Bærum () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

Greater Oslo Region Greater Oslo Region ("Stor-Oslo-regionen" in Norwegian) is a statistical metropolitan region surrounding the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The region includes the city of Oslo (population: 658,390), the entire county of Akershus (population: 573,326) ...

in Norway that forms an affluent suburb of

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 ...

on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a population of 128,760 (2021). It is part of the electoral district and historical county of Akershus and of the newer

Viken County Viken may refer to: *Viken, Scandinavia, a historical region *Viken (county), a Norwegian county established in 2020 *Viken, Sweden, a bimunicipal locality in Skåne County, Sweden *Viken (lake), a lake in Sweden, part of the part of the Göta cana ...

. The administrative centre of the municipality is the

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Sandvika Sandvika () is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bærum in Norway. It was declared a city by the municipal council in Bærum on 4 June 2003. Sandvika is situated approximately west of Oslo. It is the main transportation hub for W ...

. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. Bærum has the highest income per capita in Norway and the highest proportion of university-educated individuals. Bærum, particularly its eastern neighbourhoods bordering

West End Oslo The East End and West End ( nb, østkanten og vestkanten, nn, austkanten og vestkanten) are used as names for the two parts of Oslo, Norway, formed by the economic and socially segregating separation line that has historically passed along the st ...

, is one of Norway's priciest and most fashionable residential areas, leading Bærum residents to be frequently stereotyped as

snob ''Snob'' is a pejorative term for a person who believes there is a correlation between social status (including physical appearance) and human worth.De Botton, A. (2004), ''Status Anxiety''. London: Hamish Hamilton ''Snob'' also refers to a per ...

s in Norwegian popular culture. The municipality has been voted the best Norwegian place to live in considering governance and public services to citizens.

Name

The name (

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

: ''Bergheimr'') is composed of ''berg'', which means "mountain", and ''heimr'', which means "

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept t ...

" or "farm". It probably originally belonged to a farm located at the base of the prominent mountain of

Kolsås Kolsås (), sometimes called Kolsaas, is a hill in the municipality of Bærum, Norway. Geologically, Kolsås belongs to the Oslo Graben area. Its two peaks consist of hard rhomb porphyric lava covering softer rocks, forming steep cliffs to the ...

. In

times, the municipality was often called ''Bergheimsherað'', meaning "the ''herað'' (parish/district) of ''Bergheimr''".

Coat-of-arms

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 ...

was granted on 9 January 1976. They show an old silver-colored

lime kiln A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone ( calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this reaction is : CaCO3 + heat → CaO + CO2 This reaction can take p ...

on a green background. That was an important aspect of the local economy from the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

until around 1800. There are still some original ovens visible in the municipality.

History

The area known today as Bærum was a fertile agricultural area as far back as the

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second prin ...

, and several archeological finds stem from the

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age ( Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age ( Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostl ...

. The first mention of the name is from the saga of

Sverre of Norway Sverre Sigurdsson ( non, Sverrir Sigurðarson) (c. 1145/1151 – 9 March 1202) was the king of Norway from 1184 to 1202. Many consider him one of the most important rulers in Norwegian history. He assumed power as the leader of the rebel party ...

, from about 1200. There are ruins of stone churches from the 12th century at

Haslum Haslum is a district in the municipality of Bærum, Norway. Its population (2007) is 6,041.Tanum. The pilgrim road to

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

that was established after 1030 went through Bærum, and there is evidence that

s were in use in the area in 850. There were shipping ports for the quicklime at

Slependen Slependen is a relatively large area in Bærum, Norway. On Slependen there is significant villa settlement, as well as considerable office and commercial activities. Building development Slependen posed originally as an area across large parts of ...

and

. The lime kiln is the main motif for the municipality's coat of arms. In the 17th century, iron ore was discovered in Bærum and the ironworks at

Bærums Verk Bærums Verk is a village in Bærum in Akershus, Norway, with a population of about 8000. It is located on both sides of the river Lomma. History Iron ore was found in the areas now known as Kirkerud and Eineåsen in Bærum in 1603 and 1604, a ...

