Bærum () is a

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

in the

Greater Oslo Region Greater Oslo Region ("Stor-Oslo-regionen" in Norwegian) is a statistical metropolitan region surrounding the Norwegian capital of Oslo, with a total number of inhabitants of 1,954,329 as of 1 January 2025. The region includes the city proper o ...

Akershus Akershus () is a county in Norway, with Oslo as its administrative centre, though Oslo is not located within Akershus. Akershus has been a region in Eastern Norway with Oslo as its main city since the Middle Ages, and is named after the Akers ...

County, Norway. It forms an affluent

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a population of 128,760 (2021). The administrative centre of the municipality is the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

Sandvika Sandvika () is the administrative centre of the municipality of Bærum in Norway. It was declared a List of cities in Norway, city by the municipal council (Norway), municipal council in Bærum on 4 June 2003. Sandvika is situated approximately ...

. 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, 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 feels superior due to their social class, education level, or social status in general;De Botton, A. (2004), ''Status Anxiety''. London: Hamish Hamilton it is sometimes used especially when they pr ...

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, also referred to as Old Nordic or Old Scandinavian, was 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 ...

: ''Bergheimr'') is composed of ''berg'', which means "mountain", and ''heimr'', which means " homestead" 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 last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achiev ...

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 tak ...

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 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

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 () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

, and several archeological finds stem from the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

. The first mention of the name is from the

saga Sagas are prose stories and histories, composed in Iceland and to a lesser extent elsewhere in Scandinavia. The most famous saga-genre is the (sagas concerning Icelanders), which feature Viking voyages, migration to Iceland, and feuds between ...

Sverre of Norway Sverre Sigurdsson () (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 known as the Birkebeiner i ...

, 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 Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

and Tanum. The pilgrim road to

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

, 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 Calcium oxide (formula: Ca O), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The broadly used term '' lime'' connotes calcium-containin ...

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. As of 2025, it has an approximate population of 7,940 residents. Building develo ...

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 An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''. Ironworks succeeded bloome ...

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, an ...

were founded. Industries such as

paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt ...

s, nail factories,

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, 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 ...

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 clay pit, quar ...

were established along the rivers

Lysakerelven Lysakerelven (also known as Lysakerelva, ) 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 source is further up, a ...

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 tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

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 (arts), Realism in 19th-century Norwegian art, both ...

. Among the artists who did much of their work in Bærum are Frits Thaulow, Christian Skredsvig,

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,

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

, Eilif Pettersen, Gerhardt Munthe, and Erik Werenskiold. 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, the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

was hosted in Bærum. On 10 August 2019, a gunman opened fire on congregants at the Al-Noor Islamic Centre, after shooting and killing his ethnically Chinese adopted stepsister at their home.

Geography

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

Oslofjord The Oslofjord (, ; ) is an inlet in southeastern Norway. The fjord begins at the small village of Bonn in Frogn, Frogn Municipality and stretching northwards to the city of Oslo, and then curving to the east and then south again. It then flows s ...

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, 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 and includes

Rhomb porphyry Porphyry ( ) is any of various granites or igneous rocks with coarse-grained crystals such as feldspar or quartz dispersed in a fine-grained silicate-rich, generally aphanitic matrix or groundmass. In its non-geologic, traditional use, the ...

at Kolsås. Since nearly two-thirds of Bærum's area consists of forests, there are rich opportunities for outdoor activities, such as

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

, hiking, and fishing. The forests are considered part of Marka, the forested areas in and around Greater Oslo. Areas within the municipality of Bærum include Bærumsmarka, 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

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

to Oslo. It is one of the most affluent areas in Norway. Two of Norway's busiest highways ( E18 and E16) and one railroad traverse the municipality. There has been considerable development of office parks along E18, especially around

Lysaker Lysaker is an area in Bærum Municipality, Akershus County, Norway. Lysaker is the easternmost part of Bærum and borders Oslo proper. Lysaker was initially a farming community, later becoming a residential area. Today it is primarily known as ...

in the last 20–30 years, reducing some of the pressure on downtown areas of Oslo.

Scandinavian Airlines System The Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), commonly known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the Flag carrier, national airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is part of SAS Group and is headquartered in Solna Municipality, Solna, Sweden. Including ...

