Atlanterhavsveien | Holiday | Norway

Some evening shots from Drammen

Sunset

Reflections

Magasinet shopping senter

Pedestrian shopping street

Drammen riverside

Panorama shots Drammen city

Panorama shots Drammen city

History

Rock carvings at Åskollen and Skogerveien are 6000 to 7000 years old, and are the first signs of human activity in the area. The largest rock carving at Åskollen depicts a moose.

Drammen originally consisted of three small seaports: Bragernes on the northern side of the Drammenselva river and Strømsø and Tangen on the southern side. For trade purposes, small seaports were placed under market towns. Despite their geographical proximity, Bragernes was placed under Christiania and Strømsø under Tønsberg. For this reason, cooperation between the adjacent seaport towns was almost impossible. In 1662 a merger was proposed to unite Strømsø and Bragernes to form a market town with the name Frederiksstrøm. The proposal was rejected by Frederick III of Denmark. Bragernes received limited market town rights in 1715, and merged with Strømsø to gain status as a single city on 19 June 1811.

Its unique geographical location made the city a centre for seafaring, ship building, log driving, timber trade and - from the 19th century - paper and pulp industries. During the 1960s most of the pulp and paper factories along the Drammenselva were closed down.

Large parts of the city were ruined in the great fire of 12-13 July 1866, which led to the reconstruction of the city centre, including the characteristic town square and Bragernes church.

In 1909, Drammen got the first trolleybus system in Scandinavia, the Drammen trolleybus. The lines ran until 1967. For many years the centre of Drammen suffered from heavy traffic, but in 1999 the opening of the Bragernes tunnel diverted much of the traffic away from the centre of the city. In recent years, the city centre has seen significant regeneration, with the introduction of new housing, shopping facilities, restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as a public pathway along the Drammenselva river.

The Norse form of the city's 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), and this again is derived from the old word dröfn, which meant 'wave'.

The coat-of-arms is from 1960 - but it is based upon the old seal for Bragernes from 1723. The motto for Bragernes (in Latin) was IN FIDE ET JUSTITIA FORTITUDO ('in faith and justice is strength'), and the items in the seal are referring to this: key = faith, sword = justice, column on rocks = strength.

Sky Watch Friday # 32

Sunrise from Drammen this morning.

For more Sky Watch photos, visit the Sky watch site - Sky watch was Dots idea, now hosted by Sandy, Wren, Klaus, Fishing Guy and Ivar.

Broer som binder - Bridges Between

Mjøndalen bridge were built in 1913 and the bridge is 220 metres long.

Broer som binder - Bridges Between concept came from RuneE. Say "G'day" to him.

Todays Flowers

The Today's flowers meme is hosted by LUIZ SANTILLI JR. . Please visit and enjoy.

Sky Watch Friday # 29

Tryvannstårnet is the name of the 118 metre high TV Tower of Oslo, located 529 metres above mean sea level near the Tryvann lake. Tryvannstårnet was built in 1962 and has an observation deck in a height of 60 metres, from which you have at clear weather conditions a sight extending to the Swedish border. The observation deck was closed in 2005 because of new fire safety regulations that would have required expensive investments, as well as a rapidly declining number of visitors. In the 1980s and 90s, the tower yearly had around 100,000 visitors.

For more Sky Watch photos, visit the Sky watch site - Sky watch was Dots idea, now hosted by Sandy, Klaus, Tom , Ivar and Imac.

Gamlebyen i Fredrikstad - The Fortress Town # Part 1

The best preserved fortress town in the nordic countries is both vivid, charming and very interesting.
Not only is the Old Town Scandinavia´s best preserved fortress town, but it is also a dynamic quarter of the city. Within the frame of its ramparts the Old Town´s cobbled streets will take you past buildings from four centuries, intriguing small shops with designer goods, arts and crafts, furniture, food and curiosities. In the Tøihus you will find both Fredrikstad City Museum and the Tourist Information office. The flea market every Saturday on the town square is well worth a visit!

Year of construction 1667

Year of construction 1779

To be continued

Sky Watch Friday # 28

Some Norwegian skies captured in Drammen this evening.

For more Sky Watch photos, visit the Sky watch site - Sky watch was Dots idea, now hosted by Sandy, Klaus, Tom , Ivar and Imac.

Some summer holiday shots from Norway # Part 12.

Nyksund is a coastal village in Vesterålen, northern Norway (69°N 15°2E). People have been living in Nyksund since before recorded history. Until the late 18th century, the population was scarce, but with the rise of commercial trade, Nyksund became an important centre for hundreds of fishermen coming to exploit the rich fishing fields nearby.

As bigger vessels and road transportation rendered the port obsolete due to its shallow waters and poor road, Nyksund became an isolated outpost with a dwindling population. Finally, measures were made to shut the place down. During the 1970s, the city became a ghost town.

With the turn of the century, after 30 years of erosion, the lights are turned back on in Nyksund. New citizens are finding the old houses worthwhile. In 2003, the main obstacle to new activity in Nyksund is inadequate communications infrastructure; be it roads, wire or postal service. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)