Askim Municipality Askim kommune | |
|---|---|
 Flag | |
 Østfold within Norway | |
 Askim within Østfold | |
| Coordinates:59°35′10″N11°10′12″E / 59.58611°N 11.17000°E /59.58611; 11.17000 | |
| Country | Norway |
| County | Østfold |
| District | Smaalenene |
| Administrative centre | Askim |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2011) | Thor Hals (H) |
| Area | |
• Total | 69 km2 (27 sq mi) |
| • Land | 66 km2 (25 sq mi) |
| • Rank | #409 in Norway |
| Population (30. June 2014) | |
• Total | 15,511[1] |
| • Rank | #71 in Norway |
| • Density | 225/km2 (580/sq mi) |
| • Change(10 years) |  +9% |
| Demonym | Askiming[2] |
| Official language | |
| • Norwegian form | Bokmål |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| ISO 3166 code | NO-0124[4] |
| Website | Official website |
Askim (pronunciationⓘ) is atown and a formermunicipality in (from January 1, 2020)Indre Østfold municipality in thecounty ofØstfold,Norway.
The administrative centre of the Askim municipality was the town of Askim. Askim was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 (seeformannskapsdistrikt).
Askim is the largest population centre in theIndre Østfold region, with 15,315 inhabitants as of 2012, and serves as a regional center for nine municipalities in theIndre Østfold region. It lies next to the longest river in Norway,Glomma, which forms the border with the formerSpydeberg municipality to the north and west, andSkiptvet municipality to the south. Askim also borders to the formerTrøgstad municipality to the northeast and the formerEidsberg municipality to the southeast.
Askim produces large amounts ofhydroelectricity at threedams /hydroelectricpower plants in the riverGlomma. From upstream to downstream:Solbergfoss,Kykkelsrud, thenVamma.
There wasnickelmining atKykkelsrud at the turn of the 20th century. These mines are also one of the few places where "Spheroidal Norite" ("Potato Stone") is found.
Askim has been an industrial city for most of the 20th century. The main employer,Viking Gummi (producing rubber products like boots and tyres etc.), shut down theirrubber product production in 1991 after being taken over by theContinental Tyres owned SwedishGislaved Tyres.
Glava was the main employer by the 2010s, makingglass cotton insulation etc.
Askim has always been a strategic point in wars due to its relative easy crossing of the river. The last battle between Norway andSweden was fought at the crossing over Glomma on 9 August 1814. There is a yearly historical reenactment, as well as a stone monument at Langnes to commemorate this event.
During theNorwegian campaign ofWorld War II, a battle occurred atFossum Bridge when theNorwegian Army defended the crossing against invadingGermans in April 1940.
The municipality (originally theparish) is named after the oldAskim farm (Old Norse:Askheimr), since the first church was built here. The first element isaskr which means "ash tree" and the last element isheimr which means "home", "homestead", or "farm".
Thecoat-of-arms is from modern times. They were granted on 1 November 1963. The arms symbolize the three largewaterfalls in the municipality, the Solbergfoss, Kykkelsrudfoss, and Vammafoss. Therivers and waterfalls are also partially harnessed for hydroelectric power.[5]
European route E18 used to go through the city centre, however, since the upgrade to four-lanehighway in 2005, its route now runs outside the centre.Vy'sEastern Østfold Line serves the municipality with stops atLangnes Station andNæringsparken andAskim Station in between.
The municipal council runs the government of Askim. The2007 election results are as follows:[6]
| Ancestry | Number |
|---|---|
 Poland | 399 |
 Iraq | 312 |
 Vietnam | 288 |
 Bosnia-Herzegovina | 163 |
 Philippines | 140 |
 Somalia | 131 |
 Kosovo | 126 |
 Lithuania | 123 |
 Syria | 118 |
 Croatia | 113 |
The following cities aretwinned with Askim:[8]
-Huddinge,Stockholm County,Sweden
-Lyngby-Taarbæk Kommune,Region Hovedstaden,Denmark
-Nuuk,Nuuk Municipality,Greenland
-Rapla,Rapla County,Estonia
-Seyðisfjörður,Seyðisfjarðarkaupstaður,Iceland
-Vantaa,Uusimaa,Finland
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As of 1 January 2024, according toStatistics Norway[1] | ||
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| Artists | |