were founded. Industries such as paper mills,

nail Nail or Nails may refer to: In biology * Nail (anatomy), toughened protective protein-keratin (known as alpha-keratin, also found in hair) at the end of an animal digit, such as fingernail * Nail (beak), a plate of hard horny tissue at the tip ...

factories,

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

s, glassworks, and

brickworks A brickworks, also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock (the most common material from which bricks are made), often with a quarry for ...

were established along the rivers

Lysakerelven Lysakerelven (also known as Lysakerelva, en, Lysaker River) is a river in Norway that forms the boundary between the municipalities of the capital city of Oslo and Bærum. The river by this name has its source in Bogstadvannet, though the sourc ...

and Sandvikselva in the following centuries. There were

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of ...

s 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 Johan Fredrik Eckersberg (16 June 1822 – 13 July 1870) was a Norwegian painter most noted for his landscapes. Eckersberg was a prominent figure in the transition from Romanticism to Realism in 19th-century Norwegian art, both as an artistic p ...

. Among the artists who did much of their work in Bærum are

Frits Thaulow Frits Thaulow (20 October 1847 – 5 November 1906) was a Norwegian Impressionist painter, best known for his naturalistic depictions of landscape. Biography Johan Frederik Thaulow was born in Christiania, the son of a wealthy chemist, Haral ...

Christian Skredsvig Christian Skredsvig (12 March 1854 – 19 January 1924) was a Norwegian painter and writer. He employed an artistic style reflecting naturalism. He is especially well known for his picturesque and lyrical depictions of the landscape. Biogr ...

Harriet Backer Harriet Backer (21 January 1845 – 25 March 1932) was a Norwegian painter who achieved recognition in her own time and was a pioneer among female artists both in the Nordic countries and in Europe generally. She is best known for her detailed ...

Kitty Lange Kielland Kitty Lange Kielland (8 October 1843 – 1 October 1914) was a Norwegian landscape painter. Early life and training Kielland was born to an affluent family in Stavanger, the older sister of Alexander Kielland. Kielland's interactions with her b ...

Otto Sinding Otto Ludvig Sinding (20 December 1842 – 22 November 1909) was a Norway, Norwegian Painting, painter, illustrator, poet and dramatist. Sinding drew on motives from Norwegian nature, folk life and history. Personal life Otto Sinding was born in K ...

, Eilif Pettersen, Gerhardt Munthe, and

Erik Werenskiold Erik Theodor Werenskiold (11 February 1855 – 23 November 1938) was a Norwegian painter and illustrator. He is especially known for his drawings for the Asbjørnsen and Moe collection of '' Norske Folkeeventyr'', and his illustrations for ...

. Starting in the mid-20th century, Bærum's agricultural base gradually gave way to residential construction. Still, only a third of the area, , is built up for residential use; over half is productive forestry; and nearly is still agricultural. In 2010, that year's Eurovision Song Contest was hosted in Bærum. On 10 August 2019, a gunman opened fire on congregants at the Al-Noor Islamic Centre.

Geography

The physical geography of Bærum is dominated by a craggy coastline along the

Oslofjord The Oslofjord (, ; en, Oslo Fjord) is an inlet in the south-east of Norway, stretching from an imaginary line between the and lighthouses and down to in the south to Oslo in the north. It is part of the Skagerrak strait, connecting the Nor ...

and inland, hilly areas rising to the north and east, where there are large forested areas. The mountain of

forms a natural center, but the municipality also includes the secluded valley of Lommedalen. Four major rivers flow through the municipality:

, Sandvikselva,

Lomma Lomma () is a locality and the seat of Lomma Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden. In 2020 it had 13,772 inhabitants. History Lomma was mentioned in a deed of Cnut the great under the name ''Lumaby'' in the year 1085. Skåne's cultural centre ...