Norway has its offices in

Fornebu Fornebu (local form ''Fornebo'') is a peninsular area in the suburban municipality of Bærum in Norway, bordering western parts of Oslo. Oslo Airport, Fornebu (FBU) served as the main airport for Oslo and the country since before World War II and ...

, Bærum. The airline Widerøe has some administrative offices in

, Bærum.

Norwegian Air Shuttle Norwegian Air Shuttle Aksjeselskap, ASA, trading as Norwegian, is a Norway, Norwegian Low-cost carrier, low-cost airline and Scandinavia's second-largest airline, behind Scandinavian Airlines. It is the fourth largest low-cost carrier in Europe ...

has its head office in Fornebu.

Partnair Partnair A/S was a Norwegian charter airline which operated from 1971 to 1989. During the later 1980s it was Norway's fifth-largest airline by revenue, operating a fleet of three Convair CV-580 and six Beechcraft Super King Air. The airline was ...

, 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 Braathens may refer to: Airlines Active * Braathens Regional Airlines, Swedish virtual airline operating wet lease flights primarily for Scandinavian Airlines * Braathens Regional Airways, Swedish ACMI operator for its sister company Braathe ...

and

SAS Braathens SAS Braathens was the name of Norway's largest airline, created by a merger between Scandinavian Airlines' Norwegian division and Braathens ASA, Braathens in 2004. On 1 June 2007, the airline was integrated into mainline SAS, and changed its nam ...

had their head office facilities in a building on the grounds of Fornebu Airport. In 2010,

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

continuous Continuity or continuous may refer to: Mathematics * Continuity (mathematics), the opposing concept to discreteness; common examples include ** Continuous probability distribution or random variable in probability and statistics ** Continuous ...

with Oslo and continues with some interruption through to the neighboring municipality of

Asker Asker (), also called Asker proper (''Askerbygda'' or ''gamle Asker'' in Norwegian), is a district and former Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus, Norway, located approximately 20km southwest of Oslo. From 2020 it is part of the ...

. Bærum is also the most affluent of Norwegian municipalities, with average per capita income (2002 figures) of

NOK Nok is a village in Jaba, Nigeria, Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The village is an archeological site. Archaeology The discovery of terracotta figurines at this location caused its name to be used for the Nok culture, ...

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 () is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally it was considered the main liberal newspaper of Norway, with a ...

'', Bærum is the best place to live in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

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 Stabekk is a suburban centre in the municipality of Bærum, Norway, west of Oslo. It is predominantly a residential area, with many residents commuting to Oslo. As of 2005 the population was 6,261. Bærum has the highest income per capita and the hi ...

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 IF Stabæk Idrætsforening is a Norwegian multi-sports club in Bærum, a municipality bordering on Oslo in the west. It has sections for football, bandy, handball and alpine skiing. While the football team Stabæk Fotball is the most prominent, the ...

plays in

Eliteserien Eliteserien () is a professional association football league in Norway and the highest level of the Norwegian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Norwegian First Division ...

, the highest division for men's

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

in Norway.

Bærum SK Bærum Sportsklubb is a Norwegian association football club founded on 26 March 1910. The men's team is currently playing in the 3. divisjon, after being relegated from the 2. divisjon in 2023. The club comes from Sandvika, the administrative ...

plays in the 2. divisjon, the third highest division of the

Norwegian football league system The Norwegian football league system, or pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for club football in Norway. 2017 system in men's football , the current national league system administered by the NFF is organised as 1–1–2–6, where ...

. Stabæk IF's women's football team,

Stabæk Fotball Kvinner Stabæk Fotball Kvinner is Stabæk IF's women's association football, football team, started on 23 October 2008 with a core of players from Asker Fotball, Asker. Asker had lost its licence to play in the top league after a failure to meet financ ...

, plays in

Toppserien The Toppserien is the top level of women's association football in Norway. It was founded in 1984. History Women's league football was introduced on a county basis in 1977. These leagues acted as qualification for the regional (South) league in ...

, the Norwegian top division. Høvik IF and

plays in the highest

bandy Bandy is a winter sport and ball sport played by two team sport, teams wearing Ice skates#Bandy skates, 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 playin ...

division and Hauger BK in the second highest.

