Drammen facts for kids

This page is about the town in Norway. For the town in Wisconsin, see Drammen, Wisconsin.

coat of arms

Drammen is a city and municipality in the county of Viken, Norway. It has a population of 101 000 people.

Drammen was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 (see formannskapsdistrikt). The rural municipality of Skoger was merged with Drammen January 1, 1964. (And then transferred from the county of Vestfold to the county of Buskerud.)

Drammen is one of the larger cities in Norway, and is about 47 km from the capital of Norway, Oslo. The city centre is at the end of a valley, on both sides of the river Drammenselva, and where the river meets the Drammensfjord. Drammen is also the main city for car and fruit import in Norway.

The name

The Norse form of the name was Drafn, and this was originally the name of the inner part of Drammensfjord. The fjord is, however, probably named after the river Dramselva (Norse Dröfn).

Geography

The city centre lies at the end of a valley, on both sides of the Drammenselva river, and where the river meets the Drammensfjord. Drammen is also the main harbor for car and fruit import in Norway. The forests around Drammen are called Drammensmarka. In the summer it is a popular area for hiking. In the winter skiing tracks are made and lighting make it cross country skiing possible during the evenings.

Famous people

Martinus Rørbye, painter (1803–1848)
Marcus Thrane, labour movement leader (1817–1890)
Hans Peter Faye, sugar plantation pioneer (1859–1928)
Johan Halvorsen, composer, conductor and musician (1864–1935)
Betzy Kjelsberg, politician and feminist (1866–1950)
Geirr Tveitt, composer and pianist (1908–1981)
Charles Mathiesen, speed skater (1911–1994)
Hans-Jørgen Holman, musicologist and educationalist (1925–1986)
Sverre Holm, actor (1931–2005)
Sten Stensen, speed skater (1947–)
Ole Hermann Borgan, referee (1964–)
Johann Olav Koss, speed skater (1968–)
Kim Christiansen, snowboarder (1976–)

Sport clubs

SBK Drafn 21 Norwegian Championships in bandy.
Drammen golfklubb. Founded 1989.
IF Hellas
SBK Skiold
Strømsgodset IF. Founded February 10th 1907. Four Norwegian championships in football (1969, 1970, 1973, 1993). Winner of the Norwegian football league 1970. 6 Norwegian championships in bandy.
IF Sturla
Drammen HK Handball club in Men's European Champions League (07/08)