, and Øverlandselva, and there are numerous lakes, both in residential and forested areas. The official municipality flower is '' Anemone ranunculoides''. The geology of Bærum is part of the

Oslo Graben The Oslo Graben or Oslo Rift is a graben formed during a geologic rifting event in Permian time, the last phase of the Variscan orogeny. The main graben forming period began in the late Carboniferous, which culminated with rift formation and volcan ...

and includes Rhomb porphyry at Kolsås. Since nearly two-thirds of Bærum's area consists of forests, there are rich opportunities for outdoor activities, such as skiing, hiking, and fishing. The forests are considered part of Marka, Oslo, Marka, the forested areas in and around Greater Oslo. Areas within the municipality of Bærum include Bærumsmarka, Vestmarka (Oslomarka), Vestmarka, and Krokskogen. The highest point in Bærum is Vidvangshøgda at with an altitude of . The largest lake is Stovivatnet with an area of at Fornebuveien 40 - 2010-05-06 at 17-08-21

Fornebuveien 40 - 2010-05-06 at 17-08-21

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 Commuter town, bedroom community to Oslo. It is one of the most affluent areas in Norway. Two of Norway's busiest highways (European route E18, E18 and European route E16, 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. Scandinavian Airlines System Norway has its offices in Fornebu, Bærum. The airline Widerøe has some administrative offices in Lysaker, Bærum. Norwegian Air Shuttle has its head office in Fornebu. Partnair, a charter airline, was headquartered at Fornebu Airport. When the airline Busy Bee of Norway existed, its head office was on the grounds of Fornebu Airport. Braathens and SAS Braathens had their head office facilities in a building on the grounds of Fornebu Airport. In 2010 Norwegian Air Shuttle bought the former Braathens head office.

Demographics

Bærum (2009) is the fifth most densely populated municipality in Norway. Along the E18 highway, the residential area is conurbation, 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 Norwegian krone, NOK 370,800; compared with the national average of NOK 262,800. It also has the highest level of education nationwide. Administratively, Bærum is divided into 22 sections. The population for each section on 1 January 2005 was:

Community

According to a local survey conducted by Dagbladet, Bærum is the best place to live in Norway in terms of governance and services to residents. In addition is it also one of the best places for young people to grow up. Bærum score high on national surveys when it comes to local economical governance, education and possibilities for young people, health coverage, school rankings, and work rights and possibilities

Churches in Bærum

Schools in Bærum

There are a number of schools in Bærum, both public and private. There are a total of 43 public elementary schools ( primary and / or secondary ) and some private, including Bærum Montessori School. According to national surveys, Jar public elementary school ranks the highest when it comes to math, while Lommedalen public elementary school ranks the highest in reading, both are located in Bærum. There are eight public high schools in Bærum; Dønski, Eikeli, Nadderud, Rosenvilde, Rud,

, Stabekk and Valler. In addition, the Norwegian College of Elite Sport and Steiner School. The Folk University also has a branch in Sandvika. Valler High School has been ranked within the top 5 high schools in Norway for several years, while Nadderud High School ranks within the top 20. In the later years both schools have met competition from the newly established Sandvika High School. Sandvika High School has had the highest number of applications in the county for the past six years, and is now ranked within top 10 in the country. In 2013 the school also won for Best Entrepreneurship School in Norway.

Sports

Stabæk Fotball, Stabæk IF plays in Eliteserien, the highest division for men's Association football, football in Norway. Bærum SK plays in the 2. divisjon, the third highest division of the Norwegian football league system. Stabæk IF's women's football team, Stabæk Fotball Kvinner, plays in Toppserien, the Norwegian top division. Høvik IF and Stabæk Bandy, Stabæk IF plays in the highest bandy division and Hauger BK in the second highest.