Notable residents

Public Service & Business

* Hans Haslum (1789 in Haslum – 1875) farmer, rep. at Norwegian Constitutional Assembly *

Otto Sverdrup Otto Neumann Knoph Sverdrup (31 October 1854 – 26 November 1930) was a Norwegian sailor and Arctic explorer. Early and personal life He was born in Bindal Municipality as a son of farmer Ulrik Frederik Suhm Sverdrup (1833–1914) and his w ...

(1854 – 1930 in Sandvika) a Norwegian sailor and Arctic explorer *

Fridtjof Nansen Fridtjof Wedel-Jarlsberg Nansen (; 10 October 1861 – 13 May 1930) was a Norwegian polymath and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He gained prominence at various points in his life as an explorer, scientist, diplomat, humanitarian and co-founded the ...

(1861–1930),

zoologist Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one ...

, explorer, scientist, diplomat, 1922 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

High Commissioner * Christian Fredrik Michelet (1863–1927) a lawyer and Mayor of Bærum 1899 to 1910 and acting

Prime Minister of Norway The prime minister of Norway (, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet of Norway, Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government departme ...

in 1923 *

Halvdan Koht Halvdan Koht (7 July 1873 – 12 December 1965) was a Norwegian historian and politician representing the Labour Party. Born in the north of Norway to a fairly distinguished family, he soon became interested in politics and history. Sta ...

(1873–1965) a 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 A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Jap ...

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 The Church of Norway (, , , ) is an Lutheranism, evangelical Lutheran denomination of Protestant Christianity and by far the largest Christian church in Norway. Christianity became the state religion of Norway around 1020, and was established a ...

, lived in Bærum *

Odd Nansen Odd Nansen (6 December 1901 – 27 June 1973) was a Norway, Norwegian architect, writer, and humanitarian. He is credited with being a co-founder of UNICEF and for his humanitarian efforts on behalf of Jews in the early years of World War II. Bi ...

(1901 in Bærum – 1973) architect, author and humanitarian; co-founded

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

Leif Tronstad Leif Hans Larsen Tronstad (27 March 1903 – 11 March 1945) was a Norwegian inorganic chemist, intelligence officer and military organizer. He graduated from the Norwegian Institute of Technology in 1927 and was a prolific researcher and wri ...

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 Stalag Luft III (; literally "Main Camp, Air, III"; SL III) was a ''Luftwaffe''-run prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during the Second World War, which held captured Western Allied air force personnel. The camp was established in March 1942 near th ...

* Willy Greiner (1919–2000) Mayor of Bærum from 1968 to 1978 &

Norsk Hydro Norsk Hydro ASA (often referred to as just ''Hydro'') is a Norway, Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. It is one of the largest aluminium companies worldwide. It has operations in some 50 countries around th ...

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 Gro Brundtland (; née Harlem, 20 April 1939) is a Norwegian politician in the Labour Party, who served three terms as the prime minister of Norway (1981, 1986–1989, and 1990–1996), as the leader of her party from 1981 to 1992, and as the d ...

(born 1939 in Bærum), politician, former

* 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 Christian Tybring-Gjedde (born 8 August 1963) is a Norwegian politician who represented the Progress Party until 2024. He has been a member of the Norwegian parliament since 2005, and was the leader of the Progress Party's Oslo chapter from 2010 ...

(born 1963) a controversial politician, raised in Sandvika *

Jan Tore Sanner Jan Tore Sanner (born 6 May 1965) is a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party who has held several ministerial positions in Erna Solberg's government between 2013 and 2021. He was also the party's deputy leader from 2004 to 2022, having ...

(born 1965 in Bærum), politician and

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

Princess Märtha Louise of Norway Princess Märtha Louise of Norway (born 22 September 1971) is a Norwegian self-described clairvoyant, businesswoman and a member of the Norwegian royal family, although she is not a member of the royal house and has no public role. She is marri ...

(born 1971), fourth in

line of succession to the Norwegian throne The line of succession to the Norwegian throne consists of people entitled to become head of state of Norway. The succession is currently governed by Article 6 of the Constitution, altered most recently in 1990 to introduce absolute primogen ...

