Jessheim is a town in the Ullensaker municipality in

Akershus Akershus () is a traditional region and current electoral district in Norway, with Oslo as its main city and traditional capital. It is named after the Akershus Fortress in Oslo. From the middle ages to 1919, Akershus was a fief and main county ...

of Norway.

History

The railway station with the Jessheim station was built in 1854 as part of the Hovedbanen line from Oslo to Eidsvoll. The railroad had at the initial construction of the railroad in 1854 called the stop "Trøgstad", but because of confusion with the town name

Trøgstad Trøgstad is a municipality in Østfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Skjønhaug. The municipality is divided into the parishes of Skjønhaug, Havnås and Båstad. The parish of ''Trygstad'' was ...

in Østfold, the name was changed in 1897 to "Jessum". This name was used blasphemically, for example by military recruits who said they had passed through

Bøn Bøn is a village in Akershus, 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 ...

(town north of Jessheim) which sounds like "prayer" in Norwegian to Jessum, which could sound like Jesus. The priests in the area complained to the bishop who in 1900 brought the case up with the local council and suggested the form "Jessheim". The name was changed to "Jesseim". In 1920 the railroad changed the spelling to the current form, Jessheim.

Facilities and landmarks

Jessheim is a center for commerce and regional service functions at

Øvre Romerike Øvre Romerike is the upper (northern) half of the traditional Norwegian district Romerike. It consists of the Akershus municipalities Gjerdrum, Nannestad, Eidsvoll, Hurdal, Ullensaker and Nes. The lower (southern) portion is known as Nedre Romerik ...

. The area also has some industry such as a concrete factory that utilizes the sand and gravel resources in the area as well as a wood products manufacturer. Jessheim Storsenter (mall) located in the center of town, is one of the biggest shopping malls in Norway. Jessheim is also home to Ullensaker Kulturhus which is a cultural center with a library and cinema. West of the town is the old royal burial mound

Raknehaugen Rakni's Mound ( no, Raknehaugen) is a large mound at Ullensaker in Akershus county, Norway. It is the largest free-standing prehistoric monument in Norway and is one of the largest Tumulus, barrows in Northern Europe. It dates to the Migration A ...

which dates back to between AD 533 and 551.

Etymology

The name "Jessheim" is from Norse ''Jasseimr'' or ''Jesseímr'' where the first part has unknown origin, while the second part (heimr) means ''home''. It is also possible that the first part "Jess" can mean

jarl Jarl is a rank of the nobility in Scandinavia. In Old Norse, it meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. ''Jarl'' could also mean a sovereign prince. For example, the rulers of several of the petty k ...

or jarls (earls). The name was originally used for the Hovin parish.

Population

As at January 2020, Jessheim's population was estimated to be 21,598.

Transport

Jessheim Station Jessheim Station ( no, Jessheim stasjon) is a railway station at Jessheim which opened in 1854. It is rom Oslo Central Station and has an elevation of above mean sea level. The station is part of Norway's first railway, the Trunk Line, which ra ...

(''Jessheim stasjon'') is located on the main track of Norway's first railroad, completed in 1854, and formed the foundation for the later town. From Jessheim trains go north to Dal and south to Oslo. The E6 highway runs past on the west side of the town. Distance to Oslo is 41 km along this road, distance along the railroad is 45 km. Jessheim is also an important crossroad between

Riksvei 35 Norwegian national roads (Norwegian: Riksvei/Riksveg abbr. Rv; literally: road of the rike/realm), are roads thus categorized by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens vegvesen) which also maintains them. In 2007 there were of this cla ...

westward to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen and Hønefoss,

Riksvei 174 Norwegian County Road 174 ( no, Fylkesvei 174) is long and runs between Nordby and Dalstua in Ullensaker, Norway. Prior to 1 January 2010, it was known as National Road 174 (). 174 174 Year 174 ( CLXXIV) was a common year starting on ...

to Nannestad and Hurdal, and eastward to Kongsvinger ( Riksvei 2).