Notable residents

Public Service & Business

Høyesterettsadvokat Christian Fredrik Michelet

* Hans Haslum (1789 in Haslum – 1875) farmer, rep. at Norwegian Constitutional Assembly * Otto Sverdrup (1854 – 1930 in Sandvika) a Norwegian sailor and Arctic explorer * Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930), Zoology, zoologist, explorer, scientist, diplomat, 1922 List of Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and League of Nations High Commissioner * Christian Fredrik Michelet (politician), Christian Fredrik Michelet (1863–1927) a lawyer and Mayor of Bærum 1899 to 1910 and acting Prime Minister of Norway in 1923 * Halvdan Koht (1873–1965) an historian and Bærum councillor 1910's, 20's & 30's * Alf Staver (1874 in Bærum – 1953) a skier, sports official, educator and politician * Torger Baardseth (1875 in Bærum – 1947) bookseller and publisher * Viktor Esbensen (1881–1942), Whaler and explorer, brought up in Bærum * Johs Haugerud (1896–1971) engineer, politician and Mayor of Bærum from 1959 to 1967 * Ingrid Bjerkås (1901–1980) first female minister in the Church of Norway, lived in Bærum * Odd Nansen (1901 in Bærum – 1973) architect, author and humanitarian; co-founded UNICEF * Leif Tronstad DSO, OBE (1903 in Bærum – 1945) scientist and intelligence officer in WWII * Else Werring (1905–1989) a Norwegian royal hostess, lived at Munkebakken estate in Lysaker * Håkon Stenstadvold (1912–1977) a painter, journalist and politician; lived in Sandvika * Sgt Per Bergsland (1918 in Bærum – 1992) fighter pilot and POW, escaped from Stalag Luft III * Willy Greiner (1919–2000) Mayor of Bærum from 1968 to 1978 & Norsk Hydro chief * Jo Benkow (1924–2013), politician and author, brought up in Bærum * Arvid Anseth (1925 in Bærum – 2006), ophthalmologist * Gunnar Gravdahl (1927–2015) a psychologist and Mayor of Bærum 1979 to 1992 * Elisabeth Sveri (1927–2018) first female senior official in the military; lived in Eiksmarka * Torild Skard (born 1936) politician, former CEO of UNICEF, brought up Lysaker and Stabekk * Gro Harlem Brundtland (born 1939 in Bærum), politician, former Prime Minister of Norway * Rasmus Hansson (born 1954 in Bærum) biologist and politician; lives in Bærumsmarka * Lars Kobberstad (born 1962 in Bærum) a businessperson, the CEO of Widerøe * Christian Tybring-Gjedde (born 1963) a controversial politician, raised in Sandvika * Jan Tore Sanner (born 1965 in Bærum), politician and Minister of Finance (Norway), Minister of Finance * Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 1971), fourth in line of succession to the Norwegian throne, lived in Lommedalen * Anita Schjøll Brede (born 1985 in Bærum), technology entrepreneur Henny Mürer

The Arts

* Claude Monet (1840–1926), painter, stayed in Sandvika in 1895 where he painted Sandvika featuring the Løkke bridge, with Kolsås in the background *

(1845–1932) a landscape painter, a street in Bærum is named after her. *

(1845–1932), painter of interior scenes; lived in Sandvika from 1888 * Eilif Peterssen (1852–1928 in Lysaker) painter of landscapes and portraits * Elise Brandes (1873 in Lysaker – 1918) a Danish sculptor who specialized in busts * Jens Peter Book-Jenssen (1910 in Bærum – 1999) a singer, songwriter and revue artist * Ivo Caprino (1920–2001), Film director of puppet films; lived at Snarøya * Gunnar Brunvoll (1924 in Bærum – 1999) opera administrator at Den Norske Opera * twins (from Bærum) Henny Mürer (1925–1997) & Alice Mürer Siem (1925–2002) ballet dancers * Kristian Bergheim (1926 in Bærum – 2010) a noted saxophonist, lived in Stabekk * Toralv Maurstad (1926 in Bærum – 2022) a prominent stage, screen, and TV actor * Leif Husebye (1926–2009) sports journalist and sailor, lived in Sandvika * Jan Voigt (1928 in Bærum – 1997) actor, dancer and museum director * Sølvi Wang (1929 in Høvik – 2011) a Norwegian singer, actress and comedian * Alf Nordvang (1931 in Bærum – 2007) a Norwegian actor and theatre director * Finn Alnæs (1932 in Bærum – 1991) writer of the novel ''Koloss'' in 1963 * Kjell Hallbing (1934 in Bærum – 2004) writer of Western (genre), Western books * Anne-Grethe Leine Bientie (born 1954 in Bærum) writer and psalmist, uses South Sami * Vebjørn Sand (born 1966 in Bærum) painter, artist and does public arts projects * Harald Eia (born 1966 in Bærum) comedian, sociologist and documentarian * Ane Dahl Torp (born 1975 in Bærum) a Norwegian actress * Solveig Heilo (born 1981 in Bærum) composer, artist, musician, member of Katzenjammer (band), Katzenjammer * Martin Danielle (born 1988 in Snarøya) stage name ''CLMD'', a DJ, songwriter and artist * Mona Berntsen (born 1990 in Jar) a Norwegian-Moroccan dancer * Andreas Haukeland (born 1993 in Bærum) stage name ''TIX'', a Norwegian musician, producer and contestant at the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest

