Editing Øvre Eiker

{{Infobox kommune
| name               = Øvre Eiker
| native_name        =
| native_name_lang   =
| other_name         =
| official_name      =
| idnumber           = 3314
| image_skyline      = Storgata-fra-Råenbakken-Vestfossen-d8863.jpg
| image_caption      = View of the village of Vestfossen
| county             = Buskerud
| district           = [[Eiker]], [[Buskerud#Geography|Lower Buskerud]]
| capital            = [[Hokksund]]
| demonym            = Eikværing
| language           = [[Bokmål]]
| coatofarms         = Øvre_Eiker_komm.svg
| munwebpage         = www.ovre-eiker.kommune.no
| mayor              = Adrian Tollefsen
| mayor_party        = [[Conservative Party (Norway)|Conservative Party]]
| mayor_as_of        = 2023
| area_rank          = 223
| area_total_km2      = 457
| area_land_km2       = 418
| area_water_percent  = 0.14
| population_as_of   = 2022
| population_rank    = 62
| population_total   = 20250
| populationpercent  = 0.34
| population_density_km2= 37
| population_increase= 4.3
| coordinates        = {{coord|59|46|19|N|9|50|10|E|region:NO|display=inline,title}}
| utm_zone = 32V | utm_northing = 6626318 | utm_easting = 0546963 | geo_cat = adm2nd
}}

'''Øvre Eiker''' is a [[Municipalities of Norway|municipality]] in [[Buskerud]] [[Counties of Norway|county]], [[Norway]]. It is part of the [[Districts of Norway|traditional region]] of [[Eiker]].  The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of [[Hokksund]].  The old municipality of [[Eiker]] was divided into ''Øvre Eiker'' (upper Eiker) and ''[[Nedre Eiker]]'' (lower) on 1 July 1885.

As of 2015, more employees worked for the [municipal] government and in the service sector, than in any other field of employment; even fewer—16 %—are employed in construction or in [electrical] power companies and water companies; [13%] work in the [[manufacturing sector]].<ref>https://snl.no/%C3%98vre_Eiker "Etter offentlig administrasjon og tjenesteyting er bygge- og anleggsvirksomhet/kraft- og vannforsyning den viktigste næringen i Øvre Eiker målt etter sysselsetting. Denne næringen hadde 16 prosent av kommunens arbeidsplasser i 2015, 29 prosent inkludert industri."</ref>

==General information==
===Name===
The [[Old Norse]] form of the name was ''Eikjar''. The name is the [[plural]] form of ''eiki'' which means "[[oak]] wood". The meaning of ''Øvre Eiker'' is "(the) upper (part of) Eiker". (The municipality of Eiker was divided in 1885.) {{See also|Nedre Eiker}}

===Coat-of-arms===
The [[Coat of arms|coat-of-arms]] is from modern times.  They were granted on 24 October 1981.  The arms show three silver oak [[leaf|leaves]] and two [[acorn]]s on a blue background.  The oak is a [[canting arms|canting element]], since ''Eik'' means oak in the [[Norwegian language]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Norske Kommunevåpen|year=1990|title=Nye kommunevåbener i Norden|url=http://www.ngw.nl/int/nor/o/ovreeike.htm|accessdate=2009-01-10}}</ref>

{{See also-text|Coats of arms of [[Coat of arms of Eigersund|Eigersund]]|[[Coat of arms of Nedre Eiker|Nedre Eiker]]|[[Coat of arms of Songdalen|Songdalen]]|[[Coat of arms of Tingvoll|Tingvoll]]}}