Sports

As of 2016 the local football (soccer) team Ullensaker/Kisa plays in the professional Norwegian First Division.

Notable locals

Martin Julius Halvorsen Martin Julius Halvorsen (4 November 1867 – 7 March 1951) was a Norwegian newspaper editor and politician for the Labour and Social Democratic Labour parties. Born in Kristiania, he took an education as a book printer. Having founded his o ...

(born 1867), founded the

Akershusingen ''Romerikes Blad'' is a local newspaper published in Lillestrøm, Norway. It covers the Romerike district. History and profile ''Romerikes Blad'' was established by Martin Julius Halvorsen in 1902 in Jessheim under the name ''Akershusingen'', an ...

, later

Romerikes Blad ''Romerikes Blad'' is a local newspaper published in Lillestrøm, Norway. It covers the Romerike district. History and profile ''Romerikes Blad'' was established by Martin Julius Halvorsen in 1902 in Jessheim under the name ''Akershusingen'', a ...

, in 1902. Typographer and book printer. Best known as M. Jul. Halvorsen * Diaz (born 1976), artist and rap artist *

Ole Kristian Furuseth Ole Kristian Furuseth (born 7 January 1967) is a retired Norwegian Alpine skiing, alpine skier. He scored his first Alpine Skiing World Cup, World Cup victory in Furano Ski Resort, Furano in 1989 and his final World Cup victory in Bormio in 2000, ...

(born 1967), slalom racer. *

Anniken Huitfeldt Anniken Scharning Huitfeldt (born 29 November 1969) is a Norwegian historian and politician for the Labour Party. She has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2021. She previously served as Minister of Children and Equality from 2008 to 2 ...

(born 1969), Politician * Tanja Hansen (born 1973), former porn star * Egil Nyhus (born 1962), illustrator * Solveig Kloppen (born 1971), Actress and TV hostess. Most known as the hostess of Norwegian Idol. * Memnock, artist and black metal musician (

Susperia Susperia is a Norwegian black/thrash metal band formed in October 1998 by Tjodalv and Cyrus. The band was originally named Seven Sins, but since there was another band with that name they changed it to the title of the horror film '' Suspiria' ...

) *

Alexandra Rotan Alexandra Rotan (born 29 June 1996) is a Norwegian singer. Rotan began her career as a child singer, becoming a superfinalist in Melodi Grand Prix Junior 2010 with the song "Det vi vil". She later joined the group Keiino in 2018, and represent ...

, singer, songwriter, member of the Europop band Keiino, participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 * Dimmu Borgir,

symphonic black metal Symphonic black metal is a subgenre of black metal that emerged in the 1990s and incorporates symphonic and orchestral elements. Notable symphonic black metal bands include Cradle Of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Emperor, and Carach Angren. History ...

band formed in 1993. *

Sebastian Sponevik Sebastian Sponevik (born March 15, 2005) is an artistic gymnastics, artistic gymnast on the Norwegian national team. He is a three-time Norwegian junior champion (2020-2022) and has represented Norway at the 2019 Nordic Junior Artistic Gymnastics ...

(born 2005), artistic national team gymnast.

Gallery

File:Storgata_Jessheim.jpg, The main street "Storgata" at Jessheim in Ullensaker. File:Storgata_7_Jessheim.jpg, Storgata 7 on the main street of Jessheim. File:Herredshuset_Ullensaker.jpg, Herredshuset was completed in 1901 and housed Ullensaker county administration until 1967. File:Jessheim_railway_station.jpg, Jessheim railway station was originally built in 1854. File:Jessheim i Ullensaker - 1.jpg, Jessheim city seen from the south, with the

European route E6 European route E6 ( no, Europavei 6, sv, Europaväg 6, or simply E6) is the main north-south thoroughfare through Norway as well as the west coast of Sweden. It is long and runs from the southern tip of Sweden at Trelleborg, into Norway and t ...

running on the west side of the city.

References

{{authority control Villages in Akershus Populated places in Akershus Ullensaker