, lived in Lommedalen * Anita Schjøll Brede (born 1985 in Bærum), technology entrepreneur

The Arts

Claude Monet Oscar-Claude Monet (, ; ; 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) was a French painter and founder of Impressionism painting who is seen as a key precursor to modernism, especially in his attempts to paint nature as he perceived it. During his ...

(1840–1926), painter, stayed in Sandvika in 1895 where he painted Sandvika featuring the Løkke bridge, with Kolsås in the background * Kitty Lange Kielland (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 Hjalmar Eilif Emanuel Peterssen (4 September 1852 – 29 December 1928) was a Norwegian painter. He is most commonly associated with his landscapes and portraits. He gained early recognition for the history painting ''Christian II signing t ...

(1852–1928 in Lysaker) painter of landscapes and portraits * Elise Brandes (1873 in Lysaker – 1918) a Danish sculptor who specialised in busts * Jens Peter Book-Jenssen (1910 in Bærum – 1999) a singer, songwriter and revue artist *

Ivo Caprino Ivo Caprino (17 February 1920 – 8 February 2001) was a Norway, Norwegian film director and writer, best known for his puppet films. His most noted film, ''Flåklypa Grand Prix'' (Pinchcliffe Grand Prix), was made in 1975. Early life Cap ...

(1920–2001),

Film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

of puppet films; lived at Snarøya * Gunnar Brunvoll (1924 in Bærum – 1999) opera administrator at Den Norske Opera * twins (from Bærum)

Henny Mürer Henny Mürer (22 February 1925 – 14 January 1997) was a Norwegian choreographer and dancer. She was also a journalist and critic for the broadcast and newspaper media. Her twin sister was Alice Mürer Siem (1925-2002) who was also a choreogra ...

(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 Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

books * Anne-Grethe Leine Bientie (born 1954 in Bærum) writer and psalmist, uses South Sami *

Vebjørn Sand Vebjørn Sand (born March 11, 1966) is a Norwegian painter and artist. He is known for his paintings as well as his public arts projects, such as the Vebjørn Sand Da Vinci Project, Da Vinci Project, and the Kepler–Poinsot polyhedron, Kepler St ...

(born 1966 in Bærum) painter, artist and does public arts projects *

Harald Eia Harald Meldal Eia (born 9 February 1966) is a Norwegian comedian, and sociologist. In recent years, Eia has also made TV-documentaries and written books. Eia became a household name in Norway in the mid-90s and has since then been one of cou ...

(born 1966 in Bærum) comedian, sociologist and documentarian * Ane Dahl Torp (born 1975 in Bærum) a Norwegian actress *

Solveig Heilo Solveig Heilo (born 24 December 1981), known professionally as Sol Heilo, is a Norwegian composer, artist, musician, music producer, arranger, designer and costume designer. She is mostly known for the band Katzenjammer. Sol works in different ...

(born 1981 in Bærum) composer, artist, musician, member of Katzenjammer * Martin Danielle (born 1988 in Snarøya) stage name '' CLMD'', a DJ, songwriter and artist *

Mona Berntsen Mona-Jeanette Berntsen (born January 16, 1990) is a Norwegians, Norwegian-Moroccans, Moroccan dancer. She is known for winning ''So You Think You Can Dance Scandinavia'', and for working with artists such as Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys and Chr ...

(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

* Narve Bonna (1901 in Bærum – 1976) ski jumper, won the first ski jumping silver medal at the

1924 Winter Olympics The 1924 Winter Olympics, officially known as the I Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Chamonix 1924 (), were a winter multi-sport event which was held in 1924 in Chamonix, France. Originally held in association with the 1924 Summer ...

* Godtfred Holmvang (1917 in Bærum – 2006) a decathlete and skier, later worked for the 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

and a

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 skier Alpine skiing, or downhill skiing, is the pastime of sliding down snow-covered slopes on skis with fixed-heel bindings, unlike other types of skiing ( cross-country, Telemark, or ski jumping), which use skis with free-heel bindings. Whether ...

, gold medallist,

1998 Winter Olympics The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially known as the and commonly known as Nagano 1998 (), were a winter multi-sport event held from 7 to 22 February 1998, mainly in Nagano, Nagano, Nagano, Nagano Prefecture, Japan, with some events ...

