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Drøbak is a
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 ...
and the centre of the municipality of
Frogn Frogn is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Follo, Norway, Follo Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of cities ...
, in Akershus county, Norway. The city is located 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 has 13,409 inhabitants.


History

Drøbak and Frogn was established as a parish on its own through a royal decree on 8 September 1823. It had been a part of Ås parish. Drøbak was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (see
formannskapsdistrikt () was the name of a Norwegian self-governing municipality. The name was used from the establishment these municipalities in 1838 until the name fell out of use in 1863. The municipalities had their legal basis from two laws enacted on 14 Jan ...
). It was merged with
Frogn Frogn is a Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus Counties of Norway, county, Norway. It is part of the Follo, Norway, Follo Districts of Norway, traditional region. The administrative centre of the municipality is the List of cities ...
on 1 January 1962. Traditionally, Drøbak was the winter harbour of Norway's capital,
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 ...
, since in severe winters the fjord will freeze from outside Drøbak all the way up to Oslo. It had city status between 1842 and 1962, upon which point the municipality was merged into the rural municipality Frogn and lost its city status. The city status was regained by the municipality council on 13 February 2006. It was also decided that adjacent villages such as Heer would be included within the city. A notable event in Drøbak's history is the
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
sinking of the German cruiser ''Blücher'' in the Drøbak narrows (only 1 mile (1.5 km) wide), on the early morning of 9 April 1940. The cruiser was transporting German soldiers and bureaucrats for the planned swift occupation of Oslo, but the
Battle of Drøbak Sound The Battle of Drøbak Sound took place in Drøbak Sound, the northernmost part of the outer Oslofjord in southern Norway, on 9 April 1940. It marked the end of the "Phoney War" and the beginning of World War II in Western Front of World War II, ...
, resulting in the sinking by the Oscarsborg fortress delayed this, and thus allowed for the evacuation of the
Norwegian royal family Members of the Norwegian royal family are people related to King Harald V of Norway or former Norwegian monarchs who are royals and who hold royal titles. The term does not include non-royal relatives. The current family who holds the throne a ...
,
parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
, and cabinet, and for the nation's gold reserves to be denied the occupiers. From early on Drøbak had ferries that crossed the
fjord In physical geography, a fjord (also spelled fiord in New Zealand English; ) is a long, narrow sea inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created by a glacier. Fjords exist on the coasts of Antarctica, the Arctic, and surrounding landmasses of the n ...
, in modern times it has largely been replaced by the Oslofjordtunnel. However, some of the old ferries are still used as " floating restaurants" during the summer.


Tourism

In summertime,
cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports of call, where passengers may go on Tourism, tours k ...
s visit Oslo almost every day. Often, as many as four or five cruise ships visit each day, in addition to all the regular traffic, it has made Drøbak a popular sea-side tourist spot. However, the numerous restaurants, art galleries and mild summers are probably more important factors for visiting tourists. Drøbak is also known for its many art galleries. The town has a Christmas shop called Julehuset (the Christmas house), and letters often end up in Drøbak from Europe similarly to how they end up in Santa Claus, Indiana in the United States. During the summer months, there are tourist buses going from Oslo to Drøbak on day trips for tourists. Visitors can experience a traditional Norwegian fjord town. It is also a popular Oslo suburb for citizens to live in as public transportation is well connected between Drøbak and Oslo, both by bus and boat. In the
marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...
at the approach to Drøbak is a sculpture, made by Reidar Finsrud, cast in
bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...
of three
mermaid In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa. Mermaids are ...
s sitting on a rock. The sculpture was unveiled in 1999. A small aquarium with local species of fish and shellfish is open to the public and shows live video footage of the sea life in the fjord where fish, lobster and crab are often visible for the aquarium visitors. Norsk Luftambulanse used to have its headquarters in Drøbak.


Etymology

The Norse form of the name was ''Drjúgbakki''. The first element is ''drjúgr'' 'hard; long', the last element is ''bakki'' m '(up)hill'. This is related to the very steep roads winding down into the city centre of Drøbak.


Drøbak Church

Drøbak Church (''Drøbak Kirke'') is located in Drøbak parish in the Søndre Follo deanery within the Diocese of Borg. The church was opened on 29 October 1776. The church was a gift from timber merchant, landowner and shipowner Niels Carlsen (1734–1809) and his wife Martha Zachariassen (1743–1821). Significant repairs were made to the church in the 1820s. Domenico Erdmann (1879–1940) led the restoration in conjunction with the 150th anniversary in 1926.


Places

Drøbak is divided into eight notable areas. These places include: *Gylteåsen, which mainly consists of cabins and "season-housing". *Husvik, where most of the year-round boats are kept. This area was also significant in the sinking of the German cruiser ''Blücher'' in 1940, as the location of the Husvik Battery of Oscarsborg Fortress. The guns of the battery are still in place in these hills as tourist attractions. *
Sentrum Sentrum, meaning city-centre, is located on the southeast side of Oslo near the inner Oslofjord. The district is dominated by high rises like Postgirobygget and The Plaza. Oslo's Central Station is located on the eastern side of the borough. ...
(city centre), here lies "Julehuset" and most of the local stores. Most of the city centre is protected by local laws as "Verneverdig" which in short means that it has a significant cultural value and cannot be changed or rebuilt. Therefore, much of the city centre looks like it did 100 years ago. *Skiphelle and Elleflaten, an area consisting of suburban housing and a former hotel called "Drøbak Fjordhotell". *Sogsti and Ullerud, consisting much of Drøbak's suburban housing. *Odalen and Haveråsen is the "outer banks" of Drøbak, where the housing and population is more agricultural in nature. *Belsjø and Heer, the suburban housing around the large golf course surrounding most of northern Drøbak. *Skorkeberg and Dyrløkke, a large hill of suburban housing. In this area the local mall Drøbak City and a high school is located. .Svein Askheim
Drøbak
at
Store norske leksikon The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' (, abbreviated ''SNL'') is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. It has several subdivisions, including the Norsk biografisk leksikon. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian publishe ...


Notable people


See also

* Drøbak Sound *
Battle of Drøbak Sound The Battle of Drøbak Sound took place in Drøbak Sound, the northernmost part of the outer Oslofjord in southern Norway, on 9 April 1940. It marked the end of the "Phoney War" and the beginning of World War II in Western Front of World War II, ...


References


External links


Visit Drøbak

Introduction to Drøbak

A taste of Drøbak
VIDEO * {{DEFAULTSORT:Drobak Former municipalities of Norway Cities and towns in Norway Populated places in Akershus Frogn