{| style="float: center;" class="wikitable"
|+ '''Number of minorities (1st and 2nd generation) in Øvre Eiker  by country of origin in 2017'''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ssb.no/statistikkbanken/selectvarval/Define.asp?subjectcode=&ProductId=&MainTable=FolkInnvkatLand&nvl=&PLanguage=1&nyTmpVar=true&CMSSubjectArea=befolkning&KortNavnWeb=innvbef&StatVariant=&checked=true |title=Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents |publisher=ssb.no |accessdate=29 July 2017|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702101705/https://www.ssb.no/statistikkbanken/selectvarval/Define.asp?subjectcode=&ProductId=&MainTable=FolkInnvkatLand&nvl=&PLanguage=1&nyTmpVar=true&CMSSubjectArea=befolkning&KortNavnWeb=innvbef&StatVariant=&checked=true |archivedate= 2 July 2015 }}</ref>
 
|-
! style="background:#efefef;"|Ancestry
! style="background:#efefef;"|Number
|-
| {{flag|Poland}}||611
|-
| {{flag|Lithuania}}||267
|-
| {{flag|Afghanistan}}||110
|-
| {{flag|Germany}}||101
|-
| {{flag|Iceland}}||96
|-
| {{flag|Denmark}}||87
|-
| {{flag|Thailand}}||84
|-
| {{flag|Eritrea}}||75
|-
| {{flag|Iraq}}||70
|-
| {{flag|Turkey}}||67
|}

[[File:Övre Eiker raadhus IMG 2719.JPG|250px|thumb|Øvre Eiker Townhall at Hokksund]]

==Geography==
Øvre Eiker is a lush valley along [[Drammenselva]] with [[Modum]] to the north and [[Drammen]] to the east. To the south flows [[Eikeren]] watercourse, which is dominated by the contiguous [[Lake]]s [[Eikeren]] and Fiskumvannet. Eikeren is 156 [[Metre|Meters]] deep and is partly located in [[Holmestrand]] municipality in the south. The municipality's highest point, [[Myrehogget]], 707 [[meters above sea level]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Myrehogget |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q11990340 |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=www.wikidata.org |language=en}}</ref> is located west, between Øvre Eiker and [[Flesberg]] municipality.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://snl.no/%C3%98vre_Eiker |title=Øvre Eiker – Store norske leksikon |publisher=Snl.no |date= |accessdate=2022-08-13}}</ref>

About half of the municipality's inhabitants live in the municipal center [[Hokksund]], which in 2021 had 9,514 inhabitants, the rest live mainly in the settlements [[Vestfossen]], [[Skotselv]], [[Ormåsen]], and [[Darbu]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ssb.no/befolkning/folketall/statistikk/tettsteders-befolkning-og-areal | title=Tettsteders befolkning og areal }}</ref><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web |title=Kommunefakta |url=https://www.ssb.no/kommunefakta/ovre-eiker}}</ref>

The municipality is part of the Drammen region and Buskerudbyen,<ref>{{cite web |title=Q17760785 |url=https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q17760785 |access-date=2022-07-02 |website=www.wikidata.org |language=en}}</ref> which is a collaboration within transport, environment and health.<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

== Energy ==
[[Hakavik Power Station]], startpoint of 55 kV single phase AC grid for traction current.

[[Hellefoss Power Station]], was put into operation in 1952.

[[Skotselv Power Station]] started production in 1992.

