File:Fjell kirke Drammen.jpg, Fjell church File:Bragernestunnelen.jpg, Bragernes tunnel File:Hamborgstrømtunnelen1.jpg, Hamborgstrøm tunnel File:StrømsåstunnelenE134.jpg, Strømsås tunnel File:Kleivene.jpg, Kleivene tunnel File:Strømsåstunnelen-Drammen-d10127.jpg, Strømsås tunnel

References

Bibliography

* :* Attribution to Tingle given in

External links

*
Tourist Information

Elvebyen Drammen

River City of Drammen

Visit Drammen

Drammen kommune
{{Authority control Municipalities of Buskerud Municipalities of Viken (county) Cities and towns in Norway Populated coastal places in Norway