* Bjørn Einar Romøren (born 1981),

ski jumper Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fin ...

with 8 individual World Cup wins * Henning Hauger (born 1985 in Bærum) a footballer with 350 club caps and 23 for

* 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 Andreas Martinsen (born 13 June 1990) is a Norwegian professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward who is currently playing with Storhamar Hockey in the EliteHockey Ligaen in Norway. He formerly played in the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

(born 1990 in Bærum), ice hockey player *

Magnus Carlsen Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen (born 30 November 1990) is a Norwegian Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster. Carlsen is a five-time World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, five-time World Rapid Chess Championship, World Rapid Chess Champio ...

(born 1990) a Norwegian

chess grandmaster Grandmaster (GM) is a title awarded to chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. Once achieved, the title is held for life, though exceptionally the t ...

and 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

Emilie Haavi Emilie Bosshard Haavi (born 16 June 1992) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Italian Serie A club AS Roma and the Norway women's national team. Haavi was according to Fjordabladet, elect ...

(born 1992 in Bærum),

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

, 90 caps for

Ståle Sandbech Ståle Sandbech (born 3 June 1993) is a Norwegian snowboarder, who specialises in Big Air, and Slopestyle. He has participated at the 2010 Winter Olympics, 2010, 2014 Winter Olympics, 2014, 2018 Winter Olympics, 2018, and Snowboarding at the 202 ...

(born 1993 in Rykkinn) a silver medal snowboarder at

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

* Sturla Holm Lægreid (born 1997 in Bærum) a biathlete, 1 Winter Olympics gold medal. * Sander Berge (born 1998 in Bærum) a footballer with 150 club caps and 24 for

* Sondre Oddvoll Bøe (born 1998 in Bærum) a figure skater, Nordic and four-time Norwegian champion *

Casper Ruud Casper Ruud (; born 22 December 1998) is a Norwegian professional tennis player. He has been ATP rankings, ranked as high as world No. 2 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), achieved in September 2022, making him t ...

(born 1998 in Snarøya) a professional tennis player and an ATP title winner * Geir Selvik Malthe-Sørenssen (born 1965) a con artist and convicted felon, brought up in Bærum. * Hugo Vetlesen (born 2000) a footballer who currently plays for Bodø/Glimt * Ayla Ågren (born 1993 in Bærum) a Norwegian-Swedish racing driver, currently residing in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

The following cities are twinned with Bærum: * –

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...

Region Hovedstaden The Capital Region of Denmark (, ) is the easternmost administrative region of Denmark, and contains Copenhagen, the national capital. The Capital Region has 29 municipalities and a regional council consisting of 41 elected members. As of 1 ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

* –

Hafnarfjörður Hafnarfjörður, officially Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður, is a port town and municipality in Iceland, located about south of Reykjavík. The municipality consists of two non-contiguous areas in the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital Region, on the s ...

, Iceland * –

Hämeenlinna Hämeenlinna (; ; ; or ''Croneburgum'') is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Kanta-Häme. It is located in the southern interior of the country and on the shores of Vanajavesi, Lake Vanajavesi. The population of Hämeenlinna is appr ...

Tavastia Proper Tavastia () or Tavastland may refer to: Regions * Häme (Swedish: ''Tavastland'', Latin: ''Tavastia'') * Tavastia (historical province) Tavastia (; ; ; also called ''Yam'' (Ямь) or ''Yem'' (Емь) in Russian sources) is a historical prov ...

, Finland * –

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 97,759 (as of 2024). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of Riga, Latvia. Tartu lies on the Emajõgi river, which connects the ...

Tartumaa Tartu County ( or ''Tartumaa'') is one of 15 counties of Estonia. It is located in eastern Estonia bordering Põlva County, Valga County, Viljandi County and Jõgeva County. The area of Tartu County is , which covers 6.9% of the territory of Es ...

, Estonia * –

Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

Uppsala län Uppsala County () is a Counties of Sweden, county or ''län'' on the eastern coast of Sweden, whose capital is Uppsala, the city of Uppsala. It borders the counties of Dalarna County, Dalarna, Stockholm County, Stockholm, Södermanland County, S ...

, 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 Municipalities of Akershus