==Notable residents==
[[File:Christopher Hornsrud.jpg|140px|thumb|Christopher Hornsrud ca.1930]]
[[File:Aage Most.jpg|140px|thumb|Aage Most, 2006]]
* [[Christopher Borgersen Hoen]] (1767 in Eiker – 1845) farmer and rep. at the [[Norwegian Constituent Assembly]] at Eidsvoll in 1814
* [[Jonas Lie (writer)|Jonas Lie]] (1833 at Hokksund – 1908) novelist, poet, and playwright
* [[Olaf Mørch Hansson]] (1856 in Øvre Eiker – 1912) an actor, theatre director and journalist
* [[Christopher Hornsrud]] (1859 in Skotselv – 1960) [[Prime Minister of Norway]] in 1928
* [[Henny Dons]] (1874 at Aker – 1966) a Norwegian educator and [[inner mission]]ary 
* [[Hans Dons]] (1882 in Øvre Eiker – 1940) [[Royal Norwegian Navy|Navy]] officer, first manned flight in Norway
* [[Thina Thorleifsen]] (1885 in Hokksund – 1959) a politician, active in the women's movement
* [[Else Halling]] (1899 in Øvre Eiker – 1987) a Norwegian textile artist
* [[Harald Henschien]] (1902 at Øvre Hoen – 1968) accordionist, accordion manufacturer, editor
* [[Aage Møst]] (1923 in Skotselv – 2011) a journalist and sports official
* [[Thorleif Enger]] (born 1943 in Øvre Eiker) former CEO of [[Yara International]]
* [[Per Olaf Lundteigen]] (born 1953) farmer and Øvre Eiker municipal councillor 2003/07 
* [[Nikolai Hængsle]] (born 1978 in Skotselv) a Norwegian bass guitarist, member of [[Bigbang (Norwegian band)|BigBang]]
* [[Masud Gharahkhani]] (born 1982) an Iranian-Norwegian politician, brought up in Skotselv

=== Sport ===
* [[Randi Thorvaldsen]] (1925 in Fiskum – 2011) a champion speedskater in the early 1950s 
* [[Jorunn Horgen]] (born 1966 in Hokksund) a windsurfer, world champion in 1980s & 90s
* [[Mona Bollerud]] (born 1968 in Fiskum) former biathlete, World Championship medallist
* [[Gustav Wikheim]] (born 1993 in Hokksund) a Norwegian footballer with over 200 club caps
* [[Lucas Braathen]] (born 2000 in Hokksund) a Brazilian alpine skier
* [[Martinius Stenshorne]] (born 2006 in Hokksund) a Norwegian racing driver

==International relations==
{{Main|List of twin towns and sister cities in Norway}}

===Twin towns — Sister cities===
The following cities are [[town twinning|twinned]] with Øvre Eiker:
* {{flagicon|DEN}} '''[[Kerteminde Municipality|Kerteminde]]''', [[Region of Southern Denmark]], [[Denmark]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kerteminde.dk/Om%20kommunen/Fakta%20om%20kommunen/Venskabsbyer.aspx|title=Venskabsbyer|publisher=Kerteminde kommune|accessdate=2009-01-10|language=da}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|FIN}} '''[[Lempäälä]]''', [[Western Finland]], [[Finland]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lempaala.fi/kunta_ja_hallinto/kansainvalisyys/ystavyyskunnat/|title=Ystävyyskunnat|publisher=Lempäälä|accessdate=2009-01-10|language=fi}}</ref>
* {{flagicon|SWE}} '''[[Ulricehamn Municipality|Ulricehamn]]''', [[Västra Götaland County]], [[Sweden]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ulricehamn.se/ulh_templates/Information.aspx?id=5432|title=Föreningen Norden|publisher=Ulricehamn kommun|accessdate=2009-01-10|language=sv}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Haug kirke Hokksund Norway 2016-10-29l 02.jpg|Haug Church in Hokksund
File:Bakke kirke TRS.jpg|Bakke Church
File:Fiskum kirke TRS 060715 046A.jpg|Fiskum Church
File:Fiskum gamle kirke 02.jpg|Old Fiskum Church
File:Dam at Øksnevann.JPG|Øksnevann Dam
File:Darbu stasjon.jpg|Darbu Station
File:Nøstetangenmuseet.jpg|Nøstetangen Museum in Hokksund
File:Hokksund stasjon front.jpg|Hokksund Station
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline|Øvre Eiker}}
*{{wiktionary-inline|Øvre Eiker}}
*[http://www.ssb.no/english/municipalities/0624 Municipal fact sheet] from [[Statistics Norway]]
*{{Wikivoyage inline|Buskerud}}

{{Buskerud}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ovre Eiker}}
[[Category:Øvre Eiker| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Buskerud]]