Sport

2018 EC Sondre Oddvoll Bøe 2018-01-19 18-23-14 (3)

* Narve Bonna (1901 in Bærum – 1976) ski jumper, won the first ski jumping silver medal at the 1924 Winter Olympics * Godtfred Holmvang (1917 in Bærum – 2006) a decathlete and skier, later worked for the United Nations, UN * Knut Østby (1922–2010) Olympic silver medal sprint canoeist, grew up in Bærum * Arne Bakker (1930 in Bærum – 2009) footballer with 54 caps for Norway national football team, Norway and a bandy player * Dordi Nordby (born 1964 in Bærum) a curler from Snarøya, with world and Euro. gold medals * Ole Petter Pollen (born 1966) a sailor and Olympic silver medalist, lives in Stabekk * Hans Petter Buraas (born 1975 in Bærum), Alpine skiing, Alpine skier, gold medallist, 1998 Winter Olympics * Bjørn Einar Romøren (born 1981), Ski jumping, ski jumper with 8 individual World Cup wins * Henning Hauger (born 1985 in Bærum) a footballer with 350 club caps and 23 for Norway national football team, Norway * Caroline Westrup (born 1986) a Norwegian-Swedish professional golfer, brought up in Bærum * Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen (born 1987 in Lommedalen) alpine skier, 2 Olympic bronze medals * Marius Thorp (born 1988 in Bærum) a Norwegian former professional golfer * Andreas Martinsen (born 1990 in Bærum), ice hockey player * Magnus Carlsen (born 1990) a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and World Chess Championship, World Champion, brought up in Bærum * Tiril Eckhoff (born 1990 in Bærum) an Olympic champion biathlete * twins Sanna Solberg-Isaksen & Silje Solberg (born 1990 in Bærum) handball players * Jørgen Skjelvik (born 1991 in Hosle) a footballer with 220 club caps and 8 for Norway national football team, Norway * Emilie Haavi (born 1992 in Bærum), Association football, footballer, 82 caps for Norway women's national football team, Norway women * Ståle Sandbech (born 1993 in Rykkinn) a silver medal snowboarder at 2014 Winter Olympics * Sander Berge (born 1998 in Bærum) a footballer with 150 club caps and 24 for Norway national football team, Norway * Sondre Oddvoll Bøe (born 1998 in Bærum) a figure skater, Nordic and four-time Norwegian champion * Casper Ruud (born 1998 in Snarøya) a professional tennis player and an Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP title winner * Geir Selvik Malthe-Sørenssen (born 1965) a con artist and convicted felon, brought up in Bærum. * Philip Manshaus (born 1998), perpetrator who committed the Bærum mosque shooting * Hugo Vetlesen (born 2000) a footballer who currently plays for FK Bodø/Glimt, Bodø/Glimt * Ayla Ågren (born 1993 in Bærum) a Norwegian-Swedish racing driver, currently residing in the United States

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

The following cities are Twin towns and sister cities, twinned with Bærum: * – Frederiksberg Municipality, Frederiksberg, Region Hovedstaden, Denmark * – Hafnarfjörður, Iceland * – Hämeenlinna, Tavastia Proper, Finland * – Tartu, Tartumaa, Estonia * – Uppsala, Uppsala County, Uppsala län, Sweden

Gallery

File:View of Bærum Norway.jpg, View of most of Bærum from Holmenkollen in Oslo File:Anemone ranunculoides (xndr).jpg, Local flower File:Kommunegården Bærum Sandvikselva.JPG, Community garden File:Klokketårnet til Bærum rådhus.JPG, The tower of Bærum Town Hall

Notes and references

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)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baerum Bærum, Municipalities of Akershus Municipalities of Viken (county)