Ostøya is an
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
in the western section of
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 ...
(Vestfjorden), within the borders of the municipality of
Bærum
Bærum () is a list of municipalities of Norway, municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Akershus County, Norway. It forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a populatio ...
. It is the second largest island in the Oslo basin, after
Nesøya. It is adjacent to the municipal border with
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 ...
, where Nesøya and
Brønnøya
Brønnøya is an island in the western section of Oslofjord (Vestfjorden), within the borders of the municipality of Asker.
Geography
The island is just beyond the upscale suburban construction of Nesøya, Akershus, Nesøya, reachable across the ...
are to its northwest and southwest, respectively. Within Bærum,
Borøya is to the north,
Kjeholmen to the northeast, and
Grimsøya to the east. To the south is
Gåsøya.
History
At some point the island was split in two. The island is named after the farm that is situated on it. The etymology of Oust, or Ost is uncertain. O. Rygh claims the etymology is unknown but that the farm derives its name from the island's original name. Others speculate that it may have an
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 ...
origin related to ''ouste'', in the sense of claiming new land.
Reformation
The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
) it was owned by the crown and spelled Oust. In 1791, the owner is listed as Hans Haagensen Tveter, and his descendants still own the main farm. In accordance with practice at the time, they also took the last name Oust. They successfully petitioned the minister at Haslum church
Haslum is a district in the municipality of Bærum, Norway. Its population (2007) is 6,041.[cholera
Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...]
victims. A royal grant was given.[
In 1899 a significant portion of the island (Lille Oust) was sold for recreational summer houses.][
]
Nature reserve
Two areas of the island have been set aside as nature reserve
A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologic ...
s:
*Oust naturreservat was established in 2002 and consists of 128,5 hectares, of which 5,5 hectares are marineland.[
*Syd Oust naturreservat was established on June 27, 2008 and consists of , of which is on land.][
]
Golf and country club
Oustøen Country Club was privately established in 1965 and has about 700 members. The golf course
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, tee box, a #Fairway and rough, fairway, the #Fairway and rough, rough and other hazard (golf), hazards, and ...
originally had nine holes, but was expanded to a full 18-hole golf course in 1995. The club house is based on the main farmhouse on the Oust farm. The original farmhouse from 1791 burned to the ground in 1998, but has been restored. There is a restaurant on the premises.[
]
Today
The island is accessible only by sea. Aside from the main farm and country club, there are a few summer residences on the island, based on former tenant farms there. The island is within the postal code for Snarøya
Snarøya is a populated peninsula in the inner Oslofjord in Norway. It belongs to Bærum municipality in Akershus county. It is located south of the districts Lysaker, Lagåsen and Fornebu, and has 2,940 inhabitants.
History
Its name is de ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostoya
Islands of Akershus
Geography of Bærum